View source for Antelope Valley

{{Short description|Valley in Southern California, United States}}
{{other uses|Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA|Antelope Valley (disambiguation)}}
{{Confused|Antelope, California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox valley
| name          = Antelope Valley
| photo         = Antelope valley californie.jpg
| photo_caption = A truck passes eastbound along [[California State Route 58|SR&nbsp;58]] through the Antelope Valley
| map           = California
| relief        = 1
| map_caption   = Location in California
| coordinates   = {{coord|34.8|-118.2|source:gnis-1930539_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| location      = [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]] and [[Kern County, California|Kern]] counties in [[Southern California]], United States
| area          = {{convert|2200|mi2|km2|-2|sp=us}}
| boundaries    = [[Victor Valley]], [[Great Basin]] (east); [[San Gabriel Mountains]] (south); [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapis]] (northwest); [[Sierra Pelona Mountains]] (west)
| towns         = [[Palmdale]] and [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]
| traversed     = [[California State Route 14|SR&nbsp;14]], [[California State Route 58|SR&nbsp;58]], [[California State Route 138|SR&nbsp;138]]
}}

The '''Antelope Valley''' is a valley primarily located in northern [[Los Angeles County, California]], United States and the southeast portion of [[Kern County, California|Kern County]], and constitutes the western tip of the [[Mojave Desert]].<ref>{{cite gnis|1930539|Antelope Valley}}</ref> It is situated between the [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapi]], [[Sierra Pelona Mountains|Sierra Pelona]], 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 they were all eliminated in the 1880s, mostly by hunting, or resettled in other areas.<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=https://books.google.com/books?id=CET4QodMZysC|access-date=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]] 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]], southeast of the [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapis]], and east of the [[Sierra Pelona Mountains]], this [[desert]] [[ecosystem]] spans around {{convert|2200|mi2|km2|0|abbr=on}}. The valley is bounded by the [[Garlock Fault|Garlock]] and [[San Andreas Fault|San Andreas]] fault systems. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] in the surrounding mountain ranges contributes to [[groundwater recharge]].

===Street grid===
Much of the Los Angeles County portion of the Antelope Valley is laid out in streets at one-mile intervals.  Avenues run east-west and streets run north-south.  The grid begins at Avenue A (the Los Angeles-Kern County Line), with each letter avenue (B, C...) one mile apart.  From Division Street, north-south streets increase by ten each mile (10th Street West, 20th Street East...).  Diagonal streets that do not follow the grid include [[Sierra Highway]], [[Pearblossom Highway]], and [[Fort Tejon Road]].

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Joshua Trees in Snow.jpg|thumb|Joshua trees in snow, near [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]]]
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.

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 pronghorns were hunted for their hides 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 a small number remain in the western portion of the valley.

Common game species in the Antelope Valley include [[mule deer]] and [[mountain quail]]. Other common species in the Antelope Valley include the [[golden-mantled ground squirrel]], [[Beechey ground squirrel]], [[red-tailed hawk]], [[Cooper's hawk]], [[Stellar's jay]], [[leopard frog]], and [[rattlesnake]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Antelope-Valley-WA|title=Antelope Valley Wildlife Area|website=wildlife.ca.gov|accessdate=November 15, 2023}}</ref>

===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) ''[https://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] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421050635/http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1994/4184/report.pdf |date=2014-04-21 }}'', 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: <blockquote>"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>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov/swp/delta.cfm|title=State Water Project - Delta|date=7 July 2007|access-date=29 March 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707225825/http://www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov/swp/delta.cfm|archive-date=7 July 2007}}</ref></blockquote>

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]]: <blockquote>"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>{{cite web|url=https://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects00/ca532.html|title=Antelope Valley Ground-water study|date=23 September 2006|access-date=29 March 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923114905/http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects00/ca532.html|archive-date=23 September 2006}}</ref></blockquote>

==Human history==
[[File:Kawaiiasu Family.jpg|thumb|A Kawaiisu family]]
The first peoples of the Antelope Valley include the [[Kawaiisu]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.att.net/~write2kate/artbyhorseindex.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505080632/http://home.att.net/~write2kate/artbyhorseindex.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2008|title=Kawaiisu Tribe of Tejon, Southern California Native American Art and History|date=5 May 2008}}</ref> {{unreliable source?|date=May 2013}} [[Kitanemuk]], [[Serrano (people)|Serrano]], and [[Tataviam people|Tataviam]]. Europeans first entered in the 1770s, during the [[colonization]] of [[North America]]. Father [[Francisco Garcés]], 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 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107061244/http://www.colapublib.org/history/antelopevalley/faq.html#q16 |archive-date= 2017-11-07 |access-date= 2007-02-14 }}</ref>

[[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]] 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.

