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Palmdale, the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city (on August 24, 1962), is located in the northeast reaches of Los Angeles County, California, United States, separated from Los Angeles by the San Gabriel Mountain range. As of the 2000 US census, the city had a total population of 116,670. As of spring 2005, the city proper has a total population estimate of 143,227, according to Palmdale municipal government sources. As of the 2005 population estimate, the Palmdale / Lancaster, CA Urbanized Area (a US Census Bureau defined term) has a population of 480,238. Palmdale today Over the last 20 years this city has consistently been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the United States (based on percentage change). As of spring 2005 the population is estimated at 143,227, making Palmdale the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County. For most of its existence it has had a small population; however it now is arguably the largest "desert city" (from an Angeleno viewpoint) in California. With 105 square miles (272 km²) of land in its incorporated boundaries, the city is in the top 100 largest cities in the United States in geographic area and as of 2005 ranks 150th by population in the U.S. The city has worked hard to maintain its image and upgrade its infrastructure during its rapid growth. A first-class medical campus is under construction (expected to open in 2008), which will include the region's largest emergency department, a helipad, medical office towers, and a senior housing complex. A new multi-modal transportation center, serving local and commuter bus and train services, opened in 2005. A voter-initiated and approved bond has funded major park and recreation expansions, including an earthen outdoor amphitheater (capacity 7,000), two new pools, other recreation buildings and a water park. Downtown revitalization includes hundreds of new senior housing units, a new senior center, and expanded open space. A new 48,000 sq. ft. sheriff station recently opened, the largest in Los Angeles County. Two new fire stations are being developed, one on the east side and one on the west side. In the movie Bubble Boy, Palmdale was depicted as a small strip of houses and a bus stop—a 1970s view of what Hollywood film moguls remember Palmdale as being. Famous people from Palmdale include rapper Afroman, famous for his song "Because I Got High", and the music group All 4 One, known for the hit songs "I Swear, I Can Love You Like That", and "She's Got Skillz". More recently, the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal was filmed at the massive hangar at Plant 42, and filming for the two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels also took place in Palmdale. While Palmdale is still a part of Los Angeles County, the urbanized centers of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range, which is about 40 miles (60 km) wide. This range forms the southern edge of the Antelope Valley portion of the Mojave Desert. Palmdale is one of the two principal cities of the Antelope Valley, and the third largest city in the Mojave Desert by population, outstripped only by Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. History Palmenthal, the first European settlement within the limits of Palmdale, was established as a village in 1886 by westward travelers from the American Midwest, mostly of German and Swiss descent. According to area folklore, the travelers had been told they would know they were close to the ocean when they saw Palm Trees. Never actually having seen palm trees before, they mistook the local Joshua Trees for palms and so called their settlement after them. (Palmenthal is German for Palms Valley.) The village was officially established upon the arrival of a post office on June 17, 1888. In the 1890s many families continued to migrate to Palmenthal and nearby Harold to grow grain and fruit. However, most of these settlers were unfamiliar with farming in a desert climate, so when the drought years occurred, most abandoned their settlement. By 1899, only one family was left in the original village. The rest of the settlers, including the post office, moved closer to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. This new community was renamed Palmdale and was located where the present day civic center is. A railroad station was built along the tracks there. This railroad was operated by Southern Pacific and traveled between Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was also the Wells Fargo stagecoach line that ran between San Francisco and New Orleans that stopped there as well. The only remaining pieces of evidence of the original settlements of Palmenthal and Harold are the old cemetery located on the northeast corner of Avenue S and 20th Street East, and the old schoolhouse now relocated to McAdam Park. As the population of Palmdale began to increase after relocation, water became scarce, until in 1914 when the California – Los Angeles Aqueduct system was completed. During the 1910s, crops of apples, pears, and alfalfa became plentiful. In 1915, Palmdale’s first newspaper, the Palmdale Post, was published. Today it is called The Antelope Valley Press. In 1921, the first major link between Palmdale and Los Angeles was completed, U.S. Highway 6, or Mint Canyon Road. Completion of this road caused the local agricultural industry to flourish and was the first major step towards defining the metropolis that exists today. Presently this road is known as Sierra Highway. In 1924, the Littlerock Dam and the Harold Reservoir, present day Lake Palmdale, were constructed to assist the agricultural industry and have enough water to serve the growing communities. Agriculture continued to be the foremost industry for Palmdale and its northern neighbor Lancaster until the outbreak of World War II. In 1933, the United States government established Muroc Air Base north of Lancaster in Kern County, now known as Edwards Air Force Base. They also bought Palmdale Airport in 1952 and established an aerospace development and testing facility called United States Air Force Plant 42. One year later, in 1953, Lockheed established a facility at the airport. After this point in time, the aerospace industry took over as the primary local source of employment, where it has remained ever since. Today the city is even referred to as the “Aerospace Capital of America” because of its rich heritage in being the home of many of the aircraft used in the United States military. In 1956, Palmdale’s first high school was established, making it easier for youths to not have to travel to Antelope Valley High School in nearby Lancaster. In August 1962, the township of Palmdale officially became the city of Palmdale with the incorporation of 2 square miles (5 km²) of land around the present day civic center. In 1963, the Antelope Valley Freeway, or State Highway 14, was completed as a link between Palmdale and Los Angeles. The freeway at this time ran all the way to present day Technology Drive. It was at this time that talk about the future Palmdale Intercontinental Airport was seen as the way of the future. By 1965 the new city had annexed an additional 20 square miles (52 km²) of land and industry was thriving. Talk of the future commercial airport had many investors buying up large quantities of land. In 1970, the City of Los Angeles went forward with buying 17,500 acres (71 km²) of land east of the city for its proposed commercial airport. However, the United States Air Force desired to put a hold on the construction of this new facility until the existing airport reached its commercial capacity. So under a joint use agreement with the military, the Los Angeles Department of Airports, now called Los Angeles World Airports, built a 9,000 square foot (800 m²) terminal on leased land that opened in 1971, creating present day Palmdale Regional Airport. By 1974, the Antelope Valley Freeway was completed all the way to Mojave. In 1977, Palmdale built its first municipal building, the Palmdale City Library. This was the same year that its northern neighbor Lancaster incorporated itself into a city. Since the 1920s, Lancaster had been the much larger and principal community of the Antelope Valley, as well as the rest of California's Mojave Desert, and Palmdale had always played second fiddle to it. The 1980s and 1990s were the decades that really started to define the two Antelope Valley cities. Affordable housing in the area caused a dramatic spike in the population. The city became a bedroom community for those employed in Los Angeles. Palmdale's population continued to approach Lancaster's. Throughout the eighties and even the nineties, Palmdale was the fastest growing city in California and second fastest growing city in the nation. In 1980, Palmdale's population was 12,177. By 1990, it had soared to 68,842. It was in 1990 that the Antelope Valley Mall opened at Rancho Vista Blvd. and 10th Street West, presently the busiest intersection in the entire Mojave Desert. In 1991, the Palmdale Auto Center complex opened. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, central Palmdale has become the commercial center of the California High Desert. In 2000, the city's population was 116,670. In 2002, Palmdale's population finally eclipsed its northern neighbor Lancaster. With over 140,000 residents today, the city continues to look forward to quality managed growth in the future. K-12 Schools The City of Palmdale has 3 separate elementary school districts and 1 high school district: Colleges and universities Sites of interest Law and government Palmdale is a general law City governed under the council / manager form of local government. The mayor is elected every two years for a two-year term. Also every two years, two of the four council members are elected to serve four-year terms. Palmdale has no term limits for mayor. The current mayor James C. Ledford is serving his seventh term in office. The city also has an appointed Planning Commission divided into four separate districts. The Planning Commission was organized to help with the planning, zoning, and development of various city areas in different districts and to give the residents of those particular districts a greater voice in what is built on that land. The city provides a number of municipal services, including a Parks and Recreation Department, a Film Convention and Visitors