Running Springs is home to the 3,400-acre National Children’s Forest, which offers interpretive programs, educational tours and more.[2][3]Snow Valley Mountain Resort was established here in the 1920s and was the first ski resort in the San Bernardino Mountains.[4][5]
History
The first people to settle here were the Serrano people (“mountain people”). They got their name from Spanish priest Father Garces in 1776, but called themselves Yuhaviatam (“people of the pines”). Numerous mortar holes can be seen throughout the area, made by the Serranos grinding acorns into meal. Native Americans settled here due to the rich natural resources. They gathered acorns and herbs, also hunting deer, rabbits and other wildlife.[6]
Running Springs was originally known as Hunsaker Flats, named for Abraham Hunsaker, an early member of a Mormon Battalion. The area was developed after improvements to the state highways in the 1920s.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km2), 99.79% of it is land and 0.21% is water.
Demographics
2010
At the 2010 census Running Springs had a population of 4,862. The population density was 1,154.0 inhabitants per square mile (445.6/km2). The racial makeup of Running Springs was 4,325 (89.0%) White (79.8% Non-Hispanic White),[9] 23 (0.5%) African American, 47 (1.0%) Native American, 50 (1.0%) Asian, 6 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 146 (3.0%) from other races, and 265 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 695 people (14.3%).[10]
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,944 households, 611 (31.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,026 (52.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 171 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 106 (5.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 114 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (2.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 477 households (24.5%) were one person and 140 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50. There were 1,303 families (67.0% of households); the average family size was 2.99.
The age distribution was 1,119 people (23.0%) under the age of 18, 375 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,157 people (23.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,672 people (34.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 539 people (11.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.
There were 3,729 housing units at an average density of 885.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,419 (73.0%) were owner-occupied and 525 (27.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.6%. 3,450 people (71.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,412 people (29.0%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Running Springs had a median household income of $59,111, with 9.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[11]
2000
At the 2000 census there were 5,125 people, 1,903 households, and 1,366 families in the CDP. The population density was 1,286.1 inhabitants per square mile (496.6/km2). There were 3,686 housing units at an average density of 925.0 per square mile (357.1/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.7% White, 0.5% African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.1%.[12]
Of the 1,903 households 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.5% of households were one person and 5.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males.
The median household income was $50,524 and the median family income was $56,855. Males had a median income of $45,172 versus $34,492 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,231. About 7.0% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
An example of a Shay logging locomotive. The gearing arrangement gives it greater pulling capacity (but slower speed), which is advantageous with heavy loads on steep grades typical of western logging railroads. This one is still in use on the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton, California.
Additionally, Running Springs, together with surrounding communities, form a bedroom community for commuters who are employed in San Bernardino.
Logging in the San Bernardino Mountains was once done on a large scale, with the Brookings Lumber Company operation the largest. It operated on 8,000 acres (32 km2) between Fredalba and Hunsaker Flats (present-day Running Springs), and extending northward to Heap's Ranch and Lightningdale (near Green Valley Lake) between 1899 and 1912. It built a logging railroad to bring logs to the mill at Fredalba. The Shay locomotives had to be disassembled and hauled by wagon up the mountain, since the railroad operated in the high country but did not connect to other railroads in the lowlands. About 60% of the finished lumber was hauled by wagon down the steep grades to the Molino box factory in Highland, which made packing crates for the citrus grown in the area. The remaining 40% went to the company's retail lumber yard in San Bernardino. In 1912, the company dismantled the Fredalba sawmill and moved much of the machinery to Brookings, Oregon.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
^Kath, Laura and Pamela Price (2011). Fun with the Family Southern California: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids. Rowman & Littlefield. Page 133. ISBN9780762774753.
^Weeks, John Howard (2008). Inland Empire. Arcadia Publishing. Page 83. ISBN9780738559070.
^Burwell, Maria Teresa (2007). Fodor's 2008 Los Angeles: Plus Disneyland & Orange County. Fodor's Travel Publications. Page 250. ISBN9781400018062.
^Bellamy, Stanley E. (2007). Running Springs. Arcadia Publishing. Page 10. ISBN9780738546797.
^"Forests of Inland Southern California," San Bernardino County Museum Web site ("Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on September 26, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)) Retrieved 6-19-11
^"Logging the San Bernardino Mountains," Big Bear History Web site ("Big Bear History". Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2014.) Retrieved 6-19-11.
^Garrett, Lewis, Place Names of the San Bernardino Mountains, pp. 37, 47, 77-78, Big Bear Valley Historical Society, Big Bear City, CA, 1998.
^Robinson, John W., The San Bernardinos: The Mountain Country from Cajon Pass to Oak Glen: Two Centuries of Changing Use, pp. 25-47, Big Santa Anita Historical Society, Arcadia, CA, 1989.
^Core, Tom, Big Bear: The First 100 Years, pp. 306-8, The Core Trust, Big Bear City, CA, 2002.
^Belden, L. Burr, "Brookings Turns Lumbering Into Big Business," San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, CA, Nov. 29, 1953.
^La Fuze, Pauliena B., Saga of the San Bernardinos, Hogar Pub. Co., 1984.
^Bellamy, Stanley E. and Russel L. Keller (2006). Big Bear. Arcadia Publishing. Page 119. ISBN9780738531113.
^Cozad, W. Lee (2006). More Magnificent Mountain Movies. Page 299. ISBN9780972337236.
United States
California
