San Bernardino is a city located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The city serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California. As one of the Inland Empire’s anchor cities, San Bernardino spans 81 square miles
History
The city of San Bernardino, California, occupies much of the San Bernardino Valley, which indigenous tribespeople originally referred to as “The Valley of the Cupped Hand of God”. The Tongva Indians also called the San Bernardino area Wa’aach in their language. Upon seeing the immense geological arrowhead-shaped rock formation on the side of the San Bernardino Mountains, they found the hot and cold springs to which the “arrowhead” seemed to point.
Annual events
San Bernardino hosts several major annual events, including: Route 66 Rendezvous, a four-day celebration of America’s “Mother Road” that is held in downtown San Bernardino each September; the Berdoo Bikes & Blues Rendezvous, held in the spring; the National Orange Show Festival, a citrus exposition founded in 1911 and also held in the spring; and, the Western Regional Little League Championships held each August, as well as the annual anniversary of the birth of the Mother Charter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Berdoo California Chapter.
Geography
The city lies in the San Bernardino foothills and the eastern portion of the San Bernardino Valley, roughly 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles. Some major geographical features of the city include the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Bernardino National Forest, in which the city’s northernmost neighborhood, Arrowhead Springs, is located; the Cajon Pass adjacent to the northwest border; City Creek, Lytle Creek, San Timoteo Creek, Twin Creek, Warm Creek (as modified through flood control channels) feed the Santa Ana River, which forms part of the city’s southern border south of San Bernardino International Airport.