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About the Antelope Valley
appearance of cattle ranching, the Butterfield stagecoach, the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco
telegraph line, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and abundant rainfall which supported a vibrant
agrarian economy. A long drought (the worst in the area's recorded
history) forced many to abandon their homesteads, but after the turn
of the 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
appearance of cattle ranching, the Butterfield stagecoach, the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco
telegraph line, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and abundant rainfall which supported a vibrant
agrarian economy. A long drought (the worst in the area's recorded
history) forced many to abandon their homesteads, but after the turn
of the 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.
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