San Bernardino County — Top 12 Boom Cities (sizzle style)
1) Fontana — The EV Forge
Why it slaps: Fontana just landed ZM Trucks’ North American manufacturing HQ — a full EV/zero-emission truck fab that signals big-ticket advanced-manufacturing momentum. Expect supply-chain partners, conveyor-line suppliers, and battery-tech service firms to orbit this campus.
Investor hook: Industrial land near Fontana = clean-tech real estate with headline credibility.
(Proof snippet: ZM Trucks plant announcement.) Welcome to San Bernardino CountyPR Newswire
CTA: Add Fontana industrial listings at argossy.com/properties/
2) Rialto — The Fulfillment Furnace
Why it slaps: Home to massive fulfillment hubs (Amazon’s 850k+ SF cohort and others), Rialto is a proven high-throughput node. Robotics, cold chain add-ons, and 3PLs proliferate around these mega boxes.
Investor hook: Prebuilt trophy boxes and user demand = lower leasing risk for big-box plays.
(Background on fulfillment centers.) Inland Empire Business Journal
CTA: Plug in Rialto listings at argossy.com/properties/
3) San Bernardino (City) — The Logistics Capitol
Why it slaps: Massive land, intermodal rail links, and a county seat that’s doubling down on transportation infrastructure. Expect rail-served yards, parcel hubs, and food-grade distribution as winners.
Investor hook: City-scale projects + workforce depth = big plays for institutional investors.
CTA: San Bernardino listings → argossy.com/properties/
4) Ontario — The Crossroads King
Why it slaps: Ontario’s proximity to ONT (Ontario International Airport) and major freeways positions it as the nimble cross-dock and air-cargo adjunct to LA/Long Beach. High service-level logistics tenants love this access.
Investor hook: Airport adjacency = premium rents for time-sensitive logistics.
CTA: Ontario listings → argossy.com/properties/
5) Rancho Cucamonga — The Premium Maker & HQ Hub
Why it slaps: A hybrid city — upscale manufacturing, corporate HQs, and last-mile distribution blend here. Expect clean manufacturing (R&D + light production) and higher-quality tenants that pay for polished facilities.
Investor hook: Diversified tenant mix lowers downside risk.
CTA: Rancho Cucamonga listings → argossy.com/properties/
6) Colton — The Rail & Port Feeder
Why it slaps: Colton sits near rail trunks and access corridors funneling goods to ports. It’s ideal for container yards, secondary staging, and firms that want rail connectivity without premium port prices.
Investor hook: Rail adjacency + yard land = logistics arbitrage plays.
CTA: Colton listings → argossy.com/properties/
7) Chino — The Manufacturing & E-Commerce Blend
Why it slaps: Chino mixes durable manufacturing and robust distribution (food, appliances, aftermarket auto). Smaller bays and multi-tenant parks work great here — high churn but constant demand.
Investor hook: Owner-users and small-to-mid tenants provide stable cashflow with upside.
CTA: Chino listings → argossy.com/properties/
8) Victorville — The High-Desert Hub
Why it slaps: Victorville is the desert-scale option — cheap land for giga-projects, growing warehousing clusters, and aerospace/logistics interest. Think “big dirt, big boxes, big potential.”
Investor hook: Cost-effective land + scaled construction = yield play for opportunistic owners.
CTA: Victorville listings → argossy.com/properties/
9) Hesperia — The Last-Mile Launchpad
Why it slaps: Hesperia is catching overflow demand from Victorville and is building out last-mile and light-industrial parks aimed at serving High Desert households and e-commerce routes.
Investor hook: Lower entry prices with quick ramp potential for small-bay investors.
CTA: Hesperia listings → argossy.com/properties/
10) Upland — The Industrial-Adjacency Gem
Why it slaps: Upland offers a hybrid mix of industrial, small manufacturing, and strong residential base — perfect for businesses wanting high-quality labor and tidy operations. It’s “manufacturing with suburbs attached.”
Investor hook: Premium small-bay rents and owner-user demand.
CTA: Upland listings → argossy.com/properties/
11) Redlands — The Tech & Life-Sci Whisperer
Why it slaps: Redlands is emerging as a knowledge cluster: healthcare, R&D adjacency to universities, and tech startups. Expect lab-capable flex and adaptive reuse of industrial buildings for life-sci and creative tech.
Investor hook: Life-sci conversions and up-zoning potential = strategic value plays.
CTA: Redlands listings → argossy.com/properties/
12) Barstow — The Logistics Relay Station
Why it slaps: Barstow is the desert relay: massive trucking nodes, fuel/logistics support, and staging for interregional freight. It’s a backbone node for transcontinental trucking routes.
Investor hook: Long-truck-corridor plays—truck terminals, maintenance yards, and staging lots—are durable cash cows.
CTA: Barstow listings → argossy.com/properties/
The Big Picture — Why San Bernardino County Still Wins
- Scale, scale, scale. The county is the Inland Empire’s engine: it has the land and the permits to build the big boxes that SoCal’s supply chain still needs. (See industry market snapshots.) Kidder MathewsCushman & Wakefield
- Active headline deals. EV manufacturing (Fontana) and marquee fulfillment centers (Rialto) prove companies are still spending on strategically placed physical infrastructure. Welcome to San Bernardino CountyInland Empire Business Journal
- Transport & policy tailwinds. County programs and logistics investments keep the ecosystem humming even through cyclical slowdowns. Welcome to San Bernardino CountyRivCo Office of Economic Development
Quick Investor Playbook (one-page moves)
- Fontana & Rialto: Target advanced manufacturing and ev/robotics suppliers — buy/build near announced plants. Welcome to San Bernardino County
- San Bernardino, Colton & Ontario: Rail and airport adjacency — look for rail-served yards and cross-dock assets. SCAG
- Victorville & Barstow: Land-centric plays — buy dirt for phased, speculative industrial parks. victorvalleyca.com
- Redlands & Rancho Cucamonga: Life-sci and HQ appeal — seek lab-convertible flex and small campus buys.
Sources & Further Reading (fast links)
- Kidder Mathews — Inland Empire Industrial Market (Q1 2025). Kidder Mathews
- ZM Trucks chooses Fontana for North American plant (San Bernardino County release / PR). Welcome to San Bernardino CountyPR Newswire
- Amazon & Rialto fulfillment hub background. Inland Empire Business Journal
- Cushman & Wakefield — Inland Empire MarketBeat (Q1/Q2 2025). Cushman & Wakefield+1
- Riverside County economic/industrial snapshot (useful for regional comparisons). RivCo Office of Economic Development