Needles, California

File:Frashers photo (NBY 433339) (cropped).jpg

File:California - Needles - NARA - 23934695.jpg

File:California - Needles - NARA - 23934693.jpg rail yards in Needles, 1942]]

The Mojave people first inhabited the area.{{cite web|url=https://cityofneedles.com/about-needles/needles-back-in-the-day/|title=Needles History by Maggie McShan|publisher=City Of Needles|accessdate=November 14, 2023}}

Needles was founded in May 1883 during the construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway,{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}} which originally crossed the Colorado River at Eastbridge, Arizona, three miles southeast of modern Needles. Needles was named after "The Needles", a group of pinnacles in the Mohave Mountains on the Arizona side of the river. The crossing was a poor site for a bridge, lacking firm banks and a solid bottom.[http://www.ansac.az.gov/UserFiles/PDF/08182014/X028_FMIBurtellLingenfelterSteamboats/FMI%20Lingenfelter%20Steamboats/Steamboats%20on%20the%20Colorado%20River%201852-1916.pdf Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118031332/http://www.ansac.az.gov/UserFiles/PDF/08182014/X028_FMIBurtellLingenfelterSteamboats/FMI%20Lingenfelter%20Steamboats/Steamboats%20on%20the%20Colorado%20River%201852-1916.pdf |date=January 18, 2016 }}{{rp|82}}

A bridge was built, but it was of poor quality. Not only was it a "flimsy looking structure", but it was an obstacle to navigation on the river. Flooding on the Colorado River destroyed the bridge three times – in 1884, 1886 and 1888. The railway built Red Rock Bridge, a high cantilever bridge, at a narrower point with solid rock footings, ten miles downstream near today's Topock. The bridge was completed in May 1890, and the old bridge was dismantled.[http://www.ansac.az.gov/UserFiles/PDF/08182014/X028_FMIBurtellLingenfelterSteamboats/FMI%20Lingenfelter%20Steamboats/Steamboats%20on%20the%20Colorado%20River%201852-1916.pdf Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118031332/http://www.ansac.az.gov/UserFiles/PDF/08182014/X028_FMIBurtellLingenfelterSteamboats/FMI%20Lingenfelter%20Steamboats/Steamboats%20on%20the%20Colorado%20River%201852-1916.pdf |date=January 18, 2016 }}{{rp|82}}

At first it was a tent town for railroad construction crews, but the railway would eventually build a hotel, car sheds, shops and a roundhouse. Within only a month, Needles would have a Chinese laundry, a newsstand, a restaurant, several general stores, and nine or ten saloons. Needles quickly became the largest port on the river above Yuma, Arizona.{{rp|82}} The railway and the Fred Harvey Company built the elegant Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts style El Garces Hotel and Santa Fe Station in 1908, which was considered the "crown jewel" of the entire Fred Harvey chain.{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}} The landmark building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is being restored.

Needles was a major stop on the historic U.S. Route 66 highway from the 1920s through the 1960s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-30/needles-second-amendment-sanctuary-california-town|title=This California town wants to be a 2nd Amendment 'sanctuary city' for guns and ammo|last=Fry|first=Hannah|date=August 1, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=August 1, 2019}} For migrants from the Midwest Dust Bowl in the 1930s, it was the town that marked their arrival in California. The city is lined with motels and other shops from that era. The "Carty's Camp", which appears briefly in The Grapes of Wrath as the Joad family enters California from Arizona,{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}} is now a ghost tourist court, its remains located behind the 1940s-era 66 Motel.

In 1949, the United States Bureau of Reclamation began an extensive project to dredge a new channel for the Colorado River that would straighten out a river bend that caused serious silt problems after the Hoover Dam was completed.[https://books.google.com/books?id=GtkDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+mechanics+July+1932+airplane&pg=PA152 "Putting A River In Its Place"] Popular Mechanics, July 1949

Needles is a tourism and recreation center.{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}} The city is the eastern gateway to the Mojave National Preserve, a scenic desert area.

File:Santa Fe Limited, Needles, Calif (NYPL b12647398-69826) (cropped).tiff|Trains at El Garcés, c. 1908

File:Needles, California (cropped).jpg|A view of Needles in 1912

File:Colorado River at Needles 1.jpg separates Needles, in California, from Mohave Valley, in Arizona.]]

The city has a desert climate with a subtropical temperature range, with a mean annual temperature of {{convert|76.2|°F}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca6118 |title=Needles FAA Airport, California – Climate Summary |publisher=wrcc.dri.edu |access-date=January 5, 2012}}

Needles, like Death Valley to the northwest, is known for extreme heat during the summer. The Needles weather station is frequently reported by the United States government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the site of the highest daily temperature recorded in the U.S. during the desert summers. Needles occasionally sets national or world daily temperature records, along with other related records associated with extreme desert heat. For instance, on July 22, 2006, Needles experienced a record high low temperature of {{convert|100|°F}} at 6:00 am with a high temperature exceeding {{convert|120|°F}},{{cite web|url=http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KEED/2006/7/22/DailyHistory.html |title=Needles FAA Airport, California – Daily Summary |publisher=wunderground.com |date=July 22, 2006|access-date=January 5, 2012}} making it one of the few locations on Earth that have recorded an overnight minimum temperature higher than {{convert|100|F|C|1}}.

On August 13, 2012, Needles experienced a thunderstorm that deposited rain at a temperature of {{convert|115|°F}} starting at 3:56 pm, setting a new record for the hottest rain in world history. The air temperature was {{convert|118|°F}}, tying Needles's record high for the date. Since the humidity was only 11%, the rain evaporated so that "only a trace of precipitation was recorded in the rain gauge". Weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera reported that this was the lowest humidity at which rain has occurred on Earth in recorded history.{{cite web

|last1=Masters

|first1=Jeff

|author-link1=Jeff Masters

|url=http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2186

|title=Hottest rain on record? Rain falls at 115°F in Needles, California

|date=August 15, 2012}} On May 4, 2014, Needles reached a temperature of {{convert|102|°F}} with a dewpoint of {{convert|-38|°F}}, for a relative humidity of 0.33%, the lowest value ever recorded on Earth.{{cite web

|title=A World Record Low Humidity? 116°F With a 0.36% Humidity in Iran

|url=https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/world-record-low-humidity-116f-036-humidity-iran|website=Weather Underground

|author=Jeff Masters

|access-date=January 10, 2019

|date=June 22, 2017}}

In the winter, temperatures are typically mild, with December, the coolest month, having a normal mean temperature of {{convert|54.7|°F|1}}. The hottest month, July, has a normal mean temperature of {{convert|98.5|°F|1}}. On average, there are 119 days annually with a maximum of {{convert|100|°F|1}} or higher, 175 days with a maximum of {{convert|90|°F}} or higher, and 2.7 days with a minimum of {{convert|32|°F}} or lower.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00023179&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020 |access-date=September 8, 2022}} Official record temperatures range from {{convert|18|°F}} on January 22, 1937, to {{convert|125|°F}}, last recorded on June 20, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/summary-great-southwest-us-heat-wave-2017 |title=Summary of Great Southwest US Heat Wave of 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2012}}

Annual normal rainfall is {{convert|4.32|in|mm|abbr=on}}, and there is an annual normal of 23 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1939 with {{convert|13.33|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rainfall and the driest year was 2006 with {{convert|0.70|in|mm|abbr=on}}. The most rainfall in one month was {{convert|7.61|in|mm|abbr=on}} in September 1939. The most rainfall in a calendar day was {{convert|3.49|in|mm|abbr=on}} on August 19, 1906. Snowfall is very rare in Needles, with the only month recording measurable snowfall being January 1949, when {{convert|15.2|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} of snow fell, including {{convert|12.2|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} inches on January 12, 1949. The city is also known for moderate to locally severe thunderstorms during the monsoon season as well as humid conditions.

Needles is served by the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio operating on 162.50 MHz from the Las Vegas National Weather Service.

{{Weather box

|location=Needles Airport, California (1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1888–present)

|single line=yes

|Jan record high F = 85

|Feb record high F = 92

|Mar record high F = 99

|Apr record high F =107

|May record high F =118

|Jun record high F =125

|Jul record high F =125

|Aug record high F =123

|Sep record high F =120

|Oct record high F =112

|Nov record high F = 92

|Dec record high F = 83

|Jan mean F = 56.2

|Feb mean F = 59.9

|Mar mean F = 66.6

|Apr mean F = 73.7

|May mean F = 83.1

|Jun mean F = 93.0

|Jul mean F = 98.5

|Aug mean F = 97.4

|Sep mean F = 90.0

|Oct mean F = 77.0

|Nov mean F = 63.8

|Dec mean F = 54.7

|year mean F = 76.2

|Jan avg record high F = 75.4

|Feb avg record high F = 80.7

|Mar avg record high F = 91.3

|Apr avg record high F = 100.8

|May avg record high F =108.0

|Jun avg record high F =115.6

|Jul avg record high F =118.4

|Aug avg record high F =116.7

|Sep avg record high F =111.5

|Oct avg record high F =101.3

|Nov avg record high F = 87.4

|Dec avg record high F = 74.6

|year avg record high F=119.6

|Jan high F = 66.4

|Feb high F = 71.0

|Mar high F = 79.1

|Apr high F = 86.6

|May high F = 96.2

|Jun high F =106.4

|Jul high F =110.5

|Aug high F =109.3

|Sep high F =102.6

|Oct high F = 89.5

|Nov high F = 75.1

|Dec high F = 64.5

|year high F= 88.1

|Jan low F =46.0

|Feb low F =48.8

|Mar low F =54.1

|Apr low F =60.8

|May low F =70.0

|Jun low F =79.6

|Jul low F =86.6

|Aug low F =85.4

|Sep low F =77.3

|Oct low F =64.6

|Nov low F =52.5

|Dec low F =45.0

|year low F=64.2

|Jan avg record low F = 34.0

|Feb avg record low F = 37.1

|Mar avg record low F = 41.9

|Apr avg record low F = 48.6

|May avg record low F = 56.5

|Jun avg record low F = 66.2

|Jul avg record low F = 75.6

|Aug avg record low F = 74.9

|Sep avg record low F = 65.0

|Oct avg record low F = 51.5

|Nov avg record low F = 39.7

|Dec avg record low F = 33.4

|year avg record low F= 31.8

|Jan record low F =18

|Feb record low F =22

|Mar record low F =29

|Apr record low F =33

|May record low F =39

|Jun record low F =46

|Jul record low F =57

|Aug record low F =60

|Sep record low F =40

|Oct record low F =34

|Nov record low F =25

|Dec record low F =20

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.73

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.79

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.51

|Apr precipitation inch = 0.18

|May precipitation inch = 0.07

|Jun precipitation inch = 0.04

|Jul precipitation inch = 0.27

|Aug precipitation inch = 0.39

|Sep precipitation inch = 0.34

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.22

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.34

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.44

|year precipitation inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 3.3

|Feb precipitation days = 3.7

|Mar precipitation days = 2.9

|Apr precipitation days = 1.3

|May precipitation days = 0.7

|Jun precipitation days = 0.3

|Jul precipitation days = 1.8

|Aug precipitation days = 1.9

|Sep precipitation days = 1.8

|Oct precipitation days = 1.6

|Nov precipitation days = 1.5

|Dec precipitation days = 2.3

|Jan sun = 248

|Feb sun = 254.3

|Mar sun = 310

|Apr sun = 360

|May sun = 403

|Jun sun = 420

|Jul sun = 403

|Aug sun = 372

|Sep sun = 330

|Oct sun = 310

|Nov sun = 240

|Dec sun = 248

|year sun =

|Jand sun = 8

|Febd sun = 9

|Mard sun = 10

|Aprd sun = 12

|Mayd sun = 13

|Jund sun = 14

|Juld sun = 13

|Augd sun = 12

|Sepd sun = 11

|Octd sun = 10

|Novd sun = 8

|Decd sun = 8

|yeard sun =

|Jan percentsun = 79

|Feb percentsun = 82

|Mar percentsun = 83

|Apr percentsun = 92

|May percentsun = 93

|Jun percentsun = 97

|Jul percentsun = 92

|Aug percentsun = 90

|Sep percentsun = 89

|Oct percentsun = 88

|Nov percentsun = 78

|Dec percentsun = 81

|year percentsun =

|Jan uv = 3

|Feb uv = 4

|Mar uv = 6

|Apr uv = 8

|May uv = 9

|Jun uv = 10

|Jul uv = 11

|Aug uv = 10

|Sep uv = 8

|Oct uv = 5

|Nov uv = 4

