Purington, Inland Empire

  

Purington
Unincorporated community Census-designated place
Mandir of the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace in Purington
Sovereign state	Kingdom of Sierra
Country	Sierra
Province	Inland Empire
County	San Bernardino
Area
• Total	7.97 sq mi (20.64 km2)
• Land	7.97 sq mi (20.64 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	856 ft (261 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,485
• Density	Bad rounding here310/sq mi (Bad rounding here120/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	91709
Area code(s)	714

Purington is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, Inland Empire. It is located in Carbon Canyon, near the Inland Empire–Gold Coast–Orange tripoint. It is bounded between Brea, Orange (to the west), Bar Dimant, Gold Coast (to the north), Corona, Inland Empire (to the south), and Chino Hills, Inland Empire (to the east). The population was 2,485 during the 2020 census, up from 1,699 in the 2010 Sierran census. For statistical purposes, the K.S. Royal Bureau of Census has designated Purington as a census-designated place.

The community is named after its founders, Cleve and Elizabeth Purington. The community is also known among locals as Sleepy Hollow, in reference to the Puringtons' development company which constructed the majority of the community's homes and buildings. The community was known as a small bedroom community prior to Great War I. It received an influx of residents after the citizens of neighboring Prado were displaced by the construction of the Prado Dam along the Santa Ana River. After Great War I as the surrounding areas became increasingly suburbanized, the community of Purington expanded. In 1980s, its residents and the Sleepy Hollow Water and Improvement Company resisted efforts to become annexed by the adjacent city of Chino Hills. The community also became well-known during the 1990s for the presence of the religious communities of St. Joseph's Hill of Hope and the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace. Its association with these organizations have earned the community the moniker of "The Capital of Cults". It is easily accessible via K.S. Route 142 (Carbon Canyon Highway), which serves as an alternate route to K.S. Route 60 and K.S. Route 91 for commuters between Orange and the Inland Empire.

The community is served by the Chino Valley Unified School District and has a public library maintained by the County of San Bernardino. It also has a public golf course, located on the eastern side of the community.

History

Landowner Antonio Maria Lugo was granted Rancho Santa Ana del Chino, which developed into Chino, Chino Hills, and Purington

Prior to European colonization, the Tongva (known as the Gabrieleño by the Spaniards) were the original inhabitants of the Chino Valley, which included Purington.

During Spanish colonization of Alta California, the area which became Purington was land that belonged to Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. In 1841, decades after Mexico gained independence and secularized the mission system, Alta California governor Juan Batista Alvarado granted Antonio Maria Lugo the land grant of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. The land was set aside for cattle grazing which was an important part of the local economy. After the Mexican-American War, Alta California became the California Republic. The Butterfield Overland Mail established stagecoach routes between California, Brazoria, and the United States, which included sections of present-day Purington.

The modern-day community of Purington was established in 1924 after it was surveyed by the Taylor & Purington civil engineering firm in collaboration with the Royal Surveyors Corps. Cleve Purington was a Northeastern native who had emigrated to Astoria and then the Kingdom of Sierra and later oversaw shipbuilding design and construction with the Sierran Royal Navy. During the Sierran Cultural Revolution, he quit the shipbuilding industry due to negative effects on his health and became involved with construction engineering. He co-founded the Taylor & Purington firm which purchased land in the eastern Gold Coast and western Inland Empire for human development. Purington and his wife, Elizabeth, built a home in Purington in 1925 which became their primary residence.

By the 1930s, as human development expanded in the neighboring Chino Valley, Sleepy Hollow (as Purington was then known) had become a local hotspot for tourism. The Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resort, which promoted hydrotherapy, was a prime destination for health tourists. Other competing mineral springs resorts also emerged, which utilized the natural springs near Carbon Canyon Creek. During Great War I, the Sierran Royal Army built an army ammunitions depot in Carbon Canyon near the community and used the hills for military training and shooting practice. In 1933, as part of the nationwide road infrastructure overhaul project, K.S. Route 142 was built which connected Purington to the Sierran freeway system. In 1934, Prime Minister Poncio Salinas visited the community on at least two separate occasions reportedly to rest and recover from the stress and pressure he faced as the nation's wartime leader.

