Welcome to Big Bear Lake ...
The city of Big Bear Lake is located in San Bernardino County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Big Bear Lake, you might consider that their post office opened in 1938.
The city was incorporated November 28, 1980.
A typical abbreviation for Big Bear Lake: Big Bear Lk.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Big Bear Lake has a population of 5,323 people<2> (see below for details).
Big Bear Lake is 6,840 feet [2,085 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Big Bear Lake is about 1¼ mile [or ~2 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Big Bear Lake lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
Big Bear Lake is within the boundaries of the (909) area code.
The ZIP code for Big Bear Lake: 92315<4>
Websites for Big Bear Lake ...
Official Website: www.citybigbearlake.com/
Chamber of Commerce: www.bigbearchamber.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Big Bear Lake had an population of 5,323 people. This is an increase of 6.06% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 2.11% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Big Bear Lake had a population of 5,019 people. This makes Big Bear Lake the county's 23rd most populous community.
The population of Big Bear Lake represents 0.01% of the population of California (which has 37,253,956 people), making it the state's 423rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 5,019 people, the population of Big Bear Lake decreased 7.71% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 5,438 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Big Bear Lake.
Communities near Big Bear Lake ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Big Bear Lake.
- Highland
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Highland is located in San Bernardino County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55,696 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Highland <5>
- Yucaipa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucaipa
- Yucaipa is located in San Bernardino County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,833 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yucaipa <5>
- Calimesa
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calimesa
- Calimesa is located in Riverside County
- Estimated population in 2015: 8,542 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calimesa <5>
- Sugarloaf
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugarloaf
- Sugarloaf is located in San Bernardino County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugarloaf <5>
- Angelus Oaks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelus Oaks
- Angelus Oaks is located in San Bernardino County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Angelus Oaks <5>
- Green Valley Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley Lake
- Green Valley Lake is located in San Bernardino County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Green Valley Lake <5>
- Arrowbear Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowbear Lake
- Arrowbear Lake is located in San Bernardino County
- Forest Falls
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Falls
- Forest Falls is located in San Bernardino County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Falls <5>
- Mountain Home Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Home Village have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home Village
- Mountain Home Village is located in San Bernardino County
- Running Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Running Springs
- Running Springs is located in San Bernardino County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Running Springs <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Big Bear Lake. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Big Bear Lake.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Big Bear Lake. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Bear Lake.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Bear Lake. Our list includes 14 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Big Bear Lake.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Big Bear Lake ...
Looking for more information about Big Bear Lake? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Big Bear Lake, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Big Bear Lake.
Adding Big Bear Lake to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Big Bear Lake in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Big Bear Lake was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Big Bear Lake post office opened in 1938.
We also found Big Bear Lake on a map titled Shell Oil Road Map for California (1956).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Big Bear Lake.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Big Bear Lake: www.citybigbearlake.com/
The official website for San Bernardino County: www.sbcounty.gov/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of California's counties, including San Bernardino, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Big Bear Lake. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Big Bear Lake - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Big Bear Lake). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Big Bear Lake or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |