Yermo, meaning “wilderness” or “wasteland” in Spanish, is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California. It is located 13 miles east of Barstow on Interstate 15, near the Calico Mountains. Founded in 1902 as Otis, Yermo developed around the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (later Union Pacific) and served motorists on the Arrowhead Trail. The post office opened in 1905, with William J. Flavin as its first postmaster.
Today, Yermo is governed by a five-member Community Services District board, which oversees the volunteer fire department, street lighting, parks, and water system. The town’s ZIP Code is 92398, and its area codes are 442 and 760. Yermo also hosts a 1,859-acre industrial annex of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.Economically, Yermo declined after Interstate 15 opened in 1968, causing most local businesses to close. At its peak, it had numerous gas stations, bars, grocery stores, motels, and restaurants. Today, only a few businesses remain, including a grocery store, bar, restaurants, gas stations, and a motel. Yermo is notable as the founding location of Del Taco in 1964. It previously had a California agriculture inspection station, which relocated in 2018.









