Fontana is a city in west San Bernardino County (east San Bernardino County is adjacent to the states of
Nevada and of
Arizona).
Fontana is mostly comprised of working class housing; it has a racially & ethnically mixed population. It also has much more street
gang and street drug activity than most folks would want.
Speaking of gangs, Fontana is the birthplace of a famous old
gang...the Hell's Angels.
Speaking of birthplace, Kaiser Permanente Health Care began in Fontana during World War II; originally started as Employee Health for the large Kaiser Steel Mill.
When the Kaiser Steel Mill closed in the early '80's, it caused a substantial down-turn in the local economy. Parts of town became very crime-ridden, especially in the
redneck "Fontucky" area.
The closed-down steel
plant was later used for the location shots in the film, "Terminator 2".
The closed steel plant was dismantled & shipped to
China to be reassembled for steel production in that country.
The California Speedway was built by Roger Penske on the old Steel Mill grounds...it regularly is used for
NASCAR events.
It's true, there truly is a rough side to Fontana...it's not Beverly Hills, but things do happen there.
