Newberry Springs | |
---|---|
Unincorporated community | |
Location within the state of California | |
Coordinates: 34°49′40″N 116°41′15″W / 34.82778°N 116.68750°WCoordinates: 34°49′40″N 116°41′15″W / 34.82778°N 116.68750°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | San Bernardino |
Founded | 1911 |
Population (2000) | |
• Total | 2,895 |
Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
ZIP codes | 92365 |
Area code(s) | 760 |
Newberry Springs is an unincorporated community in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population at the 2000 census was 2,895.
Newberry Springs is located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park. The town is (117 sq mi (300 km2) in area. It is approximately 3,000 ft (910 m) above sea level.
The region maintains an average daytime summer temperature of 107 °F (42 °C). In the winter, lows generally get into the 20's, with a dry, cold climate, the immediate area receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) of rain per year.
Newberry Springs is a typical desert oasis. Ancient volcanic rock formations, lava beds, sand dunes, mineral springs, and hidden mud baths are found in the area.
The area is irrigated by the Mojave Aquifer, the largest aquifer in the Western United States, which makes possible a diverse and abundant agriculture and a number of man-made lakes.
Interstates 15 and 40 run through the area. BNSF Railway's transcontinental main line and historic Route 66 both run through the town.
The original name of Newberry Springs was "Water". Since its earliest days the area in and around Newberry Springs has been a source of water for the surrounding arid region. Camp Cady, located at the western terminus of the Mojave Road just 12 miles north of present-day Newberry Springs, was a resting place and watering hole along the Mojave River for wagon trains coming to California in the 1850s on the old Mormon Trail. In the 1880s the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad hauled tank cars of water from Newberry Springs to the stations and towns in the region, making life in this arid land possible.