Phelan, California
Encyclopedia
Phelan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place
in San Bernardino County, California
, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert
, north of the San Gabriel Mountains
. The population was 14,304 in the 2010 census.
. the town is 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Palmdale
and 18 miles (29 km) west of Victorville
. The area around it is nearly flat desert country
dotted with joshua trees and heavy brush. The Colorado River Aqueduct
runs through the northern half of the town, eleven miles (18 km) from State Route 18 and ten miles (16 km) from Phelan Road. Its elevation is 3993 feet (1,217.1 m) above sea level. The town center is at the corner of Phelan and Sheep Creek roads. Most businesses are situated in strip malls dotted along the sides of Phelan Road.
In 2001, according to a feature in the Los Angeles Times, the town was a "wind-swept, tiny unincorporated town nestled in the shadow of a mountain ski resort, just above the vast expanse that is the Mojave Desert. . . . There are no shopping malls here, and the closest movie theater is in Victorville
, about 15 miles away." Another Times feature said in 1990:
Phelan, along with Victorville, Hesperia
, Apple Valley
, and several other towns, is considered part of a region known as the High Desert
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP covers an area of 60.1 square miles (155.7 km²), all of it land.
made Phelan its own separate CDP for statistical purposes.
The 2010 United States Census reported that Phelan had a population of 14,304. The population density
was 238.0 people per square mile (91.9/km²). The racial makeup of Phelan was 10,807 (75.6%) White, 276 (1.9%) African American, 139 (1.0%) Native American, 446 (3.1%) Asian, 20 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,993 (13.9%) from other races
, and 623 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,128 persons (28.9%).
The Census reported that 14,267 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 37 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,581 households, out of which 1,883 (41.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,705 (59.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 509 (11.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 360 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 274 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 31 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 788 households (17.2%) were made up of individuals and 293 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11. There were 3,574 families
(78.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.48.
The population was spread out with 3,921 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 1,417 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,188 people (22.3%) aged 25 to 44, 4,232 people (29.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,546 people (10.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.
There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of 85.7 per square mile (33.1/km²), of which 3,588 (78.3%) were owner-occupied, and 993 (21.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 10,934 people (76.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,333 people (23.3%) lived in rental housing units.
, when settlers passed through the area on their way to San Bernardino and points beyond. Phelan was named after Senator
James D. Phelan
and his brother, John Thomas (J.T) Phelan.
, who referred to the proposed residents as "animals, perverts and predators." Michael Barrington, president of the sponsoring group, Phoenix Programs, Inc., said the residents would have been under watch at all times.
In 1972, the town was a part of the Phelan School District, 136 square miles (352.2 km²) of mostly desert land, with 117 pupils in its elementary school
. In April of that year, aggrieved parents kept their children home for one day to protest a decision by the school trustees to bypass popular teacher and acting administrator Carl Rasmussen for appointment as full-time principal of the school.
Serrano High School has been called "the Stanford
of the High Desert" because of its traditionally superior academic achievement. Some 20 percent of its students were drawn by this reputation to attend from outside the district.
The high school began a tough new tardiness policy in 2006 when administrators decided to crack down on lateness. "In one two-week period, before the new policy, we had 1,387 tardies in one day," school official Mike Tropila said. "Teachers were having to restart their classes over and over as students came in." After the new policy started, the tardies went down to "seven to 15 in the course of a day." Students who were late for their classes were summonsed
, with their parents, to appear in court on truancy
charges. Some pupils found guilty had to pay fines and do cleanup work on the roads. The district later "tweaked its policy so that the penalties get progressively tougher, with the citation coming only after the fifth tardy."
