Description

Palmdale, was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city (on August 24, 1962), and is located in the northeast reaches of Los Angeles County. 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). For most of its existence it has had a small population; however, it now is arguably the largest "desert city" (from an Angelino viewpoint) in California, and is the sixth largest city in Los Angeles County. With 105 square miles of land in its incorporated boundaries, the city is in the top 100 largest cities in the United States in geographic area. 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. 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 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.) 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 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. The street system is set out in a grid. While it is not ingenious, it does make finding addresses in Palmdale and the entire Antelope Valley easy. Major roads are set a mile apart from north to south and named after the alphabet. Major streets which run east to west are numbered inside their direction i.e. 10th Street West and 10th Street East. The dividing line is Division Street. All the addresses correspond to this numbering system. For instance, if you were looking for 6066 West Avenue M-2, you would know to go to the second street between Avenues M and N just past 60th Street. 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 1910's, crops of apples, pears, and alfalfa became plentiful. 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. In August 1962, the township of Palmdale officially became the city of Palmdale with the incorporation of 2 square miles 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. Affordable housing in the area caused a dramatic spike in the population. 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.