Located in a pine-covered valley in the San Gabriel Mountains, the Wrightwood area was first developed as cattle ranches in the 19th century by Nathan and Truman Swarthout. Later, the main ranch, owned by Sumner Wright, was broken up into residential and commercial lots, and by the 1920s a community had taken root. Early ski enthusiasts discovered the north-facing slopes of the San Gabriels above the Swarthout Valley. Until 1937, the ski area, originally known as Big Pines, was part of a Los Angeles County park. After WWII, Big Pines opened their 1946–47 ski season with a new chairlift and the Sepp Benedikter Ski School (according to their ad in the February 1947 issue of Western Skiing magazine). Highways were built connecting to the major routes in the Cajon Pass, making Wrightwood accessible without serious mountain driving.
In 1934, on two separate occasions a black bear was shot and killed by a Wrightwood resident. J. Dale Gentry, chairman of the California Fish and Game Commission, applied pressure to file charges against the two men. One of the men, Clyde Steele, was found not guilty at trial; the charges were dropped against the other man.[8]
The former vacation community is now home to over 4,000 full-time residents. Serrano High School in the neighboring community of Phelan opened in 1982; it also serves Wrightwood and the neighboring community of Piñon Hills.
In August 2016, part of Wrightwood's population was evacuated as part of mandatory evacuations of over 82,000 people in San Bernardino County due to the Blue Cut Fire.[9] In September 2020, the Bobcat Fire caused evacuation warnings for the Wrightwood area as it raged across the San Gabriel Mountains. In September 2024, the Bridge Fire caused the entire town to be evacuated.[10]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15 km2), 99.94% of it land and 0.06% of it water. The climate is Mediterranean (KöppenCsb) influenced by its highland position. Summers are vastly moderated by the cooling down of the air at the higher elevation compared to the hot plains to its north and the San Bernardino Valley to the south, although share the similar dry features and a lack of summer thunderstorms. In winter, the Mediterranean tendencies of the more semi-arid lowland areas are exaggerated by orographic lift, causing precipitation comparable to areas much further north in California. However, due to the elevation, a lot of winter precipitation falls as snow. Even so, daytime highs in all months average above freezing, rendering snowpacks unstable and unreliable.
Climate data for Wrightwood, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1997–2012
The 2010 US Census[4] reported that Wrightwood had a population of 4,525. The population density was 763.2 inhabitants per square mile (294.7/km2). The racial makeup of Wrightwood was 4,126 (91.2%) White (83.4% Non-Hispanic White),[13] 38 (0.8%) African American, 28 (0.6%) Native American, 51 (1.1%) Asian, 7 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 112 (2.5%) from other races, and 163 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 538 persons (11.9%).
The Census reported that 4,525 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,857 households, out of which 553 (29.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,012 (54.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 161 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 95 (5.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 113 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 476 households (25.6%) were made up of individuals, and 161 (8.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44. There were 1,268 families (68.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.91.
The population was spread out, with 1,046 people (23.1%) under the age of 18, 301 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 957 people (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,610 people (35.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 611 people (13.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males.
There were 2,686 housing units at an average density of 453.0 per square mile (174.9/km2), of which 1,390 (74.9%) were owner-occupied, and 467 (25.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.6%. 3,346 people (73.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,179 people (26.1%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Wrightwood had a median household income of $72,231, with 4.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[13]
2000
In the 2000 census,[5] there were 3,837 inhabitants, 1,486 households, and 1,056 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,742.4 inhabitants per square mile (672.7/km2). There were 2,319 housing units at an average density of 1,053.1 per square mile (406.6/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.8% of the population.
There were 1,486 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.1.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,338, and the median income for a family was $57,197. Males had a median income of $51,424 versus $40,045 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,902. About 5.8% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
