Examine individual changes

'{{other uses}} [[File:Geese and Antelope Valley poppies.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Canada geese]] take flight over wildflowers near [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]], 2011.]] [[File:Antelope valley californie.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A truck passes eastbound along the busy [[California State Route 58|Highway 58]] through the Antelope Valley. The [[Tehachapi Mountains]] are visible in the distance.]] '''Antelope Valley''' is located in northern [[Los Angeles County]], [[California]] and the southeast portion of [[Kern County, California]], and constitutes the western tip of the [[Mojave Desert]].<ref>{{cite gnis|1930539|Antelope Valley}}</ref> It is situated between the [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapi]] and the [[San Gabriel Mountains]].<ref name=UC>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Dale Pitt|title=Antelope Valley|encyclopedia=Los Angeles A to Z: an encyclopedia of the city and county|page=20|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-20530-7|year=2000}}</ref> The valley was named for the [[pronghorn]]s that roamed there until being eliminated by bad weather in the 1880s and hunters.<ref name=UC/><ref name="BrightGudde1998">{{cite book|author1=William Bright|author2=Erwin Gustav Gudde|title=1500 California place names: their origin and meaning|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CET4QodMZysC|accessdate=20 January 2012|date=30 November 1998|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21271-8|page=16}}</ref> The principal cities in the Antelope Valley are [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]] and [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]. ==Geography== The Antelope Valley comprises the western tip of the [[Mojave Desert]], opening up to the [[Victor Valley]] and the [[Great Basin]] to the east. Lying north of the [[San Gabriel Mountains]] and southeast of the [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapis]], this [[desert]] [[ecosystem]] spans approximately {{convert|2200|mi2|km2|0|sp=us}}. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] in the surrounding mountain ranges contributes to [[groundwater recharge]]. ==Flora and fauna== [[File:Joshua Trees in Snow.jpg|thumb|220px|Joshua trees in snow, near [[Lancaster, California]]]] The Antelope Valley is home to a wide range of plants and animals. This includes hundreds of plants such as the [[California Juniper]], [[Joshua tree]], [[California Scrub Oak]], [[Larrea tridentata|Creosote]], and wildflowers, notably the [[California poppy]]. Winter brings much-needed rain which slowly penetrates the area's dry ground, bringing up native grasses and wildflowers. Poppy season depends completely on the precipitation, but a good bloom can be killed off by the unusual weather in the late winter and early spring months. The Antelope Valley gets its name from its history of [[pronghorn]] grazing in large numbers. In 1882-85, the valley lost 30,000 head of antelope, almost half of the species for which it was named.<ref name="BrightGudde1998"/> Unusually heavy snows in both the mountains and the valley floor drove the antelope toward their normal feeding grounds in the eastern part of the valley. Since they would not cross the [[railroad track]]s, many of them starved to death. The remainder of these pronghorn were hunted for their fur by settlers. Once abundant, they either died off or migrated into the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]]. A drought in the early 1900s caused a scarcity in [[bunch grass]], their main food source. Now the sighting of a pronghorn is rare, although there are still a small number in the western portion of the valley. ===Water issues=== Human water use in the Antelope Valley depends mainly on pumping of groundwater from the valley's [[aquifer]]s and on importing additional water from the [[California Aqueduct]]. Long-term groundwater pumping has lowered the [[water table]], thereby increasing pumping lifts, reducing well efficiency, and causing land [[subsidence]].<ref>Ikehara, Marti E. and Phillips, Steven P. (1994) ''[http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1994/4184/report.pdf Determination of Land Subsidence Related to Ground-Water Level Declines Using Global Positioning System and Leveling Surveys in Antelope Valley, Los Angeles and Kern Counties, California, 1992]'', Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4184, [[United States Geological Survey]]</ref> While aqueducts supply additional water that meets increasing human demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic uses, diversion of water from the [[Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta]] in northern California has caused and causes adverse environmental and social effects in the delta. "Over decades, [the] competing uses for water supply and habitat have jeopardized the Delta’s ability to meet either need. All stakeholders agree the [[estuary]] is in trouble and requires long-term solutions to ensure reliable, quality water supplies and a healthy ecosystem."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070707225825/http://www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov/swp/delta.cfm Department of Water Resources]</ref> The Antelope Valley's population growth and development place considerable stress on the local and regional water systems. According to David Leighton of the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS), "A deliberate management effort will be required to meet future water demand in the Antelope Valley without incurring significant economic and environmental costs associated with overuse of the ground-water resource."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060923114905/http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects00/ca532.html USGS]</ref> ==Human history== The first peoples of the Antelope Valley include the [[Kawaiisu]],<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20080505080632/http://home.att.net/~write2kate/artbyhorseindex.html {{unreliable source?|date=May 2013}}</ref> [[Kitanemuk]], [[Serrano (people)|Serrano]], and [[Tataviam people|Tataviam]]. Europeans first entered in the 1770s during the [[colonization]] of [[North America]]. Father [[Francisco Garces]], a Spanish [[Franciscan]] friar, is believed to have traveled the west end of the valley in 1776. The Spanish established [[El Camino Viejo]] through the western part of the valley between Los Angeles and the missions of the [[San Francisco Bay]] in the 1780s. By 1808, the Spanish had moved the native people out of the valley and into missions.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.colapublib.org/history/antelopevalley/faq.html#q16 |contribution= Antelope Valley Frequently Asked Questions: 16. What Indians lived here? |title= County of Los Angeles Public Library: Lancaster Library }}</ref> [[File:Lancaster, CA (Panoramic).jpg|thumb|right|220px|Panoramic view of [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]]] [[Jedediah Smith]] came through in 1827, and [[John C. Fremont]] made a scientific observation of the valley in 1844. After Fremont's visit the [[California Gold Rush#Forty-niners|49ers]] crossed the valley via the [[Tejon Pass (Kern County)|Old Tejon Pass]] into the [[San Joaquin Valley]] on their way to the gold fields. Later, a better wagon road, the [[Stockton – Los Angeles Road]] route to [[Tejon Pass]], followed in 1854. Stagecoach lines across the southern foothills came through the valley along this wagon road, and were the preferred method for travelers before the coming of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific]] Railroad in 1876. The rail service linking the valley to the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] and Los Angeles started its first large influx of white settlers, and farms and towns soon sprouted on the valley floor. The aircraft (now called aerospace) industry took hold in the valley at Plant 42 in 1952. Edwards AFB, then called Muroc Army Air Field, was established in 1933. ==Demographics== In recent decades the valley has become a [[bedroom community]] to the [[Greater Los Angeles area]].<ref>Peevers, Andrea Schulte Lonely Planet, California, 3rd Ed. ISBN 9781864503319, p.476</ref> Major housing tract development and population growth took off beginning in 1983, which has increased the population of Palmdale around 12 times its former size as of 2006. Neighboring [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]] has increased its population since the early 1980s to around three times its former level. Major retail has followed the population influx, centered on Palmdale's [[Antelope Valley Mall]]. The Antelope Valley is home to over 475,000 people. Non-Hispanic [[white American|whites]] make up approximately 48% of the population of the Antelope Valley and form a majority or plurality in most of its cities and towns. [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanics]] are the next largest group, followed by [[African Americans]] and [[Asian American]]s. Some long-term residents living far out in the desert have been cited by Los Angeles County's Nuisance Abatement Teams for code violations, forcing them to make improvements or move. One of the properties is a church building which was used as a filming location for ''[[Kill Bill]]''. The code enforcers have arrived on some of their visits in [[SWAT]] team formats.<ref>{{cite news|last=Melnicoff|first=Mars|title=L A County's Private Property War|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2011-06-23/news/l-a-county-s-private-property-war/|accessdate=30 August 2011|newspaper=:A Weekly News|date=2011-09-16}}</ref> ==Military base== [[File:STS-114 Landing.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]] ([[STS-114]]) touches down in the Antelope Valley ([[Edwards Air Force Base]]), (August 9, 2005)]] [[Edwards Air Force Base]] lies east of [[Rosamond, California|Rosamond]], 37 miles (60&nbsp;km) northeast of [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]]. Edwards AFB's dry lakebeds are the lowest geographic elevation in the valley. Significant amounts of U.S. military flight testing are performed there, and it has been the site of many important aeronautical accomplishments, including the first flight to break the [[sound barrier]]. [[NASA]] [[space shuttle]]s originally landed at Edwards because the lake beds offer a vast landing area. NASA built a huge landing strip at [[Kennedy Space Center]], and Edwards was retained as the backup in case of bad weather at [[Cape Canaveral]]. NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center is a tenant organization at Edwards AFB. The Center is best known for the X-15 experimental rocket ship program. It has been the home of NASA's high-performance aircraft research since it was founded for the X-1 program. The Orbiter was serviced there when it landed at Edwards. ==Industry== ===Aerospace=== [[File:Kluft-photo-SS1-landing-June-2004-Img 1406c.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne|SpaceShipOne]] ([[SpaceShipOne flight 15P|Flight 15P]]) landing at [[Mojave Air & Space Port]] (June 21, 2004)]] [[U. S. Air Force Plant 42]] in northeast Palmdale is home to [[Lockheed Martin]], [[Boeing]], [[Northrop Grumman]], and [[BAE Systems]], among other aerospace-related companies. Notable projects assembled and/or designed there include the [[Space Shuttle orbiter]]s, [[B-1 Lancer]] bomber, [[B-2 Spirit]] bomber, [[F-117 Nighthawk]] fighter, [[F-35 Joint Strike Fighter]], and the [[Lockheed L-1011]] Tristar, a passenger jet aircraft. This region also houses the newly dedicated [[Mojave Air & Space Port]]. The spaceport is famous as the base of operations for [[Scaled Composites]], the company that designed [[SpaceShipOne]] and won the [[Ansari X Prize|X-Prize]]. Much of the work done at these facilities is performed in coordination with Edwards Air Force Base and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (see above), from the creation and testing of proof-of-concept X-planes, to Space Shuttle operations, to the manufacturing and integration and testing of new military aviation equipment. ===Agriculture=== [[File:Antelope vally spring.jpg|thumb|220px|Antelope Valley in spring covered by a carpet of goldfields ''[[Lasthenia californica]]''.]] The valley's first main industry as a part of the United States was agriculture. Historically known regionally for its extensive [[alfalfa]] fields and fruit crops, farmers now are growing a wider variety of crops, such as carrots, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. As housing tracts continue to build in the middle of the valley, the farm operations are now found farther to the west and east sides than in previous decades. ===Mining=== The world's largest [[borax]] open-pit mine in the world is located near [[Boron, California|Boron]]. Public touring is available. ===Manufacturing=== {{colbegin}} * U.S. Pole Company Inc. * Senior Systems Technology * [[Delta Scientific]] * Lance Camper Manufacturing Corporation * Harvest Farms Inc. {{colend}} ==Education== ===Colleges and universities=== * [[University of Antelope Valley]], INC. formerly known as Antelope Valley Medical College, INC. is a private, [[For-profit education|for-profit]], incorporated company/corporation.<ref>University of Antelope Valley (2011–2012).''Master's degree Academic Catalog, p. 5. Lancaster, California: University of Antelope Valley "in-house publishing" Retrieved, Sunday, April 15, 2012 from https://www.uav.edu/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=184</ref> The corporation is owned and operated by Lancaster city councilwoman, Sandra Johnson.<ref>''About Sandra''. (2012). Retrieved, Sunday, April 15, 2012, from ''http://votesandrajohnson.com/about_sandra''</ref> The facility was featured on a local news report titled "University of Antelope Valley pays employers for jobs",<ref>Stallworth, Leo "University of Antelope Valley pays employers for jobs" (c)KABC-TV/DT. Friday, September 09, 2011. Retrieved, April 15, 2012.</ref> regarding payouts to local businesses that would hire or place graduated students for $2,000. UAV, INC., must place at least 65 percent of its graduates in jobs, or lose accreditation.<ref>[http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8348428 KABC-TV Video]</ref> * The [[Antelope Valley Community College District]] is the local public, regionally accredited, college system that covers the area with a primary service area of {{convert|1945|sqmi|km2}} covering portions of [[Los Angeles County|Los Angeles]] and [[Kern County|Kern]] counties. Instruction is offered at multiple sites, including [[Palmdale]] and [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]], as well as through online and instructional television courses. It has 2 campuses. The main one, [[Antelope Valley College]] is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster. The college offers Associate in Arts/Associate in Science (two-year) degrees in 67 fields, as well as certificate programs in 56 vocational areas. It also hosts a satellite location of [[California State University, Bakersfield]]-Antelope Valley, where students can obtain bachelor's and master's degrees. Enrollment for the 2007-2008 academic year exceeds 14,000. The second campus is a satellite campus in Palmdale with an enrollment of just over 500. * [[University of Phoenix]] has a satellite campus in Lancaster. * [[University of La Verne]] has a satellite campus in Palmdale. * [[DeVry University]] and its [[Keller Graduate School of Management]] has a satellite campus in Palmdale. * [[Chapman University]] has a satellite campus in Palmdale. * 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]], [[University of Southern California|USC]], [[University of San Diego]], [[Pepperdine University]], [[Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]], [[California Institute of Technology|Caltech]] and [[Cal Poly Pomona]]. This specialized school offers graduate and undergraduate education in aerospace science, engineering, and technical skills. * [[West Coast Baptist College]] in Lancaster, is an unaccredited Independent Fundamental [[Baptist]] [[Bible]] college offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in Pastoral studies, evangelism, missions, church ministries, music, Christian education, youth ministry, and secretarial studies. West Coast opened in 1995, and now has about 1,000 students. * The [[Lancaster University Center]] in Lancaster provides local students education in engineering and technology from [[California State University, Long Beach]]. The $3.5 million reconstruction of Challenger Hall, located at the old Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, gave the new campus 13 classrooms, two of which are high tech distance learning rooms and two of which are lab classrooms, as well as office space. The school was created through partnerships with California State University, Bakersfield, [[California State University, Fresno]], and local aerospace companies. They offer bachelor of science degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering. * [[Career Care Institute, Inc.]] in Lancaster, is an accredited vocational school offering training in allied health field programs such as vocational nursing, medical assisting, medical billing, and limited permit x-ray technician. The school was founded in 1998, by Edmund Carrasco, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Career Care Institute has experienced steady growth by opening its second campus in the City of Ventura in 2004, and its third campus in the Moreno Valley Mall in 2007. The school maintains the best passage rates on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses in the Antelope Valley. ===High schools=== * The [[Antelope Valley Union High School District]] is the primary public school district covering the vast majority of high school education in the metropolitan Palmdale and Lancaster area. The district has 25,000 students in 8 regular high schools in Palmdale and Lancaster, a continuation school in each city, a trade school in Palmdale, and a specialized early college education school on the Lancaster [[Antelope Valley College]] campus. These are: ** [[Antelope Valley High School]] - Lancaster ** Antelope Valley Regional Occupational Program (AV ROP) - Palmdale ** [[Desert Winds High School]] - Lancaster ** [[Eastside High School (Lancaster, California)|Eastside High School]] - Lancaster ** [[Highland High School (Palmdale, California)|Highland High School]] - Palmdale ** [[Lancaster High School (Lancaster, California)|Lancaster High School]] - Lancaster ** [[Littlerock High School]] - Littlerock, California ** [[Palmdale High School]] - Palmdale ** [[Pete Knight High School]] - Palmdale ** [[Quartz Hill High School]] - Quartz Hill ** R. Rex Parris Continuation High School - Palmdale ** SOAR High School - Lancaster * The [[Southern Kern Unified School District]] provides all public school education in [[Rosamond, California|Rosamond]] and nearby [[Willow Springs, Kern County, California|Willow Springs]]. * The [[Muroc Joint Unified School District]] provides all public school education for [[Edwards Air Force Base]], and the northern Antelope Valley communities of [[North Edwards, California|North Edwards]], and [[Boron, California|Boron]]. * The [[Mojave Unified School District]] provides all public school education in the northern Antelope Valley communities of [[Mojave, California|Mojave]] and [[California City, California|California City]]. There are also several private and home school high schools in the area, most notably: * [[Abraham Lincoln High School, Rosamond, California|Abraham Lincoln High School]] - Rosamond * [[Paraclete High School]] * Bethel Christian High School * Antelope Valley Christian School - Lancaster * [[Desert Christian Schools (California)|Desert Christian High School]] * Pearblossom High School * Desert Sands Charter Schools - Lancaster * Desert Sands Charter Schools - Palmdale * Opportunities for Learning Charter Schools - Lancaster * Opportunities for Learning Charter Schools - Palmdale ===School districts=== * The [[Palmdale School District]] is the area's largest school district, with an enrollment of over 28,000 in 29 schools. The district covers the central portion of the city. * The [[Lancaster School District (California)|Lancaster School District]] is the area's third largest school district after Palmdale and the A.V. High School District. This school district covers most of central and part of eastern Lancaster with 15,000 students in 19 schools. * The [[Westside Union School District]] covers western Palmdale and Lancaster and their immediate suburbs including [[Quartz Hill, California|Quartz Hill]], [[Del Sur, California|Del Sur]], [[Leona Valley, California|Leona Valley]], and [[Antelope Acres, California|Antelope Acres]]. It has over 8,250 students in 11 schools. * The [[Eastside Union School District]] covers eastern Lancaster with 3,500 students in 4 schools. * The [[Keppel Union School District]] covers eastern Palmdale and its immediate suburbs, including the eastern Antelope Valley communities of [[Lake Los Angeles, California|Lake Los Angeles]], [[Pearblossom, California|Pearblossom]], [[Littlerock, California|Littlerock]], [[Sun Village, California|Sun Village]], [[Llano, California|Llano]], and [[Valyermo, California|Valyermo]]. It has 6 schools with over 3,000 students. * The [[Southern Kern Unified School District]] provides all public school education in [[Rosamond, California|Rosamond]] and nearby [[Willow Springs, Kern County, California|Willow Springs]]. * The [[Muroc Joint Unified School District]] provides all public school education for [[Edwards Air Force Base]], and the northern Antelope Valley communities of [[North Edwards, California|North Edwards]], and [[Boron, California|Boron]]. * The [[Mojave Unified School District]] provides all public school education in the northern Antelope Valley communities of [[Mojave, California|Mojave]] and [[California City, California|California City]]. ==Culture== The Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra is a professional ensemble that performs four concerts each year at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center. It