Hesperia is the first High Desert city you reach coming up the Cajon Pass, and for a lot of commuters that is exactly the point: it is the closest of the Victor Valley cities to the Inland Empire, with I-15 and Highway 395 both at hand. It is also one of the largest cities in the region by land area, which shows in the housing — plenty of it is on lots big enough for horses and outbuildings.

A little history

The railroad came first. In 1887 the California Southern Railroad (later the Santa Fe) laid track through the area and established a town site, naming it after Hesperus, the Greek name for the evening star in the west. The town stayed small until the 1950s, when developer M. Penn Phillips — president of Hesperia Land Development from 1955 — sold desert lots to Southern California families by the thousands and set off the growth that made the modern city. Hesperia incorporated on July 1, 1988.

Living here

Main Street is the commercial center, running east from I-15 through the heart of town, with the older established neighborhoods around it and newer development spreading south and west toward Oak Hills and the Summit. Hesperia Lake Park on the east side is the local fishing and picnic spot, and Silverwood Lake is a short drive south for boating and swimming in the summer.

City Hall sits on Seventh Avenue in the civic center. The Hesperia Unified School District covers the city and the surrounding unincorporated areas, including Oak Hills.

Facts at a glance

• Founded: 1887 (railroad town site); incorporated July 1, 1988
• Population: 99,818 (2020 census)
• Elevation: about 3,347 ft
• County: San Bernardino
• Schools: Hesperia Unified School District
• Main roads: I-15, Highway 395, Main Street, Bear Valley Road
• Known for: the Cajon Pass commute, Hesperia Lake, big lots close to the freeway