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About the Antelope Valley
twentieth century new farms appeared with the advent of innovative irrigation methods. The 1913 completion of the
California Aqueduct (spanning 233 miles between the Owens Valley and Los Angeles) also helped the local economy.
Many celebrities, past and present, have called the area home. Actress Judy Garland (then known as Frances Gumm)
showcased her dancing skills at a local theater. Rocker Frank Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley High School.
Actress Tippi Hedren established a wildlife sanctuary in the area. Author Aldous Huxley (Brave New
World) relished the solitude of his home in Llano. Olympic runner Marion Jones and actor John Wayne lived here as
well.
The area has a rich heritage with the aerospace industry, as several major manufacturers
have facilities here (Boeing, Northrop, British Aerospace, and the Lockheed Skunk Works).
The space shuttles were assembled here, and (in case of inclement weather in Florida)
occasionally land here. Edwards Air Force Base is nearby, the site of Chuck Yeager’s
historic flight where he broke the sound barrier in a Bell X-1, in 1947. The 2004 Tom
Hanks movie, The Terminal, was produced here at Palmdale Regional Airport.
- The Antelope Valley is a semi-rural community in the High Desert of Southern California. It is a
3,000-square-mile region that straddles northern Los Angeles County and southern Kern
County. (Our meeting place is about 70 miles from Los Angeles City Hall.) Located in the
western Mojave Desert, it includes the cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Rosamond, Tehachapi, and
Mojave. Inhabited by various peoples for thousands of years, the Valley was a trade route for
Native Americans traveling from Arizona and New Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.
- The first recorded wave of non-native exploration took place in the early 1770s, and the first
permanent settlements appeared in the 1850’s, fueled by California's Gold Rush and a new
status as an American territory. The 19th century saw the appearance of cattle ranching, the
Butterfield stagecoach route, the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco telegraph line, the Southern
Pacific Railroad line, and abundant rainfall which supported a vibrant agrarian economy. A long
twentieth century new farms appeared with the advent of innovative irrigation methods. The 1913 completion of the
California Aqueduct (spanning 233 miles between the Owens Valley and Los Angeles) also helped the local economy.
Many celebrities, past and present, have called the area home. Actress Judy Garland (then known as Frances Gumm)
showcased her dancing skills at a local theater. Rocker Frank Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley High School.
Actress Tippi Hedren established a wildlife sanctuary in the area. Author Aldous Huxley (Brave New
World) relished the solitude of his home in Llano. Olympic runner Marion Jones and actor John Wayne lived here as
well.
The area has a rich heritage with the aerospace industry, as several major manufacturers
have facilities here (Boeing, Northrop, British Aerospace, and the Lockheed Skunk Works).
The space shuttles were assembled here, and (in case of inclement weather in Florida)
occasionally land here. Edwards Air Force Base is nearby, the site of Chuck Yeager’s
historic flight where he broke the sound barrier in a Bell X-1, in 1947. The 2004 Tom
Hanks movie, The Terminal, was produced here at Palmdale Regional Airport.