The area was once under Mexican rule and was named after the large herds of antelope.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8k3608p/entire_text/#:~:text=The%20Kitanemuk%20people%20formed%20small,as%20an%20antelope%20hunting%20preserve | title=Guide to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve Photographic Collection }}</ref>

==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 Lancaster—Palmdale urbanized area is home to 372,287 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/40000US47611-lancaster-palmdale-ca-urbanized-area/|title = Census profile: Lancaster--Palmdale, CA Urbanized Area}}</ref>

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 residents to either make improvements or move. One of the properties is a church building that 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/|access-date=30 August 2011|newspaper=A Weekly News|date=2011-09-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902034939/http://www.laweekly.com/2011-06-23/news/l-a-county-s-private-property-war/|archive-date=2 September 2011}}</ref>

Hispanics and Whites make up the majority of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AV-Census-Profile8-15-18.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS Antelope Valley|accessdate=November 15, 2023}}</ref>

[[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] are the most common foreign languages spoken in the Antelope Valley.<ref>[https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dmh/159054_ServiceArea1ExecutiveSummary.pdf Executive summary] lacounty.gov</ref>

According to [[Mapping L.A.]], [[German Americans|German]] and [[English Americans|English]] were the most common ancestries and [[Mexico]] and the [[Philippines]] were the most common foreign places of birth in 2000 in Northwest Antelope Valley. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common foreign places of birth in the northwest.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/northwest-antelope-valley/index.html | title=Northwest Antelope Valley }}</ref> German and English were the most common ancestries in the northeast.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/northeast-antelope-valley/index.html | title=Northeast Antelope Valley }}</ref> German and [[Irish Americans|Irish]] were the most common ancestries in Southeast Antelope Valley. Mexico and [[Colombia]] were the common foreign places of birth in the southeast.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/southeast-antelope-valley/index.html | title=Southeast Antelope Valley }}</ref>

==Military base==
{{main|Edwards Air Force Base}}
[[File:STS-128 landing 04.jpg|thumb|right|[[Space Shuttle Discovery|''Discovery'']] ([[STS-128]]) touches down at Edwards Air Force Base, 2009]]
'''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 numbers of U.S. military test flights are performed there, and it has been the site of many important aeronautical accomplishments, including the first flight to break the [[sound barrier]], accomplished by Chuck Yeager.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.repi.mil/Portals/44/Documents/Buffer_Fact_Sheets/Air%20Force/EdwardsAFB.pdf|title=Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is home to the 412th Test Wing and the United States Air Force Test Pilot School |website=repi.mil|access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref>

[[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]]s originally landed at Edwards because the lake beds offer a vast landing area. Although NASA later built a landing strip at [[Kennedy Space Center]], Edwards was retained as the backup in case of bad weather at [[Cape Canaveral]].<ref>{{cite web | title=April 14, 1981, Landing of First Space Shuttle Mission | website=NASA| url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/april-14-1981-landing-of-first-space-shuttle-mission/#:~:text=On%20April%2014%2C%201981%2C%20the,of%20more%20than%20two%20days | access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref>

NASA Neil A. Armstrong 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 Space Shuttle orbiter was serviced there when it landed at Edwards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/armstrong/|title=Armstrong Flight Research Center - NASA|access-date=February 21, 2024}}</ref>

==Industry==
===Aerospace===
[[File:Kluft-photo-SS1-landing-June-2004-Img 1406c.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne|SpaceShipOne]] ([[SpaceShipOne flight 15P|Flight 15P]]) landing at [[Mojave Air and 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]] bombers, [[B-2 Spirit]] bombers, [[F-117 Nighthawk]] fighters, [[F-35 Joint Strike Fighter]]s, and [[Lockheed L-1011]] Tristar passenger jets.

This region also houses the newly dedicated [[Mojave Air and 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.

