Lake Arrowhead, California
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, and surrounding the eponymous Lake Arrowhead Reservoir. Lake Arrowhead is located north east of the San Bernardino city limits. The population of the CDP was estimated at 12,401 in the 2020 census. It was called "Little Bear Lake" until around 1920, when a group from Los Angeles, the Arrowhead Lake Company, bought the lake and the land surrounding it, and changed its name to Arrowhead Lake.
Tourism is the primary economic generator for the area, contributing several million dollars per year to the county and providing hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs for local residents. The area is host to over four million visitors a year. Lake Arrowhead offers over 1,600 guest accommodations, including more than 1,200 licensed vacation rentals on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, around 175 rooms at the Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa, and over 100 rooms at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge.
Economy
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. The primary tourism industries include real estate, lodging, dining, recreation, and retail sales.While Lake Arrowhead has no official town center, the Lake Arrowhead Village serves as the main commercial area for both locals and tourists and includes a number of factory outlets, boutiques, restaurants, two banks, a post office and a supermarket. One author visiting in 1978 described it as a "clean, Swiss-like community with many chalets." Lake Arrowhead Village also hosts events all year long including a free Summer Concert Series, the county's largest free Oktoberfest and many other themed events such as car shows, dog shows, the Tour de Lake Arrowhead, Home Expo, and the popular Antique Wooden Boat Show.
The University of California, Los Angeles operates the nearby UCLA Conference Center, a full-service conference facility with lodging and meeting space. Other major employers include Mountains Community Hospital and Rim of the World Unified School District.
Logging in the San Bernardino Mountains was once done on a large scale, with the Brookings Lumber Company operation one of the largest. It operated on between Fredalba and Hunsaker Flats, between 1899 and 1912. It built a logging railroad to bring logs to the mill at Fredalba. The Shay locomotives had to be disassembled and hauled by wagon up the mountain, since the railroad operated in the high country but did not connect to other railroads in lowlands. Finished lumber was hauled by wagon down the steep grades to the Molino Box Factory in Highland, California.
History
The area now known as Lake Arrowhead was originally called Little Bear Valley. In the late 1800s, developers began damming Little Bear Creek to create a reservoir for irrigation and hydroelectric use. By 1904, the Arrowhead Reservoir Company had taken over the project, but in 1913, a landmark court decision prohibited the diversion of water across watershed boundaries, halting further irrigation plans.In 1920, a Los Angeles-based group purchased the lake and surrounding land, forming the Arrowhead Lake Company. Between 1921 and 1923, they built a Norman-style resort village that included a pavilion, outdoor theater, dance hall, golf course, beach, and hotel. The development officially opened in June 1922 and began attracting tourists and second-home buyers from Southern California.
Lake Arrowhead continued evolving as a resort destination through the mid-20th century, frequented by Hollywood celebrities and wealthy families. In 1960, businessman Jules Berman and partners acquired the lake property, launching new development through the Lake Arrowhead Development Company. By the late 1960s, the area was acquired by Boise Cascade, which subdivided large portions for residential sales before exiting in the early 1970s.
Today, much of Lake Arrowhead’s infrastructure—roads, water, and sewer systems—is managed by the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District, which was formed in 1978 after the dissolution of prior private utilities.
Legal challenges
Lake Arrowhead has faced multiple legal disputes related to land use, water rights, and environmental impacts.Water Rights dispute with LACSD
In 2003, local property owners petitioned the California State Water Resources Control Board, arguing that the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District was withdrawing water from the lake without proper rights. In 2005, the Board ruled against LACSD, imposing fines and requiring the district to secure alternative water rights. A legal settlement was reached in 2006, allowing continued water use under regulated conditions.Additional challenges emerged in 2005 when conservation groups sued over county approval of large housing developments, alleging violations of California environmental law. The project was ultimately halted in court.
Short-term rental (STR) access lawsuit
In 2020, the Arrowhead Lake Association amended its bylaws to restrict lake and reserve-strip access for short-term renters—those staying less than 30 days. In response, a group of property owners organized as Vertical Web Ventures, sued ALA in San Bernardino County Superior Court in July 2022, alleging the change violated a 1964 agreement that guarantees access to owners and their lessees.By January 2022, Judge Gilbert Ochoa issued a preliminary injunction reinstating lake access for qualifying short-term renters and non-member property owners, finding they were likely to prevail in proving that ALA had overextended its authority under the 1964 agreement.
When the Superior Court injunction took effect, ALA issued new access rules allowing short-term renters to use the lake and tracks, provided they were listed on an ALA member’s permit and held an RFID card.
Following the injunction, the lawsuit was resolved through a settlement. Under the agreement, ALA:
- Revised its bylaws to allow short-term renters and non-member owners access to the lake when listed on a valid ALA permit;
- Agreed not to enforce Section C of its bylaws, which had previously banned those renters;
- Confirmed that compliance with the 1964 Agreement governs future access rules.
Arrowhead Water/Blue Triton lawsuit
Lake Arrowhead has also been cited in regulatory disputes surrounding bottled water. In 2023, state agencies intervened in spring water withdrawals used by Arrowhead-branded bottled water, citing environmental concerns. A 2025 court ruling later allowed some of those operations to resume.PFAS contamination lawsuit
In 2025, class-action lawsuits were filed regarding PFAS contamination in the area’s drinking water. While local agencies maintained water safety, residents alleged exposure to harmful chemicals and sought damages.Geography
Lake Arrowhead is located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, about 20 minutes north of the San Bernardino city limits. Its economic center is at the intersection of State Routes 173 and 189. The CDP has a total area of 19.0 square miles, of which 17.7 square miles is land and 1.2 square miles is water.Lake Arrowhead is a private lake governed by the Arrowhead Lake Association and is for restricted use by Lake Arrowhead property owners.
Outside of Lake Arrowhead Village there are several residential communities, which include Cedar Glen, Blue Jay, Rimforest, Skyforest, Twin Peaks, Crest Park, Hook Creek Tract, Deer Lodge Park, Arrowhead Villas, Grass Valley, and Agua Fria. There are three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the area. north of Lake Arrowhead is the Pacific Crest Trail.
Santa's Village at Lake Arrowhead was a popular theme park from 1955 to 1998, and reopened in 2016. It was the first franchised one in the United States, with two others in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Illinois.
Demographics
Lake Arrowhead was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. census; and then as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Lake Arrowhead had a population of 12,401. The population density was. The racial makeup of Lake Arrowhead was 74.4% White, 1.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 10.1% from other races, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.4% of the population.The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households and 20 people were institutionalized.
There were 5,113 households, out of which 22.9% included children under the age of 18, 53.0% were married-couple households, 4.9% were cohabiting couple households, 22.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 26.9% of households were one person, and 13.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 3,447 families.
The age distribution was 19.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% aged 18 to 24, 20.2% aged 25 to 44, 29.2% aged 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 49.3years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males.
There were 11,737 housing units at an average density of, of which 5,113 were occupied. Of these, 77.3% were owner-occupied, and 22.7% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 12.7% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 75.0% spoke only English at home, 17.6% spoke Spanish, 3.5% spoke other Indo-European languages, 2.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.4% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 95.6% were high school graduates and 36.3% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income in 2023 was $88,147, and the per capita income was $52,386. About 5.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line.