San Bernardino

United States · Americas

About San Bernardino

San Bernardino ( SAN BUR-nə-DEE-noh) is a city in and the 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 census, making it the 18th–most populous city in California. The Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area at 4.74 million residents is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. San Bernardino is the economic, cultural, and political hub of the San Bernardino Valley, sharing that distinction for the wider Inland Empire with its twin city of Riverside.

San Bernardino was named in 1810, when Spanish priest Francisco Dumetz led an expedition through the area. In 1839, the Mexican government granted Californio ranchero José del Carmen Lugo the right to settle the area, which was formalized when he was granted Rancho San Bernardino in 1842. Following the American Conquest of California, the largely unsettled rancho was purchased by Mormon settlers who founded the town of San Bernardino in 1851, later incorporated as a city in 1854. After most of the Mormons left in 1857, the city grew significantly in the late 19th century as a commercial hub at the crossroads between Southern California and the American Southwest. Today, San Bernardino is an important hub for the Inland Empire and Southern California. The governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico have established the metropolitan area's only consulates in the downtown area. Furthermore, the city's University District serves as a college town, as home to California State University, San Bernardino.

San Bernardino travel guide

Understand

San Bernardino is the largest city of San Bernardino County. The 2000 census shows the population to be 185,401. Of this, 45.2% are white and 16.4% are African-American. 27.1% is cited as "some other race", the majority of which is most likely Hispanic. The city, along with its outlying areas, has a large Hispanic and Spanish-speaking population. 40.4% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. The closure of the Kaiser Steel facility in nearby Fontana in the 1980s and the closure of Norton Air Force Base in 1994 were cataclysmic to the economy of the city. Repeated attempts at downtown revitalization have been mostly unsuccessful. In 2012 the city declared bankruptcy in the wake of a stubborn economic decline. It only emerged from bankruptcy in 2017, making it one of the longest municipal bankruptcies in U.S. history. The city was further devastated by a mass shooting by two terrorists that took place in 2015. 14 people were killed, and 22 others were injured.

Climate San Bernardino features a hot summer Mediterranean climate. Most rain falls in the cooler winter months with hardly any in the summer months. Summer highs average around 96 °F (36 °C) with lows around 64 °F (18 °C). It is not uncommon for summer temperatures and heat indices to climb upwards to or exceeding 107 °F (42 °C) with lows not going below 71 °F (22 °C) on exceptionally hot days.

Getting there

By plane 1 San Bernardino International Airport (SBD IATA) (on the former Norton Air Force Base 3 mi (4.8 km) east of downtown San Bernardino). Commercial flights with Breeze Airways, from San Francisco to San Bernardino to begin May 2022 The next nearest airport for regular commercial flights to San Bernardino is the LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT IATA), 22 mi (35 km) west on I-10 and N Archibald Ave (Exit #55A). LA/Ontario is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper and closer in than Los Angeles International Airport(LAX IATA) which is 76 mi (122 km) away. The next closest airports to San Bernardino are in Palm Springs (PSP IATA) which is 57 mi (92 km) east along I-10 and Santa Ana (SNA IATA) also 50 mi (80 km) southwest of San Bernardino along I-215 and CA Hwy 91 through Riverside and Corona.

By train The MetroLink San Bernardino Line from the downtown Los Angeles Union Station (via Rialto and Fontana) and the Inland Empire-Orange County Line from Oceanside through Orange County and Riverside stop at 2 San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot at 1170 W 3rd St (second to last stop). The cost of tickets varies depending on how far you are traveling. Amtrak serves San Bernardino at the same location with the once daily Southwest Chief line between Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Grand Canyon (at Williams Jct) and Los Angeles and with the Amtrak Thruway Buses connecting San Bernardino to the Gold Runner line in Bakersfield. From here the Metrolink Trains continue southeast to the 3 Downtown San Bernardino Station south of downtown, along W Rialto St between S 'G' St and S 'E' St, where both Metrolink routes terminate at. The Amtrak train continues north to Victorville (next stop) from the Santa Fe Depot on its journey towards Chicago.

