Victorville,_california

Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County, California, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau\'s 2000 census, the city has a total population of 64,029. The May 1, 2007 population estimate from the State of California Department of Finance is 102,538. The High Desert Monthly Census of October 2007 has placed Victorville\'s population around 103,100, making it the 246th-largest city in the United States. However, the U.S. Census Bureau has not counted the city as such.

Geography

Victorville is located at 34°31\'14" North, 117°20\'40" West (34.520459, -117.344525)US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31..

Victorville is located at the southern edge of the Mojave Desert, 81 miles northeast of Los Angeles, 34 miles south of Barstow, 48 miles east of Palmdale, and 37 miles north of San Bernardino through the Cajon Pass on Interstate 15. Victorville has the Mojave Desert branch of the San Bernardino county government offices.

It is bordered by Apple Valley on the east, Hesperia on the south, and Adelanto on the west. The Mojave River flows through Victorville. The elevation at City Hall is approximately 2,950 feet above sea level. The summer climate for this area in the Mojave Desert may be hotter than the Los Angeles basin or the Inland Empire, but actually 10 or 15 degrees cooler than in the Colorado Desert.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 189.8 km² (73.3 mi²). 188.5 km² (72.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.71% water.

Demographics

As of 2005, there is an estimated population of 86,473 people, 30,000 households, and 21,000 families residing in the city. The population density is 339.7/km² (879.7/mi²). There are 22,498 housing units at an average density of 119.4/km² (309.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.05% White, 11.92% African American, 1.11% Native American, 3.48% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 16.26% from other races, and 5.98% from two or more races. 33.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 30,000 households out of which 43.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% are married couples living together, 16.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% are non-families. 19.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.03 and the average family size is 3.47.

In the city the population is spread out with 34.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $36,187, and the median income for a family is $39,988. Males have a median income of $40,149 versus $26,138 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,454. 18.7% of the population and 15.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Politics

In the state legislature Victorville is located in the 17th Senate District, represented by Republican George Runner, and in the 36th Assembly District, represented by Republican Sharon Runner. Federally, Victorville is located in California\'s 25th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +7Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2008-02-10. and is represented by Republican Buck McKeon.

History

About 1895 the town was named Victor after California Southern Railroad General Manager Jacob Nash Victor. In 1901, the United States Post Office Department changed the name to Victorville to avoid confusion with the town of Victor, Colorado.

In 1926, Route 66 was established and passed through Victorville. Today, the former route is the primary road through oldtown Victorville, forming Seventh Street.

In 1940, Herman J. Mankiewicz and John Houseman wrote the first two drafts of Citizen Kane in Victorville. Orson Welles sent the two of them to write in seclusion due to Mankiewicz\'s legendary drinking habits.Excerpt from "The Scripts of Citizen Kane" by Robert L. Carringer. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.

Victorville Army Airfield was constructed in 1941 and later named George Air Force Base.

The city was incorporated on September 21, 1962.

On August 14, 1977, actor Ron Haydock was struck and killed while hitch-hiking near Victorville. Ron Haydock is also remembered for his hit rockabilly 45rpm single "99 Chicks".

The punk band C.U.R.S.E. formed in Victorville in 1985.

The punk band Futile Effort formed in Victorville in 1989. The members of Face to Face (Victoria Manor) used to watch Futile Effort play and tell the band that "punk was going nowhere".

The punk band Face to Face formed in Victorville in 1991 after cutting their hair and changing their heavy metal band, Victoria Manor, into a punk band.

In 1992, George AFB was deactivated and is now Southern California Logistics Airport. The former base housing is now vacant, forming a ghost town that is used for military training purposes by troops from Fort Irwin Military Reservation.

In 2003, the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum was moved from Victorville to Branson, Missouri.

On November 3, 2007, Victorville hosted the DARPA Urban Challenge, a 6 hour autonomous robot driving contest through the streets of what was formerly George Air Force Base now the Southern California Logistics Airport. The Carnegie Mellon team, known as Tartan Racing, took the US$2 million first prize, while the Stanford Racing Team received a $1 million check for finishing second. Team Victor Tango, made up of faculty and students from Virginia Tech, whose vehicle number was 32 in honor of the 32 students killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, received $500,000 for taking third place. “Robots some­times stun the world, in­spire a lot of peo­ple and change the be­lief of what is pos­si­ble,” said Wil­liam “Red” Whit­ta­ker, a Car­ne­gie Mel­lon robotics pro­fes­sor and team lead­er of the un­ivers­ity’s Tar­tan Rac­ing team. “We’ve seen that here and once the pe­rception of what’s pos­si­ble changes it nev­er goes back. This is a phe­nom­e­nal thing for robotics.”Competition drives robo-car technology forward". Retrieved on 2007-11-05.

Transportation

• Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA)
• Victorville (Amtrak station)

Public Safety

The San Bernardino County Sheriff\'s Department has a regional station in Victorville (also serves the neighboring cities of Hesperia, Apple Valley and Adelanto, plus the towns of Piñon Hills, Wrightwood, Helendale, Marianas Ranchos, and other smaller towns, as well as the former George AFB).

Victorville also has its own full-service fire department, with mutual aid from the Apple Valley Fire Protection District and the San Bernardino County Fire Department(out of Hesperia).

Notable people from Victorville

• Earl W. Bascom, Hall of Fame cowboy, international artist and sculptor.
• Trent Brendon, tennis player, Wake Forest University career wins leader.
• Ollie Butler, Legendary High School Basketball Coach from Victor Valley High School.
• Dan Henderson, welterweight champion, was born in August 24, 1970 and went to Victor Valley High School but resided in Apple Valley, where he was born.
• T. J. Houshmandzadeh, wide receiver for the NFL\'s Cincinnati Bengals.
• Ron Johnson, bass player for Karl Denson\'s Tiny Universe and New Monsoon (actually from Adelanto).
• Al Jury, NFL Referee.
• Dave Lombardo, drummer of thrash metal band, Slayer.
• Prem Reddy, MD, FACC, FCCP, Cardiologist, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist.
• Joe Stevenson, ultimate fighter who attended Silverado High School.
• Mike Mangold, 2005 Red Bull Air Race World Series Champion.
• Trever Keith, Guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of the punk band Face to Face (punk band)
• Marsalis Powell, 1997 AAU National Basketball Player of the Year

Places of Interest

Victorville is the current home of the Route 66 Museum and the San Bernardino County Fair.

The United States Penitentiary, Victorville, located north of I-15 just off US Highway 395 has been home to many notables, including John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban" fighter.

Filming location

Victorville has been used for film shoots:

• Grand Theft Auto (1977), starring Ron Howard.
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977). However, the 2006 was filmed in Morocco.
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), partially filmed in Victorville.
• Contact (1997), also partially filmed in Victorville, with some local residents used as extras.
• Foo Fighters - Times Like These (2002) filmed on D Street between Victorville and Apple Valley

References

External links

• High Desert News
• Victorville Police Scanner
• Victorville Police / Sheriff Scanner
• Victorville city government site
• The Daily Press newspaper

• Victorville, California is at coordinates 34°31′14″N 117°20′40″W / 34.520459, -117.344525 (Victorville, California)Coordinates: 34°31′14″N 117°20′40″W / 34.520459, -117.344525 (Victorville, California)

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