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Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Originally a sleepy, dusty town of citrus orchards and cattle ranches astride Route 66 (now known as Foothill Boulevard) and numerous rail lines, Fontana was radically transformed during World War II by the construction of a steel mill belonging to the Henry J. Kaiser Company and the routing of the San Bernardino Freeway through a section of the town. Explosive growth soon followed, with the area becoming a prominent industrial exurb of Los Angeles. Its working-class orientation, and a population of largely rural Southern, Hispanic, and Midwestern origins, led to the city receiving the derisive nicknames Fontucky and Fontucket. This reputation for provincialism was not aided by the rise to prominence of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, which had originally formed in Fontana. Despite this reputation, Fontana elected its first African American to the city council in 2004. Foreign competition and mismanagement led to the closure of the Kaiser Steel plant in the early 1980s, and Fontana and neighboring San Bernardino soon became centers of lower income whites. The production and consumption of methamphetamine, and its distribution by the Hells Angels, rose during this time. However, Fontana's fortunes improved notably (along with the rest of the cities of the Inland Empire) with the advent of the Southern California real estate boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s: As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,929, but a July 1, 2002 Census estimate showed the fast-growing city's population at 143,607. The completion of the Foothill Freeway extension in 2003 should contribute to Fontana's increasing prominence as both a bedroom community and a center of industry. Much of the boom has occurred to the north of the city core with residents who choose to identify with surrounding cities such as Rancho Cucamonga. Fontana's principal cultural/entertainment attraction is the California Speedway, a racetrack that plays host to two NASCAR Nextel Cup events a year and various smaller races. It is built on portions of the former site of the Kaiser mill. Some parts of the mill were sold to China, and the rest remains as an operating steel mill.
Geography
Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 128,929 people, 34,014 households, and 29,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,378.2/km² (3,569.7/mi²). There were 35,908 housing units at an average density of 383.8/km² (994.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.99% White, 11.83% African American, 1.12% Native American, 4.36% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 31.94% from other races, and 5.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.72% of the population. There were 34,014 households out of which 57.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 10.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.78 and the average family size was 4.02. In the city the population was spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,782, and the median income for a family was $46,957. Males had a median income of $36,062 versus $26,305 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,208. About 12.2% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. Fontana is split both, economically, and socially. The majority of the caucasians live on the North-West side of the city, which is also the most affluent. The middle of the city, and the southern portions are much more poor. Most of the residents in these parts of the city are Latin immigrants, many of them illegal. Much of this division is caused by an inordinately large number of apartments that were built between 1970 and 1990. Education The Fontana Unified School District operates these high schools: Notable natives Literature Trivia | ||||||||||
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