Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Thirty-nine miles east of Los Angeles is Rancho Cucamonga, which became a city when the unincorporated communities of Etiwanda, Cucamonga, and Alta Loma merged in 1977. Located in San Bernardino County in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the city has a warm climate year-round-temperatures rarely dip below 50 degrees. Like many Southern California towns, Rancho Cucamonga also has a moderate smog problem.

Rancho Cucamonga has grown rapidly over the last 30 years. Between 2000 and 2006, the city attracted more than 40,000 new residents. Although the surrounding area, known as the Inland Empire, has a bad reputation for crime and poverty, Rancho Cucamonga is a safe, well-to-do city with good schools and open spaces. Rancho Cucamonga's 170,000 residents are ethnically diverse. The population is 50 percent white, 8 percent Asian, and 32 percent Latino.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Rancho Cucamonga is full of planned communities and gated developments. Locals still divide the area according to its pre-incorporation boundaries.

• Alta Loma is the wealthier area of town. Its boundaries are Baseline Street, neighboring Upland, and Day Creek Boulevard. Alta Loma was historically an area full of vineyards and citrus groves and many of the homes there still have citrus trees. The older homes in this area are on large plots and go for millions of dollars. There is little commercial development in Alta Loma.
• Etiwanda is also upscale but full of new developments and subdivisions.
• The rest of Rancho Cucamonga is a mix of commercial and residential areas.

EDUCATION

Rancho Cucamonga's primary and secondary schools are high performers. The city's school districts include:

• Alta Loma School District
• Central School District
• Cucamonga School District
• Etiwanda School District
• Chaffey Joint Union High School District

Chaffey College is a community college that enrolls nearly 8,000 students. Situated in the Alta Loma area, it provides programs in business, science, the arts, and nursing. The oldest community college in California, Chaffey operates two auxiliary campuses in Fontana and Chino.

GETTING AROUND

• Many Rancho Cucamongans work in neighboring cities. The average commute time is 33 minutes, but it takes some residents up to two and a half hours to drive in to Los Angeles.
• The Metrolink train service connects Rancho Cucamonga to Los Angeles.
• Rancho Cucamonga is about six miles from Ontario International Airport.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The biggest employers in Rancho Cucamonga are in education. Chaffey Community College, Etiwanda Elementary School District, Alta Loma Elementary School District and Central School District are among the citie's largest employers.

Other major employers in Rancho Cucamonga include Frito-Lay Inc., C.W. Construction and Mission Foods.

The manufacturing, food, and retail sectors are also big parts of the city's economic base.

BEST BETS

• Victoria Gardens: The main locus of cultural life in Rancho Cucamonga is a mall. The Victoria Gardens Regional Town Center is a mixed-use development of houses, restaurants, and shops. It has more than 150 stores, a movie theater, and a cultural center. The Lewis Family Playhouse is a venue for theater performances, live music and movies and is home to the local MainStreet Theatre Company. The development, which has been lauded as a town square in the suburbs, houses the Rancho Cucamonga Library.
• Empire Lakes Golf Course: This 18-hole course, designed by Arnold Palmer, is a destination for golf enthusiasts. It's a part of the Nationwide Tour, a PGA tour event, and it runs the School of Golf for novices.
• Sam Maloof Residence, Workshop, and Gardens: Sam Maloof is a self-taught furniture craftsman whose work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian. He opens up his Rancho Cucamonga workshop to curious tourists.
• The Joseph Filippi Winery and Vineyards: Filippi is an award-winning winery that has been operating for 80 years. The winery produces merlot, syrah, zinfandel, chardonnay, and dessert wines. Visitors can tour the family-owned winery and stay for a tasting.
• The Sycamore Inn Prime Steakhouse: Built in 1848, this restaurant used to operate as a tavern and inn. It became a prohibition-era favorite for movie stars and moguls in the early 20th century. The Sycamore Inn still serves a great slow-roasted prime rib.

SPORTS TEAMS

• The Cucamonga Quakes are a minor-league baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Quakes stadium, the Epicenter, seats 6,200. The team has two mascots - dinosaurs named Tremor and Aftershock.

LOCAL MEDIA

• Rancho Cucamonga does not have a dedicated newspaper, but the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and the San Bernardino Sun cover the town.
• Newspapers from the greater Los Angeles region also report from Rancho Cucamonga.

Television stations near Rancho Cucamonga include:

• KTRO-LP
• KHIZ
• KCBS-TV
• KRCA
• KPXN