Chapter 1 - Region & Themes
My home away from home, Big Bear Lake, is nestled in the
beautiful San Bernardino National Forest. It is about 100 miles northeast from
the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, CA.I absolutely love vacationing in the
secluded mountains and enjoy the peacefulness of the city’s rural location.
Even though I adore the small town atmosphere, I couldn't see myself residing
there unless I was retiring; mainly because there isn't a whole lot to do
except for snowboard in the winter and wake-board in the summer, which gets
expensive. Not to mention, the jobs are scarce and the pay is nothing like I’m
used to. I guess that’s what you expect
in such a small town.
Map provided by Wikipedia:
Chapter 2 - Physical
Environment
The windy roads into Big Bear lead you through the mountain
terrain and to an elevation of about 6,743 feet, at which all roads into Big
Bear will take you around the shoreline of the lake. According to
bigbearlake.net, “…Big Bear Lake is eight miles long and approximately one mile
across at its widest point.” As noted in the textbook, southern California
experiences cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers, which are characteristics
of the Mediterranean climate; however, Big Bear experiences a milder climate
due to the higher elevation. The average
temperature during the summer months is about 77 degrees during the day and
about 45 degrees at night. During the winter months, the average temperature is
about 40 degrees during the day and in the mid 20’s at night. Being at almost
7000 feet, Big Bear receives more precipitation than the lowlands of San
Bernardino County averaging about 21 inches of rainfall every year.
Thunderstorms often occur during July and August due to the North American
Monsoon, which is caused by the northward movement of an area of high pressure
during the summer months. During the winter months, Big Bear gets about 62
inches of snowfall that attracts many skiing and snowboarding enthusiast every
year. So if you love the cold, wet winter months and the snow, Big Bear is the
place to be.
Below is a picture from the ski lift found on Snow Summits
website www.snowsummit.com.
Chapter 3 – Human
Activity
Big Bear was first occupied by the Serrano Indians some
3,000 years ago. The Serrano Indians are known as the indigenous people of the
San Bernardino highlands, valleys, and mountains living in small settlements.
They’ve also inhabited areas such as the Mojave Desert, San Gabriel Mountains,
and a few other places. It wasn’t until 1822, when Mexico gained its’ independence
from Spain, that there was an increase in migration towards the San Bernardino
area in search of new land. Big Bear gained its popularity for the gold that
was discovered by Bill Holcomb in 1860, which led to the rapid growth and the
Southern California gold rush.
In 2010 the population in Big Bear was listed at 5,019 with
a density of 768.1 per square mile, according to the United States Census. The
population has actually decreased by 419 since the 2000 census. The 2010 census
also listed 73.3% or the population as white, 21.4% as Hispanic, 1.4% as Asian,
0.4% as black and 2.7 listed as other.
Image below from Google
Chapter 4 – Megalopolis
Big Bear Lake is the complete opposite of a megalopolis as
it lacks most, if not almost all the accessibility resources. First, it does
not have any of the site characteristics related to the Megalopolis. For
example, it is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest at an elevation
of 6,743 feet and only has three roads that lead in and out of Big Bear.
Another reason would be that it is not located, nor have access to a harbor
that leads to the ocean. A major situation characteristic that it is lacking is
a relative position to Europe being on the opposite side of the continent. Last but not least, Big Bear is definitely
not an urban environment. There aren’t really any tall buildings, busy streets,
crowded housing, or industrial plants located in Big Bear. However, there is a
movie theater and a historical museum in the city, but they are nothing like
the movie theaters or museums that you would see in a megalopolis. The movie
theater that is in Big Bear has only three movie screens and the last showing
is at 8 pm. The most populated area in
Big Bear is usually the ski slopes during winter and the “village” during the
spring/summer months that the tourists love. Not to mention, the population of
New York alone in 2000 was listed in the textbook at 8,008,278 and according to
the 2000 census, the population in Big Bear was a whopping 5,438!
As you can see in the picture below, found on Google images,
the “village” is really just a bunch of shops in buildings that look like they
were once houses and cottages that people used to live in. Not a whole lot of
excitement going on there!
