Editing Pine Mountain Club, California

{{Short description|Census-designated place in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Pine Mountain Club
|settlement_type          = [[Unincorporated community]]<br/>[[Census-designated place]]
|image_skyline            =
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            =
|image_seal               =
|image_map                = Kern County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Pine Mountain Club Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Kern County, California|Southwest Kern County]] and the state of [[California]]
|image_map1               =
|mapsize1                 =
|map_caption1             =
|pushpin_map              = California#USA
|pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States 
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Kern County, California|Kern]]
|government_type          =
|leader_title             = N/A
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            = [[California State Senate|Senate]]
|leader_name1             = [[Shannon Grove]] ([[California Republican Party|R]])
|leader_title2            = [[California State Assembly|Assembly]]
|leader_name2             = [[Vince Fong]] ([[California Republican Party|R]])
|leader_title3            = [[California's 22nd congressional district|U. S. Congress]]
|leader_name3             = [[Kevin McCarthy]] (R)
|established_date         =
<!-- Area------------------>
|area_magnitude           =
| unit_pref               =US
| area_footnotes          = <ref>[https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt U.S. Census] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |date=2012-01-25 }}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi        = 16.860
| area_land_sq_mi         = 16.853
| area_water_sq_mi        = 0.007
| area_total_km2          = 43.667
| area_land_km2           = 43.649
| area_water_km2          = 0.017
| area_water_percent      = 0.044
| area_note               =

|elevation_ft             = 5554
|elevation_m              = 1693
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="US Census Bureau 2020 Pine Mountain Club, CA Population">{{cite web |title=Pine Mountain Club CDP, California - Census Bureau Search|website=US Census Bureau |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Pine%20Mountain%20Club%20CDP,%20California|access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref>
|population_total         = 2422
|population_metro         =
|population_density_km2   = 53.0
|population_density_sq_mi = 137.3
|timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|utc_offset               = -8
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|50|49|N|119|09|24|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
|timezone_DST             = PDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -7
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 93222
|area_code                = [[Area code 661|661]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 06-57240
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 254419
|footnotes                =
|website                  =
| module  ={{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=11 |frame-height=300 | stroke-width=1 |shape-fill-opacity=0.2 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}

'''Pine Mountain Club''' is an [[unincorporated community]] in southwestern [[Kern County, California]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] it had a population of 2,422.<ref name="US Census Bureau 2020 Pine Mountain Club, CA Population" /> For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Pine Mountain Club as a [[census-designated place]] (CDP). It is one of the [[Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass]].

==Geography==
Pine Mountain Club has an area of {{Convert|16.7|sqmi||2}}. It ranges from {{Convert|4901|to|6400|feet}} in elevation. The community sits in a deep valley of the [[San Emigdio Mountains]], on the [[San Andreas Fault]]. It is surrounded by [[Los Padres National Forest]]. The settlement lies between Apache Saddle and [[Pinon Pines Estates, California|Pinon Pines Estates]] along Mil Potrero Highway. It is west of [[Frazier Park, California|Frazier Park]], [[Lebec, California|Lebec]], and [[Interstate 5]].

==History==

===Founding and development===

Pine Mountain Club was developed in 1971 by [[Tenneco]].<ref>"PMC Turns 50 With Enthusiasm," ''The Mountain Enterprise,'' August 6, 2021, page 5</ref> The first announcement was made from Houston, Texas, in April of that year when the company said it would develop "more than 1.1 million acres of land in Arizona and Southern California."<ref name=TennecoTells>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/61394101/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 Associated Press, "Tenneco Tells Plans for Major Land Developments," ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', April 14, 1971, image 14]</ref><ref name=HomesWill>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/528196570/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 Associated Press, "Homes Will Surround New Bakersfield Campus," ''Oakland Tribune,'' April 18, 1971, image 67]</ref> Tenneco was the Bakersfield-based western land-development arm of Tenneco, Inc., of Houston.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384811681/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 "Of Real Estate and People," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 18, 1971, image 182]</ref>

