The Lake Arrowhead Communities is a picturesque resort area located in the San Bernardino Mountains in the heart of Southern California. The Lake Arrowhead Communities consist of the following areas: Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, Skyforest, Rimforest, Twin Peaks, Agua Fria, and Crest Park. As a scenic mountain resort in the San Bernardino Mountains, Lake Arrowhead’s economy is almost completely supported by tourism, both by casual vacationers and part-time residents. Despite this, full-time residents of the Lake Arrowhead Communities maintain a strong identity and sense of local pride. The population was 12,982 at the 2000 census. The Lake Arrowhead area is unincorporated, with the Chamber of Commerce the de facto governing body. Full-time residents comprise 53.8% of the population. Part-time residents make up 46.2% of the population. The average household size is 2.7 persons. The median age is 39.3 years. The average household income is $92,064.00 while the median household income is $53,510.00.
Lake Arrowhead itself is a manmade reservoir with a surface area of approximately 782 acres and a capacity of 48,000 acre-feet. The lake was originally intended to serve as part of a major waterworks project to provide irrigation water to the San Bernardino Valley and construction of the Lake Arrowhead Dam began towards that end in 1904. The original project was halted due to litigation over water supplies to land owners on the desert side of the mountains. Construction of the dam was completed in 1922 by the Arrowhead Lake Company, a Los Angeles syndicate, as part of a plan to develop the area into a resort. Lake Arrowhead is a private lake governed by the Arrowhead Lake Association and is for restricted use by Lake Arrowhead property owners – those that live within the Arrowhead Woods boundaries.
Lake Arrowhead is above the national average for education attainment. Over 26 % have completed 4+ years of college , and 32 % less than 4 years of college. An Associates degree has been attained by 10% of the population, and 19% have completed high school.
Lake Arrowhead’s close proximity to the city of San Bernardino prevents the area from having isolated employment opportunities. Most of the local jobs are found in the service industry, employing 44% of the population. Construction employs 12.9% of the area followed by finance, insurance, real estate and retail. More than 65% of the local jobs are white collar. Lake Arrowhead’s unemployment rate is 3.9% (2006). The average home value in 2006 was $685,929. The average monthly mortgage is $1641.