Bureau, Aviation and Aerospace Commission, Public Library System, Senior Citizens Center, Cultural Center, and a Public Works Department. The city is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under a formal contract with the County of Los Angeles and has its municipal judicial system intertwined with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The city is served by the Los Angeles County Fire Department for its fire and paramedic services through the Fire District. Utility services within the city are provided by several public and private agencies. Water service is primarily provided by Palmdale Water District (separate public agency) and LA County Waterworks (part of the County Public Works); sewer service is provided by the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (separate public agency); electrical service is provided by Southern California Edison; natural gas service is provided by Southern California Gas; cable television service is provided by Adelphia; telephone service is provided by SBC and Verizon; refuse pickup and disposal service is provided by Waste Management, Inc of the Antelope Valley under a franchise agreement with the city. Geography
ZIP codes The city currently has a total of eight ZIP codes: Nearby Mojave Desert communities Other cities and towns in the Palmdale vicinity include: Neighborhoods and districts The city is unofficially divided up into 11 separate areas: Downtown or Old Town Palmdale (civic center), Trade & Commerce Center (the main shopping district), Desert-View Highlands (old county area), Anaverde (west end-formerly City Ranch), Rancho Vista, Ritter Ranch (far west end),Sun Village (far east end-part County), Harold (old settlement near Lake Palmdale-part County),Quartz Hill (northwest end-part County), Lake Los Angeles (farthest east end-part County), and Leona Valley (farthest west end-part County). Unlike nearby Santa Clarita or Los Angeles, the residents of Palmdale do not use the name of their particular areas to have their mail addressed to for the most part. This is mostly due to the very easily navigated local street system, which is almost completely alphabetized and numeric. Climate Palmdale is located in the high (altitude) desert. This means that summers are very hot and dry while winters are cold and windy. Palmdale has over 300 days of sunshine per year. The wind during winter and spring is a result of the temperature differential between Palmdale and Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix maintains a relatively warmer temperature than Palmdale's. This causes the air over Palmdale to have a higher barometric pressure (thicker air) than the air over Phoenix (thinner air). As a result, the air over Palmdale rushes towards Phoenix, trying to balance out the air pressure. Since Phoenix rarely gets cold, the wind is steady during the winter and spring. The wind is so reliable that wind turbines are used to generate electricity. During the summer and fall there is little wind since Palmdale and Phoenix are usually the same temperature. Winter – Relatively cold, wet, and windy. Temperatures have gone into the single-digits at times. The wind chill factor can be below zero. This is Palmdale's rainy season and is prone to flash flooding during this time. On occasion, it will snow. Average day time highs are in the upper 50s to low 60s while being in the low to mid 30s overnight. Spring – Moderate temperatures. Still occasionally wet. Very windy. Transitional period from winter to summer temperatures is very short. Average daytime highs are in the upper 70s to low 80s while being in the upper 40s to low 50s overnight. Summer – Very hot, dry heat with little or no precipitation. Temperatures frequently soar into triple-digits. However, the high desert where Palmdale is located allows for the temperatures to cool down at night, unlike the low desert cities of Palm Springs and Blythe. Average day time highs are in the upper 90s while droping into the mid to upper 60s overnight. Fall – Moderate temperatures with little or no precipitation. Transitional period from summer to winter temperatures is very short. As a result, the deciduous trees in Palmdale will lose their leaves very rapidly, seemingly overnight, without a color change. Average day time highs are in the upper 70s and low 80s while being in the mid 40s to mid 50s overnight. Economy The most important industry for Palmdale is the aerospace industry. However in recent times, other manufacturing companies have relocated to Palmdale seeking more affordable land, close proximity to Palmdale Airport, and special tax breaks. The special tax breaks granted for companies that relocate to Palmdale is due to the city having the Antelope Valley Enterprise Zone and the Palmdale Federal Foreign Trade Zone. These are special zoning areas within the city that are given various state and federal tax breaks and municipal grant incentives to relocate their business there. These zones were put in effect to help Palmdale and nearby Lancaster draw more jobs to the area so that they would be less dependent on the Los Angeles Basin area for employment, thus relieving pollution and traffic congestion, and stabilizing the local economy on several industries