census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino an ...
in
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States. Oak Glen is located 15 miles east of
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, at an elevation of . The population was 638 at the 2010 census.
The original settlers, the
Cahuilla
The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California.Serrano, harvested acorns; many
metate
A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic ...
s can still be found in the streambeds where the acorns were leached. According to
Huell Howser
Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...
's 2005 ''
California's Gold
''California's Gold'' is a public television human interest program that explores the natural, cultural, and historical features of California. The series ran for 24 seasons beginning in 1991, and was produced and hosted by Huell Howser in colla ...
'' profile, the
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
was the original crop grown by the first Caucasians to settle in the area.
The
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
orchards produce the Vasquez and King David varieties, which are grown only in Oak Glen, as well as antique varieties no longer commercially available such as Ben Davis,
Gravenstein
Gravenstein (Danish: ''Gråsten'', meaning "graystone", after Gråsten Palace) is a triploid apple cultivar that originated in the 17th century or earlier. The fruit has a tart flavor, and it is heavily used as a cooking apple, especially f ...
, and Pink Pearl.
Although Oak Glen grew apples mainly for export, in the 1940s several farms began to sell apples,
apple pies
An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. The earliest printed recipe is from England. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream ("apple pie à la mode"), or cheddar cheese. It is generall ...
,
apple cider
Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in the U ...
and
apple butter
Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives a ...
at roadside stands. The export trade has virtually disappeared, and growers now earn much of their revenue from visitors who are allowed to pick apples directly off the trees at some of the orchards.
History
One of the most scenic historic spots in Southern California is nestled in the heart of apple country in Oak Glen, California where the summers are cooler and the winters dusted with snow. The five mile scenic loop of 30+ ranches, farms and businesses are open year-round. You will see one of the most scenic byways Southern California has to offer.
Enoch Parrish opened the first apple orchard in 1876, followed by the Wilshire family. The Rivers brothers and their families came to Oak Glen in 1906. Their orchard, Los Rios Rancho (Spanish for "The Rivers Ranch"), is still in operation, as are many of the other original orchards and ranches in the area. The Law family came into the area with its own apple orchard in the early 1930s and built the first roadside packinghouse, first restaurant and gift shop soon after. Various other shops.
In 1996,
The Wildlands Conservancy
The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve land for public recreation. It operates 23 preserves in California and Oregon. The preserve system comprises 210,686 acres including mountains, valleys, de ...
acquired Los Rios Rancho to ensure the rural feel was retained. The orchard is leased for apple growing. The conservancy opened
Oak Glen Preserve
Oak Glen Preserve is a Wildlands Conservancy nature preserve consisting of of land in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the western foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugge ...
to the public providing hiking trails and picnic areas. They acquired additional land in the area particularly peaks to ensure the scenic backdrop persists. A large number of families visit Oak Glen for festivities and events offered by Los Rios Rancho and The Wildlands Conservancy.
Los Rios Rancho a 103-year-old ranch; Southern California's largest historical apple ranch, located in the heart of apple country, draws more than 300,000 visitors yearly who make the scenic drive to Oak Glen to pick apples, picnic and hike as well as enjoy the homemade apple pies and freshly pressed cider. Joseph E. Wilshire, who helped make the Oak Glen area famous for apple growing in the early 1900s had realized early on the suitability of The Glen for growing bountiful apples and began buying land where with his brothers George, Henry and Edward began the Wilshire legacy.
The original settlers to Oak Glen were the Cahuilla and the Serrano. They harvested acorns for survival in Oak Glen. The unique climate and elevation was perfect for growing large black acorns, a favorite among the locals. The evidence can still be found along the streambeds where the acorns were leached over 100 years ago. Although the main crop of Oak Glen was apples since the 1940s, it hasn't always been Oak Glen's only crop. The potato along with many other crops, were grown in Oak Glen since the 1890s. After several farms began to sell apples individually to visitors, along with homemade apple pies, fresh apple cider and delicious apple butter from roadside stands Oak Glen became an apple boom town overnight. The export trade has since virtually disappeared, and growers now earn much of their revenue from visitors who are allowed to pick the apples directly from the trees to insure freshness and the best quality. Today many of the heirloom varieties still exist today even though many of them have been since lost in time. Such varieties, which are grown only in Oak Glen, as well as many heirloom varieties no longer commercially available or are hard to find, such as the Arkansas Black and the Glen Seedling favorites among many.
According to the
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
, the town in
Tamara Thorne
Tamara Thorne (born 20 November 1957 in Los Angeles, California), who also writes under the pen name Chris Curry, is a well-known, bestselling American horror writer. Her novel ''Winter Scream'', co-authored with L. Dean James, was nominated f ...
's horror novel ''Moonfall'' is based on Oak Glen.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the CDP covers an area of 15.1 square miles (39.2 km), 99.97% of it land, and 0.03% of it water.
Demographics
The
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...
reported that Oak Glen had a population of 638. The population density was . The racial makeup of Oak Glen was 545 (85.4%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
(68.5% Non-Hispanic White), 50 (7.8%)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 14 (2.2%) from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 13 (2.0%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 123 persons (19.3%).
The Census reported that 482 people (75.5% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 156 (24.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 190 households, out of which 42 (22.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 127 (66.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 8 (4.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 9 (4.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7 (3.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 40 households (21.1%) were made up of individuals, and 16 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54. There were 144
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(75.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.88.
The population was spread out, with 72 people (11.3%) under the age of 18, 76 people (11.9%) aged 18 to 24, 167 people (26.2%) aged 25 to 44, 236 people (37.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 87 people (13.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 171.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 180.2 males.
There were 214 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km), of which 142 (74.7%) were owner-occupied, and 48 (25.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 348 people (54.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 134 people (21.0%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Oak Glen had a median household income of $70,189, with none of the population living below the federal poverty line.