Prayer Podcasts: for the city 5/12/22; for the officials
Location: a census-designated place in the Mojave Desert 3 miles west of Barstow, neighboring cities include Hinkley northwest; Dagget & Yermo east; Helendale & Apple Valley south.
Demographics: Est. population [2023] 4,353; median age 27; 1:1 M:F ratio; 45% married; 67% families with kids <18; 88% speak English; 12% speak Spanish; 29% white; 58% Hispanic; 9% Black; .67% American Indian; Mixed/other 15%; median income $45K; median house $104K; 94% of the residents in Lenwood, CA are U.S. citizens; homeownership rate was 41%. Most people in Lenwood, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Lenwood, CA was 3 cars per household; 10 Veterans who served in Vietnam; 42% never married; 4% separated; 37% married; 7% widowed; 10% divorced; High school or higher: 69.8% Bachelor's degree or higher: 9.9% Graduate or professional degree: 0.5% Unemployed: 14.9% Mean travel time to work (commute): 22.8 minutes
In the early 1900s, automobile use grew and better roads became necessary. The National Old Trails (N.O.T.) planned a road from Los Angeles to New York, and they aligned it next to the AT & Santa Fe railroad tracks from Cajon Pass to Needles. The road passed through what would later become Lenwood, established after 1923.
Frank Woods and his wife Ellen subdivided a plot of land of 1,540 acres that they owned, west of Barstow. It worth around $17,000 and to develop it, they established the Lenwood Estates ran by William Barnard, an insolvent character who in turn set up the fictitious Arizona-California Land Company to sell it to gullible investors during the 1920s real estate bubble. There was an agreement between Barnard and the Woods to subdivide the land, sell it promising improvements, and reap some $200,000 for the three of them. The intention, as proven later in court, was to cheat and defraud investors because they abandoned the scheme without building the promised improvements, defaulting on the building materials supplier and the bank. They lost their case in court, but the town finally survived and prospered, linked to Route 66 which was created shortly after.
The name was the brainchild of Frank Woods, who adapted it from his wife's name (Ellen) and his surname (Woods) so "Ellen Woods" became "Lenwood". In 1926, the N.O.T. highway became part of the US highway network and the section west of New Mexico became US 66. Nevertheless Route 66 was known as the "National Old Trails Road" for many years in California. Lenwood found itself on a new highway. After the war, traffic grew peaking in 1960: over 1.1 million travelers passed through Lenwood that year. A new safer road was needed and it was finally built: I-15 and I-40 the interstate highways replaced both US 66 and US 91 in this area which hurt many of the Route 66 motels and shops catering to travelers in Lenwood.
Map of Lenwood
Location of Lenwood in SBC
Specific Prayer Points
Environment: Air Quality Index (AQI) level was 92.8. This is worse than average; earthquake activity is significantly above California state average. It is 7628% greater than the overall U.S. average. It also experiences periodic dust storms that make road visibility similar to fog or worse.
Points of interest: Its attractions are the remains of the Lenwood Radio Auto Camp (from the 1920s), the former motel now the Route 66 Apartments, an Old Service Station, the site and remains of the Barlen Drive In Movie Theater and the remains of the classic Dunes Motel.
Most common industries: Accommodation & food services (13.8%) Public administration (11.6%) Educational services (8.7%) Construction (5.2%) Rail transportation (5.0%) Truck transportation (4.3%) Professional, scientific, technical services (3.8%)
Most common occupations: Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (10.3%) Cashiers (5.6%) Laborers and material movers, hand (5.0%) Other sales and related occupations, including supervisors (4.6%) Information and record clerks, except customer service representatives (4.3%) Other food preparation and serving workers, including supervisors (4.1%) Other office and administrative support workers, including supervisors (4.1%)
Government: San Bernardino county
School district: Lenwood Elementary & Challenges Community Day
Christian schools: none in city but in Barstow
Crime grade: a suburb of Barstow; overall crime D-; violent F; property D; other D-; A crime occurs every 4 hours 46 minutes (on average); top crimes are vandalism 13%; theft 11%; drug crimes & burglary 9%.
Poverty 34.6%: extremely high; One out of every 2.9 residents of Lenwood lives in poverty; 1,477 of 4,222 Lenwood residents reported income levels below the poverty line in the last year.
Spiritual: For more churches to arise; believers in neighboring cities see this area as a mission; creative community outreaches to help the high poverty rate and crime decrease; Christian schools to start and reach the children; intercessors to claim this area for the Lord and intercede until they see change in the people, the city and the area; believers to have prayer groups and Bible studies in the city that help them remain accountable and grow in the Lord, people free to testify of the things God has done in their lives; a revival, awakening and laborers to go into this harvest of souls.
Churches [not exhaustive]
St Philip Neri Catholic Church [Pastor: Rev. Remigius O. Owuamanam]
Lenwood Community Church [non-denominational]