is an auxiliary of Antelope Valley College, and performs regularly with the Antelope Valley College Civic Orchestra. ==Parks== [[File:Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve]], March 2008]] {{colbegin}} * [[Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve]], home to [[California]]'s state flower * [[Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park]] * [[Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park]] * [[Saddleback Butte State Park]] * [[Devil's Punchbowl (California)|Devil's Punchbowl County Park]] {{colend}} ==Hospitals== {{colbegin}} * [[Antelope Valley Hospital]] * [[Palmdale Regional Medical Center]] {{colend}} The Antelope Valley was formerly served by a county hospital, High Desert Hospital, which was converted into an urgent care clinic in 2003 due to the county's budget problems. As a result, indigent patients with serious but non-life-threatening medical conditions must seek treatment at [[Olive View – UCLA Medical Center]] in Sylmar, which is over 50 miles away. ==Transportation== [[File:STS-128 landing 01.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Space Shuttle Discovery]] touches down at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], 2009.]] ===Major highways and roads=== Include: * [[Angeles Forest Highway]], a key county road, connects Palmdale with [[Angeles Crest Highway]] as an alternate route to the Los Angeles basin. * The [[Antelope Valley Freeway]] ([[California State Route 14|State Route 14]]) * [[California State Route 18|State Route 18]] (connects SR 138 east of Palmdale to [[Victor Valley, California|Victor Valley]] and U.S.Route 395) There is currently a proposal to turn this into a freeway. * [[California State Route 138|State Route 138]] (of which [[Pearblossom Highway]] comprises the eastern leg) * [[California State Route 58|State Route 58]] (freeway status now that the new Mojave bypass has been completed) * [[U.S. Route 395 (California)|U.S. Route 395]] (which technically lies east of the Valley proper) On the ridgeline of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles Crest Highway ([[California State Route 2|State Route 2]]) snakes 60 miles (100&nbsp;km) through the [[Angeles National Forest]] to [[La Cañada Flintridge, California|La Cañada Flintridge]] and the Greater [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] metropolitan region. ===Rail=== * [[Union Pacific]] serves the Antelope Valley with freight service on their route between Palmdale and Mojave, with continuing service to points south, southeast and north. [[BNSF Railway]] serves Mojave with freight service to/from the east, and to/from Richmond CA to the west. * [[Metrolink (Southern California)|Metrolink]] passenger rail service to the Los Angeles Basin and other parts of Southern California provides service to Antelope Valley commuters at its Lancaster, Palmdale, and Vincent Grade/Acton stations. * [[Amtrak]] passenger rail service has a commuter bus that stops at the [[Palmdale Transportation Center]] and the Lancaster Metrolink station, connecting Antelope Valley residents to the national rail network. * The [[California High Speed Rail]] authority has designated Palmdale as a stop on the future rail line between [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] and [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. ===Bus=== * The [[Antelope Valley Transit Authority]] is the local city-bus system for metropolitan Palmdale and Lancaster. The service also operates a commuter bus network from its hubs at the [[Palmdale Transportation Center]] and the Lancaster Park & Ride to several locations in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. * [[Greyhound Bus]] has stops at the Palmdale Transportation Center and the Lancaster Metrolink station. ===Airports=== * '''[[Palmdale Regional Airport]]''', co-sited with [[USAF Plant 42]] is by far the largest and busiest airport in the valley and is owned by [[Los Angeles World Airports]] (LAWA), the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] city government entity which owns and operates [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]]. Although mostly military flights occur at this airport, it also has an unused commercial terminal. * '''[[General William J. Fox Airfield]]''' in Lancaster is the valley's busiest general aviation airport. It is the fourth largest airport in the valley. Charter air service and helicopter rides are available. This airport also has