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History of Palmdale, California:
Palmenthal, As Palmdale Was Previously Called, Was Established As A Village In 1886 By Westward Travelers From The American Midwest, Mostly Of German And Swiss Descent. These Travelers Mistook The Local Joshua Trees For Palm Trees And So Called Their Settlement After Them. The Village Was Officially Established Upon The Arrival Of A Post Office On June 17, 1888.
In The 1890s Many Families Continued To Migrate To Palmenthal And Nearby Harold To Grow Grain And Fruit. However, Most Of These Settlers Were Unfamiliar With Farming In A Desert Climate, So When The Drought Years Occurred, Most Abandoned Their Settlement. By 1899, Only One Family Was Left In The Original Village. The Rest Of The Settlers, Including The Post Office, Moved Closer To The Southern Pacific Railroad Tracks. This New Community Was Renamed Palmdale And Was Located Where The Present Day Civic Center Is. A Railroad Station Was Built Along The Tracks There. This Railroad Was Operated By Southern Pacific And Traveled Between Los Angeles And San Francisco. There Was Also The Wells Fargo Stagecoach Line That Ran Between San Francisco And New Orleans That Stopped There As Well. The Only Remaining Pieces Of Evidence Of The Original Settlements Of Palmenthal And Harold Are The Old Cemetery Located On The Northeast Corner Of Avenue S And 20th Street East, And The Old Schoolhouse Now Relocated At McAdam Park.
As The Population Of Palmdale Began To Increase After Relocation, Water Became Scarce, Until In 1914 When The California – Los Angeles Aqueduct System Was Completed. During The 1910s, Crops Of Apples, Pears, And Alfalfa Became Plentiful.
In 1915, Palmdale’s First Newspaper, The Palmdale Post, Was Published.
In 1921, The First Major Link Between Palmdale And Los Angeles Was Completed, U.S. Highway 6, Or Mint Canyon Road. Completion Of This Road Caused The Local Agricultural Industry To Flourish And Was The First Major Step Towards Defining The Metropolis That Exists Today. Presently This Road Is Known As Sierra Highway.
In 1924, The Littlerock Dam And The Harold Reservoir, Present Day Lake Palmdale, Were Constructed To Assist The Agricultural Industry And Have Enough Water To Serve The Growing Communities.
Agriculture Continued To Be The Foremost Industry For Palmdale And Its Northern Neighbor Lancaster Until The Outbreak Of World War II. In 1933, The United States Government Established Muroc Air Base North Of Lancaster In Kern County, Now Known As Edwards Air Force Base. They Also Bought Palmdale Airport In 1952 And Established A Testing Facility Called United States Air Force Plant 42. One Year Later, In 1953, Lockheed Martin Established A Facility At The Airport. After This Point In Time, The Aerospace Industry Took Over As The Primary Local Source Of Employment, Where It Has Remained Ever Since. Today The City Is Even Referred To As The “Aerospace Capital Of America” Because Of Its Rich Heritage In Being The Home Of Many Of The Aircraft Used In The United States Military.
In 1956, Palmdale’s First High School Was Established, Making It Easier For Youths To Not Have To Travel To Antelope Valley High School In Nearby Lancaster.
In August Of 1962, The Township Of Palmdale Officially Became The City Of Palmdale With The Incorporation Of 2 Square Miles (5 Km²) Of Land Around The Present Day Civic Center.
In 1963, The Antelope Valley Freeway, Or State Highway 14, Was Completed As A Link Between Palmdale And Los Angeles. The Freeway At This Time Ran All The Way To Present Day Technology Drive. It Was At This Time That Talk About The Future Palmdale Intercontinental Airport Was Seen As The Way Of The Future. By 1965 The New City Had Annexed An Additional 20 Square Miles (52 Km²) Of Land And Industry Was Thriving. Talk Of The Future Commercial Airport Had Many Investors Buying Up Large Quantities Of Land.
In 1970, The City Of Los Angeles Went Forward With Buying 17,500 Acres (71 Km²) Of Land East Of The City For Its Proposed Commercial Airport. However, The United States Air Force Desired To Put A Hold On The Construction Of This New Facility Until The Existing Airport Reached Its Commercial Capacity. So Under A Joint Use Agreement With The Military, The Los Angeles Department Of Airports, Now Called Los Angeles World Airports, Built A 9,000 Square Foot (800 M²) Terminal On Leased Land That Opened In 1971, Creating Present Day Palmdale Regional Airport.
By 1974, The Antelope Valley Freeway Was Completed All The Way To Mojave. In 1977, Palmdale Built Its First Municipal Building, The Palmdale City Library. This Was The Same Year That Its Northern Neighbor Lancaster Incorporated Itself Into A City. After The Incorporation Of Lancaster, The Two Cities Began Fierce Competition To Lure Commerce And Industry To The Area. Since The 1920’s, Lancaster Had Been The Much Larger And Principal Community Of The Antelope Valley, As Well As The Rest Of California’s Mojave Desert, And Palmdale Had Always Played Second Fiddle To It.
The Eighties And Nineties Were The Decades That Really Started To Define The Two Antelope Valley Cities. Affordable Housing In The Area Caused A Dramatic Spike In The Population. The City Became A Bedroom Community For Those Employed In Los Angeles. Palmdale’s Population Continued To Approach Lancaster’s. Throughout The Eighties And Even The Nineties, Palmdale Was The Fastest Growing City In California And Second Fastest Growing City In The Nation. In 1980, Palmdale’s Population Was 12,177. By 1990, It Had Soared To 68,842. It Was In 1990 That The Antelope Valley Mall Opened At Rancho Vista Blvd. And 10th Street West, Presently The Busiest Intersection In The Entire Mojave Desert. In 1991, The Palmdale Auto Center Complex Opened. Throughout The Nineties And Early 2000s, Central Palmdale Has Become The Commercial Center Of The California High Desert. In 2000, The City’s Population Was 116,670. In 2002, Palmdale’s Population Finally Eclipsed Its Northern Neighbor Lancaster. The City Continues Its Trend Today And Looks Towards Extensive Growth In The Future.
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