Yucaipa (Yukaipa't) is a city located 10 miles (east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 54,542 at the 2020 census, up from 51,367 at the 2010 census. Yucaipa has the distinction of being the longtime home to a large population of Serrano Native Americans.
Prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the arrival of European settlers from Mexico, the Yucaipa Valley was known as Yukaipa't, which meant "green valley" in the Serrano American Language. The land was home to the Serrano Native Americans for thousands of years. Today, some of their descendants are enrolled in the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
Yucaipa Valley supported a large population of Serrano Native Americans. The fertile valley was watered by springs and creeks running out of the San Bernardino Mountains. The Serrano Americans lived in this location most of the year, but would make excursions into the mountains to gather acorns and other food items during their harvest season. The Rancheria is marked by California Historical Landmark #620.
Near the Rancheria is the Yucaipa Adobe, which is believed to be the oldest house in San Bernardino County. Diego Seplveda, nephew of Antonio Mara Lugo, built the Adobe in 1842 on land that was part of the Rancho San Bernardino granted in 1842 to the Lugos. It had formerly been land controlled by San Gabriel Mission. The Rancho suffered losses of cattle and horses from raids by Native Americans coming through Cajon Pass and Banning Pass from the deserts. Eventually, they sold the Rancho to Mormon settlers in September 1851. The Adobe's later owners included John Brown Sr., James W. Waters, and the Dunlap family; it was acquired by San Bernardino County in 1955. The site is marked by California Historical Landmark #528.
The nearby Oak Glen area is best known for its apple orchards, some of which are operated by the direct descendants of the original founders (Parrish, Wilshire, Rivers, and Law families). The Parrish Pioneer Ranch and orchard were founded by Enoch Parrish in 1876, with the other families coming into the area later.
At 1:53p.m. on June 16, 2005, Yucaipa experienced a 4.9 Mw earthquake that was centered four miles (north of the center of town. It had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (and was felt from downtown Los Angeles to some areas of San Diego. Three people were injured.
In 2016, Yucaipa broke ground on a multipurpose performing arts center on the corner of Acacia Avenue and California Street. Sitting on 2.7 acres (in the heart of uptown, the 16,200sqft (venue hosts a variety of events, including community theater, open-air concerts, dance, and other arts-related events. The performing arts center officially opened in Spring 2019.
Yucaipa is located in southern California, approximately 72 miles (east of Los Angeles. The city is approximately 2,600ft (above sea level and is bordered by Redlands to its west and Calimesa to its south. The unincorporated communities of Cherry Valley, Mentone and Oak Glen collectively account for Yucaipa's northernmost outskirts.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 square miles (all land.
Yucaipa is home to Yucaipa Regional Park, Flag Hill Veterans Memorial Park, Seventh Street Park, "I" Street Park, Wildwood Park, Yucaipa Community Park, the Bryant Glen Sports Complex, the Rick McCowan Regional Soccer Complex, and Wildwood Canyon State Park.
According to the Kppen Climate Classification system, Yucaipa has a Mediterranean climate, abbreviated Csa on climate maps.
The 2020 United States census reported that Yucaipa had a population of 54,542. The population density was 1,929.4 inhabitants per square mile (The racial makeup of Yucaipa was 64.1% White, 1.5% African American, 1.5% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 15.3% from other races, and 14.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.4% of the population.
The census reported that 99.2% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.
There were 19,479 households, out of which 34.1% included children under the age of 18, 51.8% were married-couple households, 6.2% were cohabiting couple households, 26.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.0% of households were one person, and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 13,944 families (of all households).
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% aged 18 to 24, 25.0% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.6years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males.
There were 20,190 housing units at an average density of 714.2 unitsper square mile (units/km2), of which 19,479 (were occupied. Of these, 72.7% were owner-occupied, and 27.3% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 10.5% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 77.2% spoke only English at home, 18.8% spoke Spanish, 2.3% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 89.2% were high school graduates and 26.2% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income was $92,401, and the per capita income was $38,468. About 7.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line.
In the California State Legislature, Yucaipa is in the 19th senatorial district, represented by Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and in the 47th Assembly district, represented by Republican Greg Wallis.
In the California's 23rd congressional district, represented by Republican Jay Obernolte.
From November 1999, Richard (D. Riddell was the longest-serving mayor (the oldest, at age 88) in Yucaipa's history. In November 2012, at the request of newly sworn councilman Bobby Duncan, Denise Hoyt was named the new Mayor. As of 2020[update], Yucaipa's City Council was composed of Mayor Greg Bogh, Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Duncan, Councilman David Avila, Councilman Jon Thorp and Councilman Justin Beaver. Beaver was elected to Yucaipa's 4th district as the youngest councilman in the city's history at 32 years of age.
The Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District serves both cities, with the following schools:
The city is also home to Crafton Hills College, operated by the San Bernardino Community College District.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department serves Yucaipaincluding the nearby unincorporated towns of Mentone, Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, and Mountain Home Villagefrom its regional station at 34282 Yucaipa Boulevard (larger replacement opened on July 1, 2014, next to City Hall at 34144 Yucaipa Boulevard). Since there is no official jail facility at this station, suspects are booked at either Central Jail in downtown San Bernardino or the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
Yucaipa has contracted operation of its fire department to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (known as "Cal Fire") which serves the city from three stations: the 33000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard, Bryant Street (the "North Bench" area), and the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Wildwood Canyon Road. Cal-Fire also provides paramedic level emergency medical service while patient transport by ground is handled by American Medical Response.
Marker at the site reads: