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Ridgecrest, California

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Ridgecrest, California
City
Location in Kern County and the state of California
Location in Kern County and the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyKern
Government
 • SenateRoy Ashburn (R)
 • AssemblyJean Fuller (R)
 • U. S. CongressKevin McCarthy (R)
Area
 • Total
20.0 sq mi (52 km2)
 • Land20.0 sq mi (20.0 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
Elevation
2,290 ft (698 m)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total
30,151
 • Density1,164.8/sq mi (449.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
93555-93556
Area code760
FIPS code06-60704
GNIS feature ID1652783

Ridgecrest was incorporated as a city in 1963. Formerly known as Crumville. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County. The population was 24,927 at the 2000 census and now its 30,151 in 2008.

Ridgecrest is just minutes from the China Lake gates. As the second largest city in Kern County, Ridgecrest offers all of the amenities of comfortable living. A wide variety of affordable housing, a unified school district, a community college and all of your shopping needs are among the things that are available in Ridgecrest without the hassles of the big city.

Ridgecrest is surrounded by four mountain ranges; the Sierra Nevada on the west, the Cosos on the north, the Argus Range on the east, and the El Paso Mountains on the south. It is approximately 80 miles from the Lancaster/Palmdale area and approximately 115 miles from both Bakersfield and San Bernardino, the three nearest major urban centers.

The meteorology in the Indian Wells Valley is predominantly influenced by its high desert location. The climate is characterized by hot days and cool nights with extremely arid conditions prevailing throughout the summer months. The mean annual temperature for the Ridgecrest area is 75F degrees. There are wide annual temperature fluctuations that occur from a high of 120F degrees to a low of 10F degrees.

The area, associated with the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ), has experienced numerous earthquake swarms in the past (groups of several thousand quakes under magnitude 6.0 or so) often with no obvious mainshock. The 1995 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence started on August 17, when a magnitude 5.5 quake, centered 18 kilometers north of the town of Ridgecrest, shook the area and spawned over 2,500 aftershocks over the course of the following five weeks. Then, on September 20, 1995, the second large quake struck the area: it measured magnitude 6.0, and was at that time the largest earthquake to hit southern California since the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20 square miles (55.6 km²), of which, 14 square miles (54.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (1.54%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 24,927 people, 9,826 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,179.9 people per square mile (455.5/km²). There were 11,309 housing units at an average density of 535.3/sq mi (206.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.02% White, 3.53% Black or African American, 1.08% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 4.93% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. 12.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,826 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,971, and the median income for a family was $52,725. Males had a median income of $46,993 versus $29,558 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,312. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

What Can You Do Here?

Education

Sierra Sands Unified School District includes the following elementary schools: Las Flores Elementary, Faller Elementary, Richmond Elementary, Gateway Elementary, and Pierce Elementary. For middle-schoolers, the school district includes James Monroe Middle School, and Murray Middle School. The district's primary high school, Sherman E Burroughs High School, serves Ridgecrest, China Lake NAWC, Inyokern, Buttermilk Acres, Red Mountain, and Randsburg. There is also an alternative high school, Mesquite High School.

Ridgecrest Charter School is a public charter school unaffiliated with the district. Private schools include Saint Ann Elementary and Middle School, serving students K-8; Immanuel Christian School, covering pre-K to high school; and Adventist Christian School, which serves grades 1–8. There is also an independent study charter school, Opportunities For Learning, for students in grades 7–12.


Public Safety

Ridgecrest has its own police department, as well as a regional station of the Kern County Sheriff's Department, with the Kern County Fire Department providing fire protection and Emergency Medical Services.

Media

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Ridgecrest is served by two newspapers, The Daily Independent and the News Review, as well as a mixture of local broadcast stations and repeaters from radio and TV stations based in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The repeaters are operated by the IWV TV Booster.

Radio

AM

FM

Television

Notable Residents

References

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