San Bernardino County history: Apple Valley – Welcome to San Bernardino County

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Town of Apple Valley clock tower.

The town of Apple Valley is located in the High Desert region of San Bernardino County. Human history in the area dates back to Serrano Indian camps along the Mojave River in Apple Valley. Paiute Indians migrated to the region in the late 1800s. Between 1849 and 1859, more than 13,000 people passed through the area along the Mojave River Trail. These travelers included trappers, gold prospectors, pack mules and Mormon wagon trains.

Much of the land in the desert was owned by the government. Settlers could claim homesteads of 160 acres or more. While nearby Victorville developed into a commercial hub, the area that would become Apple Valley remained largely pastoral with ranches and orchards.

There are many stories as to how Apple Valley acquired its name. Some historians attribute it to the abundance of apple orchards in the 1920s, while others link it to the Appleton Land Company, which operated in the area in the early 1900s. Early settler Ursula Poates is often credited with coining the name by removing “ton” from Appleton. Her reasoning for shortening Appleton was because while apples were grown locally, they were not produced “by the ton.”

As more people settled in the area, large orchards were established. Max Ihmsen, publisher of the Los Angeles Examiner, owned an orchard of about 320 acres. In 1915, his prize-winning apples and pears helped make Apple Valley known for its fruits.

Unfortunately, the apple industry declined during the Great Depression. The cost of pumping water for irrigation was too high for many growers. As a result, most of the orchards died by the 1940s. Additionally, a series of outbreaks of a fungal infection coupled with frost, heat and hail between 1944 and 1946 also hurt the apple industry. By the time the U.S. Post Office officially recognized the name Apple Valley in 1949, commercial apple production had nearly disappeared.

Apple Valley incorporated as a town on Nov. 14, 1988. It is one of 22 incorporated municipalities in California that use “town” rather than “city” in their official name. The population was 75,029 in the 2024 census.

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 – March 19, 2026