Fontana

Fontana is an inland city in southern California situated in the San Bernardino Valley east of Los Angeles. The name stems from the Italian word for fountain or spring, referencing the artesian water supplies that irrigated early orchards. Early agricultural developers transformed the chaparral plain into commercial citrus groves, walnut plantings, and poultry farms.

Azariel Blanchard Miller established the agricultural town in 1913 through the Fontana Development Company. The enterprise laid out irrigation canals, citrus groves, and vineyards across the valley in the 1920s. Henry J. Kaiser constructed the Kaiser Steel mill in 1942 to manufacture heavy steel plate for wartime shipbuilding on the Pacific coast. Fontana incorporated as an independent city in the 1950s. The closure of the blast furnaces in the 1980s prompted commercial restructuring toward intermodal freight logistics and distribution centers.

California Steel Industries manufactures hot-rolled coils, galvanized sheet coils, and electric resistance welded steel pipe for water transit and pipeline construction. Vista Metals Corporation produces high-purity aluminum alloy slab, forging billet, and extrusion tooling stock for commercial aviation and defense manufacturing.

Auto Club Speedway hosted national NASCAR stock-car racing events on a paved two-mile superspeedway track. Mary Vagle Nature Center maintains walking paths, living reptile displays, and native drought-tolerant gardens along the Jurupa Hills. Center Stage Theater occupies a restored 1930s Art Deco cinema building that presents live dinner theater productions. Lewis Library and Technology Center houses public book collections, digital media workspaces, and community literacy classrooms.