San Bernardino

Inland Empire hub

San Bernardino is a city in Southern California, located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire region.

It sits at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, the largest county by area in the contiguous United States.

The city has historical significance as a terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad and Route 66.

We drove through San Bernardino on our way to Big Bear Lake.

county

Mojave

Southwestern American desert

county seat · warehousing · distribution centers · rail junction · freight

geography

San Andreas Fault

California's primary tectonic boundary

foothills · elevation · valley · mountain passes · chaparral · wildfire · drought · basin · alluvial · terrain

California

Southern California

Southwestern US coastal region

Rialto · Highland · I-15 · I-10 · Mojave Desert · Victorville · Big Bear

Route66

roadtrip

Leisure travel by car

  • dinersCasual roadside eateries
  • motelsRoadside overnight accommodations
  • neon signsElectrified gas tube advertisements

Americana · nostalgia · historic highway · vintage · classic cars · cruising · landmarks · midcentury · gas stations · roadside attractions

history

Spanish mission

Colonial religious settlement

railroad town · aerospace industry · redevelopment · bankruptcy · historic downtown

Categories
Opposites
coastal vs inland california

San BernardinoSanta Monica

Los Angeles beach suburb

Malibu · San Diego · Santa Barbara · Laguna Beach · Newport Beach

affluence and image

San BernardinoBeverly Hills

Affluent Southern California city

Malibu · Newport Beach · La Jolla · Calabasas · Palo Alto

urban density and form

San BernardinoSan Francisco

Northern California metropolis

Manhattan · Boston · Chicago · Jersey City · Hoboken

Family

Bernard

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G