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Originally a sleepy, dusty town of citrus orchards and cattle ranches astride Route 66 and numerous rail lines, Fontana was radically transformed during World War II by the construction of a steel mill belonging to the Henry J. Kaiser Company and the routing of the San Bernardino Freeway through a section of the town. Explosive growth soon followed, with the area becoming a prominent industrial exurb of Los Angeles. Its working-class orientation, and a population of largely rural Southern and Midwestern origins, led to the city receiving the derisive nickname "Fontucky." This reputation for provincialism was not aided by the rise to prominence of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, which had originally formed in Fontana.
Foreign competition and mismanagement led to the closure of the Kaiser Steel plant in the early 1980s, and Fontana and neighboring San Bernardino soon became infamous centers of white poverty. The production and consumption of methamphetamine, and its distribution by the Hell's Angels, rose to epidemic proportions during this time. However, Fontana's fortunes improved notably (along with the rest of the cities of the "Inland Empire") with the advent of the Southern California real estate boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s: as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,929, but a July 1, 2002 Census estimate showed the fast-growing city's population at 143,607. The completion of the Foothill Freeway extension in 2003 should contribute to Fontana's increasing prominence as both a bedroom community and a center of industry.
Fontana's principal cultural/entertainment attraction is the California SpeedwayThe California Speedway is a two-mile D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. It is a relatively new race track, opening in early 1997, and has additional, a racetrack that plays host to two NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing NASCAR was cofounded by William H. France and Ed Otto in 1948 in the USA. Officially incorporated on February 21, its purpose was to organize and promote the sport of stock car racing on sanctioned high-s events a year.
Detroit TigersBaseball teams The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are in the Central Division of the American League. Founded 1893, in the minor Western League. In 1900 that league became the American League. Home ballpar relief pitcherbullpen as the game goes on A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness or fatigue. Relievers are further divided informally into closers, middle r Troy PercivalTroy Eugene Percival (born August 9, 1969 in Fontana, California) is a baseball relief pitcher who currently plays for the Detroit Tigers. Percival spent most of his career with the Anaheim Angels but signed with Detroit as a free agent following the 2004 was born in Fontana.Fontana is located at 34°5'52" North, 117°27'30" West (34.097744, -117.458222) 1The following is a list of sources used in the creation of Wikipedia articles on various geographic topics and locations, such as cities, counties, states, and countries. These sources are cited within the thousands of articles which link to this page..
According to the United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission is defined in the Constitution of the United States, which directs that the population be enumerated at least once every te, the city has a total area of 93.6 km˛ (36.1 mi˛). 93.6 km˛ (36.1 mi˛) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.