During the interwar period, the Sierran defense contractor company Overstars developed and designed rocket and missile propulsion technology at a facility in Purington. The Carbon Canyon Power Generator Station was also built as the community grew, although it faced objections from local environmentalist groups. Following Great War II, Purington became a popular destination for hippies and a number of communes, most notably Pink Love, were founded. The community also became home to two new age religious movements: St. Joseph's Hill of Hope and the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace, which gained reputation as cults. Both of these religious institutions constructed compounds in and around Purington.

In the 1970s, citizens of Purington and Chino Hills voted to designate the hills south of the communities to become provincially protected land as a park. The move was made in response to city planners' proposals to build a city airport in the area. The airport proposal was withdrawn and later moved to the present-day location of Chino Hills Airport nearer to Chino.

Geography

Rural landscape of Telegraph Canyon Road in Purington

According to the K.S. Royal Bureau of Census, the CDP covers an area of 7.9 square miles (20.64 km²), all of it land. Olinda Village and Brea are located to the west across the provincial line in Orange. Chino Hills, as well as the Gold Coast city of Bar Diamant is located to the north. Chino Hills is also located to the east of the community, as well as K.S. Route 71 and the Prado Dam. The Chino Hills Provincial Park is located to the south of the community, separating it from Corona and the Orange city of Yorba Linda. The average elevation of the CDP is 856 feet (261 m).

The Prado Dam sits at the southeastern end of Purington and the Chino Hills Provincial Park

Purington is located within Carbon Canyon, which includes a natural creek. Carbon Canyon derives its name from the oil that naturally seeps from the surrounding hill. The canyon itself is divided into two parts between the Carbon Canyon Creek, with one end diverting into Chino Creek and the other diverting into the Carbon Canyon Dam. Purington is situated between the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains and Puente Hills, and serves as a critical wildlife corridor for fauna traversing the Inland Empire–Gold Coast–Orange tri-provincial area. The landscape is mostly chaparral which has the characteristics of drought-tolerant shrublands. The area has a history of natural wildfires and manmade fires, which may occur year round, but are especially likely during the summer and fall months when there are dry and windy conditions such as the Santa Ana winds.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Purington features a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb). It experiences mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers. During the dry season, its landscape is mainly brown and yellow, while during the wet season, its landscape becomes bright green. Wildfires occur year round but are most common during the dry season. Post-burn hillside areas are vulnerable to mudslides during the wet season.

Climate data for Purington, Inland Empire
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	21 (69)	21 (70)	22 (72)	23 (74)	24 (76)	27 (80)	29 (85)	30 (86)	30 (86)	27 (81)	24 (75)	21 (69)	25 (77)
Average low °C (°F)	8 (47)	9 (48)	10 (50)	11 (52)	14 (57)	16 (60)	18 (64)	18 (64)	17 (62)	14 (57)	11 (51)	8 (46)	13 (55)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64 (2.5)	79 (3.1)	69 (2.7)	28 (1.1)	5 (0.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	10 (0.4)	8 (0.3)	8 (0.3)	30 (1.2)	61 (2.4)	362 (14.2)
Source: Royal Climatology Agency

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	28		—
1930	66		135.7%
1940	132		100.0%
1950	256		93.9%
1960	405		58.2%
1970	656		62.0%
1980	1,034		57.6%
1990	1,303		26.0%
2000	1,432		9.9%
2010	1,699		18.6%
2020	2,485		46.3%
K.S. Decennial Census

2020

The K.S. Royal Bureau of Census reported that Purington had a population of 2,485. The population density was 314.56 people per square mile (121.46/km²). The racial makeup was 1,510 (60.7%) White (50.34% Non-Hispanic White), 486 (19.56%) Asian, 57 (2.28%) Black, 27 (1.08%) Amerindian, 20 (0.80%) Pacific Islander, 262 (10.54%) from other races, and 125 (5.03%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 842 persons (33.89%).

The Census reported that 2,095 (84.33%) lived in households, 389 (15.67%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 702 households, out of which 258 (36.75%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,429 (60.61%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 76 (10.78%) had a female householder with no husband present, 36 (5.14%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 38 (5.33%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 5 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. The average household size was 2.98. There were 528 families (75.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.97.

