Boron, California

Boron (formerly Amargo, Baker, Borate, and Kern) 1860–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|1,644

|1,532

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,145

|81.19%

|68.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.89%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|45

|158

|style='background: #ffffe6; |167

|2.22%

|7.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.01%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|47

|40

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28

|2.32%

|1.78%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.34%

|Asian alone (NH)

|32

|44

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44

|1.58%

|1.95%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.11%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5

|0.10%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.24%

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11

|0.49%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.53%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|62

|68

|style='background: #ffffe6; |144

|3.06%

|3.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.90%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|183

|406

|style='background: #ffffe6; |542

|9.04%

|18.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |25.98%

|Total

|2,025

|2,253

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,086

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

thumb|Old Ore Truck on display, Borax Visitor Center, Boron

thumb|The Barrel restaurant in 2022.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Boron had a population of 2,086. The population density was . The whole population lived in households. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. 31.8% of households were one person, and 13.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51. There were 1,051 housing units, of which 20.9% were vacant. Of occupied units, 52.7% were owner-occupied, and 47.3% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.5%.

History

thumb|Colemanite from the Boron mine. Size: 6.9 x 5.4 x 5.4 cm.

Borate evaporites in the form of colemanite was first reported in 1913 during drilling of a water well. Claims were acquired by the Pacific Coast Borax Company and exploration continued. In 1925 commercial colemanite production began. In the 1920s and 30s borates were produced from the Baker and West Baker mines.

The first post office at Boron opened in 1938.

Industry

thumb|upright=1.45|[[Rio Tinto Borax Mine|Rio Tinto Boron mine and plant, 2012]]

thumb|upright=1.45|Boron (right center) and the Rio Tinto Borax mine from [[International Space Station|ISS, 2013]]

A large borax deposit was discovered in 1925, and the mining town of Boron was established soon thereafter. This borax deposit is the world's largest borax mine. This mine supplies nearly half of the world's supply of refined borates. Rio Tinto Minerals is Boron's primary employer, employing over 800 people.

Workers at Rio Tinto are represented by Local 30 Mine, Mineral and Processing Workers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Originally represented by Local 85 of the International Chemical Workers' Union, workers voted to affiliate with the ILWU in 1966. During a 2010 labor dispute, workers were locked out by Rio Tinto for 107 days until support from the community and organized labor across California and elsewhere allowed both parties to successfully negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. The dispute was covered in a 2010 documentary entitled Locked Out.

east of Boron, across the county line in San Bernardino County, is what was, until 2014, the world's largest solar power production facility. The Kramer Junction Company (KJC) is the managing general partner of the five 30 megawatt Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) facilities in the Mojave Desert at Kramer Junction, California. Together with its wholly owned subsidiary, KJC Operating Company, KJC operates and manages these facilities (SEGS III-VII).

Attractions

thumb|Saxon Aerospace Museum

Saxon Aerospace Museum, honors aviation history related to nearby Edwards Air Force Base and its Air Force Test Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Dryden
Borax Visitor Center at Rio Tinto Borax Mine, provides information about borax, how it is mined, and how it is used
Twenty Mule Team Museum, adjacent to the Saxon Aerospace Museum, explains the Twenty-mule teams that originally hauled borax
Boron Chamber Weather Station, a satirical weather forecast and cultural landmark of the town

Public services

Law enforcement

Law enforcement services are provided by the Kern County Sheriff's Department. From 1933 to 1954, personnel from the Mojave substation met the law enforcement need of the Boron area. The first actual office space occupied by the sheriff's office in Boron was a quonset hut shared with the fire department in the 12200 block of Boron Avenue. This continued until 1963 when the sheriff's office established the substation building at 26949 Cote Street. This building housed a small jail and the court in Boron, which operated one day a week.

A federal prison was closed in 2000.

Fire services

In 1969 the new Boron station 17 opened at 26965 Cote Street. This fire station is operated by the Kern County Fire Department.

Schools

Boron schools are part of the Muroc Joint Unified School District. The local Boron schools include the K – 6 grade West Boron Elementary School, and the 7 – 12th grade Boron High School. Boron High School's mascot is the Bobcat. Boron's first school, Gephart School was built in 1929. It burned to the ground in 1994.

Churches

Boron's original church building was completed for the First Baptist Church in 1940. Boron currently has eight churches. They are the Assembly of God Church, the Boron Bible Church, the Church of Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the First Baptist Church of Boron, the Jesus Name Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church, St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Christians in Faith Church.

Notable residents

Boron was the home of "Walking George" Swain, whose penchant for walking made him a legend. George earned his name as "Walking George" because he never owned a car, or house, and walked to and from work—from his home, which was always rumored to be just a hole in the desert. He supposedly kept himself warm at night with a covering of newspapers. His wardrobe was always the same: wrinkled shirt and pants with well-worn boots. Swain was a chemist at the borax plant in Boron. He attended local events and often played the piano for entertainment. He taught piano to children in Boron and played at the Baptist Church. On his 59th birthday in 1978 an article about George appeared in the Los Angeles Times. By May 1979 he was featured on the TV show Real People. He died on April 25, 2000.
Boron was home to Pancho Barnes from 1966 to 1975. Barnes was a world-renowned air race and stunt pilot during the 1920s and 1930s. She is better known, however, for being the matron of the Happy Bottom Riding Club. She was forced to move when, during a heated dispute with Edwards Air Force Base over the expansion of one of the nearby base's runways, the club mysteriously burned down. Years later Barnes moved to Boron from Gypsy Springs when her age no longer allowed her to properly tend to her ranch. She died in Boron during the spring of 1975.

Media

The movie Erin Brockovich (2000), starring Julia Roberts, and various other movies have been filmed in the town, often using local residents as extras.

Movies/shows using locations in and around Boron
Locked Out (2010)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Gentleman Don La Mancha (2004)
Gridiron Gang (1993) (TV)
Neon Signs (1996)
Spotlight on Location: Erin Brockovich (2000) (TV)
...aka Making of 'Erin Brockovich', The (2000) (TV)
Death Valley Days (1952–1975)
The Carpetbaggers (1964)

References

External links

Muroc Joint Unified School District
Boron High School
Twenty Mule Team Museum
Colonel Vernon P. Saxon Jr. Aerospace Museum
Borax Visitors Center