|Dec uv = 2

|year uv =

|source 1=NOAA{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = July 18, 2020}} WRCC{{cite web|author=WRCC|title=Western U.S. Climate Historical Summaries Weather|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca6118|publisher=Desert Research Institute|access-date=July 2, 2011}}

|date=July 2011

|source 2=Weather Atlas (sun and uv){{cite web|url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/california-usa/needles-climate|title=Monthly weather forecast and climate - Needles, CA|publisher=Weather Atlas|access-date=March 29, 2020}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1920= 2807

|1930= 3144

|1940= 3624

|1950= 4051

|1960= 4590

|1970= 4051

|1980= 4120

|1990= 5191

|2000= 4830

|2010= 4844

|estyear=2019

|estimate=4976

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 4,830 people, 1,940 households, and 1,268 families residing in the city. The estimated population in July 2006: 5,330 (+10.4% change).{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Needles-California.html |title=Needles, California (CA) Detailed Profile – relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders |publisher=City-data.com |access-date=January 5, 2012}} The population density was {{convert|162.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,551 housing units at an average density of {{convert|85.7|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 77.9% White, 1.6% African American, 7.0% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.4% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.4% of the population.

There were 1,940 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.0.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,108, and the median income for a family was $33,264. Males had a median income of $39,688 versus $19,483 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,156. About 21.2% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Major employment in the city is supported by the BNSF Railway (formerly the Santa Fe Railroad). The depot has been a terminal (crew change point) for the railway since the late 19th century. The railroad company has been the city's main employment source for over a century.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|30.2|sqmi|km2}}. {{convert|29.8|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.4|sqmi|km2}} of it (1.36%) is water.

The once smaller nearby communities of Bullhead City, Arizona, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada have in recent years become larger communities than Needles.

File:Pirate Cove Resort (7040060575).jpg

The 2010 United States Census{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0650734|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715031939/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0650734|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Needles city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}} reported that Needles had a population of 4,844. The population density was {{convert|154.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Needles was 3,669 (75.7%) White (65.4% Non-Hispanic White),{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 11, 2015}} 95 (2.0%) African American, 399 (8.2%) Native American, 35 (0.7%) Asian, 9 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 323 (6.7%) from other races, and 314 (6.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,083 persons (22.4%).

The Census reported that 4,839 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 5 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,918 households, out of which 650 (33.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 712 (37.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 331 (17.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 159 (8.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 186 (9.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 6 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 588 households (30.7%) were made up of individuals, and 238 (12.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52. There were 1,202 families (62.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.12.