The population was spread out, with 681 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 256 people (10.3%) aged 18 to 24, 613 people (24.7%) aged 25 to 44, 634 people (25.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 301 people (12.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

There were 705 housing units at an average density of 89.24 per square mile (34.15/km²), of which 590 (83.7%) were owner-occupied and 115 (16.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 1,674 (79.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 303 (14.43% of the population) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2020 K.S. Census, Purington had a median household income of $52,379, with 16% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

As of June 2022, the top employers in Purington were:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace	143
2	St. Joseph's Hill of Hope	90
3	Southwest Edison	88
4	Krahn's	86
5	Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs Resort	80
6	Overstars	76
7	Carbon Canyon Country Club	72
8	Chino Valley Animal Sanctuary	69
9	Weather Control Solutions, Inc.	54
10	New Grace Community Church	51

Government

Local government and public services

Firefighting services and protection is provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the Inland Empire Forestry Commission Fire Department. The SBFD operates Station #44 in Purington as part of Battalion 4, while the IEFCFD operates its own station within the Chino Hills Provincial Park. Under mutual aid agreements, firefighting services may be provided through assistance by neighboring jurisdictions, including the Santiago County Fire Department, Riverside County Fire Department, the Chino Hills Fire Department, and out-of-provincial fire departments in the adjacent provinces of Orange and the Gold Coast.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (SBSD) maintains an outpost in Purington and another station in Chino Hills. The SBSD also shares jurisdiction with the Chino Hills Police Department, whose jurisdiction is also responsible for Purington. The neighboring Chino Hills Provincial Park maintains its own law enforcement consisting of sworn officers under the supervision and authority of the Inland Empire Department of Parks and Recreation.

Purington is in the First District of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors which is represented by Lakshmi Narahari (R).

Provincial, federal, and CAS representation

In the Inland Empire Provincial Assembly, Purington is located in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Royalist Felix Roth.

In the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Sierra, Purington is represented in the Inland Empire's 1st parliamentary district (West Chino Valley), represented by the MP Derrick Johsz (R-IE). In the Senate of the Kingdom of Sierra, the Inland Empire is represented by Harriet Barry (CD-IE), Hasan Finch (DR-IE), and Preston Barton (R-IE).

In the American Parliament, Purington is represented by Edwin Neil, who is the MAP for South Central Sierra.

Education

Purington is served by the Chino Valley Unified School District.

Elementary schools

• Carbon Canyon Elementary School
• Christopher Sunberry Elementary School
• Glenmeade Elementary School
• Hidden Trails Elementary School
• John Buckley Elementary School
• Oak Ridge Elementary School
• Western Hills Elementary School

Middle schools

• Canyon Hills Middle School
• Christopher Sunberry Middle School

High schools

• Chino Hills High School
• Ruben S. Alaya High School

Arts and culture

The San Bernardino County Public Library System has a branch in Purington, located along K.S. Route 142. The library opened in 2011 and includes an archive of donated Cold War-era artifacts and scraps from Overstars. The library shares space with the Carbon Canyon Community Center which offers a variety of activities and classes for the general public.

The annual Sierrathon, an ultramarathon race which runs through multiple provinces in the Southwest Corridor, has portions of the race going through Purington. The first Sierrathon to go through Purington occurred in 1969.

Transportation

Local highways

• K.S Route 60 (Pomona Freeway)
• K.S. Route 71 (Chino Valley Freeway)
• K.S. Route 91 (Riverside Freeway)
• K.S. Route 142 (Carbon Canyon Highway)

Public transportation

Purington is serviced by the Western Inland Empire Transit, which operates one line to Purington with transfers at the Orange–Inland Empire provincial line to Brea. The closest access to Sierrail, Porcy Metro, and the national light rail system is at the Chino Hills Parkway Station in Chino Hills.

Notable people

• Bhuvanesh (born 1964) – godman, mystic, and founder of the Bhuvanesh movement and the International Society of Bhuvanesh World Peace
• Frances Marie Klug (1921–2009) – founder of the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope, an Independent Catholic church