SAN BERNARDINO

central city of the San BernardinoRiversideOntario metropolitan complex, seat (1853) of San Bernardino County, southern California, U.S., at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. The site, which was named by Spanish missionaries for St. Bernardino of Siena, was sold to Mormons who laid out a town in 1852. It developed as a trade centre chiefly for the surrounding citrus groves and vineyards. Aerospace and electronic industries, the Kaiser Steel Corporation (Fontana plant), Santa Fe Railroad shops, and Norton Air Force Base are now the economic mainstays. San Bernardino Valley (junior) College was established in 1926 and California State University at San Bernardino in 1960. The city is headquarters for the San Bernardino National Forest and the distribution point for the Lake Arrowhead resort area. The National Orange Show is an annual (March) event. Inc. city, 1869. Pop. (1990) city, 164,164; RiversideSan Bernardino PMSA, 2,588,793.