Oak Glen, CA

Oak Glen is a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 15 miles east of San Bernardino at 4,734 feet. Long before the orchards, Cahuilla and Serrano people harvested acorns in these mountains. Enoch Parrish planted Oak Glen's first apple orchard in 1876; the Wilshire family followed, and the Rivers brothers established Los Rios Rancho in 1906. The 2020 census counted 602 residents, and the place's built form is spread along a five-mile mountain loop of farms, ranches, and small businesses. Today, apples are still the shorthand for Oak Glen, but potatoes, cider, pies, and heirloom varieties belong to the same agricultural story.

ATTRJessie Terwilliger from Beaumont, CA, USA / CC BY 2.0

Los Rios Rancho remains in operation, and the Oak Glen Preserve adds trails, picnic areas, wildlife viewing, and education among the orchards. The high elevation brings cool summers and winter snow, while the loop ties the ranches together. Oak Glen's local rhythm comes from the overlap of Indigenous foodways, working orchards, and a mountain road where farms and public places sit side by side.