About half that acreage was to be in [[Kern County]], where the projects would include the residential development of 6,500 acres surrounding the then-new [[California State University, Bakersfield|California State College near Bakersfield]] and 3,200 acres in the [[Los Padres National Forest]], also mostly for residences (Pine Mountain Club).<ref name=TennecoTells/><ref name=HomesWill/>

The forest project was to set aside a thousand acres for vacation home sites and 2,200 acres "for permanent preservation in their natural state." The program was to be directed by John E. Sommerhalder, president of Tenneco West.<ref name=TennecoTells/><ref name=HomesWill/><ref name=Turpin2>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384850373/ Dick Turpin, "Pine Mountain Resort," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 13, 1971, image 148]</ref> The land was part of a 3,200-acre tract of pine forest and meadowland, formerly a private [[Nature reserve|preserve]].<ref name=VacationResort>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/606673455/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 "Vacation Resort Area Being Built," ''Daily News-Post,'' Monrovia, California, June 17, 1971, image 11]</ref>

Tenneco West was a Bakersfield subsidiary that administered all the [[Western United States|western]] holdings of [[Tenneco]], "the parent, Houston-based, multi-industry company."<ref name=Turpin1>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384848603/Dick Turpin, "Pine Mountain Club: Family Hideaway," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 13, 1971, image 125]</ref>

<blockquote>Adjacent to the clubhouse will be a nine-hole executive golf course[,] and other recreational facilities are a heated swimming pool, archery range, volleyball and basketball courts, a lake stocked with fish and a community barbecue area.<ref name=Turpin1/></blockquote>

Tenneco West President Sommerhalder said the club was believed to be among the largest all-electric family recreational resorts in California. Three kinds of "vacation or weekend homesites" were to be offered: (1) One- to three-bedroom dwellings, (2) modular homes, and (3) space for mobile homes.<ref name=Turpin1/>

<blockquote>Hiking trails, bridle trails (16 miles marked for from one-hour to all-day rides), an equestrian center with 10-stall barn, tack room, riding ring and corrals for boarding horses also will be available. . . . Later this year, a general store and laundromat will be added.<ref name=Turpin1/></blockquote>

The prices were estimated to begin from about $13,500 for a one-bedroom house and lot.<ref name=Turpin2/>

At the time of the announcement in 1971, "four deep wells" had already been sunk and an "extensive network of reservoirs and pipelines" laid, with a filtration plant near the commercial center.<ref name=Turpin2/>
 
Sommerhalder said the developer had the "assistance of [[Simon Eisner]], nationally known environmental planner."<ref name=Turpin1/>

Eight months after the opening, seventy-nine percent of the 1,309 purchasers indicated in a survey that construction of a vacation home was the prime reason for buying a lot and 43% of that group said they intended to start building during 1972.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/386321726/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 "Pine Mountain Club Reports on Building," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 6, 1972, image 147]</ref>

The development's sixth and final section, on a [[plateau]] some thousand feet higher than the clubhouse, went on sale in March 1973.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/382625110/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 "Added Lots Available at Pine Mountain Club," ''Los Angeles Times,'' March 27, 1973, image 136]</ref>

===Mil Potrero Highway===

Tenneco West improved a "winding, steep, one-lane dirt road" called ''Mil Potrero'' west from Pine Mountain Club to [[California State Highway 33]] into a "comfortable, convenient and safe way . . . to view what is generally regarded as [[Southern California]]'s most strikingly beautiful scene." The cost for the 6.5-mile segment was estimated at nearly a million dollars. John E. Sommerhalder, the company president, said the road opened up "a large segment of the [[Los Padres National Forest|[Los Padres National] forest]] that, until now, has been almost inaccessible."<ref name=ItsNow>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/560574700/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 "It's Now Mil Potrero Road," ''The Hanford Sentinel,'' February 26, 1972, image 90]</ref>

<blockquote>The job was unusually difficult, partly because of the mountainous terrain and partly because of protective and restorative measures taken to reduce to a minimum the disturbance to the natural surroundings. . . . The project had to conform to the specifications and requirements of both [[Kern County, California|Kern County]] and the [[U.S. Forest Service]]. In effect, it is already a public road, although Tenneco must maintain it for a year before the formal dedication as a public road can take place.<ref name=ItsNow/></blockquote>