Chapter 5 – North
Manufacturing Core
Being such a small town, Big Bear doesn’t have much, if any,
aspects of a manufacturing city. Big Bear’s core economy relies on the ski
slopes in the winter and the outdoor activities in the summer, especially the
lake. It’s more of a resort community for a great vacation. People from all
over love to come to Big Bear to take advantage of its beautiful scenery and
the relaxing vibe that is has to offer. The new fun and adventurous addition to
the town are the zip lines, which look like a lot of fun! Rather than
specializing in manufacturing, Big Bear specializes in the appreciation of
nature and its environmental surroundings, if you will. However, there are few
things handmade not manufactured, that I absolutely love and those are the
unique wood carvings. You will see a variety of them such as eagles, benches,
signs, and of course bears. If you’re ever
in town, be sure to stop at Kirby’s and check out the carvings!
Below are a few photos courtesy of www.bigbearcarvings.com
Chapter 7 – The
Bypassed East
Big Bear is a hotspot for tourists being that it gets about
300 days of sunshine a year, has a gorgeous manmade lake for fishing, boating
and kayaking, along with two ski resorts, campgrounds, hiking trails, zip lines
and many other great activities. Without all these outdoor activities, Big Bear
wouldn’t be such a popular spot; it’s especially known for the snowfall and ski
resorts since most Southern Californians are used to dry hot summers at the
beach and maybe some good rain storms during the winter. Big Bear is similar to
the Bypassed East as they are more rural areas surrounded by nature and relying
on the natural resources rather than manufacturing and the fast paced city
life. Even though Big Bear and the Bypassed East are so close to urbanized
cities, they are able to keep their low key lifestyles.
Nice sunny day on the mountain: www.bearmountain.com
Chapter 8 –
Appalachia and the Ozarks
Image provided by the United States Department of
Agriculture: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/sbnf/home
Big Bear is surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains that
top out at 11,489 feet. The mountains create a barrier for transportation to
and from the city. As I mentioned before, there are only three roads in and out
of Big Bear. However, the mountain range is primarily the reason why Big Bear
is a great place to visit. The mountains provide a ton of activities such as
hiking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, camping, and off-roading. The
mountain range is home to many wild animals such as deer, mountain lions, flying
squirrels, and in the past, the California Grizzly. Now, there are black bears
that roam the mountains but they were brought to the mountains by the CA fish
and game. Another reason Big Bear became populated was because of the gold
rush. Back in the 1800’s gold was found in the mountains and attracted many in
hopes of becoming rich. One of the most profitable mines in the mountain range
was the Rose Mine which was located east of Big Bear near a place called Round
Valley. Logging also became a big industry in the late 1800’s and the early
1900’s. The first sawmill was built back in 1860 in the San Bernardino
Mountains and eventually there were six sawmills in operation. It was back in
1912 when the forest service intervened and placed regulations that frustrated
the logger who then moved their operation to Oregon.
Below is a picture of the Rose Mine provided by http://bigbear.us/mining.html
Logging in the San Bernardino Mountains image provided by http://bigbear.us/mining.html
Chapter 9 – The
Changing South
When Big Bear was
first inhabited by the Serrano Indians, there wasn't a whole lot to life back
then. The Serrano’s lived off the land, fished, hunted for food, weaved baskets
and did what they had to do to survive. As time passed, technology improved
along with the way people lived. Gold mining and logging became a way of life
for the people of the land, which eventually lead to the increase in population
and the forming of towns and cities. Even though the city has become fully
developed, there is still poverty among the people who live there. The problem
with Big Bear is that income is low and jobs are very scarce, you basically
take what you can get if you are not in a specialized field that is needed on
the mountain. You will notice that most of the people who reside there are retirees,
ski or snowboard fanatics, or those who are looking for a low key kind of life.
Another thing you will notice in Big Bear is that a lot of house up there are
owned by people who actually live off the mountain and use the property as a
vacation rentals for tourists and another source of income. The culture in Big
Bear is very relaxed and different from Los Angeles. People in LA have a high self-interest
and really only care about themselves in the terms of business. They do what is
best for them at the cost of others. In Big Bear, the people are kind, generous,
caring, and genuine. They take the time to help others and are interested in
others well-being rather than just themselves. It is a small town and everyone
almost knows everyone in town.
Below is a video tour of Big Bear Lake, CA :
