Description

Located northeast of Edwards Air force Base along California State Highway 58, the community of Boron is the site of a giant open-pit mine from which the extracted element, borax, lends the town its name. The pit, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, is owned and operated by the U.S. Borax and Chemical Corporation and employs a great deal of the community. Many others are employed at Edwards Air Force Base.


History

With a population around 3,000, the town's people tuck themselves into preservation of the rich history of both Boron and Edwards. Boron is a big football town, and has taken many state championships in California's smallest-school division. Boron is populated primarily by descendants of Oklahomans who came to California during the Great Depression. Despite its location only hours from Los Angeles, many people in Boron speak with an Oklahoman drawl. Despite Boron's apparent lack of affluence, most people are able to maintain a decent standard of living because property values are still quite low and they work union jobs at Borax. The town is also home of the Col. Vernon P. Saxon Jr. Aerospace Museum.