Come Home to Yucca Valley

Yucca Valley lies in the Little San Bernardino Mountains at an elevation of 3,300 feet. Crisp air, starry skies and the incomparable beauty of the high desert help to create its unique charm and friendly atmosphere.

Yucca Valley is conveniently situated on CA State Highway 62, intersected by State Highway 247 and easily accessible to all of Southern California.

As the gateway to the Joshua Tree National Park and the economic hub of the Morongo basin, Yucca Valley is renowned for its outdoor recreational opportunities, regional attractions, and the Yucca Valley Film Festival.

From the days of the Wild West to incorporation in 1991 and well into the 21st Century, Yucca Valley has experienced significant growth, but retained its rich Western heritage. Today, residents, businesses and visitors alike find Yucca Valley a highly rewarding place to live, work and play.

Learn more from the Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce.

 

2025 State of the Town

 

35 Facts About Yucca Valley, California

  1. Yucca Valley’s earliest residents were the Chemehuevi, Serrano and Cahuilla people, traveling seasonally between the mountains and Coachella Valley.

  2. Yucca Valley offers miles of nearby hiking and outdoor recreation, including Black Rock Canyon and North Park.

  3. Before the name Yucca Valley was adopted, the area was known as Lone Star or Lone Star Ranch for the first part of the 20th century.

  4. Yucca Valley proudly hosts community runs throughout the year, including the annual Healthy Hearts and Grubstake Day runs.

  5. Following World War I, Yucca Valley’s warm, dry climate attracted veterans seeking relief from physical ailments, shaping the Town’s early identity as a place of healing and recovery.

  6. In 1946, town forefathers purchased 3,000 acres to subdivide and install water lines, initially attempting to call the area "Yucca Village.”

  7. The Town of Yucca Valley was incorporated in 1991.

  8. At the time of its incorporation, the town had over 16,000 residents, but today the population exceeds 21,000.

  9. Yucca Valley is part of San Bernardino County, the largest county in the United States by land area.

  10. Yucca Valley sits in a desert transition zone in the far south of the Mojave Desert, just north of the Colorado Desert.

  11. Yucca Valley rises to about 3,300 feet above sea level.

  12. Yucca Valley is known as a gateway to Joshua Tree National Park.

  13. The Town is named after the Mojave yucca plant (Yucca schidigera), which grows abundantly in the area.

  14. The Mojave yucca relies on a single pollinator to reproduce, the yucca moth (genus Tegeticula).

  15. Joshua trees are actually a type of yucca plant, not a traditional tree, and some in Town are over 40 feet tall.

  16. Yucca Valley is home to a variety of desert wildlife, including desert tortoises, black-tailed jackrabbits, greater roadrunners, coyotes and tarantulas.

  17. If you listen quietly at night in Yucca Valley, you might hear coyotes, owls and the wind through the Joshua trees!

  18. Yucca Valley has some of the darkest night skies in California. With fewer city lights, thousands of stars are visible.

  19. Yucca Valley’s vibrant desert landscape at sunrise and sunset inspire elements of the Town’s official seal.

  20. The Town experiences all four seasons, including cool desert winters.

  21. Summer temperatures can go over 100°F and winter nights can sometimes drop below freezing.

  22. Yucca Valley is officially a “town,” but functions similarly to many small cities in California. This distinction helps preserve Yucca Valley’s quaint, small-town feel while reflecting its strong sense of community.

  23. Yucca Valley’s Town Council consists of five elected officials who help guide the community’s future.

  24. Residents and visitors of all ages can share ideas at Town Council meetings, which are held on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 5:00 p.m.

  25. Yucca Valley contracts with San Bernardino County for Police services to help keep everyone safe.

  26. The Town of Yucca Valley values community involvement and volunteerism, offering four commissions for residents to get involved in. 

  27. The Town of Yucca Valley maintains over 150 miles of roads!

  28. The Town of Yucca Valley has six public parks with playgrounds: Jacobs Park, Brehm Youth Park, Essig Park, Machris Park, Community Center Park and Paradise Park.

  29. The Town of Yucca Valley is home to the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, a family-oriented facility with the purpose of educating residents and tourists about the desert environment.

  30. Yucca Valley hosts a free summer concert series for the community on Saturday nights from June-August.

  31. Yucca Valley has hosted The Yucca Valley Film Festival for 8 years, celebrating creativity in the desert.

  32. Yucca Valley’s Wild West heritage is celebrated during Grubstake Days, an annual Chamber of Commerce event featuring activities like a rodeo and Pony Express reenactments.

  33. Yucca Valley is opening an indoor aquatic center later this year that will feature a kids spray and play area and a water slide - it’s called the YVARC!

  34. Yucca Valley has been a filming location for movies and music videos. Some examples include Missy Elliott’s music video of "Lose Control" and the movie, “It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”

  35. Local legend says Frank Sinatra and members of the Rat Pack once used the Van Heusen House in Yucca Valley as a desert getaway.