Big Bear
LocationBig Bear Lake, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, is a four-season alpine resort community located in San Bernardino County, 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The Big Bear Valley comprises Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Fawnskin, Holcomb Valley, Sugarloaf, Erwin Lake, Baldwin Lake and Lake Williams.
Big Bear Valley, once roaming with wild game, now is only a few hours drive from anywhere in Southern California, and entertains more than 100,000 visitors on holiday weekends. A true four-season resort, Big Bear offers clear skies and moderate temperatures 330 days a year.
Road Trip
to Big Bear
Join Huell Howser in this video as he spends a few days discovering the many wonderful things to do in the Southern California mountain town of Big Bear. He visits the Big Bear Discovery Center and takes a canoe trip on the lake. Huell travels to Butler Peak Lookout Tower for a magnificent view of the San Bernardino Mountains.
He visits the Moonridge Animal Park to see a family of grizzly bears and lots of other animals, and stops in the Big Bear Historical Museum to learn about the town’s fascinating history.
Click on the photo to order the video from his production company website.
The LakeThe fresh-water lake is seven miles long and approximately one mile across at its widest point. It has a maximum depth of 72 feet and over 22 miles of shoreline. Lake activities include fishing, water-skiing, jet skiing, sailing, swimming and boating.
ElevationAltitude ranges from 6,750 to 9,000 feet.
EnvironmentBig Bear’s alpine environment is dominated by pine and oak forests. The area provides a natural habitat for approximately 30 winter bald eagles and 29 species of rare plants, 10 of which are indigenous to the area.
Population21,000 permanent residents; 5,438 in Big Bear City
ClimateSummer temperatures average approximately 72 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night. There are generally over 300 days of sunshine each year. Winter brings about 100 inches of snowfall and temperatures in the low 40s during the day and mid 20s at night. [More details in Weather page.]
CodesZip code: 92315, Area code: 909
Census[all numbers from year 2000]
Median resident age: 42.9 years
Median household income: $34,447
Median house value: $193,300
Education: High school or higher: 85.3%, Bachelor’s degree or higher: 23.0%, Graduate or professional degree: 7.6%
Mean travel time to work: 22.4 minutes
Social status: Never married: 21.0%, Now married: 55.2%, Separated: 1.5%, Widowed: 7.7%, Divorced: 14.6%
Ethnicity: White Non-Hispanic (81.5%), Hispanic (13.7%), American Indian (2.1%), Black (0.7%)
EconomyIndustries providing employment in Big Bear Lake: Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (27.1%), Retail trade (13.5%), Educational, health and social services (12.3%), Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (11.6%), Construction (11.0%).
Crime Statistics(2001): 0 murders (0.0 per 100,000), 4 rapes (73.6 per 100,000), 7 robberies (128.7 per 100,000), 56 assaults (1029.8 per 100,000), 101 burglaries (1857.3 per 100,000), 277 larceny counts (5093.8 per 100,000), 26 auto thefts (478.1 per 100,000).
NeighborhoodNearest city with pop. 50,000+: Redlands, CA (22.4 miles, pop. 63,591). Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Riverside, CA (39.5 miles, pop. 255,166). Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Los Angeles, CA (101.8 miles, pop. 3,694,820)