Baker, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baker is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 914.
Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908, and was named after R. C. Baker, president of the Railroad. [1]
Baker was established in 1929 by Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (1857-1942), who was an American prospector, entrepreneur and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California, including Fairbanks Springs (1904-05) and Shoshone (1910).
Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area code 760.
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[edit] Geography
Baker is located at 35°15′54″N 116°04′29″W / 35.265099°N 116.074768°WCoordinates: 35°15′54″N 116°04′29″W / 35.265099°N 116.074768°W (35.265099, -116.074768).
Baker is located in the Mojave Desert at the junction of Interstate 15 and SR 127 (Death Valley Road). Its elevation is approximately 930 feet (283.5 m) above sea level, which is much lower than either Barstow or Las Vegas, due to its location at the southern end of the Death Valley geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community.
[edit] Economy
Baker's economy is based primarily on tourism. The town is frequently used as a rest stop by drivers on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker is approximately 90 miles (144.8 km) southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the Mojave National Preserve.
The town's most prominent feature is a 134-foot (41m) thermometer, known as the "World's tallest thermometer", visible for miles. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States, 134 °F (56.7 °C), measured in nearby Death Valley in 1913. Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed 110 °F (43.3 °C); 2007 saw a record of 125 °F (51.7 °C). In recent years Baker has experienced hard times, with casinos just across the Nevada border at Primm and Jean, Nevada taking much of its motel trade[citation needed].
[edit] Appearances in films and television
Baker, and the surrounding area, were featured in two episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels when Gene Simmons broke down outside of Baker on Route 127. Episodes 5, and 6 of season 3 were ran in March 2008 and featured the town.
Guy Fieri hosts the television show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network. The Mad Greek's Diner, located at 72112 Baker Blvd in Baker, California, was featured on the episode entitled "Classics, Episode DV0101".
Baker is referenced in the film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as a stop for the character "Raoul S. Duke" on his way back from Las Vegas going to Los Angeles. In the film the town is renowned for its excellent seafood. The film is based on Hunter S. Thompson's bestselling book of the same title. It is also referenced (although not by name) in the film "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation", in which Clark Griswold's daughter Audrey mentions that some newfound friends want to take her "to see the world's tallest thermometer."
Baker is also the setting of The Pinky Show, the alternative educational program hosted by animated cats.
The town is also a major setting of the 2003 science-fiction film The Big Empty.
[edit] Attractions
- Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area [1], a popular area for ATV riders. Weekly and Annual passes can purchased online at Dumont Dunes Permits.
- Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by California State University.
[edit] Transportation
Thruway Motorcoach has a stop located at a Jack in the Box restaurant and Shell gas station at 72352 Baker Blvd., and its Amtrak station code is BKR.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-520-21271-1.
- ^ "Amtrak California - Baker". http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com/rail/go/amtrak/stations/a_e/baker/index.cfm. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
[edit] External links
- Baker Chamber of Commerce
- A history of Baker
- Pilgrims in the Desert - a book on the history of Baker
- Mojave National Preserve