By bus

Intercity bus services The intercity bus companies maintain separate bus stations or stops in different parts of town and are far away from each other. Travelers will need to use a taxi, local bus (Omnitrans) or Uber/Lyft to transfer between the stations & stops. Some of the stops are in neighboring Fontana or Ontario instead:

4 El Paso Los Angeles Limousine Express, bus station at 620 W Mill St (behind strip mall at W Mill St and G St, next to Wisdom Motorsports and just east of the 215 at Exits 42A/42B), ☏ +1 909 824-8424, toll-free: +1 866 691-6732. Travels along I-10 between Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Indio, Phoenix, Las Cruces and El Paso on one route and on I-15 to Las Vegas and North Las Vegas on another route. They have additional depots at 11825 Valley Blvd in El Mon

Getting around

The city is fairly navigable with I-210, I-10, I-215, and I-15 as the freeways in the city.

See

Downtown San Bernardino is definitely a neat place to check out. It has angled parking, festivals, stores, lower speed for vehicles, and street appeal, this place is a hit! It is a very lively core with all kinds of stuff to do and lots of parking despite not being shown. It incorporates beautiful, generous wall-to-wall structures and scenic landmarks.

1 Site of the first McDonald Brothers Hamburger Stand, 1398 North 'E' St (N 'E' St & 14th St), ☏ +1 909 885-6324. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-5PM. Location of the world's first McDonald's, now an unofficial museum. The original building no longer exists, but look for the huge red sign advertising 15-cent hamburgers which can't be purchased in the adjoining museum. 2 Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, 5500 University Pkwy, ☏ +1 909 537 7373. (updated Jul 2021)

Eat

1 Happy Family Vegetarian Restaurant, 2150 South Waterman Ave (south of the I-10 freeway). It specializes in vegetarian and vegan meals, and is often packed. (updated Nov 2016) 2 Mitla Café, 602 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. (Along N Mt Vernon Ave just north 6th Ave), ☏ +1 909 888-0460. Tu-Th 9AM-2:30PM & 4:30PM-8PM; F 9AM-9PM; Sa Su 9AM-8PM. 3 Tempe House Spicy Food, 24984 3rd St. 11am-7pm. Closed Saturdays.. An unassuming Indonesian restaurant in a strip mall with excellent food. About $12 for a massive plate.. (updated Feb 2026)

Sleep

1 Best Western Hospitality Lane, 294 E Hospitality Ln, ☏ +1 909 381-1681, fax: +1 909-888-5120. $105-160 (Doubles). 2 Days Inn, 1386 E. Highland Ave (E Highland Ave & Mountain Ave), ☏ +1 909 881-1702. 3 Econo Lodge, 606 N 'H' St (Along 'G' St between N 4th and W 5th St. Accessed from the 5th St exit from I-215 (Exit #44 & 44A)), ☏ +1 909 884-4488, fax: +1 909 884-4489. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $65-70. 4 Motel 6 San Bernardino Downtown, 777 W 6th Ave (W 6th Ave & 'H' St, Next to Greyhound Station), ☏ +1 909 763-2561. 5 Motel 6 San Bernardino North, 1960 Ostrems Way (University Pkwy & I-215 at Exit #48), ☏ +1 909 887-8191, fax: +1 909-880-9231. 6 Motel 6 San Bernardino South, 111 West Redlands Blvd (W Redlands and S Club Way, accessed from Exit 73A from the eastbound lanes; and Exit 73 (Hospitality Ln) from the westbound lanes of I-10), ☏ +1 909 825-6666, fax: +1 909-872-1104. 7 Wigwam Motel, 2728 W. Foothill Blvd. (Route 66 at Rialto town line), ☏ +1-909-875-3005, fax: +1-909-421-0844. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Novelty motel established 1949 with each room as a free-standing concrete wigwam. Wi-fi, refrigerator, A/C, cable TV, telephone, outdoor pool, picnic area. $60-80.

Go next

San Bernardino is a good launching point for Joshua Tree National Park.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.