The San Bernardino Meridian, established in 1852 , is one of three Principal meridian

Principal meridian

A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations with a given longitude. Each is half of a great circle on the Earth's surface...

s in the state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Because of the state's shape, three meridian-base line

Baseline (surveying)

In the United States Public Land Survey System, a baseline is the principal east-west line that divides survey townships between north and south. The baseline meets its corresponding meridian at the point of origin, or initial point, for the land survey...

 sets are required for surveys in all parts of the state. The San Bernardino Meridian is used for Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

, and some township

Township

The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...

s in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 are also referenced to it.
The Initial Point (datum) is at the summit of Mount San Bernardino, in the San Bernardino Mountains

San Bernardino Mountains

The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...

, 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...

. It is at an elevation of over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
The meridian runs North/South from the Initial Point 34°07′13"N 116°55′48"W .

External links

• Background and maps of the San Bernardino and Mt. Diablo meridians -from the University of Nevada, Reno
  University of Nevada, Reno
  The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
  
  .
• Three Monuments, One Initial Point By Michael A. Duffy, PLS, his article from September 2002 Issue #135 of the California Surveyor