San Bernardino County, located in southern California within the Inland Empire, is the largest county in the contiguous United States, covering 20,105 square miles. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,181,654, making it the fifth-most populous in California and the 14th in the U.S. The county seat is San Bernardino, and most of the population (89%) lives in the Ontario, San Bernardino, and Victorville-Hesperia areas. The county has a majority-Hispanic population (53.7%).
Historically, the region was inhabited by Indigenous groups including the Taaqtam (Serrano), ʔívil̃uqaletem (Cahuilla), Chemehuevi, Kawaiisu, ‘Aha Makhav (Mohave), and Piipaash (Maricopa). They established villages connected by extensive trails. Notable settlements included Wa’aachnga near present-day San Bernardino and Wá’peat near Hesperia. By the late 1700s, Spanish soldiers and missionaries began encroaching on these areas.