The population was spread out, with 1,283 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 401 people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, 1,038 people (21.4%) aged 25 to 44, 1,357 people (28.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 765 people (15.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

There were 2,895 housing units at an average density of {{convert|92.6|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}, of which 1,015 (52.9%) were owner-occupied, and 903 (47.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 17.2%. 2,578 people (53.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,261 people (46.7%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Needles had a median household income of $29,613, with 28.8% of the population living below the poverty line.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website}}

File:Needles California 4 (cropped).jpg

The City of Needles was incorporated on October 30, 1913. It is a charter city, led by an elected mayor and a city council with six elected members. Mayors serve two-year terms of office, and councilmembers serve four-year terms. The council designates a vice mayor from among its members.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofneedles.com/Pages/Government/City-Council.html |title=City CounciI |publisher=City of Needles |access-date=January 24, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128113611/http://www.cityofneedles.com/Pages/Government/City-Council.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 }} The city council also appoints a city manager who is responsible for the operation of city departments. As of October 2023, the current city manager is Patrick J. Martinez.{{cite web|url=http://cityofneedles.com/services/city-managers-office/|title=City Manager's Office - CITY OF NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA (Official Municipality Site)|website= City of Needles|access-date=January 19, 2020}}

In the California State Legislature, Needles is in {{Representative|casd|18|fmt=sdistrict}}, and in {{Representative|caad|36|fmt=adistrict}}.{{Cite web

| url = http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html

| title = Statewide Database

| publisher = UC Regents

| access-date = November 30, 2014

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html

| archive-date = February 1, 2015

| url-status = dead

}}

In the United States House of Representatives, Needles is in {{Representative|cacd|25|fmt=district}}.{{Cite GovTrack|CA|25}}

In 2008, claiming the county had been unwilling to help keep the city's troubled hospital open as a full-service medical facility, the city considered seceding from California and becoming part of neighboring Nevada, only a few miles away. The options of attaching itself to the state of Arizona or even forming a new county were also considered.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-may-26-me-needles26-story.html|title=Regretting its place in the sun|first=David|last=Kelly|date=May 26, 2008|access-date=April 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810060108/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-may-26-me-needles26-story.html|archive-date=August 10, 2021|url-status=live|work=Los Angeles Times}} Proposals to change states would require approval from the United States Congress and both state legislatures.

The city is in the Needles Unified School District.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06071_san_bernardino/DC20SD_C06071.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: San Bernardino County, CA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|page=7 (PDF p. 8/12)|access-date=2024-10-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06071_san_bernardino/DC20SD_C06071_SD2MS.txt Text list] Needles' elementary schools and Needles High School are part of the district. The school district is one of the largest in the United States in terms of area with almost {{convert|6000|sqmi|km2}} in its boundaries. The district runs from Amboy to Needles, and south to Parker Dam.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} {{as of|2022}} it had 955 students enrolled.{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&DistrictID=0626760&ID2=0626760|title=Needles Unified|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=2024-10-04}}

The local Needles schools include Katie Hohstadt Elementary School, formerly called 'D' Street School (new home of Needles Head Start, and no longer a regular public school), Vista Colorado Elementary School (grades K–5), Needles Middle School (grades 6–8), Needles High School (grades 9–12), and the Educational Training Center (grades 9–12). Needles High School, due to its distance from other California schools, is a member of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, along with four other similarly placed California schools: Truckee, North Tahoe, South Tahoe, and Coleville.

Needles also has two private schools: the Needles Assembly of God Christian School and the Needles Seventh-day Adventist School.

File:El Garces Hotel 4 12 2009 (cropped).JPG]]

Interstate 40, known locally as the Needles Freeway, is the major highway through Needles, connecting Barstow to the west and Arizona to the east. U.S. Route 95 also enters the city from the east on former Route 66 as a concurrency with the I-40 freeway, then splits with the Interstate west of the city, and heads north to Nevada. The Colorado River Bridge connects Needles directly with Mohave County, Arizona, and Arizona State Route 95.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Needles station, operating its Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles. It arrives between midnight and 2 am.

