Mentone is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 9,557 at the 2020 census, up from 8,720 at the 2010 census. It is located at .

According to the United States Census Bureau, it has a total area of ; of it is land and 0.19% is water. There is a good selection of housing developments (which has been slowly increasing over the past years), as well as bars, churches, and restaurants. California State Route 38 serves as its main street, being called Mentone Boulevard upon entering the Mentone district from Redlands on the west side, then changes to Mill Creek Road on the east side of the district. The road through Mentone serves as one of three gateways to the San Bernardino Mountains (especially the small community of Angelus Oaks and the mountainous city of Big Bear Lake).

History

W.H. Drew and N.K. Fairbanks formed Mentone Corporation in 1886. They purchased 3,000 acres east of Lugonia colony and north of Crafton colony on the south bank of the Santa Ana River. Within the year, The Santa Fe Railroad also established a stop in 1886. William P. McIntosh surveyed the land for the Mentone corporation and bought most of the land himself. He named the city streets for earth gemstones north-south, and after beach resorts east-west.

It was named for Menton, France. A map for the Mentone townsite was filed on February 24, 1888. The Mentone Post Office was opened in May, 15, 1891. The Mentone Hotel opened in 1892 and advertised as an inland beach resort with postcards showcasing a full river with sailing boats. The Santa Fe route was part of a tourist route named "the Kite-Route" from Los Angeles with stops in nearby Riverside, Redlands and San Bernardino. The Mentone Hotel did not prosper and immediately converted into a sanitarium for people with tuberculosis and asthma by 1900. The hotel closed its doors in 1917.

Navel orange groves and olive trees became popular in the area. Nearby colonies of Lugonia, Crafton, and Redlands incorporated into the city of Redlands in 1888. The area and most acreages became fruit tree crops. Mentone did not incorporate with Redlands and remains county jurisdiction. Residents colloquially call the town "Mentone Beach". Mentone remains a unincorporated town adjoining Redlands with a population near 10,000.

Mentone has a large Portuguese American population from Santa Maria de Azores. They celebrate the yearly, "La Festo do Espírito Santo" since 1919.

Demographics

Mentone first appeared as a census designated place in the 1990 U.S. census.

The age distribution was 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% aged 18 to 24, 28.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.2% aged 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males.

There were 3,344 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.4% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 19.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84, and there were 2,343 families (70.1% of all households).

Income and poverty

The median household income in 2023 was $70,466, and the per capita income was $37,463. About 4.6% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

At the 2010 census Mentone had a population of 8,720. The population density was . The racial makeup of Mentone was 6,114 (70.1%) White (52.4% non-Hispanic White), 438 (5.0%) African American, 122 (1.4%) Native American, 352 (4.0%) Asian, 32 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 1,234 (14.2%) from other races, and 428 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3,085 persons (35.4%).

The census reported that 8,601 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 64 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 55 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,026 households, 1,239 (40.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,442 (47.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 513 (17.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 204 (6.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 222 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 24 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 674 households (22.3%) were one person and 180 (5.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.84. There were 2,159 families (71.3% of households); the average family size was 3.31.

The age distribution was 2,333 people (26.8%) under the age of 18, 979 people (11.2%) aged 18 to 24, 2,344 people (26.9%) aged 25 to 44, 2,263 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 801 people (9.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

There were 3,273 housing units at an average density of 525.0 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,844 (60.9%) were owner-occupied and 1,182 (39.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%. 5,371 people (61.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,230 people (37.0%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Mentone had a median household income of $58,178, with 10.8% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

In the United States House of Representatives, Mentone is split between two congressional districts: , and .

Education

It is in the Redlands Unified School District. Redlands East Valley High School is located in Mentone.

References

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  • Mentone Chamber of Commerce - portal style website; government, business, library, recreation and more
  • City-Data.com - comprehensive statistical data and more about Tipton