In 2003 Lenore Coale, president of the Friends of the Serrano Library, noted that many patrons received government assistance and relied heavily on the library, which had just suffered a countywide cutback in funding. She said volunteers were using opened books or stuffed animals to fill the gaps in the shelves.
featuring the local team, the Diamondbacks, has been an important part of Phelan's social life, with one resident, Rick Weber, saying in 2001 that "Everybody wants to see the kids thrive. Everybody follows the team." Janet Molina, the Serrano High girls' soccer coach, said, "Friday night football is the focus of this community." But criticism erupted in 2000 when players took a day off school for a free day of snowboarding and skiing offered them by the management of a nearby ski area. An active youth sports program has provided a "feeder system" for the high school athletes.
is 92371 and 92329 and the community is inside area code 760.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, north of the San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
. The population was 14,304 in the 2010 census.
Geography
Situated south of State Route 18 and northeast of State Route 138California State Route 138
State Route 138 is an east–west state highway generally following the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California, USA from its junction with Interstate 5 south of Gorman eastward to Mount Anderson Junction, its eastern junction with State Route 18 south of...
. the town is 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
and 18 miles (29 km) west of Victorville
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
. The area around it is nearly flat desert country
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
dotted with joshua trees and heavy brush. The Colorado River Aqueduct
Colorado River Aqueduct
The Colorado River Aqueduct, or CRA, is a water conveyance in Southern California in the United States, operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California . The aqueduct impounds water from the Colorado River at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border west across the Mojave...
runs through the northern half of the town, eleven miles (18 km) from State Route 18 and ten miles (16 km) from Phelan Road. Its elevation is 3993 feet (1,217.1 m) above sea level. The town center is at the corner of Phelan and Sheep Creek roads. Most businesses are situated in strip malls dotted along the sides of Phelan Road.
In 2001, according to a feature in the Los Angeles Times, the town was a "wind-swept, tiny unincorporated town nestled in the shadow of a mountain ski resort, just above the vast expanse that is the Mojave Desert. . . . There are no shopping malls here, and the closest movie theater is in Victorville
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
, about 15 miles away." Another Times feature said in 1990:
The town of Phelan is surrounded by wide open spaces. There's no mall, and a visit to the beach or Disneyland requires a day's planning. But there is Phelan's Sunshine Market, and when you don't want to drive 20 minutes to Victorville or the local ski areas, you can gaze at the snow-capped peaks through your picture window.
Phelan, along with Victorville, Hesperia
Hesperia, California
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...
, Apple Valley
Apple Valley, California
-Climate:*On average, the warmest month is July.*The highest recorded temperature was in 2002.*On average, the coolest month is December.*The lowest recorded temperature was in 1949.*The most precipitation on average occurs in February.-History:...
, and several other towns, is considered part of a region known as the High Desert
High Desert (California)
The High Desert is an unofficial and vaguely-defined geographic area of southern California located to the northeast of the San Gabriel Mountains. The term "High Desert" is used most commonly by the news media, especially in weather forecasts, and in the names of businesses and organizations...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP covers an area of 60.1 square miles (155.7 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
In May 2010, the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
made Phelan its own separate CDP for statistical purposes.
The 2010 United States Census reported that Phelan had a population of 14,304. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 238.0 people per square mile (91.9/km²). The racial makeup of Phelan was 10,807 (75.6%) White, 276 (1.9%) African American, 139 (1.0%) Native American, 446 (3.1%) Asian, 20 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,993 (13.9%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 623 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,128 persons (28.9%).
The Census reported that 14,267 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 37 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,581 households, out of which 1,883 (41.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,705 (59.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 509 (11.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 360 (7.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 274 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 31 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 788 households (17.2%) were made up of individuals and 293 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11. There were 3,574 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(78.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.48.
The population was spread out with 3,921 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 1,417 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,188 people (22.3%) aged 25 to 44, 4,232 people (29.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,546 people (10.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.
There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of 85.7 per square mile (33.1/km²), of which 3,588 (78.3%) were owner-occupied, and 993 (21.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 10,934 people (76.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,333 people (23.3%) lived in rental housing units.
Origin
Phelan's history dates back to the days of the Mormon TrailMormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
, when settlers passed through the area on their way to San Bernardino and points beyond. Phelan was named after Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
James D. Phelan
James D. Phelan
James Duval Phelan was an American politician, civic leader and banker.-Early years:Phelan was born in San Francisco, the son of an Irish immigrant who became wealthy during the California Gold Rush as a trader, merchant and banker. He graduated from St...
and his brother, John Thomas (J.T) Phelan.
