A Gateway to a Shining Future

Situated in northern San Bernardino County, halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Barstow offers all of the advantages of small town living, plus convenient access to two major metropolitan areas.

The city boasts of seven ballparks, 12 play areas, an outdoor pool, bowling alley, two golf courses, tennis courts and a skate park.  Regarded as one of the finest recreational complexes in the Inland Empire, the Robert A. Sessions Memorial Sportspark features soccer and baseball fields, batting cages, basketball and volleyball courts as well as a covered in-line roller hockey arena.  A community center makes available indoor sports courts and rooms for crafts and other programs.

Surrounding the city are five major Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use recreational areas.  Hikers, campers and naturalists further enjoy the desert wonders of Rainbow Basin, Mojave National Preserve, Afton Canyon, Black and Inscription Canyons and Old Woman Springs Meteorite.

Barstow maintains four levels of schooling that includes elementary (Kindergarten through grade 4), intermediate (grades 5 and 6), junior high school (grades 7 and 8) and high school.  The community college offers courses in a broad range of academic and vocational subjects, plus one of the most extensive online class selections in the State of California.

In addition to a variety of neighborhood shopping centers, there are two large outlet malls along Interstate 15.  Adding a picturesque note to Main Street, a walking gallery of eight murals depicts this quaint town’s long history that includes ties to the Mormon Trail, the Silver Rush, the Old Spanish Trail, the railroad and historic Route 66.

Moving into the 21st Century, Barstow is now home to two solar power plants as well as to the Marine Corps Logistics Base, the nearby U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin, and NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex.  Situated at the crossroads of Interstates 15 and 40 and Highways 58 and 247, the city also serves as a major transportation hub, complete with a large railroad switching yard and an Amtrack Station.