Barstow

Located on the Mojave River, Lenwood is a High Desert community offering a laid-back lifestyle within easy reach of shopping and dining. The region was a citriculture powerhouse that drew hundreds of workers to the Mojave Desert in the 1950s and ‘60s. Those workers created Lenwood as they built housing to accommodate the new population. Now on the western edge of Barstow, this semi-rural area has a lower cost of living than most of California and is found along Historic Route 66 – one of the nation’s first interstate highways. Major area employers are less than a 15-minute commute away, including the BNSF Railroad, Fort Irwin Army Base, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow.   Most of Lenwood’s shopping and dining is found along Interstate 15, although there are locally owned spots along West Main Street. The Outlets at Barstow has a large selection of big brand stores and fast casual and quick service eateries. One of the most popular is Oggi’s Sports Brewhouse Pizza. It has a weekday happy hour with a build-your-own small pizza option. Back on Main Street, people search for their next unique items at Treasure House Mall in Barstow. This 40,000-square-foot space works with 50 vendors to sell antiques, furniture and jewelry. Family-owned and operated, Plata’s Mexican Food is an area staple. The restaurant's menu is wonderfully old-school, displayed on a blackboard beside the main counter. For groceries, Stater Bros. Markets and Walmart are a short drive away in Barstow.     Surrounded by rock formations and desert landscapes, Lenwood has a variety of recreational options. Lenwood Park covers just over seven acres next to the elementary school and has open space for baseball or soccer. Jasper Park is a small green space with shaded picnic tables and a covered playground. There’s also a basketball court for pickup games. Hinkley Community and Senior Center offers various amenities, like resource rooms and playgrounds. Seven miles south of Lenwood, the massive California 300 racetrack is a popular attraction with off-roading fans across the region.     Homes in Lenwood rest on large lots and offer panoramic views of the surrounding desert. Many have paved driveways large enough to park an RV camper or multi-car garages. Most houses are ranch-style residences, although some have Spanish-inspired elements like stucco walls and terracotta roof tiles. “Lenwood is the western part of the city of Barstow. It isn’t a big area with much housing. The popular part is just off I-15, and there’s an outlet mall, hotels, truck stops and restaurants. But actual housing is very limited in the community. The stock is older, with most built in the 1950s and 60s,” says Ann Marie Hammond, a Coldwell Banker Home Source real estate agent with over 30 years of experience. “Housing in Lenwood isn’t by the interstate, so it’s not noisy despite being a stopover point off the freeway.” Homes sell for an average price of $252,000 after 45 days on the market. The entire range starts around $100,000 and continues to $365,000, although some remodeled homes on acreage can rise to the low $600,000s.   Students attend Lenwood Elementary, Barstow Intermediate, Barstow Junior High and Barstow High Schools. C-minus-rated Lenwood Elementary hosts family nights, community events and award assemblies every trimester. Unrated Barstow Intermediate teaches fifth and sixth grades and provides each student with a Chromebook for research and coursework. C-minus-rated Barstow Junior High has a diverse student population and a sports program featuring wrestling, soccer and track and field. B-rated Barstow High offers a selection of career technical education courses across a variety of pathways. Nearby, Barstow Community College provides two-year degrees and professional certificates in areas like trades and applied technology, STEM and business and entrepreneurship.     Lenwood is located near several major roads, like State Route 58 and Historic Route 66. Interstate 15 is a substantial commercial roadway through the region, and it bisects Barstow. The area is a popular stopping place between Las Angeles and Las Vegas, thanks to numerous truck stops, hotels and a California Welcome Center. Bus route No. Three runs through Barstow to Lenwood and has stops on West Main Street and Cedar, Agate and Jasper Roads. The area has lots of electric car charging stations, too. Lenwood is seven miles from Barstow Community Hospital and 74 miles from the Ontario International Airport.   Homes in Lenwood have a low risk of wildfires. However, the city of Barstow and San Bernardino County encourage residents to keep flammable debris to a minimum around their houses. The area is also at risk of earthquakes, but there’s less chance of quakes here than California’s average. Being located along the Mojave River increases the chances of flooding, although that risk is low overall.