ZIP Code 93535

Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United States and the 30th largest in California. Lancaster is part of a twin city complex with its southern neighbor Palmdale, and together they are the principal cities within theAntelope Valley region. The area where Lancaster is now located was originally home to the Paiute Indians. The origin of Lancaster's name is unclear, attributed variously to the surname of a railroad station clerk, the moniker given by railroad officials, or the former Pennsylvania home of unknown settlers. The town was devastated by the decade-long drought that began in 1894, killing businesses and driving cattle north. The community began a steady growth spurt in the 1930s, starting with construction of Muroc Air Force Base (renamed to Edwards AFB), site of frequent flight tests, including the "breaking" of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager in a Bell X-1A in 1947. The development of Air Force Plant 42 in 1958, augmented in the 1960s by construction of Lockheed Aircraft's Plant 10, created tens of thousands of jobs during the Lockheed L-1011 jet project. Lancaster was an unincorporated community until 1977, when it was incorporated as a city, with Arnold Rodio serving as its first mayor. In 2005, a proposal to increase the proportion of maximum-security inmates received little criticism, but accounted for forty percent of California's state-prison inmates.

History

Lancaster is the primary city name, but also Del Sur, Quartz Hill are acceptable city names or spellings, Fairmont, Metler Valley, Neenach on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. Lancaster is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is located in the Antelope Valley, once home to the Paiute Indians. The town's name is unclear, attributed variously to the surname of a railroad station clerk, the moniker given by railroad officials, or the former Pennsylvania home (lancaster, Pennsylvania) of unknown settlers. The Tropico Gold Mine in Rosamond was briefly the largest goldmine in Southern California before its 1956 closure. The Pacific Coast Borax Company mine would later become the world's largest borax mine, producing nearly half of the world’s supply of borates. The region is also proximate to the Mojave Air & Space Port, which is famous for its operations for Virgin Galactic and the Space Shuttle orbiters. In 2005, Hyundai Motor Co. announced the grand opening of a 4,300-acre, $60 million "Proving Ground," state-of-art testing facility for cars and sports utility vehicles in nearby California City. The area is now home to major defense contractors such as Boeing, Northropman, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and NASA, all of which are active in design, testing, and manufacturing of a variety of military and commercial equipment. Lancaster State Prison opened in 1993 and before that Los Angeles county hosted no prisons but accounted for forty percent of California's state-prison inmates. In its first year of operation, four inmates escaped from LAC; by 2000 a proposal to increase the proportion of maximum-security inmates received little criticism.

Geography

Lancaster has a semi-arid climate, bordering on an arid climate. Summers are hot and nearly rainless, with July, the hottest month, having a normal mean temperature of 82.3 °F (27.9 °C) Winters are cool to mild, with daily normal minimum temperatures at or just below freezing from late November until late January. The wettest rain year was from July 1992 to June 1993 with 19.57 inches (497.1 mm) and the driest from July 2012 to June 2013 with 1.26 inches (32.0 mm) The most precipitation in one month was 7.46 inches (189.5 mm) in January 1993. Average annual snowfall is around 2 inches or 0.051 metres. The area within Lancaster is covered by shrublands (80%), forests (8%), grasslands (7%), lakes and rivers (2%), and croplands (2%). Lancaster and its immediate surroundings are part of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8b. Spring wildflowers are abundant, including Lupines, the California Poppy, Fiddlenecks, purple owl's clover, California Goldfields, Creamcups, and Coreopsis. There a mild frost throughout March, and temperatures begin to climb in April. Summer nights are cool and the Pacific tree frog or barn owl can be heard. The record high temperature in Lancaster was 115°F (46.1°C) on June 30, 2013. In December 1979, 23.9 inches (0.61 m) of snow fell in Lancaster.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Lancaster had a population of 156,633. The racial makeup of the city was 62.82% White, 16.01% African American, 1.02% Native American, 3.81% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 11.11% from other races, and 5.00% from two or more races. 16.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, and Cuban and German were the most common ancestries. There were 51,835 housing units at an average density of 548.2 per square mile (211.7/km²), of which 28,366 (60.4%) were owner-occupied, and 18,626 (39.6%) were occupied by renters. The median household income was $50,193, with 21.5% of residents living below the federal poverty line. The average household size was 3.16, with the average family size being 3.62. The population was spread out, with 47,160 people (30.1%) under the age of 18, 18,607 people (11.9%) aged 18 to 24, 42,575 people (27.2%) aged 25 to 44, 35,632 people (22.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,659 people (8.1) who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

Economy

In 2009, Lancaster had 17% unemployment. By April 2019, BYD Lancaster had produced over 300 electric buses for US and Canada. Lancaster has the highest solar production per capita in California. The city's economic development department is now responsible for recruiting large employers and is involved in attracting retail and dining to Lancaster Town Center, Front Row Center, and other retail centers. The former Lancaster Redevelopment Agency is credited with attracting major business operations to the area such as SYGMA, Rite Aide, Micheals, Bank of America, and many more. In 2012 the state of California abolished all local redevelopment agencies. The Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance describes five areas as business and industrial parks in the city of Lancaster: Fox Field Industrial Corridor (adjacent to the General William J. Fox Airfield) along Avenue G, North Valley Industrial Center, Lancaster Business Park, Enterprise Business Park, Centerpoint Business Park. and the Southern Amargosa Industrial Area. In May 2013, BYd Auto announced two manufacturing facilities to be located in Lancaster. These include a 120,000-square-foot BYD electric bus manufacturing facility, as well as a separate 44,000,000 square-foot energy storage system (large scale battery) manufacturing facility. In early 2010, Mayor R. Rex Parris led a delegation to explore trade opportunities with China. As of 2017 unemployment is around 6%. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch, or see www.samaritans.org for details.

Arts and culture

Lancaster was the headquarters of the "Flat Earth Society" from 1974 through 2001. The city has prioritized arts and culture as an economic driver. Lancaster has the first musical road in the U.S. The California Poppy Festival draws upward of 60,000 guests to Lancaster City Park to celebrate springtime. In October 2009, the city launched the first annual Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix, a professional go-kart racing event, in downtown Lancaster. In April of each year the "Antelope Valley Gem and Mineral Club" hosts its annual gem and mineral show at the Lancaster High School grounds. The winner of the Miss Antelope Valley Pageant represents her community in September and serves as an ambassador for the Lancaster Cha Cha Pageant in September. In October 2010, the event was held along the newly revitalized BLVD Cultural District and expanded to 3 days of festivities, with an attendance of 35,000. The event is accompanied by a street festival, a music festival, and a live car show. The Western Hotel (1876) is the oldest standing structure in the city of Lancaster, which was converted to a museum under the California Historic Site program in 1992. It is also home to the Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor, which celebrates test pilots who were associated with Edwards Air Force Base. It also draws celebrity performers from across the country and around the world, including renowned singers, dancers and musicians of all genres as well as comedians and variety shows. The Musical Road "plays" part of the William Tell Overture, also known as the theme to the 1950s television show The Lone Ranger.

Sports

The Lancaster JetHawks were a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team was named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played its home games at The Hangar. In 2020, MLB revoked the JetH Hawks' affiliation in a contraction of all Minor League Baseball. On November 8th, 2022, the Independent Pecos League announced the Lancaster Sound Breakers as an expansion team. The new team will begin play in May 2023. The Los Angeles Slam was a basketball team that relocated to Lancaster in 2011. The LA Slam are currently a member of the American Basketball Association and play in the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers franchise. The L.A. Slam were last the Class A - Advanced affiliate of the Colorado Rockies since 2016. In 2012, theJetHawks won their first California League Championship in franchise history. In 2013, the team won their second California League title. In 2014, the Jethawks won the California Championship. In 2015, the franchise won their third California League championship. In 2016, they won their fourth California League crown. In 2017, they were the first team to win back-to-back California League titles since 2002 and 2003. In 2008, the L.L.Slam were the only team in the league to win three consecutive California League Championships. In 2009, the LA Slam were the league's only team to do so. In 2010, the Los Angeles Clippers were the team that won the league championship.

