Running Springs, California

History

The first people to settle here were the Serrano people (“mountain people”). They got their name from Spanish priest Father Garces in 1776, but called themselves Yuhaviatam (“people of the pines”). Numerous mortar holes can be seen throughout the area, made by the Serranos grinding acorns into meal. Native Americans settled here due to the rich natural resources. They gathered acorns and herbs, also hunting deer, rabbits and other wildlife.

Running Springs was originally known as Hunsaker Flats, named for Abraham Hunsaker, an early member of the Mormon Battalion. The area was developed after improvements to the state highways in the 1920s.

Geography

Running Springs is located at (34.207739, -117.108285).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km), 99.79% of it is land and 0.21% is water.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Running Springs first appeared as a census designated place in the 1990 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Running Springs had a population of 5,268. The population density was 1,253.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Running Springs was 76.7% White, 1.0% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 6.0% from other races, and 13.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.2% of the population.

The whole population lived in households. There were 2,242 households, out of which 24.7% included children under the age of 18, 48.3% were married-couple households, 7.0% were cohabiting couple households, 21.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 23.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 28.9% of households were one person, and 10.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35.

The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% aged 18 to 24, 24.9% aged 25 to 44, 29.7% aged 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.9years. For every 100 females, there were 105.1 males.

There were 3,693 housing units at an average density of 878.4 /mi2, of which 2,242 (60.7%) were occupied. Of these, 77.0% were owner-occupied, and 23.0% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 4.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 89.1% spoke only English at home, 6.2% spoke Spanish, 0.9% spoke other Indo-European languages, 3.8% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 94.4% were high school graduates and 35.6% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income in 2023 was $85,681, and the per capita income was $39,966. About 10.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Running Springs had a population of 4,862. The population density was 1,154.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Running Springs was 4,325 (89.0%) White (79.8% Non-Hispanic White), 23 (0.5%) African American, 47 (1.0%) Native American, 50 (1.0%) Asian, 6 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 146 (3.0%) from other races, and 265 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 695 people (14.3%).

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 1,944 households, 611 (31.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,026 (52.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 171 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 106 (5.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 114 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (2.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 477 households (24.5%) were one person and 140 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50. There were 1,303 families (67.0% of households); the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 1,119 people (23.0%) under the age of 18, 375 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,157 people (23.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,672 people (34.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 539 people (11.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.

There were 3,729 housing units at an average density of 885.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,419 (73.0%) were owner-occupied and 525 (27.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.6%. 3,450 people (71.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,412 people (29.0%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Running Springs had a median household income of $59,111, with 9.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Running Springs is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Running Springs is in .

Surroundings and economy

Running Springs is a mountain community in the San Bernardino Mountains. It is an inholding in the San Bernardino National Forest. Situated at the junction of State Route 18 and State Route 330, it is a major gateway to the mountain communities of Lake Arrowhead, Arrowbear, Green Valley Lake, and Big Bear and is the closest community to Snow Valley Mountain Resort. It lies some 16 mi northeast of the city of Highland, California, up State Route 330, at an elevation of 6080 ft. While there is no primary industry in Running Springs, there are service industries geared to the tourism market, as the San Bernardino National Forest is a year-round tourist destination.

Additionally, Running Springs, together with surrounding communities, form a bedroom community for commuters who are employed in San Bernardino.

Running Springs is a member community of the Rim of the World, an inhabited stretch of the San Bernardino Mountains and wholly contained in the San Bernardino National Forest. The Rim (as it is locally known) extends from Crestline to Big Bear, a distance of some 30 mi. Running Springs is served by Rim of the World High School and Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School situated in Lake Arrowhead.

Logging in the San Bernardino Mountains was once done on a large scale, with the Brookings Lumber & Box Company operation the largest. It operated on 8,000 acre between Fredalba and Hunsaker Flats (present-day Running Springs), and extending northward to Heap's Ranch and Lightningdale (near Green Valley Lake) between 1899 and 1912. It built a logging railroad to bring logs to the mill at Fredalba. The Shay locomotives had to be disassembled and hauled by wagon up the mountain, since the railroad operated in the high country but did not connect to other railroads in the lowlands. About 60% of the finished lumber was hauled by wagon down the steep grades to the Molino box factory in Highland, which made packing crates for the citrus grown in the area. The remaining 40% went to the company's retail lumber yard in San Bernardino. In 1912, the company dismantled the Fredalba sawmill and moved much of the machinery to Brookings, Oregon.

Education

It is in the Rim of the World Unified School District.

In popular culture

Film producer David O. Selznick lived in Running Springs and decided to use neighboring Big Bear Lake for scenes in his 1939 film Gone With the Wind. Movies filmed in Running Springs include Next (2007), When a Stranger Calls (2006), Communion (1989), Small Town Saturday Night (2010), I'm Reed Fish (2006), Messenger of Death (1988), Demon Legacy (2014), The Bigfoot Project (2017) and Cold Cabin (2010).

The film Running Springs was set and filmed in the Running Springs area.

Sister cities

• Germany Sehmatal, Germany

References

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