A quiet spot between mountains and desert

Beginnings

Banning sits 85 miles east and light-years away from the bustle of Los Angeles.

Bracketed by Mt. San Gorgonio to the north and Mt. San Jacinto to the south, the city today draws people for some of the same reasons its first inhabitants came. The area offered a temperate climate and plenty of water for the Serrano and Cahuilla Indians, who made it their seasonal home.

Banning was an important stagecoach stop on the Colorado Stage & Express Line, connecting Los Angeles with the gold found along the Colorado River. The railroad replaced the stagecoach in 1876, but Banning is still known as “Stagecoach Town U.S.A.” and pays annual tribute to its past with its Stagecoach Days Celebration in October.

Insider’s view

Banning offers picturesque views and short distances to the alpine communities of Big Bear and Idyllwild and the showy desert of Palm Springs. It’s a community for those wanting a quiet life, where residents walk tree-lined streets and barbecue on Sundays in one of the city’s parks.

Joseph “Bud” Mathewson, 82, came to Banning from Oakland 50 years ago to repair watches and open a jewelry store. That early shop evolved into what is now Mathewson’s department store. Situated in downtown Banning, it is one of the few locally owned department stores still existing in Southern California.

“I started to leave Banning once or twice for some personal reasons and I stayed because of the people,” he said. “Once you find your place here in the community, you have a lot of good friends.”

Marie Calderon, 53, agrees. She moved to Banning as a young bride in 1972 from Palm Springs.

“People in Banning are very practical,” she said. “Life here is at a much slower pace. People who move here don’t want all that hectic stuff in their lives.”

Oscar Orci, the city’s community development director, said that people buying in Banning are attracted to its open spaces.

“You still see cattle grazing in pastures,” he said. “Banning’s still a slice of Americana.”

Housing stock

Most of Banning’s housing was built in the early 20th century and during a second housing boom in the 1980s. The newer homes are found on the edge of town, where small farms and ranches meet the sidewalks of the city.

Mikki Bloomer, with Banning Realty, said the newer homes are of most interest to buyers. But, she said, there is nothing close to a buying frenzy in Banning. The San Gorgonio Pass area has grown in recent years, as young families have found affordable homes in a relatively small-town atmosphere with easy access to interstates 10 and 215.

While the neighboring communities of Oak Glen, Yucaipa and Calimesa may be enjoying a boom, Banning has remained a comparative bargain, she said. A house in Banning can cost $100,000 less than a similar one only 10 minutes away.

On the market

The median asking price of a home in Banning is $319,000, according to Realtor.com. Among recent single-family home sales was a two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bathroom, 1,584-square-foot home with a swimming pool, built in 1981, that sold for $147,500. A four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bathroom, 2,541-square-foot home on 10 acres with a swimming pool, built in 1983, sold for $985,000.

Smaller California bungalows near downtown Banning are at the lower end of the price scale. Homes in the hills, with a view or acreage, cost more.

The city is working to preserve some of the historical Craftsman and California bungalows built around the time of its incorporation, 1913.

Report card

The public schools are part of the Banning Unified School District. On the 2004 Academic Performance Index, Hemmerling Elementary scored 645 out of a possible 1,000, Central Elementary scored 651 and Hoffer Elementary, 690. Susan B. Coombs Middle School scored 652; Nicolet Middle School, 620; and Banning High School, 591.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$87,500

1995...$70,000

2000...$80,000

2003...$184,000

2005...$225,000*

*Year to date

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Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; Realtor.com; api.cde.ca.gov; the General Phineas Banning Residence Museum, https://www.banningmuseum.org ; California Department of Finance; Sharlot Hall Museum; History Society of Southern California, https://www.socalhistory.org/Biographies/banning.htm ; “Cattle Brands of the Joshua Tree National Monument Region and San Gorgonio Pass” by Lucile Weight; the city of Banning, https://www.ci.banning.ca.us .