Loma Linda (Spanish for "beautiful hill")^[7] is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970.^[7] The population was 23,261 at the 2010 census, up from 18,681 at the 2000 census.^[8] The central area of the city was originally known as Mound City; its eastern half was originally the unincorporated community of Bryn Mawr.^[7]

In the late 1800s, Loma Linda began as a development of tourist halls called Mound City, as encouraged by railroad companies. In the early 1800s, shops and cottages were built, but the project would later fail. During the late 1890s, a group of businessmen and physicians from Los Angeles bought the hotel and reopened it as a convalescent home and health resort. They called it Loma Linda, meaning “Beautiful Hill” in Spanish.^[9] The city was incorporated in 1970.

In 1969, San Timoteo Creek overflowed its banks, inundating two-thirds of Loma Linda. Many of the bridges over the creek washed away, and Loma Linda Academy was completely flooded.^[10][11][12] In 2010, the creek again flooded parts of Loma Linda.^[12]

Loma Linda is twinned with Manipal, India, and Libertador San Martin, Argentina, as its sister cities.^[13]

Loma Linda is located in southwestern San Bernardino County and is considered part of the Inland Empire. It is bordered on the north by San Bernardino, on the east by Redlands, on the west by Colton, and on the south by Riverside County. An area of unincorporated territory in Riverside County separates Loma Linda from the city of Moreno Valley to the south. The remnants of Bryn Mawr, an unincorporated community formerly located between Loma Linda and Redlands, was annexed by the City in 2008.

The city is in the southern San Bernardino Valley. The southern third of the city is known as the South Hills; this rugged and hilly area at the northwestern end of The Badlands is a city-owned open space reserve protected by a local initiative.^[14] San Timoteo Creek flows from southeast to northwest through the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19 km2), 99.99% of it land.

Ground water near Loma Linda is contaminated by a plume of the chemical perchlorate which was used in the manufacture of solid rocket fuel. Also, this chemical was formerly (decades ago and in very small amounts) prescribed by physicians to control the overactive thyroid glands of certain patients. Attempts to quantify the effects of low-level exposure to perchlorate have met with resistance from environmental (and other) activists. A nearby plant operated by Lockheed Aerospace has been implicated in the improper disposal of the rocket fuel ingredient, which leached into the ground water northeast of Loma Linda. Loma Linda's municipal water supply, nevertheless, has been unaffected by the plume, primarily because Lockheed Martin installed a $19 million treatment plant in 2010 to remove both perchlorate and trichloroethylene from water after pumping it from the aquifer.^[15]

The 2010 United States Census^[17] reported that Loma Linda had a population of 23,261. The population density was 3,094.3 people per square mile (1,194.7/km²). The racial makeup of Loma Linda was 47.8% White (11,122 persons; 37.0% Non-Hispanic White);^[18] 8.7% African American (2,032 people); 0.4% Native American (97 people); 28.3% Asian (6,589 people); 0.7% Pacific Islander (154 people); 8.7% from other races (2,022 people); and 5.4% from two or more races (1,245 people). Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,171 people (22.2%).

The Census reported that 22,457 people (96.5% of the population) lived in households, 562 (2.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 242 (1.0%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,764 households, out of which 2,650 (30.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,832 (43.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,190 (13.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 461 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 351 (4.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 46 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships, while 2,453 households (28.0%) were made up of individuals and 837 (9.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56. There were 5,483 families (62.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.18.

The population was spread out with 4,859 people (20.9%) under the age of 18, 2,642 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 7,463 people (32.1%) aged 25 to 44, 5,056 people (21.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,241 people (13.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

There were 9,649 housing units at an average density of 1,283.6 per square mile (495.6/km2), of which 3,432 (39.2%) were owner-occupied, and 5,332 (60.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. 9,496 people (40.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 12,961 people (55.7%) lived in rental housing units.

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 18,681 people, 7,536 households, and 4,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,541.7 people per square mile (981.3/km2). There were 8,084 housing units at an average density of 1,099.9 per square mile (424.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 54.2% White, 7.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 24.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 7.5% from other races, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.3% of the population.

There were 7,536 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. Of all households 31.2% were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.1.

In the city, the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,204, and the median income for a family was $45,774. Males had a median income of $36,086 versus $35,096 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,189. About 12.9% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over. Whether or not these poverty statistics include unemployed full-time students is not known.

Loma Linda uses the council-manager form of government, and the City Council is composed of Mayor Rhodes Rigsby, Mayor pro tempore Phill Dupper, Ovidiu Popescu, Ron Dailey, and John Lenart.^[2]

Police Services are done by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office ^[19]

In the California State Legislature, Loma Linda is in the 23rd Senate District, represented by Republican Mike Morrell, and in the 40th Assembly District, represented by Democrat James Ramos.^[20]

In the United States House of Representatives, Loma Linda is in California's 31st congressional district, represented by Democrat Pete Aguilar.^[21]

The city of Loma Linda forms part of the Redlands Unified School District, with Bryn Mawr Elementary School being situated within Loma Linda city limits. However, the western edge of the city is served by the Colton Unified School District. Also located in the city are Loma Linda Academy, a K-12 school, and Loma Linda University (LLU), a health-sciences higher-learning institution, both run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.^[22] Notable firsts at Loma Linda University's medical center include the first baboon-to-human heart transplant and the first split-brain surgery.

Residents in Loma Linda have one of the highest rates of longevity in the United States.^[23][24] Writer Dan Buettner has labeled Loma Linda a Blue Zone, an area where the longevity is appreciably higher than the national average and a substantial proportion of the population lives past 100 years. Buettner's 2008 book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, attributes Loma Linda's longevity rate to Adventist cultural health and diet practices.^[25] The city strictly controls the sale of alcohol and has banned public smoking. The church-owned grocery store does not sell meat.^[23][26][27]

Loma Linda University Medical Center is featured in Venom ER, an Animal Planet program focusing on snakebite treatment at the hospital.^[29]