San Bernardino County

Largest US county, in southern California; area 51,966 sq km/20,064 sq mi; population (1990) 1,418,400. Its capital is San Bernardino. Largely in the Mojave Desert, it stretches from the Kern County border in the west to the Arizona and Nevada border in the east. Its population, industry, and agriculture are concentrated in its southwestern corner, where Los Angeles suburban development is ‘reclaiming’ desert.

The county contains the Twentynine Palms Marine base and all or part of a number of other military and space facilities. Victorville, Apple Valley, and Fontana are among its larger cities. Needles and Barstow are the principal settlements in the desert, where characteristic features include small mountain ranges, soda lakes, and sand dunes. The San Bernardino Mountains are in the southwestern corner.