🇺🇸 Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On August 24, 1962, Palmdale became the first city in the Antelope Valley. Forty-seven years later, in November 2009, voters approved making it a charter city. Palmdale is the 32nd most populous city in California. Together with its immediate northern neighbor, the city of Lancaster, it is part of the Palmdale–Lancaster urban area.
1History Palmdale was first inhabited by Native Americans. Populated by different cultures for an estimated 11,000 years, the Antelope Valley was a trade route for Native Americans traveling from Arizona and New Mexico to California's coast.
Spanish soldier Captain Pedro Fages explored the Antelope Valley in 1772. The opening of California to overland travel through the forbearing desert was due to Captain Juan Bautista de Anza and Father Francisco Garces, a Spanish padre. They led a colonizing expedition including 136 settlers across the Mojave Desert from Mexico to Monterey in 1773.
Later in 1776 while exploring the Valley, Garces with several Indian guides from the San Gabriel Mission recorded viewing the vast expanse of what was the El Tejon Rancheria (the Badger Ranch) of the Cuabajoy Indians. After the Shoshone Indians left the valley, immigrants from Spain and Mexico established large cattle ranches there. Then, in the late 1880s, the ranches were broken up into smaller homesteads by farmers from Germany, France and the state of Nebraska.
1Palmenthal (the first settlement of Palmdale), 1886 to 1913 "Palmenthal", the first European settlement within the limits of Palmdale, was established as a village on April 20, 1886, by westward Lutheran 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. They took the local Joshua trees for palms and named their settlement after them. (Palmenthal is German for Palm Valley.) According to David L. Durham Joshua trees were sometimes called yucca palms at the time, which was the reason for the name. The village was officially established upon the arrival of a post office on June 17, 1888.
By the 1890s (soon after the last of the indigenous antelopes, which the valley was named after, had died), farming 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 centre 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. The Wells Fargo stagecoach line that ran between San Francisco and New Orleans stopped there as well.
The only remaining pieces of evidence of the original settlements of Palmenthal and Harold are the old Palmdale Pioneer cemetery located on the north-east corner of Avenue S and 20th Street East, recently acquired and restored by the city as part of a future historical park, and the old schoolhouse now relocated to McAdam Park.
1First two decades of the Town of Palmdale, 1913–1933 As the population of Palmdale began to increase after relocation, water became scarce, until November 5, 1913 when the California – Los Angeles Aqueduct system was completed by William Mulholland, bringing water from the Owens Valley into Los Angeles County. During this period, 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 motor vehicle link between Palmdale and Los Angeles was completed, Mint Canyon/Lancaster Road, later designated U.S. Route 6. 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 Little Rock 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.
1Next three decades of the Town of Palmdale, 1933–1962 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 (from an original founder's name, Effie Corum, spelled backwards) six miles (10 km) 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. The city has been 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 August 1956, an unpiloted out-of-control Navy drone flew over Palmdale while Air Force Interceptor aircraft tried to shoot it down with unguided rockets. Many rockets landed in and around the city, starting fires and damaging property.
In 1957, Palmdale's first high school, Palmdale High School, was established, making it easier for youths to not have to travel to Antelope Valley High School in nearby Lancaster.
1Incorporation, 1962–1980 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 1964, 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 17,750 acres (71.8 km²) of land east of the city for its proposed intercontinental commercial airport. However, the United States Air Force desired to put construction of this new facility on hold 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 LA/Palmdale Regional Airport which the City of Palmdale has taken control of in an effort to establish reliable air service in the region.
By 1974, the Antelope Valley Freeway construction ended at the southern border of Mojave in Kern County. In 1977, Palmdale built its first municipal building, the Palmdale City Library. This was the same year that its northern neighbor Lancaster incorporated as 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.
1First housing market growth and recession, 1980–1990 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, like its northern neighbor Lancaster, became a bedroom community for those employed in Los Angeles.
