San Bernardino County history: Chino Hills – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Rolling hills under a blue sky. — *Chino Hills State Park*

Chino Hills is located in the southwestern corner of San Bernardino County. After the Spanish founded Mission San Gabriel in 1771, Chino Hills was extensively used for grazing by mission cattle. Its rolling hills and rural landscape made it an ideal location for cattle grazing, dairy farms and equestrian activities before the mid-1970s.

During Prohibition, Chino Hills became a popular destination for bootleggers and Los Angeles tourists due to its geographical isolation. In 1979, San Bernardino County initiated the development of the Chino Hills Specific Plan. The plan called for the development of 18,000 acres (26 square miles) in the community. Rapid and extensive housing developments followed throughout the 1980s and 1990s, only slowing down in recent years.

By 1989, when the Specific Plan was approved, there were approximately 4,000 homes and 12,000 residents in Chino Hills. In 1991, Chino Hills was officially incorporated and by this time, the population had grown to 42,000.

One of the city’s key attractions is Chino Hills State Park, which offers a variety of recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking along trails through the valleys.

The city of Chino Hills has also received national recognition for being a safe and great place to live. In 2012, Money Magazine ranked Chino Hills No. 34 on its list of “100 Best Places to Live.” Further, according to FBI crime statistics from 2016, Chino Hills was ranked No. 4 among the safest cities in the United States.

Today, with a population of over 77,000, Chino Hills continues to thrive and boasts 3,000 acres of publicly owned open space, 44 parks and 48 miles of trails.

The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

Additional County Update News – May 15, 2025