Palmdale, the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city (on August 24, 1962) is located in the northeast reaches of Los Angeles County, California beyond the San Gabriel Mountain range from Los Angeles. As of the 2000 US census, the city had a total population of 116,670. As of mid 2004, the city proper has a total population estimate of 135,575 according to Palmdale municipal government sources. As of the 2000 census, the Lancaster / Palmdale, CA Urbanized Area (a US Census Bureau defined term) has a population of 263,532.

Palmdale today

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). As of mid-2004 the population is estimated at 135,575, making Palmdale the seventh largest city in Los Angeles County. For most of its existence it has had a small population; however it now is arguably the largest "desert city" (from an Angeleno viewpoint) in California. The city - with 105 square miles of land in its incorporated boundaries - is in the top 100 largest cities in the United States in geographic area and as of the 2000 US Census ranks 194th in US population. The city's rapid growth has in some respects outstripped its facilities and its image. It is the largest city in America without a hospital. (There are plans to build one with a trauma center in 2005.) In the movie Bubble Boy, Palmdale was depicted as a small strip of houses and a bus stop - a 1970s view of what entertainment industry Hollywood film moguls remember Palmdale as being.

While still a part of Los Angeles County, the urban centers of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range which spans about 40 miles wide. This mountain 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 is the third largest populated city in the Mojave Desert. Only Las Vegas and Henderson NV have larger populations in the Mojave.

This satellite image, looking toward the West, shows the Palmdale / Antelope Valley area in relation to Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains seaparating them.

Aerospace and airport

It 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, X-15, B-2 Spirit & F-117 Nighthawk, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, 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 aforementioned aerospace projects occurred / occur is home to major operations of the following aerospace companies: Boeing, Lockheed Martin and its famed Skunk Works, Northrop Grumman, and BAe Systems. The Boeing building (formerly North American Rockwell) at Plant 42 / Palmdale Regional Airport is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was used in the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal to house the duplicate JFK terminal set since it was the only building in the Southland area large enough to house it.

Palmdale's Airport, co-sited with Plant 42, is also one of the largest in the world (geographically). It has two runways, each over two miles in length. The Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) has a commercial air terminal owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a Los Angeles municipal department. As of mid 2004, an airline is in negotiations to use the terminal. Originally acquired by LAWA in 1966 to be developed into "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport," surpassing the air traffic of LAX, LAWA has since over the decades not developed its Palmdale airport lands to the full potential it possesses. Convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport has thus far been difficult because of the airline industry's "hub and spoke" system which tends to shun new airports in an effort to improve airline profitability. Additionally, many San Fernando Valley LA residents erroneously believe Palmdale's airport is too far away for their tastes. In reality, considering automobile travel time on congested freeways and streets, as well as LAX passenger unloading/parking difficulties, Palmdale - with free airport parking to boot - offers the airline passenger a quicker ground transportation travel time from Sherman Oaks than the standard LAX airport car trip down the San Diego 405 freeway. These outdated airline industry/passenger perceptions on what Palmdale has to offer do not square with the present day Palmdale.

Nearby Antelope Valley Communities

(including Intercanyon and Indian Wells Valley place names)

Other cities and towns in the Palmdale vicinity include:

Acton

Agua Dulce

Antelope Acres

Boron

California City

Del Sur

Lake Elizabeth

Lake Hughes

Lake Los Angeles

Lancaster

Leona Valley

Littlerock

Llano

Mojave

Neenach

North Edwards

Pearblossom

Quartz Hill

Ridgecrest

Rosamond

Tehachapi

Valyermo

Geography

Palmdale is located at 34°34'52" North, 118°6'2" West (34.581005, -118.100603) ¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 272.2 km² (105.1 mi²). 271.8 km² (105.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water (the size of man-made Lake Palmdale, the most visible and scenic part of the municipal water supply system) . The total area is 0.13% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 116,670 people, 34,285 households, and 28,113 families residing in the city. The population density is 429.2/km² (1,111.6/mi²). There are 37,096 housing units at an average density of 136.5/km² (353.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 54.77% White, 14.50% African American, 1.03% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 20.45% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races. 37.71% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 34,285 households out of which 54.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% are married couples living together, 16.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% are non-families. 13.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.40 and the average family size is 3.72.

In the city the population is spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $46,941, and the median income for a family is $49,293. Males have a median income of $42,190 versus $29,401 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,384. 15.8% of the population and 12.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.1% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Area Highways

The Antelope Valley Freeway (SR-14) is the major North-South highway connecting Palmdale to Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada.

State Highway 138 (SR-138) is the major east-west highway connecting Palmdale to the Inland Empire and Frazier Park.

State Highway 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. Cash-strapped Caltrans, which to date has not yet upgraded CA 138 between Palmdale and I-15 into an expressway, has announced its proposal to upgrade present day Technology Drive (Avenue P-8) and the as yet unbuilt P-8 corridor east of Sierra Highway into a freeway from its junction with the Antelope Valley Freeway to a point beyond the Palmdale Regional Airport terminal. Its proposed completion date is 2007.

External links

• City's official website (http://www.cityofpalmdale.org/)
• Palmdale Chamber of Commerce (http://www.palmdalechamber.org/)
• Palmdale Regional Airport (http://www.lawa.org/palm/)
• Local History (http://www.palmdalelibrary.org/history/part2.shtml/)
• Local Newspaper (http://www.avpress.com/)
• Live View of City (http://www.palmdalecam.com/)
• Local Information (http://www.antelopevalleyguide.com/)
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=34.581005&longitude=-118.100603&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34.581005&lon=-118.100603&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-118.100603&lat=34.581005&w=750&h=500)