Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908 and was named for Richard C. Baker, business partner of Francis Marion Smith in building the railroad. Baker later became president of the T&T himself. Baker was established in 1929 by Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks, who was an American prospector, entrepreneur, and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California, including Fairbanks Springs and Shoshone. It is the site of a vacant, 223-bed for-profit prison formerly operated by Cornell Corrections which experienced a major riot on December 2, 2003, four weeks before it was temporarily closed. It was permanently closed on December 25, 2009. GEO Group purchased Cornell Companies, its owner, on August 12, 2010. It had previously experienced escapes in August and November 1995 and two on July 15, 1997.
Geography and climate
Baker is located at . Baker is located in the Mojave Desert at the junction of Interstate 15 and SR 127. Its elevation is approximately above sea level, which is much lower than either Barstow or Las Vegas, due to its location at the southern end of the Death Valley geological depression. The Cronese Mountains are located southwest of the community. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.7 square miles, all of it land. Summer temperatures in Baker routinely exceed ; 2007 saw a record of.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Baker had a population of 735. The population density was 273.5 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Baker was 302 White, 1 African American, 5 Native American, 10 Asian, 14 Pacific Islander, 380 from other races, and 23 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 502 persons. The Census reported that 731 people lived in households, 4 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized. There were 215 households, out of which 122 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 106 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 39 had a female householder with no husband present, 23 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 28 households were made up of individuals and 4 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 168 families ; the average family size was 3.74. The population was spread out with 277 people under the age of 18, 80 people aged 18 to 24, 236 people aged 25 to 44, 121 people aged 45 to 64, and 21 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males. There were 303 housing units at an average density of 112.7 per square mile, of which 116 were owner-occupied, and 99 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 20.8%. 414 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 317 people lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Baker had a median household income of $33,068, with 9.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
Economy
Baker's economy is based primarily on tourism. The town is frequently used as a stop for food and fuel by drivers on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker is approximately southwest of Las Vegas. It is the last town for those traveling on SR 127 north to Death Valley National Park or south to the Mojave National Preserve. Currently there is only one motel in Baker, the Santa Fe Motel, formerly the Wills Fargo Motel. Baker Airport is a small facility owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
The town's most prominent feature is a thermometer, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". Visible for miles, it was not operational from 2012 to mid-2014 when it was relighted following restoration. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth,, in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913. The thermometer was featured on the television show Strange Inheritance season 1 episode 13 on the Fox Business Network.
Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by the California State University.
A yearly race is held called "The Challenge Cup Relay: Baker to Vegas" or commonly referred as "Baker to Vegas" where law enforcement do a relay race from Baker, CA to Las Vegas, NV. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually.
