Baker, California

Baker is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 914.

Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,and was named after R. C. Baker, president of the Railroad. cite book | last = Bright | first = William | year = 1998 | title = 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning | pages = p. 20 | location = Berkeley, California | publisher = University of California Press | id = ISBN 0-520-21271-1 ]

Baker's ZIP Code is 92309 and the community is within area code 760.

Geography

Baker is located at coor dms|35|15|54|N|116|4|29|W|type:city (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 convert|930|ft|m|1 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.

Economy

Baker's economy is based primarily on tourism. The town is frequently used as a rest stop by drivers on Interstate Highway 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker is approximately convert|90|mi|km|1 southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the Mojave National Preserve.

The town's most prominent feature is a 134-foot (41m) thermometer, known as the "World's tallest thermometer", visible for miles. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States, convert|134|°F|°C|1, measured in nearby Death Valley in 1913. Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed convert|110|°F|°C|1; 2007 saw a record of convert|125|°F|°C|1. In recent years Baker has experienced hard times, with casinos just across the Nevada border at Primm and Jean, Nevada taking much of its motel trade Fact|date=August 2008.

Baker is referenced in the film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as a stop for the character "Raoul S. Duke" on his way back from Las Vegas going to Los Angeles. The film is based on Hunter S. Thompson's bestselling book of the same title.

Transportation

Thruway Motorcoach has a stop located at a Jack in the Box restaurant and Shell gas station at 72352 Baker Blvd., and its Amtrak station code is BKR. [ cite web
url =http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com/rail/go/amtrak/stations/a_e/baker/index.cfm | title = Amtrak California - Baker| accessdate = 2007-01-11]

Appearances In Cable Television

Baker, and the surrounding area, were featured in two episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels when Gene Simmons broke down outside of Baker on Route 127. Episodes 5, and 6 of season 3 were ran in March 2008 and featured the town.

Attractions

* Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area [http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/dumont.html] , a popular area for ATV riders. Weekly and Annual passes can purchased online at [http://www.dumontdunespermits.com Dumont Dunes Permits] .

*Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by California State University.

References

External links

*Geolinks-US-cityscale|35.265099|-116.074768
* [http://www.bakercc.com Baker Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.bakercsd.com A history of Baker]
* [http://www.pilgrimsinthedesert.com/ Pilgrims in the Desert] - a book on the history of Baker
* [http://www.sandboard.com Sandboard Magazine]
* [http://www.friendsofdumontdunes.org Friends of Dumont Dunes]