Fontana was created as a town way back in 1913, but it was not until 1952 — exactly 70 years ago — that Fontana officially was incorporated as a city.
The Fontana Police Department heralded this milestone with a recent Facebook post which provided information about the formation of the city’s original police force on Oct. 20, 1952.
The city had incorporated in June of that year, but police services were overseen for a few months by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department until the Fontana P.D. was established.
The department started with a chief, four officers, one dispatcher, and two patrol cars.
At that time, residents who needed help from the police would dial “7265” from their rotary phone.
“Fast forward 70 years, we now have 215 sworn officers, 115 support personnel, 75-plus vehicles, 10 motors, and two helicopters,” the Facebook post said. “We thank the citizens and businesses of Fontana for their continued support and without them we would have nothing.”
The U.S. Census Bureau tracked Fontana’s population as a city starting in 1960, when there were just 14,659 inhabitants.
That number of residents increased to 20,673 in 1970 and then to 36,804 in 1980.
Then huge growth took place in the ensuing decades as areas such as Southridge, the Village of Heritage, and Sierra Lakes were developed. Fontana’s population soared to 87,535 in 1990 and then to 128,929 in 2000 and all the way to 196,069 in 2010.
Fontana’s tremendous rate of growth, which had been one of the highest in the nation, finally slowed down somewhat in recent years. The 2020 Census said the city’s population was 208,393.
