Cabazon (Spanish: Cabazón) is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail.

In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa and Desert Hills Premium Outlets. The population was 2,629 during the 2020 census.

Cabazon was incorporated as a city on November 1, 1955. Under California law, incorporated cities could host cardrooms, while unincorporated areas could not. One key dispute was between residents who hoped that Cabazon could be developed as a resort city like Palm Springs to the east, versus cardroom owners who wanted to keep Cabazon's population low so that the city government's operating expenses (and their taxes) would remain low and not impinge on their profits.

With changing demographics and regional economy, locals in the early 21st century have intermittently discussed reincorporating the area.

Esperanza Fire

In late October 2006, a major arson fire started near Cabazon. California State Route 243 was renamed as the "Esperanza Firefighters Memorial Highway" to honor them.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of which is land.

|date=October 2013

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cabazon had a population of 2,629 and a population density of . The median age was 34.8 years. The age distribution was 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.2% aged 18 to 24, 29.5% aged 25 to 44, 24.6% aged 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 834 households, of which 38.4% included children under the age of 18. Of all households, 36.9% were married-couple households, 9.0% were cohabiting couple households, 22.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 31.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11. There were 568 families (68.1% of all households).

There were 917 housing units at an average density of , of which 834 (90.9%) were occupied. Of all housing units, 9.1% were vacant, 56.8% of occupied units were owner-occupied, and 43.2% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 973 || 37.0%

|-

| Black or African American || 152 || 5.8%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 85 || 3.2%

|-

| Asian || 73 || 2.8%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || 0.2%

|-

| Some other race || 797 || 30.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 545 || 20.7%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,400 || 53.3%

|}

Income and poverty

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $69,704, and the per capita income was $31,305. About 16.3% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

At the 2010 United States census Cabazon had a population of 2,535. The population density was . The racial makeup of Cabazon was 1,751 (69.1%) Caucasian (42.3% Non-Hispanic Caucasian), 135 (5.3%) African American, 90 (3.6%) Native American, 38 (1.5%) Asian, 14 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 358 (14.1%) from other races, and 149 (5.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,135 persons (44.8%).

The census reported that 2,526 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 792 households, 350 (44.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 317 (40.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 181 (22.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 81 (10.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 81 (10.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 157 households (19.8%) were one person and 54 (6.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.19. There were 579 families (73.1% of households); the average family size was 3.68.

The age distribution was 798 people (31.5%) under the age of 18, 275 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 577 people (22.8%) aged 25 to 44, 674 people (26.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 211 people (8.3%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

There were 932 housing units at an average density of 190.5 per square mile, of the occupied units 459 (58.0%) were owner-occupied and 333 (42.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%. 1,382 people (54.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,144 people (45.1%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Cabazon had a median household income of $33,333, with 22.1% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Major landmarks

thumb|Dinny the Dinosaur

Roadside attraction

Claude Bell's giant dinosaur sculptures are icons of roadside America. The site features two sculptures: a 150-ton building in the shape of a larger-than-life-sized Brontosaurus (begun in 1964, completed in 1975), and a 100-ton Tyrannosaurus rex structure (built in 1981). The dinosaurs, nicknamed "Dinny" and "Mr. Rex," respectively, were installed to attract customers to Claude Bell's Wheel Inn Cafe.

Some residents grew up with them along the highway in southern California; others may remember them from various films and videos, notably in Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Developers purchased the dinosaurs in 2005 from the Bell family for $1.2 million.

Outlet shopping center

Cabazon is a stop for outlet shopping; Desert Hills Premium Outlets and Cabazon Outlets each operate outlet malls.

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

thumb|right|The [[Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa]]

Cabazon is the territory of the federally recognized Morongo Band of Mission Indians, which have developed the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa. Its 27-story hotel tower dominates the San Gorgonio Pass.

In addition, they partnered for tribal business with Arrowhead Mountain Springwater to develop a huge water-bottling facility on the eastern edge of Cabazon in 2003. Its construction earned a LEED Silver rating.

Library

The Cabazon Library, opened in 2013, is part of the Riverside County Library System, operated under contract by Library Systems and Services, LLC.

Government

In the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Cabazon is in 5th district, represented by Democrat Yxstian Gutierrez.

In the California State Legislature, Cabazon is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Cabazon is in .

Transportation

The Amtrak Thruway 39 provides daily connections to Fullerton station, Palm Springs, and Indio.

Education

It is in the Banning Unified School District.

This part of the freeway Interstate 10 appears in the musical video of the British band Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", published in 1985.

References

  • Cabazon Outlets
  • San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society
  • Cabazon Public Library