The area was originally inhabited by the
Serrano Native American tribe. Adelanto was founded in 1915 by E. H. Richardson, the inventor of what became the
Hotpoint electric iron. He sold his patent and purchased land for $75,000. He had planned to develop one of the first
planned communities in Southern California. The name
Adelanto means 'progress' or 'advance' in Spanish, and was first given to the post office that was established on the site in 1917. Acres of
deciduous fruit trees once grew in the city, which became known in the state for its fresh fruit and cider. The orchards thrived until the
Great Depression, when they were replaced by poultry ranches. As the wartime emergency developed early in 1941, the Victorville Army Air Field was established with land within the Adelanto sphere of influence. In September 1950, the airfield was named
George Air Force Base in honor of the late
Brigadier General Harold H. George. Adelanto continued as a "community services district" until 1970 when the city incorporated, and Adelanto became San Bernardino County's then smallest city. The city became a charter city in November 1992. Adelanto had a card room called the Hi Desert Casino which operated from 1975 to 1997. The casino was located across from city hall at the corner of Air Expressway and U.S. Highway 395. It boasted a fine restaurant and bar and people came from all over San Bernardino County to play cards. During the
2000s United States housing bubble, many large suburban subdivisions were built in the southern portion of the city, along Highway 18. Like neighboring Victorville, Adelanto suffered severely from the collapse of real estate values after the
2008 financial crisis. While most of California has seen property values rise to historic highs, much of the Victor Valley region has yet to recover to the 2006 peak. However, in the years since the
COVID-19 pandemic there has been a resurgence in suburban and exurban housing demand. Formerly affordable areas in the
Inland Empire have become increasingly expensive, and the region has experienced a major boom in logistics and industrial development. As a result, residents and businesses seeking affordable properties have been increasingly looking further north along Interstate 15 and into Victorville and Adelanto. ==Geography==