With the size of the industry there, Antelope Valley has been nicknamed the Aerospace Valley.<ref>{{cite web |last=Borge |first=Alyssa |title=America's Aerospace Valley |url=https://www.lancastermoah.org/single-post/america-s-aerospace-valley |website=Museum of Art & History |date=2 March 2021 |publisher=Lancaster Museum of Art and History}}</ref>

===Agriculture===
The valley's first main industry as a part of the United States was [[agriculture]]. Historically known in the region 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 found farther to the west and east sides than in earlier decades.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Gerber|first1=Judith|last2=Surls|first2=Rachel|date=2019-03-01|title=Los Angeles County's Forgotten Farming History|url=https://www.pbssocal.org/kcet-originals/los-angeles-county-was-once-the-top-agricultural-county-in-the-nation/|access-date=2020-12-23|work=PBS SoCal|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Electricity generation===
[[File:Alta Wind Energy Center from Oak Creek Road.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Alta Wind Energy Center]] in northern Antelope Valley]]
The northern reaches of Antelope Valley are part of the [[Tehachapi Wind Resource Area]], the largest [[Wind power in the United States#Wind generation potential|wind resource area]] in California. The valley also has numerous [[solar farm]]s, some of which are among the [[List of photovoltaic power stations#World's largest photovoltaic power stations|largest in the United States]].

===Manufacturing===
{{Div col}}
* U.S. Pole Company Inc.
* Senior Systems Technology
* [[Delta Scientific]]
* Lance Camper Manufacturing Corporation
* Harvest Farms Inc.
* [[BYD Company]]
{{Div col end}}

===Mining===
The world's largest open-pit [[borax]] mine is located near [[Boron, California|Boron]].

==Education==

===Colleges and universities===

* The [[Antelope Valley Community College District]] is the local public, regionally accredited, college system that covers the area with a primary service area of {{cvt|1945|sqmi|km2}} covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern Counties. Instruction is offered at multiple sites, including Palmdale and Lancaster, as well as through online and instructional television courses. It has two campuses. The main one, [[Antelope Valley College]], is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster. It offers associate in arts and 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.
* [[California State University Bakersfield]] has a satellite campus in Lancaster offering eight bachelor's degrees, five master's degrees, and the multiple, single, and special-education teaching credentials. 
* [[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]] have 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 NASA and the City of Palmdale, and distance learning through a number of universities is available, including [[Purdue]], the [[University of Southern California]], the [[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 accredited 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.
* [[University of Antelope Valley]] (now closed), formerly known as Antelope Valley Medical College, was a private, [[For-profit education|for-profit]], incorporated company.<ref>{{cite book | publisher= University of Antelope Valley (2011–2012) | title= Master's degree Academic Catalog| page= 5| location= Lancaster, California | via= uav.edu |url= https://www.uav.edu/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid%3D184 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422134128/https://www.uav.edu/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=184 |archive-date= 2014-04-22 }}</ref> The corporation was owned and operated by Lancaster city councilwoman, Sandra Johnson.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180330012933/http://www.votesandrajohnson.com/about_sandra/ votesandrajohnson.com – Just another WordPress site] ''About Sandra''. (2012). Retrieved April 15, 2012.</ref> The facility was featured on a local news report regarding payouts to local businesses that would hire or place graduated students for $2,000.<ref>{{cite news | last= Stallworth| first= Leo | title= University of Antelope Valley pays employers for jobs| publisher= KABC-TV/DT| date= September 9, 2011| url= https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8348428/ |accessdate= March 12, 2024}}</ref> UAV, INC., must place at least 65 percent of its graduates in jobs, or lose accreditation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abc7.com/archive/8348428/|title=Antelope university pays employers for jobs|first=Leo|last=Stallworth|website= ABC7.com | publisher= ABC 7 Los Angeles|access-date=29 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330014432/http://abc7.com/archive/8348428/|archive-date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

===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 eight 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]].
* 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]].

Also, several private and home-school high schools arein the area, most notably:
* 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]]
* Empowered Learning Academy - Palmdale
* Palmdale Academy Charter School
* Pearblossom High School
* Desert Sands Charter Schools - Lancaster
* Desert Sands Charter Schools - Palmdale
* Options for Youth Charter Schools - Lancaster
* Options for Youth Charter Schools - Palmdale
* [[The Palmdale Aerospace Academy]]

===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]].
* 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.

=== In popular culture ===
[[Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park]] has been featured in films such as ''[[The Magnificent Seven Ride!]]'' (1972) and ''[[The Stone Killer]]'' (1973). ''[[Mackenna's Gold]]'' (1964) was also partly filmed in Antelope Valley.<ref>Maddrey, Joseph (2016). ''The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film''. McFarland. Page 173. {{ISBN|9781476625492}}.</ref> The video to the [[R.E.M.]] song "[[Man on the Moon (R.E.M. song)|Man on the Moon]]" was shot in Antelope Valley in October 1992.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/remhq/status/873920013765398529|title=R.E.M.'s official Twitter account|accessdate=February 21, 2024}}</ref>

==Parks==
[[File:Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve.jpg|thumb|[[Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve]], March 2008]]
{{Div col}}
* [[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]]
{{Div col end}}