1Geography Palmdale is located in Los Angeles County, and the urbanized centres of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range, which is about 40 miles (64 km) wide. This range forms the southern edge of the Antelope Valley portion of the Mojave Desert. Palmdale is the second-most populous city in the Antelope Valley, and fifth overall in the Mojave Desert, after Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Nevada; and Lancaster. Palmdale is part of a twin-city complex with its northern neighbor Lancaster and together they are the principal cities within the Antelope Valley region and California's High Desert.
Downtown Palmdale is located at an elevation of 2,655 feet (809 m) above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 106.2 square miles (275 km²), of which, 106.0 square miles (275 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it is water (including man-made Lake Palmdale, the most visible and scenic part of the municipal water supply system). The total area is 0.24% water.
The city lies in proximity to the San Andreas Fault, making it prone to severe earthquakes. This fault cuts across the Antelope Valley Freeway just north of the Avenue S off-ramp; running westward along the old Butterfield Stage Line (now Elizabeth Lake Road) into Leona Valley.
1Economy The most important industry for Palmdale is the aerospace industry. Other manufacturing companies have relocated to Palmdale seeking more affordable land, 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, as well as nearby Lancaster, draw more jobs to the area so that they would be less dependent on the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley area for employment. This will help relieve traffic congestion and pollution and stabilize the Antelope Valley economy on several industries. The local governments of the Antelope Valley seek to diversify their economies and not just depend on the aerospace industry as it is known for having "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, B-1 Lancer, X-15, B-2 Spirit, B-21 Raider, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, 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 aerospace projects occurred / occur is home to major operations of the following aerospace companies: Boeing, Lockheed Martin and its famed Skunk Works, and Northrop Grumman. The Los Angeles World Airports owns the former Boeing hangar (formerly North American Rockwell) at Plant 42 near LA/Palmdale Regional Airport which is one of the largest buildings in the world. The hangar was used for the set of the 2004 film The Terminal, which featured an enormous replica of a JFK International Airport terminal. NASA's SOFIA program relocated its operation to this hangar at Site 9 from Edwards Air Force Base.
A number of world class corporations and manufacturing firms have made Palmdale home, helping to diversify the local economy. Delta Scientific, a world leader in high strength vehicle barrier systems, supplying protection for many federal, state and local buildings, and a prime supplier to the military and US State Department for embassies and other installations worldwide, and US Pole, a major manufacturer of street lighting poles, are major anchor tenants in the Fairway Business Park. The Palmdale Trade and Commerce Center is home to many other major manufacturing, industrial, corporate offices and other employers, as well as home to the Palmdale Auto Mall. A number of medical and related support offices are coming on-line to meet the needs of the new Palmdale Regional Medical Center. On July 8, 2009 Quallion LLC, which manufactures lithium ion cells and battery packs, announced plans to build a battery manufacturing plant in Palmdale if it won a government grant being offered by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Beginning in the 1960s, Palmdale was home to Don Babb's The Model A Ford Company, which became Classic Manufacturing and Supply, builder of exact reproduction and custom steel bodies and parts for hot rods and customs.
With an $890-million contract to build 175 light-rail cars for Metropolitan Transportation Authority that was behind schedule, Kinkisharyo, the El Segundo-based U.S. arm of Kinki Sharyo Co. Ltd. of Osaka announced in December 2014 that they would retrofit an existing space in Palmdale to build the P3010 series vehicles. A major shipment was needed for the Expo Line Phase II extension to Santa Monica and Gold Line Foothill Extension to Azusa which were scheduled to open in 2016. The balance of the 175 cars will be needed in the following years as the K Line and Downtown Connector open. Final assembly work has already occurred in hangar space the company leased in Palmdale from Los Angeles World Airports. The first car was delivered to Metro in October for testing before series production begins.
The Antelope Valley Mall is the retail shopping destination in the region, with a variety of dining choices on its restaurant row.
Onions are the most valued crop that grows in Palmdale. Some of Antelope Valley's onions were exported to Japan, Taiwan, Dubai and Australia. Other crops grown in Palmdale and the Antelope Valley are alfalfa, wheat, fruit, oats and barley.
1Largest employers Employers include: • Lockheed Martin; • Northrop Grumman; • Antelope Valley Mall; • Palmdale School District; • Walmart; • Westside Union School District; • Antelope Valley Union High School District; • Boeing; • Palmdale Regional Medical Center; • Los Angeles County; • CarMax.
1Education: University • The Antelope Valley Community College District currently has a satellite campus in Palmdale with a student population of about 470. This temporary campus was set up until a permanent community college campus could be established within the city, which is being planned for the southside of the city on 25th Street East, south of Avenue S. The district has one full service campus in nearby Lancaster with about 14,000 students. • The California State University system also has a satellite campus from its Bakersfield facility in nearby Lancaster at the Antelope Valley College main campus. • DeVry University has a campus in Palmdale that includes its Keller Graduate School of Management. • Brandman University has a satellite campus in Palmdale. • University of Antelope Valley (private 4yr college) • University of La Verne has a satellite campus in Palmdale. • University of Phoenix has a satellite campus in nearby Lancaster. • The AERO Institute at the Palmdale Institute of Technology is a facility in Palmdale at the Civic Center. It is operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the City of Palmdale, and distance learning through a number of universities is available including Purdue, USC, University of San Diego, Pepperdine University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Caltech and Cal Poly Pomona. This specialized school offers graduate and undergraduate education in aerospace science, engineering, and technical skills.
1Media: Print • Antelope Valley Press • The Antelope Valley Times • Aerotech News and Review • AV Political Observer • El Sol Del Desierto.
1Media: Radio AM • KAVL 610 AM Sports • KTPI 1340 AM Adult Standards • KOSS 1380 AM News/Talk • KUTY 1470 AM Spanish Oldies
FM • KCRY 88.1 FM NPR (KCRW Santa Monica) • KTLW 88.9 FM Religious/Christian • KLXP 89.7 FM Religious/Christian (simulcast of Hollister KHRI 90.7) • K211EY 90.1 FM Religious/Christian (simulcast of Victorville KHMS 88.5) • K216FA 91.1 FM Religious/Christian (simulcast of Twin Falls KAWZ 89.9) • KWTD 91.9 FM Religious/Christian (simulcast of Bishop KWTW 88.5) • KQAV 93.5 FM Classic Rock • KFXM-LP 96.7 FM Oldies • KTPI-FM 97.7 FM Country • KKZQ 100.1 FM Modern Rock • KRAJ 100.9 FM Hip Hop • KSRY 103.1 FM Modern Rock (simulcast of Los Angeles KYSR 98.7) • KGBB 103.9 FM Adult Hits • KEPD 104.9 FM Country • KVVS 105.5 FM Top 40 (simulcast of Los Angeles KIIS 102.7) • KGMX 106.3 FM Adult Contemporary • KMVE 106.9 FM Regional Spanish.
1Television stations • TW Cable 3 Local Events / News • Palmdale 27 City's cable information channel • KPAL-LP 38 Home Shopping / Local Events.
1Transport According to the latest U.S. Census report released in September 2009, Palmdale has the longest average commute time in the United States at 41.5 minutes. This commute time exceeds that of even New York City. this is due to the majority of citizens commuting to nearby Santa Clarita and farther south to Los Angeles.
1Transport: Air The LA/Palmdale Regional Airport/Air Force Plant 42 (PMD) has two runways, each over 2.25 miles (3.62 km) in length, although there is currently no commercial airline service at the airport. PMD's commercial terminal is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a municipal department of the City of Los Angeles, on leased land from the U.S. Air Force. Airline service has been sporadic since commercial flights were first offered in 1971. Most recently, United Express/SkyWest Airlines flew between PMD and San Francisco from June 7, 2007, to December 6, 2008. The city of Palmdale formed the Palmdale Airport Authority to move forward to control the facilities and the lease with the USAF, to better develop regional air service in the High Desert.
LAWA also owns 17,500 acres (71 km²) of land adjacent to the existing airport. The land was acquired between 1970 and 1983 to be developed into "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport", intended to surpass the air traffic of LAX. The land remains undeveloped. LAWA is currently developing a Master Plan for Palmdale that will guide airport land use and development decisions through 2030.
