Fontana, city (2020 pop. 208,393),
San Bernardino co., S Calif., at the foot of the San Bernardino Mts.; inc.
1952. Fabricated metal products, construction materials, and transportation
equipment are manufactured, and there is a small steel mill. Mormons farmed
on the site in the 1850s; in the early 1900s extensive orchards were
planted. During World War II the huge 22-story Kaiser steel mill was built,
and Fontana began its transformation from an agricultural to an industrial
community. The city has grown extensively along with the development of
southern California, and the population increased fourfold from the 1970s to
1990s. Fontana suffered a significant economic blow in 1983 when Kaiser
closed its plant; in the early
1990s, parts of the factory complex were dismantled and shipped to
China. The California Speedway is on located on the
former mill site.
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