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is an unincorporated, census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California immediately east of Big Bear Lake. The population was 5,779 at the 2000 census. Big Bear encompasses Census Tracts 113 (east) and 114 (west). The makeup of Big Bear City is mostly residential with smaller houses and cabins laid out in typical square block fashion.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.0 km² (3.5 mi²), all land.
The nearby ski resorts consist of Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, usually shortened to "Bear" by locals .
Most of the town and the business district are centered around Big Bear Boulevard. Its limits are defined on the West by Division Road and on the east by the left turn at Highway 38 which goes to San Bernardino and Highway 18 which goes to downtown San Bernardino. Though its south boundary is loosely defined by the residential boundary, the north side is defined by North Shore Road. The east-west postal divider of Big Bear City is Green Way Drive. It is here that Highway 18 of Big Bear Boulevard turns north and crosses over to North Shore Drive heading east toward Lucerne Valley, and Hwy 38 coming from the east turns north to North Shore and heads west to Big Bear Dam.
Due to its high altitude it is often the location of the training camps for many Boxers and Mixed martial arts contestants such as Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Tito Ortiz. This is due to an effect that prolonged training in high altitudes has upon the oxygen transport system of the blood.