==Hospitals==
Major hospitals include:
* [[Antelope Valley Hospital]]
* [[Palmdale Regional Medical Center]]

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 {{convert|50|mi}} away.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://locator.lacounty.gov/lac/Location/3179340/antelope-valley-hospital|title=Antelope Valley Hospital|website=locator.lacounty.gov|accessdate=February 21, 2024}}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Major highways===
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&nbsp;14]])
* [[California State Route 18|State Route&nbsp;18]] (connects SR&nbsp;138 east of Palmdale to [[Victor Valley]] and U.S. Route&nbsp;395) There is currently a proposal to turn this into a freeway.
* [[California State Route 138|State Route&nbsp;138]] (of which [[Pearblossom Highway]] comprises the eastern leg)
* [[California State Route 58|State Route&nbsp;58]] (connects the Antelope Valley with [[Bakersfield]] and [[Barstow, California|Barstow]] as a freeway)
* [[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. Route&nbsp;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&nbsp;2]]) snakes 60 miles (100&nbsp;km) through the [[Angeles National Forest]] to [[La Cañada Flintridge]] and the Greater [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] metropolitan region.

===Rail===
* The [[Union Pacific Railroad]] 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, California]] to the northwest.
* [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] passenger rail service to the Los Angeles Basin and other parts of Southern California on its [[Antelope Valley Line]] at its [[Lancaster station (California)|Lancaster]], [[Palmdale Transportation Center|Palmdale]], and [[Vincent Grade/Acton station|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 the City of Palmdale via Palmdale Airport Authority (it was previously owned by [[Los Angeles World Airports]] which owns and operates [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]] up until 2013). 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|[[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 aviator 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]].
* [[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 (TV series)|Mail Call]]'' fame was a 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.
* [[Paul George]], NBA player born and raised in [[Palmdale, California]]
* [[Donald Glover]], singer/songwriter known by his stage name Childish Gambino, was born in [[Edwards Air Force Base]].
* [[Ezra M. Hamilton]], a pioneer known for his role in the development of Antelope Valley, California. In 1896, he discovered gold in Rosamond, California and began a successful mining operation that spurred growth in the area. He founded and developed the nearby town of Willow Springs in 1897.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf096n970p/|title=Guide to the Ezra M. Hamilton Collection, 1833-1914|website=Online Archive of California |access-date=29 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084438/http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf096n970p/|archive-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> 
* [[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.
* [[Debbie Rowe]], second wife of [[Michael Jackson]] lives in [[Palmdale, California]]
* [[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.
* [[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.