instead of just aerospace which is known for it’s “feast or famine” seasons. Palmdale refers to itself with the nickname the "aerospace capital of the United States", and has been the site of research, development, final assembly, flight testing and/or servicing/modifications of the Space Shuttle, X-15, B-2 Spirit & F-117 Nighthawk, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, SR-71 Blackbird, Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, and many other aircraft that have been used in the United States Air Force, NASA and air forces and airlines around the world. USAF Plant 42, where the aforementioned aerospace projects occurred / occur is home to major operations of the following aerospace companies: Boeing, Lockheed Martin and its famed Skunk Works, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems. The Boeing building (formerly North American Rockwell) at Plant 42 / Palmdale Regional Airport is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was used in the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal to house the duplicate JFK terminal set since it was the only building in the Southland area large enough to house it. Major companies with a presence in Palmdale Newspapers Radio stations Television stations Area highways The Antelope Valley Freeway (SR-14) is the major North-South highway connecting Palmdale to Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada. State Highway 138 (SR-138) is the major east-west highway connecting Palmdale to the Inland Empire and Frazier Park. State Highway 18 (SR-18) heads eastward out of the Antelope Valley connecting it to Victorville and via I-15 the Barstow area. This road is commonly used as a route to Las Vegas, Nevada. Cash-strapped Caltrans, which to date has not yet upgraded CA 138 between Palmdale and I-15 into an expressway, has had plans on the table for several years. Due to State funding constraints, this expressway will probably not be completed until 2020 at the earliest (planning, design and construction process takes 10-15 years). Public transportation The Palmdale Transportation Center, recently completed in March 2005, is the central mass transit center for the Antelope Valley. It serves as the transit hub for the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, the city's public bus system, as well as an Amtrak, Greyhound Bus, and commuter rail Metrolink station. A monorail between Palmdale Airport and the center is planned when the new commercial air terminal is finished. The station is also designated a stop on the proposed California High Speed Rail System. Airport Palmdale's Airport, located upon Plant 42, is one of the largest in the world (geographically). Plant 42 has two runways, each over two miles in length. The Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) has a commercial air terminal owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a Los Angeles municipal department, although no commercial air service is currently provided. Originally acquired by LAWA in 1966 to be developed into "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport", intended to surpass the air traffic of LAX, LAWA has since over the decades not developed its Palmdale airport lands to these claims. Convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport has thus far been difficult, perhaps because of the airline industry's "hub and spoke" system which tends to shun new airports in an effort to improve airline profitability. Additionally, many San Fernando Valley LA residents believe Palmdale's airport is too far away for their tastes. In reality, considering automobile travel time on congested freeways and streets, as well as LAX passenger unloading/parking difficulties, Palmdale may offer the airline passenger a quicker ground transportation travel time from Sherman Oaks than the standard LAX airport car trip down the San Diego 405 freeway. The movie "The Terminal" was filmed at the Palmdale Regional Airport. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 116,670 people, 34,285 households, and 28,113 families residing in the city. The population density was 429.2/km² (1,111.6/mi²). There were 37,096 housing units at an average density of 136.5/km² (353.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.77% White, 14.50% African American, 1.03% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 20.45% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.71% of the population. There were 34,285 households out of which 54.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.72. In the city the population was spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,941, and the median income for a family was $49,293. Males had a median income of $42,190 versus $29,401 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,384. About 12.9% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. Palmdale is suffering from a large population shift from the inner city areas of Los Angeles moving to the Antelope Valley. This is having a detrimental effect on the crime rate and educational system. Many residents of the Antelope Valley commute long distances each day to a secular job. Notable residents | |||||||||
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