Baker, California
| Baker, California | |
|---|---|
| Census designated place | |
Aerial view of Baker looking north: I-15 jogs south around the town, leaving Baker Boulevard, the main street, to show where the pre-interstate highway (US 91 and US 466) went. Baker Airport sits just north of the city alongside northbound CA 127, the "Death Valley Road".
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 Baker, California
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| Coordinates: 35°16′33″N 116°03′57″W / 35.27583°N 116.06583°WCoordinates: 35°16′33″N 116°03′57″W / 35.27583°N 116.06583°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
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| County | San Bernardino |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Land | 2.688 sq mi (6.962 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 942 ft (287 m) |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | |
| • Total | 735 |
| • Density | 270/sq mi (110/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 92309 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-03512 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 238894, 2628708 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Baker, California | |
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735. Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area codes 442 and 760.
Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908, and was named after Richard C. Baker, business partner of Francis Marion Smith in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself.
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).
It is the site of a vacant for-profit prison formerly operated by Cornell Corrections which experienced a major riot on December 2, 2003, four weeks before it was temporarily closed. It was permanently closed on December 25, 2009. GEO Group purchased Cornell Companies, its owner, on August 12, 2010. It had previously experienced escapes in August and November 1995, and two on July 15, 1997.
Baker is located at (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. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), all of it land. Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed 110 °F (43.3 °C); 2007 saw a record of 125 °F (51.7 °C).
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