The development began when a Mr. Wonder drilled for oil (ca. 1950) and found water. He then subdivided the land into five-acre (2.0 ha) lots, supplied them with piped water, and sold them.
In the 1960s Robert W. Shaneyfelt made the settlement name well known when he painted the name of the settlement on the community water tank on California City Boulevard.
The main street in Wonder Acres is named "Janice Street". Margaret Shaneyfelt was primarily responsible for negotiating with the affected parties to arrive with this as an agreeable compromise.
Wonder Acres is served by the Mojave Post Office, and is most closely associated with Mojave for services.
Its area code is 760, the same as nearby California City. During most of the latter 20th century, Wonder Acres was in the Mojave Unified School District, and the Tehachapi Cemetery District.
