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Hinkley is an unincorporated community in the western Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, about 14 miles northwest of Barstow and roughly 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The settlement traces its name to 1882, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was establishing its corridor across the Mojave; the place was first spelled "Hinckley" for a railroad figure. For generations Hinkley was a small, self-contained desert outpost with a school, a store, and a scattering of homes, sustained by the railroad and by agriculture at the desert's edge. The community became nationally known for the Hinkley groundwater contamination. From 1952 to 1966, Pacific Gas and Electric Company disposed of wastewater containing hexavalent chromium from a natural gas compressor station into unlined ponds near the community, and the contaminant entered the local groundwater. In the 1990s, residents — with the help of legal clerk Erin Brockovich — pursued claims against PG&E, leading to a $333 million settlement in 1996, at the time the largest such settlement in U.S. history. The episode became the subject of the film "Erin Brockovich." In the years that followed, many properties were acquired and residents moved away, leaving Hinkley a quieter, more sparsely populated community than it was a generation ago. Today Hinkley is a small desert settlement of fewer than 1,000 residents, with homes set on large, widely spaced parcels. The BNSF Railway's transcontinental line still runs through the area, and the open Mojave stretches in every direction. It is a place defined by distance, desert light, and railroad heritage rather than by the suburban rhythms of cities nearer the coast.

Population 900

County San Bernardino

Active Listings 124

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hinkley located?

Hinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, about 14 miles northwest of Barstow and roughly 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles. It sits in the high desert west of the Interstate 15 corridor.

What county is Hinkley in?

Hinkley is in San Bernardino County, the largest county by area in the contiguous United States, in the high desert region of Southern California roughly midway between Barstow and the Antelope Valley.

Why is Hinkley well known?

Hinkley became nationally known for groundwater contaminated with hexavalent chromium from a Pacific Gas and Electric compressor station. The contamination, which occurred between 1952 and 1966, led to a $333 million settlement in 1996 and inspired the film Erin Brockovich.

What school district serves Hinkley?

Hinkley is served by the Barstow Unified School District, which operates elementary, middle, and high schools in the greater Barstow area. The community's longtime school closed, so students attend district schools in Barstow, a short drive to the east.

What is the population of Hinkley?

Hinkley has fewer than 1,000 residents, making it a small and sparsely populated desert settlement in western San Bernardino County. It is far smaller than its nearest neighbor, Barstow, which lies about 14 miles to the southeast.

City Guide

About Hinkley

Real Estate & Housing

Real estate in Hinkley consists primarily of single-family homes and mobile homes on large desert parcels, with lot sizes far larger than typical of coastal California communities. The housing stock is modest and widely dispersed, and ownership skews toward owner-occupants on acreage rather than dense subdivisions. Because Hinkley is an unincorporated area with minimal services, properties tend to emphasize space, self-sufficiency, and separation from neighbors. Wells and septic systems are common in this rural desert setting. Buyers drawn to Hinkley are typically seeking inexpensive desert acreage, quiet, and proximity to the Mojave's open landscape rather than proximity to employment centers.

Neighborhoods

Lifestyle in Hinkley

Life in Hinkley is quiet, sparse, and self-reliant. There is no commercial downtown; the community has a small store and limited services, and residents travel to Barstow for groceries, medical care, and other needs. The pace is slow, and the defining features are wide-open desert, long sightlines, and star-filled night skies. Hinkley suits people who value solitude and space over amenities and who are comfortable with a degree of distance from urban conveniences. The railroad remains a presence in daily life, a reminder of the corridor that gave the settlement its start.

Schools & Education

Hinkley lies within the Barstow Unified School District, which serves the greater Barstow area of San Bernardino County. For many years the community had its own Hinkley Elementary/Middle School; after that campus closed, students have attended district schools in Barstow. Families in Hinkley should expect school commutes into Barstow for daily classes and activities. The district operates elementary, middle, and high schools, along with alternative education programs, serving a broad, geographically large attendance area across the high desert.

Getting Around

Hinkley sits north of State Route 58, a primary east-west corridor across the Mojave, and west of Barstow, where Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 meet. Barstow functions as the regional transportation hub, with freeway access, rail service, and trucking logistics. The BNSF Railway's former Santa Fe main line passes through the region, and the historic Route 66 corridor runs through Barstow just to the east. Commuting by car is essential, as Hinkley has no local transit and is miles from the nearest population center.

Parks & Recreation

The open Mojave Desert surrounding Hinkley offers ample space for off-highway exploration, hiking, and stargazing under some of the darkest skies in the region. Nearby Barstow anchors recreation in the area, with its Route 66 heritage, railroad and history museums, and access to desert landmarks such as Rainbow Basin and Calico Ghost Town Regional Park. Camping, four-wheeling, and rockhounding are popular pastimes across the high desert. The vast, undeveloped landscape itself is the primary amenity, offering quiet and solitude rather than organized recreation.

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