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The Antelope Valley in California is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California. It lies north of the San Gabriel Mountains and east of the Tehachapis in the Mojave Desert and is at least 2,200 square miles (5,700 km²) in size. The Victor Valley is to the east.
Aerospace Edwards Air Force Base lies east of Rosamond, 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Palmdale. Edwards AFB's dry lakebeds are the lowest geographic elevation in the valley. Significant amounts of U. S. military flight testing is performed there, and it has been the site of many important aeronatical accomplishments, including the first flight to break the sound barrier. NASA space shuttles originally landed at Edwards because the lake beds offer a vast landing area. NASA has since built a huge landing strip at Kennedy Space Center, and Edwards remains the backup in case of bad weather at Cape Canaveral. U. S. Air Force Plant 42 in northeast Palmdale is home to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems, among other aerospace-related companies. Notable projects assembled and/or designed there include the space shuttle, B-2 Spirit bomber, F-117 Nighthawk fighter, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, a passenger jet aircraft. The newly dedicated Mojave Spaceport is also located in this region. The spaceport is famous as the base of operations for Scaled Composites, the company that designed SpaceShipOne and won the X-Prize. Agriculture The valley's first main industry as a part of the United States was agriculture. Historically known regionally for its extensive alfalfa fields and fruit crops, farmers now are growing a wider variety of crops, such as carrots, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. As housing tracts continue to build in the middle of the valley, the farm operations are now found farther to the west and east sides than in previous decades. Industry The largest Borax open pit mine in the world is located near Boron. Public touring is available. Parks Include: People Non-Hispanic whites make up approximately 48% of the population of the Antelope Valley and the majority in most of its cities and towns. Hispanics are the next largest group, followed by African Americans and Asian Americans. Major highways and roads Include: On the ridgeline of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles Crest Highway (California State Route 2) snakes 60 miles (100 km) through the Angeles National Forest to La Canada Flintridge to the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan region. Angeles Forest Highway, a key county road, connects Palmdale with Angeles Crest Highway as an alternate route to the Los Angeles basin. Rail Metrolink passenger rail service to the Los Angeles Basin and other parts of Southern California provides service to Antelope Valley commuters at its Lancaster, Palmdale, and Vincent Grade/Acton stations. Air service Gen. William G. Fox field in Lancaster is the valley's largest general aviation airport. Mojave Airport is another civil aviation center. SpaceShipOne was developed and flown from its location. Palmdale Regional Airport, co-sited with USAF Plant 42 is owned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the Los Angeles city government entity which owns and operates LAX. History The valley was first visited by whites of European origin in the 1770s. Father Francisco Garces, a Franciscan friar, is believed to have traveled the west end of the valley in 1776. Jedediah Smith came through in 1827, and John C. Fremont made a scientific observation of the valley in 1844 along with his other California explorations. Stagecoach lines came through the valley along its foothills after Fremont's visit and were the preferred way of travel before the coming of the Southern Pacific railroad in 1876. The rail service linking the valley to the Central Valley and Los Angeles started the first large influx of white settlers to the valley, and farms and towns soon sprouted on the valley floor. The aircraft (now referred to as aerospace) industry took hold in the valley at Plant 42 in 1952. Edwards AFB, then called Muroc Army Air Field, was established in 1933. In recent decades the valley has become a bedroom community to the Greater Los Angeles area. Major housing tract development and population growth took off beginning in 1983, which has increased the population of Palmdale around 10 times its former size as of 2004. Neighboring Lancaster has increased its population since the early 1980s to around 5 times its former level. Major retail has followed the population influx, centered around Palmdale's Antelope Valley Mall. New business parks in both Palmdale and Lancaster have been constructed and have room for additional businesses to relocate. Notable people Some people of note have spent time in the valley, including: Valley place names Cities (in bold and denoted with year of incorporation) and communities around the Valley - within its borders and nearby - include the following: Greater Los Angeles area residents, as well as others from out-of-state have been observed to doubt the existence of people living in places not named Palmdale or Lancaster (the two most populous cities in the Valley). The above listing hopefully will dispel all doubt. Most of the above place names have a separate US postal ZIP Code and most of them are identified US Bureau of the Census tracts. If one would doubt the existence of a certain place, consulting a licensed Realtor and/or attorney would be appropriate. Real estate fraud has happened in the Valley, though usually to unsuspecting buyers. It was epidemic in the 1960s and 1970s but has become rarer in recent decades. | ||||||||
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