Phelan, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phelan
Unincorporated community and census-designated place
Phelan Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Bernardino
Area
• Total	60.097 sq mi (155.651 km2)
• Land	60.097 sq mi (155.651 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	3,993 ft (1,217 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	14,304
• Density	238.015/sq mi (91.898/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	92329, 92371
Area codes	442/760
FIPS code	06-56826
GNIS feature ID	2627935

Phelan is a community in San Bernardino County, California. It's located in the Victor Valley part of the Mojave Desert, just north of the San Gabriel Mountains. In 2010, about 14,304 people lived there.

History

How Phelan Got Its Name

Phelan's history goes back to the time of the Mormon Trail. This was a path settlers used to travel to places like San Bernardino. The town was named after James D. Phelan, who was a Senator for California, and his brother, John Thomas Phelan.

Geography

Where is Phelan Located?

Phelan is found south of State Route 18 and northeast of State Route 138. It's about 30 miles (48 km) east of Palmdale and 18 miles (29 km) west of Victorville. The area around Phelan is mostly flat desert. You can see many Joshua trees and thick bushes there.

Landscape and Features

The southwestern parts of Phelan are in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Here, the land reaches over 4,900 feet (1,494 meters) above sea level. The California Aqueduct, a large water channel, runs through the northern half of the town. This aqueduct is about 11 miles (18 km) from State Route 18.

Phelan covers more than 60 square miles (155 square km). Its elevation changes from 3,293 feet (1,004 meters) to 4,910 feet (1,497 meters) above sea level. The main part of town is at the corner of Phelan and Sheep Creek roads. Most of the shops and businesses are in small shopping areas along Phelan Road.

Life in Phelan

In 2001, a newspaper described Phelan as a "wind-swept, tiny community." It sits below a mountain ski resort, right above the huge Mojave Desert. There are no big shopping malls in Phelan. The closest movie theater is in Victorville, about 15 miles (24 km) away.

Another newspaper article from 1990 mentioned that Phelan is surrounded by wide-open spaces. Even without a mall or nearby theme parks, residents can enjoy the local Sunshine Market. They can also look at the snow-capped mountains from their windows. Phelan is part of a larger area called the High Desert. This region also includes Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley.

The United States Census Bureau says that Phelan covers 60.1 square miles (155.7 square km) of land. There is no water area within its boundaries.

Demographics

Population Details

In May 2010, the United States Census Bureau officially recognized Phelan as its own separate area for counting people. The 2010 United States Census reported that Phelan had a population of 14,304 people. This means there were about 238 people per square mile (91.9 people per square km).

Most people in Phelan, about 75.6%, were White. About 13.9% were from other races, and 4.4% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up about 28.9% of the population.

The census showed that almost everyone, 99.7% of the population, lived in homes. There were 4,581 households in Phelan. About 41.1% of these homes had children under 18 living in them. Many households, 59.0%, were married couples living together. The average household had 3.11 people.

Age and Housing

The population of Phelan included many young people. About 27.4% were under 18 years old. About 10.8% of the population was 65 years or older. The average age in Phelan was 37.9 years.

There were 5,148 housing units in Phelan. Most of these homes, 78.3%, were owned by the people living in them. The rest, 21.7%, were rented. About 76.4% of the population lived in homes they owned.

In 2010, the typical household income in Phelan was $52,639. About 15.3% of the people in Phelan lived below the federal poverty line.

Education

Local Schools

Phelan is part of the Snowline Joint Unified School District. This district also serves nearby communities like Wrightwood, Piñon Hills, and Oak Hills.

Some of the schools in the area 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
• Phelan Elementary

In 1972, the Phelan School District covered a large area of mostly desert land. Its elementary school had 117 students. At that time, some parents protested a decision by the school board. They wanted a popular teacher to become the full-time principal.

Athletics

High school football is a big part of social life in Phelan. The local team is called the Diamondbacks. There is also an active youth sports program. This program helps young athletes get ready to play for the high school teams.

Library

Phelan's Libraries

Phelan has two branch libraries that are part of the San Bernardino County system. One library is located at Serrano High School. The second library is a 5,000 square foot (465 square meter) building. It opened in August 2009 at Lindero Street and Clovis Road. This library is special because it's the first memorial library in the county system. It is dedicated to local service veterans.

The library's collection of books grew with help from donations. These donations came from a group called the Friends of the Library. The new library also had more staff, so it could be open 48 hours a week. This was a big increase from the 27 hours a week at the Serrano branch.

In 2003, the president of the Friends of the Serrano Library, Lenore Coale, noted that many people in the community relied on the library. At that time, the library had faced budget cuts. Volunteers even used open books or stuffed animals to fill empty spaces on the shelves.

However, in recent years, the County Library's budget for buying new items has increased. The library continues to do well and offer many services. You can find more information about the library and what it offers online.

Communication

ZIP Codes and Area Codes

The ZIP Codes for Phelan are 92371 and 92329. The community is located within area codes 442 and 760.

See also

In Spanish: Phelan (California) para niños