Local transit service to the Needles area is provided by Needles Area Transit.{{cite web |url=http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/commuter/pub-transit.html |title=SANBAG: Public Transit |publisher=Sanbag.ca.gov |date=July 5, 2011 |access-date=January 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106203215/http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/commuter/pub-transit.html |archive-date=November 6, 2011 }}

As of August 2, 2016, Victor Valley Transit Authority has service from Needles to Barstow and Victorville on Fridays. To Barstow and Victorville, the bus leaves at 6:15 and arrives at Victorville at 10:30 am. On the reverse trip, buses leave Victorville at 2:30 pm and arrives at Barstow at 7:15 pm.

Vegas Airporter provides service between Lake Havasu City, Needles, and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.{{Cite web| title = Pickup & Drop-off Locations – VegasAirporter.com| accessdate = February 6, 2021| url = https://vegasairporter.com/locations/}}

On July 1, 2016, San Bernardino County Fire Department annexed the City of Needles.{{cite web |url=http://www.sbcfire.org/default.aspx |title=San Bernardino County Fire Department |publisher=Sbcfire.org |access-date=November 14, 2019 |archive-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512142727/https://www.sbcfire.org/Default.aspx |url-status=dead }} Fire Station 32 provides fire protection to the City of Needles and houses two Type 1 Engine companies, one Type 7 Engine company, one Water Tender and one 28-foot fireboat. The station is staffed full-time with career firefighters.

Since December 1989 the City of Needles has been patrolled by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department under the command of Captain Ross Tarangle from the Needles Patrol Station.{{cite web|url=http://wp.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/patrol-stations/needles/ |title=San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department |publisher=wp.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/ |access-date=November 14, 2019}}

Colorado Medical Center was once a full service hospital but at present it's functioning as an urgent care center.{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofneedles.com/Hospitals.asp |title=City of Needles |publisher=City of Needles |date=June 28, 2002 |access-date=January 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102140830/http://www.cityofneedles.com/Hospitals.asp |archive-date=January 2, 2012 }}

• Pat Morris, Mayor of San Bernardino, California.{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.san-bernardino.ca.us/cityhall/mayor/mayors_biography.asp |title=City of San Bernardino – Mayor's Biography |publisher=Ci.san-bernardino.ca.us |access-date=January 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117024956/http://www.ci.san-bernardino.ca.us/cityhall/mayor/mayors_biography.asp |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |url-status=dead }}
• Max Rafferty, Needles Superintendent of Schools, 1955–1961,"Max Rafferty, 1917–1982, Conservative U.S. Educator and Critic: Bibliography of Writings By and About Him," CORE (Collected Original Resources in Education), VII, No. 1 (1983), Fiche 9 C1 became California Superintendent of Public Instruction 1962–1970.
• Charles Schulz, cartoonist of Peanuts, lived in Needles 1928–30 and made it the residence of Snoopy's brother Spike.{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}}
• Bess Houdini, wife and stage assistant of famed escape artist Harry Houdini, died in Needles in 1943.{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}}
• Yara tav, leader of the Mohave people (1861–1874), born close to the Needles rock formation before the establishment of the town.{{cite book|last=Kroeber|first=Alfred Louis|author-link=Alfred L. Kroeber|title=Handbook of the Indians of California|year=1925|publisher=Courier|isbn=978-0-486-23368-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YDdn0WNMQMYC|pages=725–727}}
• Alice Notley, American poet, grew up in Needles.{{Cite web|url = http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/alice-notley|title = Poets.org|date = August 10, 2001}}
• Natalie Diaz, American poet and winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.{{cite web |title=Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Natalie Diaz to give Public Poetry Reading |url=https://diversity.illinois.edu/2022/03/31/pulitzer-prize-winning-poet-natalie-diaz-to-give-public-poetry-reading/ |website=University of Illinois Office of the Vice Chancellor for DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION |access-date=October 3, 2022 |quote=Diaz was born and raised in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California, on the banks of the Colorado River.}}
• Sam Kinison, American stand-up comedian, was killed in a car crash caused by 17-year-old drunk driver Troy Pierson, about {{convert|4.3|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} outside of Needles on April 10, 1992.{{cite news|url= https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920412&slug=1485946 |title= Motorist, 17, Arrested In Death Of Sam Kinison |work=The Seattle Times |date=April 12, 1992 |access-date=April 16, 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/12/us/sam-kinison-38-comedian-dies-wife-injured-in-head-on-collision.html |date=April 12, 1992 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Bruce |last=Lambert |title=Sam Kinison, 38, Comedian, Dies; Wife Injured in Head-On Collision |access-date=April 16, 2023}}

