Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet (379 m). As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario. Upland is located at the foot of the highest part of the San Gabriel Mountains. The city is part of the Inland Empire, a metropolitan area situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.HistoryUpland originally was an irrigation colony established by George and William Chaffey. When founded, it was a small rural town based on agriculture, specifically citrus fruits and grapes.A trolley line in the broad, tree-lined median of Euclid Avenue formerly connected Upland to the Southern Pacific Railroad line in Ontario. The trolley was pulled from Ontario to Upland by a mule, which then climbed aboard an attached trailer for the ride back down.Present-day Upland maintains many of the same features, most specifically Euclid Avenue (the north-south, tree-lined street that runs through town) as well as many of the older, adobe and ranch-style houses.Early historyUpland is located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains on an east-west trail that was used by the Indians and Spanish missionaries, part of what is now known as the Old Spanish Trail. To the west, the trail led to the San Gabriel Mission, which Spanish Missionaries built in 1771.
