A. Wells (born 1885), daughter of railroad executive Arthur G. Wells (1861–1932). On September 22, 1918, the name was changed to Helendale. Route 66, or National Trails Highway, was paved and officially opened in the Helendale area in 1926. Helendale has a historical marker commemorating the old road that is located 100 yards south of the intersection of Route 66 and Vista Road. Nearby is the World War II Helendale Auxiliary Airfield. In 1969, construction began on two manmade lakes, North Lake and South Lake, covering approximately , and a resort community called Silver Lakes was built at Helendale that opened in the early 1970s. The ZIP Code is 92342 and the community is inside area code 760. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 5.6 square miles (14.4 km), 5.2 square miles (13.4 km) of it land, and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km) of it (7.15%) water. Helendale is located in a generally flat area in the Mojave Desert, between Victorville and Barstow. It is located northeast of Los Angeles and southwest of Las Vegas at an elevation of . The town consists primarily of the Silver Lakes resort community, which is built around two manmade lakes. Water for these lakes comes from Mojave River, which, while dry at the surface, has flow underground. Climate Helendale is in a desert climate. Like most of the Mojave Desert, it has cool winters and hot summers and very little rainfall. It often will remain dry while nearby Victorville and Barstow are experiencing flash floods. For this reason, natives called the area "The hole in the sky." Public Safety Law enforcement is provided by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department out of the Adelanto Station. Traffic enforcement is provided by the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino County Fire Department maintains a full-time station with paramedics near the Post Office on Helendale Road. Private security firms are hired by the Silverlakes Association and consistently patrol the amenities of Silver Lakes. Demographics The 2010 United States Census reported that Silver Lakes had a population of 5,623. The population density was . The racial makeup of Silver Lakes was 4,566 (81.2%) White (71.8% Non-Hispanic White), 315 (5.6%) African American, 39 (0.7%) Native American, 198 (3.5%) Asian, 15 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 270 (4.8%) from other races, and 220 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of