The good ol’ days but cushier

Yucaipa, a Serrano Indian word for “marshy land,” was a thriving cattle town in the mid-19th century. Today the area’s nearly year-round green hills are still dotted with horses and cattle. Yucaipa, recently discovered by young families, offers some city conveniences and a whole lot of view.

Beginnings

The Serranos were early inhabitants of Yucaipa, which with its abundant water and lush vegetation, was a haven for wildlife.

When the California mission system ended in 1834, the Mexican government began parceling off the land, including an outpost of the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel called Rancho San Bernardino. In 1842, the Mexican government presented the Lugo family the 37,700-acre Rancho San Bernardino Rancho. Antonio Maria Lugo’s three sons and their cousin, Diego Sepulveda, took control of the vast land grant in what is today San Bernardino County.

Sepulveda started a cattle ranch in the Yucaipa Valley, where he stayed for about a decade, said Michele Nielsen, interim curator of history at the San Bernardino County Museum.

The Yucaipa Adobe is thought by many to have been Sepulveda’s home, although historical studies have also pointed to a site a few hundred yards away. The adobe, a state historical landmark, still sits in old Yucaipa, surrounded by homes and industrial buildings, said Tony Webb, site manager.

Around 1858, the adobe became the home of James Waters, a mountain man turned sheep farmer. City forefather John Dunlap, a Texas cattleman, bought the ranch in 1869. Yucaipa subsequently became an agricultural boomtown with lemon and orange groves terraced across its hills. Remnants of the groves still exist today.

Drawing cards

About 75 miles east of Los Angeles, Yucaipa is in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, within an hour’s drive of mountain retreats. Its elevation starts at about 2,200 feet and rises to 3,800 feet.

“Yucaipa never lost that hometown atmosphere,” said resident Claire Marie Teeters, who moved to the area from Victorville in 1976 as a single mother with two sons. “Everybody likes the good old days, but that also included inadequate roads and flooding.”

Many of those headaches disappeared with development, Teeters said, with the addition of flood control and more roads and trails. The growth of Yucaipa Boulevard, the community’s main drag, has also added value for residents.

“I never really cared about fast food and stores,” she said, “but I have to say I enjoy the new stores and shopping locally.”

Room to roam

“I think the best things about Yucaipa are the nature and the lay of the land,” Teeters said. “We’re a community that embraces our wildlife. We consider them neighbors too.”

Although the city’s population has grown to 47,427 -- an increase of 15.1% since 2000 -- with several housing tracts, Yucaipa still maintains its country and equestrian roots. An equestrian arena, operated by the city, is frequently the venue for regional horse shows and a practice arena for local equestrian drill teams.

The city is also developing multi-use trails throughout the area, said community development director John McMains. About a quarter of those trails are open to hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

Yucaipa operates eight neighborhood parks, a city pool and a 200-acre regional park. The city is home to Crafton Hills College, a community college that serves about 5,200 full- and part-time students. Yucaipa Regional Park, an 885-acre park operated by San Bernardino County, has swimming, boating and picnic areas.

Yucaipa’s large rural homes help to preserve its ranch lifestyle. About 37% of the land in Yucaipa is zoned as 1-acre parcels or larger, McMains said. “That’s bigger than any other category of our zoning.”

To capitalize on the attraction of a rural lifestyle, Century Vintage Homes began building WildWood Canyon Country Estates, now in its second phase. Its half-acre parcels are for buyers who want the convenience of a tract home with the option of having a couple of horses in the backyard.

McMains said horses are allowed on a 20,000-square-foot parcel, but all horses must be 70 feet away from a neighbor’s home or other habitable structure.

The Wildwood Canyon homes range from 2,037 square feet to more than 4,000, with prices starting at $495,000.

Report card

Students attend schools in the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District. The 2004 Academic Performance Index scores for the district’s six elementary schools ranged from 708 at Dunlap Elementary School to 796 at Wildwood Elementary School. Park View Middle School’s score was 722, and Canyon Middle School’s score was 762. Yucaipa High School had a score of 675.

Stock report

There were 195 homes for sale in Yucaipa during late December. Prices ranged from $175,000 to $1.3 million, said Galen Parker, Realtor and owner of Mountain Air Real Estate in Yucaipa. Downtown addresses seemed to dominate the low end, with larger homes in the hills priced at the top. The median home price of current listings was $369,900.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$119,500

1995...$106,000

2000...$129,000

2003...$201,000

2004*...$275,000

*Through November

Sources: www.co.san- bernardino.ca.us/museum (click on “Branch museum sites” then “Yucaipa Adobe”),

DataQuick Information Systems, api.cde.ca.gov, Mountain Air Real Estate.