Barstow is the High Desert's northern outpost — the last real city before Las Vegas on I-15, and a town that has always lived on the routes through it. Rail, Route 66 and the interstate all meet here, and the town's identity is written in all three.

A little history

Barstow was founded in 1880 during a silver-mining rush and went by Fishpond and then Waterman Junction before taking its name in 1886 from William Barstow Strong, president of the Santa Fe Railway. The railroad built a grand depot and hotel here — the Casa del Desierto, opened in 1911 to replace an earlier station that burned in 1908 — and it is still the landmark at the center of town, housing the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, the Western America Railroad Museum and the NASA Goldstone Visitor Center. Route 66 was designated through Barstow in 1926, turning Main Street into a stop for everyone driving west, and the city incorporated in 1947.

Living here

Barstow is a working town: the BNSF railyard, the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Fort Irwin to the north, and the highway and outlet trade on the edge of town are the big employers. Housing is among the most affordable in the region, much of it in established neighborhoods north and south of Main Street, with rural properties spreading out along the Mojave River toward Lenwood and Hinkley. Calico Ghost Town, a county park in the hills to the northeast, is the classic day out.

City Hall is on East Mountain View Street. The Barstow Unified School District serves the city, with Barstow Community College on the west side of town.

Facts at a glance

• Founded: 1880; named 1886; incorporated 1947
• Population: 25,415 (2020 census)
• Elevation: about 2,175 ft
• County: San Bernardino
• Schools: Barstow Unified School District; Barstow Community College
• Main roads: I-15, I-40, Highway 58, Route 66 (Main Street)
• Known for: the Harvey House, Route 66, the railroad, Calico Ghost Town