To keep damages to the forest at a minimum, contractors Yeager Construction of Riverside and Desert Construction of Victorville were required to do all the work from the existing [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-way]] and forbidden to build a temporary construction road alongside. Fire-protection equipment had to be on hand at all times.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/560574713 "Road Improved," ''The Hanford Sentinel,'' February 26, 1972, image 92]</ref>

===Fruition===

By 1988, Pine Mountain Club had a small [[commercial district]] with about forty businesses, ranging from an [[Exxon]] gas station to a place called "Pheasants by Frank." According to the ''Newhall Signal,'' the district was "more or less shut down on Mondays and Tuesdays . . . because there are so many people with [[Holiday cottage|weekend homes]] that the stores choose to stay open Saturday and Sunday."<ref name=CarlsLeads>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/333314956/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1 J.J. Jackson, "Carl's Leads the Way to 'The Hill,'" ''The  Signal,'' Santa Clarita, September 18, 1988, image 22]</ref>

On July 31, 2021, the community celebrated its fiftieth birthday with a barbecue picnic on blankets spread beneath the trees next to the golf course. Also noted was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mil Potrero Mutual Water Company.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://mountainenterprise.com/story/pmc-turns-50-with-enthusiasm-2/|author=Patric Hedlund|title=PMC Turns 50 With Enthusiasm|work=The Mountain Enterprise|date=August 6, 2021}}</ref>

==Demographics==

===2010 census===
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0657240|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715032429/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0657240|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Pine Mountain Club CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Pine Mountain Club had a population of 2,315. The population density was {{convert|137.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup was 2,079 (89.8%) [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 29 (1.3%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 25 (1.1%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 45 (1.9%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0 (0.0%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 58 (2.5%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 79 (3.4%) from two or more races.  [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 231 persons (10.0%).

[[File:Pine-Mountain-Club-Rocks.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Pine Mountain Club and the Los Padres National Forest]]

There were 1,062 households, of which 226 (21.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 585 (55.1%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 62 (5.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 36 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present.  There were 49 (4.6%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 13 (1.2%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. Three hundred eighteen households (29.9%) were made up of individuals, and 111 (10.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18.  There were 683 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (64.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.68 persons.

Four hundred eleven people (17.8%) were under the age of 18, 105 were (4.5%) aged 18 to 24, 355 (15.3%) aged 25 to 44, 929 (40.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 515 (22.2%) 65 years or older.  The median age was 51.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males.  For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 103.2 men.

There were 2,181 housing units at an average density of {{convert|129.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, of which 880 (82.9%) were owner-occupied, and 182 (17.1%) were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 17.8%.  Exactly 1,884 people (81.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 431 (18.6%) in rentals.

===2000 census===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
The 2000 census found that almost 91 percent of the sixteen hundred residents were  [[Race (United States Census)|white]]. There were nine [[Race (United States Census)|blacks]]. There were 146  [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanics]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latinos]] of any race. Other residents included 19 [[Race (United States Census)|American Indians]] or [[Alaska Natives|Alaska natives]] and 12 [[Race (United States Census)|Asians]].

[[Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Scenic.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Residences of the area]]

It was a relatively aged population, the median age being 45 years compared with 35 years for the nation as a whole. PMC also had more veterans than its share — 263, or 21 percent, compared to 13 percent around the country. In contrast with the country at large, where 64 percent of the people were working, Pine Mountain Club had just 56 percent employed. Those who were working had to travel about an hour to their jobs, compared to 25 minutes for most Americans.

It was a high-income area — $62,750 median family income, compared to $50,046 in the nation at large. In per capita income, it stood at $25,465 — just between [[Diamond Bar, California|Diamond Bar]] and [[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]] among [[Richest Places in California|other towns in California.]]

Yet there were still 55 families (or 15 percent) below the [[poverty level]] in Pine Mountain Club in 2000. That is greater than the 12 percent for the country as a whole.

Almost two-thirds of its 1,737 housing units (61.5 percent) were vacant when the [[census]] was taken in March 2000. Owners lived in about eight of every 10 occupied units (84 percent), renters in the other two (16 percent).

