Morongo Basin

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Morongo Basin
TwentyninePalms1.jpg
Twentynine Palms and the Morongo Basin.
Naming
Native nameCuenca de Morongo (Spanish)[ disputed ]
Geography
Location San Bernardino County
StateCalifornia
Region Mojave Desert
Coordinates 34°08′N116°16′W / 34.13°N 116.27°W / 34.13; -116.27

The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California.

Contents

The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire region, and is considered to be the easternmost portion of the Greater Los Angeles Area, the 2nd largest metropolitan region in the United States.[ citation needed ]

Geography

Joshua Tree National Park area in the Morongo Basin. Joshua trees.jpg
Joshua Tree National Park area in the Morongo Basin.

The drainage basin stretches approximately from the Little San Bernardino Mountains north of Interstate 10 in the south, to the Interstate 40 area in the north. Lying within the Mojave Desert, the Morongo Basin is east of the city of San Bernardino and San Bernardino Mountains, and north of the Coachella Valley and Colorado Desert.

The Morongo Basin is located within the Mojave Desert and in the High Desert region of Southern California. The area's elevation can range from 1,950 feet (590 m) in Twentynine Palms, to 3,000 feet (910 m) in Yucca Valley.[ citation needed ] The higher sections of Joshua Tree National Park are within the basin.

The terrain in the area is a desert landscape of hills and alluvial fans framed by mountain ranges.

Natural history

The Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera) (namesake of Yucca Valley) and the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) (namesake of Joshua Tree city and park) are notable native plants in the region.

The basin's habitats are home to Black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, and the Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus).

Cities and Communities

Over 15,000

Under 15,000

Climate

Yucca Valley with Visitor Center in background Yucca Valley California 2017.jpg
Yucca Valley with Visitor Center in background

The climate is arid desert. Hot, dry summers; cool winters with cold mornings and occasional snow and rain showers. Snow falls in areas above 1,500 feet (460 m) in elevation.

Twenty Nine Palms: Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures [1]
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Avg high °F646975839110110610497867254
Avg low °F363943495765718064524135

Local attractions

Education

The Morongo Basin is home to the Morongo Unified School District, which serves all of the cities and communities in the area. Copper Mountain College is the only community college serving the Morongo Basin area, located in Joshua Tree.

The nearest four year public university is California State University, San Bernardino north of the city of San Bernardino in University Heights, California.

See also

Related Research Articles

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San Bernardino County, officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181,654, making it the fifth-most populous county in California and the 14th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is San Bernardino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yucca Valley, California</span> City in California, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twentynine Palms, California</span> City in California, United States

Twentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California. It serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transverse Ranges</span> Group of mountain ranges of southern California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Bernardino Mountains</span> Mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in California, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cahuilla</span> Native American people, living in the inland areas of southern California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area codes 760 and 442</span> Area codes for southern and eastern California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 62</span> Highway in California

State Route 62 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that cuts across the Little San Bernardino Mountains in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It runs from Interstate 10 near Whitewater to the Arizona state line, passing through the city of Twentynine Palms and along the northern boundary of the Joshua Tree National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landers, California</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morongo Unified School District</span> School district in California

The Morongo Unified School District (MUSD) is a public education governing body in the Mojave high desert of Southern California. MUSD has more than 1,100 employees who provide educational services to 9,301 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Desert (California)</span> Geographic area of southern California

High Desert is a vernacular region with non-discrete boundaries covering areas of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. The region encompasses various terrain with elevations generally between 2,000 and 4,000 ft above sea level, and is located just north of the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and Little San Bernardino Mountains.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basin Transit</span> Public transport agency in San Bernardino County, California, US

Basin Transit, formerly Morongo Basin Transit Authority (MBTA), is the transit agency that serves the Morongo Basin in San Bernardino County, California. It is a joint powers authority between Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, and San Bernardino County. In addition to service within the Morongo Basin, it connects the Morongo Basin to Palm Springs International Airport. Basin Transit Service Area is of 1,300 square miles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in the Inland Empire</span>

Many of the existing freeways in Southern California's Inland Empire were completed in the late 1970s. The only exception is the segment of the Foothill Freeway, State Route 210 between San Dimas and San Bernardino, completed in July 2007. In general, most of the higher paying jobs are located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Thus, workers must commute daily up to two hours in each direction on the existing network. As the population increases, traffic congestion is also projected to increase. In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked the area first in its list of America's most unhealthy commutes, beating every other major metropolitan area in the country, as Inland area drivers breathe the unhealthiest air and have the highest rate of fatal auto accidents per capita.

The Hi-Desert Star is a newspaper published and distributed in Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, and Pioneertown, located within the southern Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand to Snow National Monument</span> National monument in California, United States

Sand to Snow National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in San Bernardino County and northern Riverside County, Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wonder Valley, California</span> Unincorporated Community in California, United States

Wonder Valley is a sparsely populated unincorporated community in the Morongo Basin of Southern California's High Desert region, straddling Amboy Road and State Route 62 in San Bernardino County, California, United States, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the city of Twentynine Palms.

References

  1. "Average Weather for Twentynine Palms, CA - Temperature and Precipitation". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2009-12-06.