Community News & Events
The Downtown Business Association of Barstow aims to foster greater civic pride and participation, and showcase talented artists and musicians through various public events throughout the year. Check out the upcoming events and community news below:
Arts & Cultural Festival
Celebrating Barstow’s Arts, Culture & Community Heritage Join us in the heart of the city[…]
27th Annual Main Street USA Route 66 Festival & Car Show
The 27th Annual Main Street USA Route 66 Festival & Car Show celebrates the Route[…]
Hollywood Comes to Main Street, Barstow
During July 2025, actor, director, and 1990 Barstow High graduate Sung Kang filmed scenes for[…]
Why Your Support Matters: Fueling Barstow’s Small Business Future
Every vibrant downtown begins with a community that believes in its potential. As a 501(c)(3)[…]
Rediscover Main Street: Why Barstow is the Ultimate High Desert Stop
For over a century, Barstow has been the crossroads of the desert, a welcome destination[…]
Partner Spotlight: Crave Kaffee Haus
A thriving downtown is built on spaces where neighbors connect, ideas take shape, and visitors[…]
Barstow Fun Facts
Before officially becoming Barstow, this desert hub went by several colorful names, including Camp Sugarloaf, Grapevine, Fishpond, and Waterman Junction. In 1886, it was finally renamed in honor of William Barstow Strong, the president of the Santa Fe Railway.
Barstow’s Desert Discovery Center is home to the famous “Old Woman Meteorite.” Discovered in 1975 in the Mojave Desert, it is the second-largest meteorite ever found in the United States, weighing in at over 6,000 pounds!
Before the modern interstate highway system was built, the intersection of Route 66 and US 91 in downtown Barstow was one of the busiest intersections in the entire country, with local stations pumping hundreds of gallons of gas daily.
If you visit the McDonald’s on Barstow’s Main Street, you will find a historic wooden water tank in the parking lot. Originally built in the 1930s for the Mojave Water Tank gas station on Route 66, it still stands today—though it is now painted red and sports the golden arches