==Cities and communities==
{{incomplete list|date=July 2025}}
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Lancaster, CA snow.jpg|[[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]], the largest city in the Antelope Valley, covered in several inches of snow after a winter snowstorm in December 2008
File:Palmdale and Mountains.jpg|[[Palmdale]], looking southeast toward [[California State Route 14|SR&nbsp;14]] and the San Gabriel Mountains
Rosamond.jpg|View of [[Rosamond]], the third-largest community in the Antelope Valley
California City land speculation neighborhoods.jpg|Unbuilt neighborhoods in [[California City]], the fourth-largest community in the Antelope Valley
Club Ed from northwest 2016-12-10.jpg|Club Ed, popular filming location in [[Lake Los Angeles]], the fifth-largest community in the Antelope Valley
F-35 at Edwards.jpg|An [[F-35 Lightning II]] of the [[461st Flight Test Squadron]] taking off at [[Edwards Air Force Base]]
</gallery>
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Community
!scope="col"|Type
!scope="col" width="144"|Incorporated
!scope="col"|Total<br>population
!scope="col" width="144"|[[ZIP Code]]s
!scope="col"|Additional notes
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Lancaster}}[[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]
!scope="row" rowspan="2"|Principal<br>city
!scope="row"|1977
|173,516
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93534&ndash;93536
* 93539
* 93584
}}
|Most populated city in the Antelope Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Palmdale}}[[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]]
!scope="row"|1962
|169,450
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93550&ndash;93552
* 93590&ndash;93591
* 93599
}}
|Most well-known city in the Antelope Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|California City}}[[California City, California|California City]]
!scope="row"|City
!scope="row"|1965
|14,973
|93504&ndash;93505
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Acton}}[[Acton, California|Acton]]
!colspan="2" rowspan="4" scope="row"|[[Census-designated place]]
|7,431
|93510
|rowspan="2"|Technically located in the [[San Gabriel Mountains]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Agua Dulce}}[[Agua Dulce, California|Agua Dulce]]
|3,451
|91390
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Boron}}[[Boron, California|Boron]]
|2,086
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93516
* 93596
}}
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Desert View Highlands}}[[Desert View Highlands, California|Desert View Highlands]]
|2,676
|93551
|
|-
!scope="row"|Edwards Air Force Base
!colspan="2" scope="row"|{{plainlist|1=
* Militay installation
* [[Census-designated place]]
}}
!colspan="3" scope="row"|<div align="center">{{hatnote inline|Further information: [[Edwards Air Force Base]]}}</div>
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Elizabeth Lake}}[[Elizabeth Lake, California|Elizabeth Lake]]
!colspan="2" rowspan="14" scope="row"|[[Census-designated place]]
|1,756
|93532
|Technically located in the Leona Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Inyokern}}[[Inyokern, California|Inyokern]]
|988
|93527
|Technically located in the [[Indian Wells Valley]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Johannesburg}}[[Johannesburg, California|Johannesburg]]
|113
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93528
* 93554
}}
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Lake Hughes}}[[Lake Hughes, California|Lake Hughes]]
|544
|93532
|Technically located in the Leona Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Lake Los Angeles}}[[Lake Los Angeles, California|Lake Los Angeles]]
|12,328
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93535
* 93591
}}
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Leona Valley}}[[Leona Valley, California|Leona Valley]]
|544
|93532
|Technically located in the Leona Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Littlerock}}[[Littlerock, California|Littlerock]]
|1,377
|93543
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Mojave}}[[Mojave, California|Mojave]]
|4,238
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93501&ndash;93502
* 93519
}}
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|North Edwards}}[[North Edwards, California|North Edwards]]
|1,054
|93523
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Piñon Hills}}[[Piñon Hills, California|Piñon Hills]]
|7,258
|92372
|Technically located in the [[Victor Valley]]
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Quartz Hill}}[[Quartz Hill, California|Quartz Hill]]
|11,447
|{{plainlist|1=
* 93536
* 93551
* 93586
}}
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Randsburg}}[[Randsburg, California|Randsburg]]
|45
|93554
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Rosamond}}[[Rosamond, California|Rosamond]]
|18,150
|93560
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Sun Village}}[[Sun Village, California|Sun Village]]
|11,302
|93543
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Antelope Acres}}[[Antelope Acres, California|Antelope Acres]]
!scope="row" rowspan="12" colspan="2"|Unincorporated community
|3,059
|93536
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Cantil}}[[Cantil, California|Cantil]]
|64<!-- Not sure if this is accurate. Check every source first. -->
|93519
|
|-
!scope="row"|<span class="anchor" id="Del Sur"></span>[[Del Sur, California|Del Sur]]
|1,750
|93536
|
|-
!scope="row"|<span class="anchor" id="Hi Vista"></span><span class="anchor" id="Hi-Vista"></span>[[Hi Vista, California|Hi Vista]]
|1,056
|
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Juniper Hills}}[[Juniper Hills, California|Juniper Hills]]
|1,101
|93543
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Llano}}[[Llano, California|Llano]]
|739
|93544
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Monolith}}[[Monolith, California|Monolith]]
|
|
|Technically located in the Tehachapi Valley
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Neenach}}[[Neenach, California|Neenach]]
|560
|93536
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Pearblossom}}[[Pearblossom, California|Pearblossom]]
|2,435
|93553
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Saltdale}}[[Saltdale, California|Saltdale]]
|
|
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Valyermo}}[[Valyermo, California|Valyermo]]
|691
|93563
|
|-
!scope="row"|[[Willow Springs, Kern County, California|Willow Springs]]
|1,784
|
|
|-
!scope="row"|{{anchor|Wilsona}}[[Wilsona, California|Wilsona]]
!scope="row" colspan="2"|Ghost town
|210
|
|
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Greater Los Angeles}}
* [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]] - downtown Lancaster sidewalk tribute to the U. S. Air Force flight test community.
* [[Antelope Valley Conservancy]] - a public benefit organization

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Antelope Valley}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.avconservancy.org/ Antelope Valley Conservancy]
* [http://www.avbusinessdirectory.com/ Antelope Valley Business Directory]
* [http://www.avpress.com Antelope Valley Press]
* [http://www.avim.parks.ca.gov/ Antelope Valley Indian Museum and State Historical Park]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928045206/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''.
* [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo35343 Groundwater Quality in the Antelope Valley, California] [[United States Geological Survey]]

{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
{{California}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antelope Valley| ]]
[[Category:Valleys of the Mojave Desert]]
[[Category:Valleys of Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Valleys of Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Geography of Palmdale, California]]
[[Category:Los Angeles County, California, regions]]
[[Category:Valleys of California]]