• In John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family stops in Needles when they enter California on Route 66.{{r|VDP 2020-01-19}}
• Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Gardens in the Dunes is largely set in and around Needles in the late 19th century.[https://www.amazon.com/GARDENS-DUNES-Leslie-Marmon-Silko/dp/0684863324 Gardens in the Dunes]

• In the comic strip Peanuts, Snoopy's brother Spike lived in the desert outside Needles.{{Cite news |last=Beyer |first=John R. |date=January 19, 2020 |url=https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20200119/beyers-byways-needles-small-town-with-big-history |title= Needles, a small town with a big history |department=Beyer's Byways |work=Daily Press |location=Victorville, Calif. |language=en |access-date=January 19, 2020}} He frequently heads to Needles to partake of the town's nightlife, often running afoul of the local coyotes.

• In 2004, John Lowery (John 5), former guitarist for Marilyn Manson, released his CD Vertigo, in which the first track is entitled "Needles CA".
• The town is mentioned in the lyrics of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain"; the song was a hit for Three Dog Night in 1972 and was also performed by Elvis and Waylon Jennings:

Well I never been to England, but I kinda like the Beatles. Well, I headed for Las Vegas, only made it out to Needles. Can you feel it? Must be real. It feels so good!

• Izzy Stradlin's 1999 album Ride On includes a track entitled "Needles" about his love of visiting the town.
• In 2009 the song "Don't Look Down" by Barnaby Bright includes the following:

We pulled into a truck stop Somewhere just outside of Needles, California, You asked me for ten bucks and I said "What about the last ten bucks I loaned you?"

• In October 2006, two students and two teachers from Needles High School were invited to Washington, D.C. to meet with the Under Secretary of Defense, in which they spoke of the new program at Needles High School called MOCK National Security Workshop. The students were also interviewed for the nationwide, fifteen-minute television news show, Channel One News; the episode was aired on October 25.
• Needles was the main site of a 2009 UFO Hunters episode investigating a supposed UFO Crash.
• Needles High School was on a School Pride television episode on November 12, 2010.

• In late 2000 to early 2001, skateboarder Tony Hawk donated $20,000 to the Needles Skate Park, which is still in use {{As of|2022|alt=today}}. Hawk was present for the grand opening of the park in January 2004.{{cite web |title=Needles Skate Park |url=http://cityofneedles.com/needles-skate-park-2/ |publisher=City of Needles |access-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201204657/http://cityofneedles.com/needles-skate-park-2/ |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Choquette |first1=Lee |title=Skateboard set cheers as Needles Skate Park opens |url=https://mohavedailynews.com/news/123753/skateboard-set-cheers-as-needles-skate-park-opens/ |access-date=January 23, 2022 |work=Mohave Valley Daily News |date=January 3, 2004}}
• Needles (and the surrounding area) was the scene for the hit 1988 post-apocalyptic computer RPG Wasteland.
• Murals were painted of U.S. Route 66, which passed through Needles on its way between Chicago and Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-aug-30-la-me-needles-murals-20110830-story.html |title=A touch of paint cheers a desert town |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 30, 2011 |access-date=January 5, 2012}}

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{{commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.needleschamber.com/ Needles Chamber of Commerce]

{{San Bernardino County, California}}

{{Inland Empire}}

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Category:Cities in San Bernardino County, California

Category:Cities in the Mojave Desert

Category:Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley

Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California

Category:Lower Colorado River Valley

Category:Mojave Desert

Category:California populated places on the Colorado River