The FAA's Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center is located adjacent to the airport.
NASA has consolidated its research, environmental and training aircraft, support services and facilities at the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale. From the oversized runway and the massive hangar located at Air Force Plant 42 Site 9, NASA conducts worldwide environmental research with its ER-2 (a U-2 variant) and cutting edge deep space imaging with the 747-based SOFIA infrared telescope.
1Transport: Road The Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14) is the major north–south highway connecting Palmdale to Los Angeles and Mojave.
State Route 138 (SR 138) is the major east–west highway connecting Palmdale to the Inland Empire and Frazier Park.
State Route 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.
1Future highways Caltrans only recently began upgrades to SR 138 (nicknamed "Blood Alley" due to the high rate of accidents that occur). Caltrans has had plans on the table for several years for SR 138 and SR 18 to create an east–west freeway between Palmdale and I-15. Due to State funding constraints, however, this expressway will probably not be completed. There has been discussion of creating the High Desert Corridor tollway in its place. Caltrans put the freeway project on hold in 2019. There is also a plan to continue the freeway from Palmdale along the southern foothills of the Antelope Valley to I-5 in Gorman.
State Route 48 (SR 48) is a planned east–west freeway connecting the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14) at Avenue D, the current segment terminus for the western SR 138 branch, to Interstate 5 in Gorman. This freeway is planned to come after SR 138 has its new southern realignment through Palmdale completed, and will follow the existing SR 138 right of way.
State Route 122 (SR 122) is a planned north–south freeway from eastern Palmdale, passing east of Edwards Air Force Base to SR 58 near California City.
State Route 249 (SR 249) is a planned north–south freeway from southern Palmdale through the San Gabriel Mountains to I-210 in La Cañada Flintridge, near Pasadena.
1Street system The street system in the Antelope Valley is set out in a grid. Unless otherwise named or curved around due to terrain, east–west roads are called avenues and north–south roads are called streets. The city is essentially on a perfect grid, and the traffic signals are coordinated by a central processing facility at the Civic Center.
East–west avenues are lettered mile-by-mile from north to south, starting with Avenue A on the Los Angeles-Kern County line. One mile south of Avenue A is Avenue B, and so on. Smaller roads between major avenues carry suffixes "-1" (nearest to the lettered avenue) through "-15" (nearest to the next lettered avenue). Some "-8" avenues can be major thoroughfares, for example, Avenue R-8 is halfway between Avenue R and Avenue S.
North–south streets are numbered with an "east" or "west" suffix with respect to their distances from Division Street. The number increases by 10 for each mile, so a mile east and west of Division Street lie "10th Street East" and "10th Street West" respectively. Some streets like 5th or 15th can also be major thoroughfares.
House addresses on east–west "avenues" are numbered according to the "streets". For example, "2001 East Palmdale Boulevard" is just east of 20th Street East, and "6066 West Avenue M-2" is just west of 60th Street West on Avenue M-2, which is 2/16 of a mile south of Avenue M.
On north–south streets, numbers are counted from downtown Los Angeles (thus increase from south to north), and while in the Antelope Valley, the difference is 800 per mile. For example, Palmdale Boulevard (geographically "Avenue Q-8") is 38400, Avenue Q is 38800, Avenue P is 39600, and so on. "37200 25th Street East" would be at the corner of Avenue S.
In accordance with Los Angeles County standards, odd numbers are on west and north sides of the road, and even numbers are on east and south sides of the road.
Avenue M is the general border of the connected population between Palmdale and Lancaster. Avenue L is actually the longer border between the two cities, east of Challenger Way, but is not as heavily populated. Avenue M has recently been named Columbia Way out of respect for the astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Columbia that disintegrated on re-entry in 2003. 10th Street East north of Columbia Way was renamed Challenger Way in 1987, in honor of those lost in the Challenger Disaster. (All of the shuttles were built in Palmdale.)
1Transport: Public The Palmdale Transportation Center, completed in March 2005, is the central mass transit centre 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. The station is also designated a stop on the proposed California High Speed Rail System and the proposed Orangeline Maglev rail from Irvine.
