Morongo Valley, California

Geography and climate

Morongo Valley is located on State Route 62, about 10 mi west of Yucca Valley.

Morongo Valley lies along the western edge of the Mojave Desert and near the northern edge of the Coachella Valley, and as such is generally dry. Monsoonal moisture leads to thunderstorms at times during the summer, but in the winter, Pacific storms bring most of the rain. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 25.2 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

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Morongo Valley was first listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Morongo Valley had a population of 3,514. The population density was 139.3 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Morongo Valley was 73.8% White, 1.7% African American, 1.9% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 8.8% from other races, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.9% of the population.

The whole population lived in households. There were 1,624 households, out of which 18.0% included children under the age of 18, 34.1% were married-couple households, 8.7% were cohabiting couple households, 28.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 28.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 39.3% of households were one person, and 16.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.16.

The age distribution was 16.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% aged 18 to 24, 23.2% aged 25 to 44, 32.3% aged 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 49.8years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males.

There were 1,960 housing units at an average density of 77.7 /mi2, of which 1,624 (82.9%) were occupied. Of these, 74.4% were owner-occupied, and 25.6% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $56,821, and the per capita income was $33,049. About 18.3% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Morongo Valley had a population of 3,552. The population density was 140.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Morongo Valley was 3,076 (86.6%) White (79.1% Non-Hispanic White), 40 (1.1%) African American, 73 (2.1%) Native American, 31 (0.9%) Asian, 4 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 187 (5.3%) from other races, and 141 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 531 people (14.9%).

The census reported that 3,547 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 5 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 1,602 households, 359 (22.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 598 (37.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 178 (11.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 99 (6.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 132 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 26 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 554 households (34.6%) were one person and 203 (12.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21. There were 875 families (54.6% of households); the average family size was 2.87.

The age distribution was 646 people (18.2%) under the age of 18, 266 people (7.5%) aged 18 to 24, 745 people (21.0%) aged 25 to 44, 1,346 people (37.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 549 people (15.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.

There were 2,004 housing units at an average density of 79.5 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,159 (72.3%) were owner-occupied and 443 (27.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%. 2,489 people (70.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,058 people (29.8%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Morongo Valley had a median household income of $32,337, with 25.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Infrastructure

Local

Morongo Valley is unincorporated and is under the jurisdiction of San Bernardino County; it lies immediately north of the Riverside County line. The main commercial development of Morongo Valley lies along Highway 62 approximately 10 mi north of Interstate 10 and is the first San Bernardino County town travelers encounter when driving north from the Coachella Valley. A popular destination in Morongo Valley is the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, where one can take hikes, go bird-watching or stroll along the walkways. The governing body of Morongo Valley is the Community Services District (CSD), which has five board members. The only school in Morongo Valley is Morongo Valley Elementary School (MVES), which is part of the Morongo Unified School District. MVES has an enrollment of a few hundred students.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Morongo Valley is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Morongo Valley is in .

Paradise Fire

In June 2005, a fire started on Paradise Avenue in western Morongo Valley. This fire quickly spread, torching about six thousand acres (24 km). The fire burned seven homes and also damaged some of the walkways in the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. All damage has since been repaired and the preserve remains open for birding and hiking.

Sawtooth Complex Fire

In July 2006, a fire started by dry lightning in Yucca Valley was almost 100 percent contained, however due to extremely low humidity, high temperatures, and 40 mph gusts, the fire grew. The fire quickly spread from Yucca Valley through Pioneertown and Big Morongo. In fact, another small fire dubbed the Millard Complex fire merged with the Sawtooth Complex fire. Well over 100 structures were burned in the two fires, although virtually no damage occurred in Morongo Valley itself.

Notable residents

• President of Focus on the Family Jim Daly has stated that he lived in foster care here for a period as a child immediately following the death of his mother, and that he attended Morongo Valley Elementary School
• Professional downhill mountain biker Aaron Gwin was born here.
• Upon his retirement actor Guy Madison built a large ranch house on 10 acres in Morongo Valley.
• Native American actor Steve Reevis resided here.
• Country music singer Leah Turner is originally from here.
• Musician Gene Parsons was born here.

References

References

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