the valley's only aviation school. * '''[[Inyokern Airport]]''' in Inyokern, near Ridgecrest, is a large general aviation airport with limited commercial airline service to [[Los Angeles International Airport]], serving the northern Antelope Valley and Indian Wells Valley communities. Charter service is also available. It is the area's third largest airport. * '''[[Mojave Air & Space Port]]''' in Mojave is a large civil aviation center and the second largest airport in the valley. [[Scaled Composites Voyager|Voyager]] and [[Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne|SpaceShipOne]] were developed and flown from its location. * '''[[Mountain Valley Airport]]''' in Tehachapi is a gliderport, privately owned but open to the public, which offers glider training for civilian and military pilots * '''[[Tehachapi Municipal Airport]]''' in Tehachapi is a small general aviation airport. * '''[[Agua Dulce Airpark]]''' in Agua Dulce is a medium-sized general aviation airport. * '''[[Rosamond Skypark Airport]]''' in Rosamond is a small general aviation airport, privately owned and operated. * '''[[California City Municipal Airport]]''' in California City is a small general aviation airport. * '''[[Crystalaire Airport]]''' in Llano is a small airstrip principally dedicated to glider flights. ==Notable people== [[File:Chuck Yeager.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Chuck Yeager]] with ''[[Glamorous Glennis]]'' at [[Muroc]], circa 1947]] Some people of note have spent time in the valley, including: * The 1990s R&B group [[All-4-One]] was from the AV. * [[Erik Audé]], actor-stuntman turned professional poker player, went to [[Paraclete High School]] before transferring over to Bethel Christian. * [[Pancho Barnes]], the aviatrix and friend to the U.S. Air Force's test pilots of what is now called Edwards Air Force Base, established the celebrated [[Happy Bottom Riding Club]] near Rogers Dry Lake in 1935, later living in [[Cantil, California|Cantil]] and [[Boron, California|Boron]]. * [[Linda Blair]], award-winning actress notable for her lead in the 1973 film ''The Exorcist'', currently resides in Acton, where she leads the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}} * [[Spade Cooley]] was a [[Western swing]] musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality (Willow Springs). * [[Michael K. Deaver|Michael Deaver]], former aide to [[Ronald Reagan]], is a former Mojave resident. * [[R. Lee Ermey]] of ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' and ''[[Mail Call]]'' fame is a current Palmdale resident. * Joseph Foreman, more frequently known as [[Afroman]], lives in Palmdale. * [[Daniel Fry]], a [[contactee]], attended Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster during the 1920s. * [[Judy Garland]], then known in the valley as Frances Gumm. As a girl, she would sing in public to her Lancaster neighbors. * [[Tippi Hedren]], who made her major motion picture debut in ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]],'' is an Acton resident since at least 1981 (Acton not being in the valley proper, but nearby to the south). * [[Aldous Huxley]] drew writing inspiration from the solitude found at his [[Llano, California|Llano]] home. A little known children's book, ''The Crows of Pearblossom'', is set in the valley and is the only children's book he is known to have written. * Home to members of the [[Punk rock|punk]] band [[Killradio]]. * [[Terence McKenna]], noted writer, public speaker, philosopher, psychonaut, and ethnobotanist, graduated from Antelope Valley High School in 1965. * [[Burt Rutan]] and his brother [[Dick Rutan]] of [[Scaled Composites]], the firm which produced [[SpaceShipOne]] and the [[Rutan Voyager|Voyager]] aerospace vehicles, work out of [[Mojave Air & Space Port]] in Mojave. * Home to members of the [[Punk rock|punk]] band [[Slick Shoes]]. * [[Kathleen Soliah]], who achieved notoriety as a member of the [[Symbionese Liberation Army]] in the 1970s and then as a fugitive living a quiet, middle-class life in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], grew up in [[Desert View Highlands, California|Desert View Highlands]], graduating from Palmdale High School in 1965. * [[Don Van Vliet]] (Captain Beefheart) attended [[Antelope Valley High School]] in Lancaster, with [[Frank Zappa]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}} * [[John Wayne]], then known as Marion Morrison, was briefly a Lancaster schoolboy who was known not to tie up his horse properly when he left it by the street, as was the old time custom.