1Transport: Cycling Palmdale is developing a network of bike lanes and bike paths throughout its boundaries. The backbone of the system is a new, grade separated Class A bike path on Avenue S, between 5th Street East and 25th St East, that was included as part of a $20 million highway improvement project, and a similar path on Sierra Highway, that runs from Technology Drive (Avenue P-8) north to meet with the Lancaster segment up to Avenue J. There are also bike lanes on some local streets, leading to parks and schools, as well.
Cycling in certain areas of Palmdale carries an increased risk due to higher speed limits for vehicles and also due to the presence of large vehicles.
Palmdale is also a location frequently used in staging of the Tour of California.
1Sites of interest • Antelope Valley Mall More than a million square feet of shopping space with chain stores like Bath & Body Works, Claire's, Hot Topic, Macy's, Victoria's Secret, H&M and more. • Best Of The West Softball Complex • Dry Town Water Park on Avenue S, open each summer from May to September • Joshua Ranch Trail a natural preservation area, temporarily closed due to a housing development under construction. • Palmdale Amphitheater is a 10,000 seat outdoor amphitheater hosting the Starlight Concert Series with world-famous performers on evenings in the summer • Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42 and next-door the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum's Blackbird Airpark Annex show off displays of various aircraft built or tested at Palmdale Air Force Plant 42 • Palmdale Playhouse and Art Gallery • Barrel Springs Equestrian Center • Palmdale Schoolhouse at McAdam Park, the only remaining building of the original village of Palmenthal in the late 19th century • Rancho Vista Golf Course Palmdale's only PGA class golf course • Thursday Night on the Square features an outside market, live entertainment, various arts and crafts, refreshments, and children's activities on Thursday Nights in the summer
1Palmdale was ranked #662 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Palmdale has a population of over 169,450 people. Palmdale also forms part of the wider Palmdale-Lancaster urban area which has a population of over 359,559 people. It is also a part of the larger Los Angeles metropolitan area. Palmdale is the #272 hipster city in the world, with a hipster score of 2.9012 according to the Hipster Index which evaluates and ranks the major cities of the world according to the number of vegan eateries, coffee shops, tattoo studios, vintage boutiques, and record stores.
To set up a UBI Lab for Palmdale see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Twin Towns - Sister Cities Palmdale has links with:
🇺🇸 Victorville 34.539
🇺🇸 Apple Valley 34.524
🇨🇳 Donghai County 34.517
🇺🇸 Hot Springs 34.509
🇺🇸 Bellflower -118.117
🇺🇸 Montebello -118.1
🇺🇸 Pico Rivera -118.083
🇺🇸 San Gabriel -118.083
Locations Near: Palmdale -118.118,34.5594
🇺🇸 Lancaster -118.148,34.697 d: 15.6
🇺🇸 Sunland-Tujunga -118.291,34.258 d: 37.1
🇺🇸 Tujunga -118.283,34.25 d: 37.6
🇺🇸 Canyon Country -118.45,34.42 d: 34.1
🇺🇸 Sylmar -118.429,34.308 d: 40
🇺🇸 Pasadena -118.135,34.146 d: 46
🇺🇸 San Fernando -118.439,34.287 d: 42.2
🇺🇸 Burbank -118.308,34.182 d: 45.5
🇺🇸 Sun Valley -118.369,34.218 d: 44.5
Antipodal to: Palmdale 61.882,-34.559
🇫🇷 Saint-Pierre 55.478,-21.342 d: 18417.5
🇫🇷 Le Tampon 55.515,-21.278 d: 18412.3
🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 18388.7
🇫🇷 Réunion 55.532,-21.133 d: 18397.9
🇫🇷 Saint-Benoît 55.713,-21.034 d: 18394.3
🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 18374.4
🇲🇺 Vacoas-Phoenix 57.493,-20.3 d: 18372
🇲🇺 Centre de Flacq 57.718,-20.2 d: 18366.8
🇲🇺 Port Mathurin 63.417,-19.683 d: 18354.1
🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes 57.479,-20.266 d: 18367.9