Why Upland
Situated at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, Upland is a city located in San Bernardino County within Southern California's Inland Empire. Bordering Los Angeles County to the west, the municipality rests on the northern edge of the San Bernardino Valley. Elevation across the city gradually rises from 1,175 feet at its southern limit to 2,000 feet along its northern boundary, offering vistas toward Mount San Antonio, the highest peak in the neighboring range.
The region experiences a semi-arid climate, receiving an average of 24.5 inches of rainfall annually, mostly concentrated during the winter season. Upland shares boundaries with neighboring communities such as Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Montclair, Claremont, and San Antonio Heights.
Historically, the land was traversed by Native Americans and Spanish explorers along an east-west route that eventually formed part of the Old Spanish Trail. Spanish missionaries used the surrounding area, then known as part of the Cucamonga Rancho, as grazing land for cattle. In 1882, Canadian developer George Chaffey purchased thousands of acres in the area to expand his irrigated agricultural colony. He designed the municipality's primary artery, Euclid Avenue, as a 200-foot-wide double drive featuring a prominent central parkway.
Originally known as North Ontario or Magnolia, the settlement developed around fruit orchards and citrus groves. The arrival of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway in 1887 led to the construction of a train depot and numerous citrus packing houses along the tracks. The community officially incorporated as the city of Upland in May 1906, deriving its name from a local citrus association.
Throughout the early twentieth century, Upland grew as a major hub for citrus production and was connected to surrounding regions via historic transit routes. Foothill Boulevard served as part of the National Old Trails Road before becoming incorporated into Route 66 in 1926. Historically, a unique mule-drawn streetcar—which carried its mule back downhill in an attached trailer—and later an electric trolley line ran along the median of Euclid Avenue. Following World War II and the 1954 completion of the local freeway system, the agricultural acreage gradually transformed into a residential and commercial community.
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