Parks and recreation

The Master Plan of Trails and Bikeways has been a collaborative effort with a variety of community interests. The plan will guide the design and development of pedestrian, bicycle and trail facilities to try to encourage people to use healthier transportation modes. This network is to provide linkages between residential areas, commercial centers, transportation hubs, employment centers, and recreational activities. The Master Plan directly responds to citizen input from the General Planning process. It is intended to create a connected network of on-road and off-road trails and bikeway facilities to accommodate users of all ages and abilities including equestrians. It will also provide opportunities for the public to participate in the development of the city's parks and recreation system. The master plan will provide information on how to get involved in the planning process, as well as how to contribute to the design of the plan. It also provides information about how to help develop the master plan, including how to obtain information on where to get the most out of the trails and trails, and how to share information with the public. It's intended to provide an opportunity for the city to develop its parks, recreation and other community activities that will benefit all residents of Lancaster and its surrounding areas. It was developed to address the needs of the community, including those with disabilities, law enforcement, schools, public and community-based bicycling, walking, equestrian groups and the general public. In addition, it will provide a way for the community to connect with each other through the creation of a network of trails.

Government

Lancaster is a charter city which utilizes a City Council/City Manager system of government. The City Council consists of an elected Mayor and four elected Council Members. Members of the council also serve as directors of the Lancaster Redevelopment Agency, the Financing Authority and the Housing Authority. The current mayor is Lancaster native and local lawyer R. Rex Parris, who was first elected in April 2008 and was re-elected in 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2020. In the California State Legislature, Lancaster is in the 21st Senate District, represented by Republican Scott Wilk, and in the 36th Assembly District,represented by Republican Tom Lackey. Lancaster is split between California's 23rd congressional district, representedby Republican Kevin McCarthy, and California's 25th congressional district, represented by GOP Mike Garcia. The city is located in the foothills of the San Francisco Bay Area and is located on the California-Nevada border. It is located near the San Joaquin River and the San Diego County Line, which runs through the town of Lompoc and into the San Luis Obispo County line. It has a population of about 4,000 people and is home to the University of California, San Diego and the College of San Diego. It also has a community college, which has an enrollment of about 2,000 students and an adult high school, which educates more than 1,200 students a year in English, Spanish and other subjects. The Lancaster City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

Education

There are three elementary school districts in Lancaster: Eastside Union School District, Westside Union school District, and Lancaster School District. The Antelope Valley Union High School District covers all high schools in Lancaster. There are also several private schools in the city including Bethel Christian School (K-8), Desert Christian Schools, Grace Lutheran Christian School, Sacred Heart School (TK - 8th grades), Paraclete High School, Lancaster Baptist School, Desert Montessori Academy, and Country Christian School. The city has spearheaded the development of the Lancaster University Center to provide local students with a chance to receive a first-rate education in engineering and technology. The U.S. News & World Report education site shows the district falls below the California Academic Performance Index Evaluation. 70% of students receive a free lunch, with 8% participating in Advanced Placement courses or credits. In March 2015, two students from Lancaster's SOAR High School demonstrated a blood alcohol content detection wristband at the fifth annual White House Science Fair. In 2005, Charter College was opened. The $3.5 million reconstruction of Challenger Hall gave the new campus 13 classrooms, two of which are high distance distance distance classrooms, as well as office space. Through partnerships with local aerospace companies, California State University, Bakersfield offered two Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering in 2010. Beginning in fall 2011, Long Beach State University will now offer a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical and mechanical engineering.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California = 1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 52. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Lancaster = 6.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 173,516 individuals with a median age of 32.3 age the population grows by 29.16% in Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,835 residents per square mile of area (645.41/km²). There are average 2.98 people per household in the 48,987 households with an average household income of $49,755 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 17.60% of the available work force and has dropped -6.24% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 9.92%. The number of physicians in Lancaster per 100,000 population = 213.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Lancaster = 5.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 1.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 24. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 281. 99 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 29.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California which are owned by the occupant = 57.97%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 22 years with median home cost = $118,800 and home appreciation of -16.04%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,651 per student. There are 23 students for each teacher in the school, 19134 students for each Librarian and 1007 students for each Counselor. 8.27% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.40% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.99% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).