Group home
Worried and angry residents forced the state's Department of Developmental Services in March 2004 to back off on a plan to open a group home, the first of its kind in California, for four "developmentally disabled sex offenders" who had been living in a state hospital. The protest was highlighted by an early-morning live radio broadcast from outside the house by Los Angeles talk-show hosts John Kobylt and Ken ChiampouJohn and Ken
John Chester Kobylt and Kenneth Robertson Chiampou, known professionally as John and Ken are American talk radio hosts of a four-hour weekday radio show, The John and Ken Show, on KFI AM 640 in Southern California. The John and Ken Show airs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m....
, who referred to the proposed residents as "animals, perverts and predators." Michael Barrington, president of the sponsoring group, Phoenix Programs, Inc., said the residents would have been under watch at all times.
Education
The town is in the Snowline Joint Unified School District, which also serves Wrightwood, Piñon Hills, Baldy Mesa, Oak Hills, and the West Cajon Valley. The area's schools include Piñon Mesa Middle School, Serrano High School (named after the Serrano people), Quail Valley Middle School, Baldy Mesa Elementary, Piñon Hills Elementary, Wrightwood Elementary, Vista Verde Elementary, Heritage School, Chaparral High School, Desert View Independent School, Eagle Summit Community Day School, and Phelan Elementary.In 1972, the town was a part of the Phelan School District, 136 square miles (352.2 km²) of mostly desert land, with 117 pupils in its elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
. In April of that year, aggrieved parents kept their children home for one day to protest a decision by the school trustees to bypass popular teacher and acting administrator Carl Rasmussen for appointment as full-time principal of the school.
Serrano High School has been called "the Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
of the High Desert" because of its traditionally superior academic achievement. Some 20 percent of its students were drawn by this reputation to attend from outside the district.
The high school began a tough new tardiness policy in 2006 when administrators decided to crack down on lateness. "In one two-week period, before the new policy, we had 1,387 tardies in one day," school official Mike Tropila said. "Teachers were having to restart their classes over and over as students came in." After the new policy started, the tardies went down to "seven to 15 in the course of a day." Students who were late for their classes were summonsed
Summons
Legally, a summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.-Judicial summons:...
, with their parents, to appear in court on truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
charges. Some pupils found guilty had to pay fines and do cleanup work on the roads. The district later "tweaked its policy so that the penalties get progressively tougher, with the citation coming only after the fifth tardy."
Library
Phelan is served by two branch libraries of the San Bernardino County system. The first is a shared facility at Serrano High School, and the second, a 5000 square feet (464.5 m²)-building at Lindero Street and Clovis Road, was opened in August 2009. The first memorial library in the county system, the new facility is dedicated to local service veterans. Its collection was helped by donations through the Friends of the Library organization. General contractor was Mark Forbes, with his partners, Robert Masseth and Bob Raymondo. Staffing was increased, so the branch will be open 48 hours a week, compared with just 27 hours at the Serrano branch.In 2003 Lenore Coale, president of the Friends of the Serrano Library, noted that many patrons received government assistance and relied heavily on the library, which had just suffered a countywide cutback in funding. She said volunteers were using opened books or stuffed animals to fill the gaps in the shelves.
Athletics
High school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
featuring the local team, the Diamondbacks, has been an important part of Phelan's social life, with one resident, Rick Weber, saying in 2001 that "Everybody wants to see the kids thrive. Everybody follows the team." Janet Molina, the Serrano High girls' soccer coach, said, "Friday night football is the focus of this community." But criticism erupted in 2000 when players took a day off school for a free day of snowboarding and skiing offered them by the management of a nearby ski area. An active youth sports program has provided a "feeder system" for the high school athletes.
Communication
The ZIP CodeZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 92371 and 92329 and the community is inside area code 760.