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}} * [[Chuck Yeager]] was an early USAF test pilot at Muroc Army Air Field, now Edwards Air Force Base, where he became the first to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. * [[Frank Zappa]] attended [[Antelope Valley High School]] in Lancaster, graduating in 1958. He met [[Don Van Vliet]] (Captain Beefheart) there, a fellow student. ''See also'' [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]] - downtown Lancaster sidewalk tribute to the U. S. Air Force flight test community. ==Valley place names== ===Cities over 100,000 population=== * [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]] (population as of 2012, 159,055) - incorporated in 1977 * [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]] (population as of 2012, 155,650) - incorporated in 1962 ===Cities less than 100,000 population=== * [[California City, California|California City]] (population 14,828) - incorporated in 1965 *[[Centennial, California|Centennial]] (planned for 70,000).<ref name=NYT070318>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/realestate/keymagazine/318CITY.t.html?pagewanted=all Jon Gertner, "Playing Sim City for Real," ''New York Times Magazine,'' March 18, 2007]</ref> ===Unincorporated towns and districts=== '''Over 10,000 population''' {{colbegin}} * [[Rosamond, California|Rosamond]] (18,150) * [[Lake Los Angeles, California|Lake Los Angeles]] (12,328) * [[Quartz Hill, California|Quartz Hill]] (10,912) * [[Sun Village, California|Sun Village]] (11,302) {{colend}} '''Under 10,000 population {{colbegin}} * [[Acton, California|Acton]] (technically in the [[San Gabriel Mountains]]) (7,596) * [[Agua Dulce, California|Agua Dulce]] (technically in the San Gabriel Mountains) (4,254) * [[Antelope Acres, California|Antelope Acres]] (3,059) * [[Boron, California|Boron]] (2,253) * [[Del Sur, California|Del Sur]] (1,750) * [[Elizabeth Lake, California|Elizabeth Lake]] (technically in the Leona Valley) (1,756) * [[Inyokern, California|Inyokern]] (technically in the Indian Wells Valley) * [[Johannesburg, California|Johannesburg]] * [[Juniper Hills, California|Juniper Hills]] (1,101) * [[Lake Hughes, California|Lake Hughes]] (technically in the Leona Valley) * [[Leona Valley, California|Leona Valley]] (technically in the Leona Valley) * [[Littlerock, California|Littlerock]] (1,377) * [[Llano, California|Llano]] (739) * [[Mojave, California|Mojave]] (4,238) * [[Monolith, California|Monolith]] (technically in the Tehachapi Valley) * [[Neenach, California|Neenach]] (560) * [[North Edwards, California|North Edwards]] * [[Pearblossom, California|Pearblossom]] (2,435) * [[Pinon Hills, California|Pinon Hills]] (technically in the Victor Valley) * [[Randsburg, California|Randsburg]] * [[Saltdale, California|Saltdale]] * [[Valyermo, California|Valyermo]] (691) * [[Wilsona Gardens, California|Wilsona Gardens]] (210) * [[Willow Springs, Kern County, California|Willow Springs]] (1,784) {{colend}} == See also == {{Portal bar|Greater Los Angeles}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Antelope Valley}} * [http://www.avconservancy.org/ Antelope Valley Conservancy] * [http://www.avpaintingco.com Antelope Valley Painting Co.] * [http://www.avbusinessdirectory.com/ Antelope Valley Business Directory] * [http://www.avnewpress.com Antelope Valley New Press] * [http://www.avpress.com Antelope Valley Press] * [http://www.avim.parks.ca.gov/ Antelope Valley Indian Museum and State Historical Park] * [http://www.AVMenus.com Antelope Valley Restaurant Guide] * [http://www.radicalurbantheory.com/mjalbert/AntelopeValley/ The Geography of Suburban Sprawl in the Antelope Valley] — ''In-depth study of the Valley's historical development and recent (1990s) urban conditions''. * [http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo35343 Groundwater Quality in the Antelope Valley, California] [[United States Geological Survey]] {{Greater Los Angeles Area}} {{California}} {{coord|34.751371|-118.252297|source:gnis-1930539_region:US-CA|display=title}} [[Category:Antelope Valley|01]] [[Category:Geography of Palmdale, California]] [[Category:Landforms of Kern County, California]] [[Category:Los Angeles County, California regions]] [[Category:Stockton - Los Angeles Road]] [[Category:Valleys of California]] [[Category:Valleys of Los Angeles County, California]] [[Category:Valleys of the Mojave Desert]]'