==Community management==
[[Image:Mt Pinos.jpg|thumb|300px|PMC golf course, with Mt. Pinos in the background]]
The PMC community is managed by the Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association, Inc.,<ref>{{Cite web|title=PMCPOA Inc. |url=http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/about.html |access-date=2007-10-24 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071014130749/http://pinemountainclub.net/association/about.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-10-14}}</ref> which  is governed by a nine-member volunteer board of directors [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/0607bod.html] and a group of documents: the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R's [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/gov%20docs/ccr.pdf]), bylaws, the association rules, and an [[HVAC|Environmental Control]] (EC) code [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/eccode.html]. The association maintains several recreational facilities [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/recreation/], including a nine-hole [[Golf|golf course]], pool, clubhouse, and stables.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cox |first=John |date=2023-03-11 |title=County steps in after snowstorm overwhelms Pine Mountain Club |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/news/county-steps-in-after-snowstorm-overwhelms-pine-mountain-club/article_73d967fa-c023-11ed-b016-d3b7872adf62.html |access-date=2023-03-12 |work=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en}}</ref> It manages the Pine Mountain Patrol [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/patrol/] and publishes a monthly newspaper, the ''Condor'' [http://www.pinemountainclub.net/association/condor/].

==Education==
Pine Mountain Club is part of the [[El Tejon Unified School District]], and students are transported by bus to local public schools, including [[Frazier Mountain High School]]. The community hosts a [[charter school]], Peak to Peak Mountain Charter, serving grades [[kindergarten]] through seventh.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mountainenterprise.com/full.php?sid=1757&current_edition=2007-10-19|title=Pine Mountain Learning Center Among State's First Certified Charter Schools|work=The Mountain Enterprise|date=October 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215025710/http://www.mountainenterprise.com/full.php?sid=1757&current_edition=2007-10-19|archive-date=December 15, 2007}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[Kern Regional Transit]] provides bus service Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer to [[Frazier Park, California|Frazier Park]], [[Gorman, California|Gorman]], [[Lake of the Woods, California|Lake of the Woods]], [[Lebec, California|Lebec]],  and [[Pinon Pines Estates, California|Pinon Pines]]. It offers a [[Paratransit|dial-a-ride service]] all year. Connections can be made in Frazier Park or Lebec to a scheduled service to [[Grapevine, California|Grapevine]] and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and further connection there to [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]] and [[Amtrak]].<ref>[http://www.co.kern.ca.us/roads/kernregionaltransit.asp Kern Regional Transit bus routes.]</ref>

==Economy ==
The area is served by the Mountain Communities [[Chamber of commerce|Chamber of Commerce]].<ref>[http://www.mymountainchamber.com Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce.]</ref>

==Wildlife ==
Black bears began commonly disturbing the community by breaking into homes and vehicles around 2014. Considered a human-black bear conflict zone by wildlife authorities, the issue is a challenge for the community especially when the bears emerge from their winter hibernation to search for food in the spring.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sahagún |first=Louis |date=2024-03-18 |title=As hungry bears awaken from hibernation, a California mountain village braces for invasion |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-03-18/california-town-braces-for-invasion-of-hungry-black-bears |access-date=2024-03-19 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Media==
*[http://www.MountainEnterprise.com ''The Mountain Enterprise'']
*[http://www.bakersfield.com ''Bakersfield Californian''] The ''Californian'' discontinued circulation in the Mountain Communities effective May 1, 2009. [http://www.mountainenterprise.com/full.php?sid=4672 Source: ''Mountain Enterprise,'' April 3, 2009]

==Picture gallery==
<div align="center"><gallery>
Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.1.jpg
Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.2.jpg
Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.3.jpg
Image:Pine-Mountain-Club-Sign.4.jpg
</gallery></div>
<div align="center">Pine Mountain Club is a private community.<br />''Click the images to see larger versions of the photos, all from 2008.''</div>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://pinemountainclub.net/index.php The Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association]
* "Pine Mountain Club Family Resort Opens," ''Valley News,'' Van Nuys, California, June 20, 1971 [https://www.newspapers.com/image/30352391/?terms=%22Tenneco%20West%22%20%22Pine%20Mountain%22&match=1]

{{Kern County, California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Kern County, California]]
[[Category:San Emigdio Mountains]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in California]]