Big Bear Lake

The History of Big Bear Valley

Approximately 3000 years ago, Big Bear Valley was initially occupied by the Serrano Indians. While in pursuit of these Indians, Benjamin D Wilson along with some other "rough riders" discovered that the place was "alive with bears" and named the area, Bear Valley; that was in 1845! Bear Valley became home to many Hunters, Trappers and Prospectors.

15 years later, William Holcomb was hunting for bear in a nearby valley and instead, he found GOLD! The largest Gold Rush in Southern California followed that discovery and that valley was rightfully named, Holcomb Valley. Within one year, the once solace valley was now riddled with Prospectors and new roads. Holcomb Valleys population was second only to that of San Bernardino with steady increases of daily passenger stages and equipment stages. The first dam was built in 1884, leading to the first Hotel in 1888. In 1949 the first ski resort opened and Big Bear Lake became a favorite mountain destination for Southern California.

Big Bear Lake Today

So, here we are in 2008 and man have things changed! Big Bear Lake now has 2 world-class ski resorts, Hotels, Motels and over 90 lodging companies with over 1200 private home rentals as well! Fast food has also grown in Big Bear with companies like McDonalds, Burger King and Carls Jr. If you want to go out for a bite to eat check out our Big Bear dining guide.

Starbucks and Blockbuster Video have also found their way to our "Island in the Sky." What's perfect about Big Bear is that you are surrounded by Mountain glory and yet you are only 2 hours from the Beach or the Desert and even Las Vegas is only 3 hours away!

Big Bear Real Estate

For those considering making Big Bear Lake their permanent home, there are plenty of houses on the market to choose from. The Big Bear Lake Real Estate market offers a wide variety of properties such as Rustic Cabins, Condos, Houses and Mansions in locations that are just as diverse; Lakefront, Slope Side, Near the Village, Secluded, etc... In today's market, the average price for a home in Big Bear Lake is approximately $339,900.00 with the Property Tax rate at 1.25%. The surrounding areas such as Big Bear City, Sugarloaf and Erwin Lake; the average price for a home is less. Just remember, the closer you get to the Lake, the higher the price can be; luckily, Big Bear is full of beautiful neighborhoods no matter what the location! Whatever area you choose to live, just know that you are never more than 15 minutes from your next Big Bear Lake destination. Big Bear Lake is for everyone. Find out everything that Big Bear Lake has to offer. Click here for Big Bear Lake community information.

We have enjoyed having Big Bear Lake as our home since the early 90s; we couldn´t imagine a safer place to raise our daughters. The community is close and supportive and has all of the amenities of a large city including Churches for all Denominations, Post Offices, Fire Departments and a Sheriffs Department. We look forward to having you as a visitor or as our neighbor!

Feel free to browse through our Big Bear listings. We know everything about Big Bear real estate. Contact Hud and Mary Wilson, your Big Bear Realtors, to help you find the property you are looking for.

Thank you for visiting our Big Bear Lake Page and we hope to talk to you soon!

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