California City is a city incorporated in 1965 in the northern Antelope Valley in Kern

County, California. The population was 14,120 at the 2010 census, up from 8,385 at the 2000
census.
California City has one landowners' resort, one PGA golf course, one prison, and one municipal
airport. Much of the workforce of Edwards Air Force Base, which is located just to the south of the
city, is made up of city residents.
Other major sources of employment include California City Correctional Center, Silver
Saddle, Mojave Air and Space Port and its flight test operations, the new Hyundai/Kia Proving
Grounds located to its southwest, and nearby cities such
as Tehachapi, Ridgecrest, Boron, Palmdale, and Lancaster.
California City is 65 miles (105 km) southwest of Death Valley National Park.
Typical temperatures range from about 33 F (1 C) (average low in December) to about 97 F
(36 C) (average high in July).
Contents
[hide]

1 History
o 1.1 Early
o 1.2 Town
2 Geography
o 2.1 Climate
3 Demographics
o 3.1 2000
o 3.2 2010
4 Law enforcement statistics
5 Public safety
6 References
7 External links

History[edit]
Early[edit]
The area where California City now exists was largely uninhabited prior to the 1960's.
Padre Francisco Garcs, a Franciscan missionary, camped at Castle Butte in what is now California
City in 1776 during the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition of Arizona and California.
In the late 19th century, the Twenty Mule Team Trail, which carried loads of borax to the railhead
in Mojave from Harmony Borax Works mines in the east, ran through the California City area.[8]

Town[edit]

Closer to the denser core of California City, about two miles from Central Park.

California City had its origins in 1958 when real estate developer and sociology professor Nat
Mendelsohn purchased 80,000 acres (320 km2) of Mojave Desert land with the aim of masterplanning California's next great city. He designed his model city, which he hoped would one day rival
Los Angeles in size, around a Central Park with a 26-acre (11 ha) artificial lake. Growth did not
happen anywhere close to what he expected. To this day a vast grid of crumbling paved roads,
intended to lay out residential blocks, extends well beyond the developed area of the city. Satellite
photos show how it stakes its claim to being California's 3rd largest geographic city, 34th largest in
the US. California City was incorporated in 1965.
In spite of the areas of California City that haven't developed, California City has grown from 3,200
people in 1985 to over 14,000 in 2009. Cerro Coso Community College closed escrow on 22 acres
(89,000 m2) in the heart of California City for a Community College to serve Edwards AFB, California
City, Mojave, Boron, North Edwards and the entire high desert in the Antelope Valley.[citation needed]
The first post office opened in 1960.[9]

Geography[edit]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 203.6 square miles
(527 km2), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) or 0.05% is water. Although one of California's
smaller cities in terms of population, California City is the third largest city in California by land area
(34th in the United States, and 21st when consolidated city-counties are excluded).

Climate[edit]
[hide]Climate data for California City, CA
Month
Average high F (C)
Average low F (C)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

58

62

66

72

81

91

(14)

(17)

(19)

(22)

(27)

(33)

34

37

41

46

54

62

(1)

(3)

(5)

(8)

(12)

(17)

Precipitation inches (mm)

1.34

1.51

1.13

0.22

0.15

0.05

(34)

(38.4)

(28.7)

(5.6)

(3.8)

(1.3)

Source: The Weather Channel[10]

Demographics[edit]
Historical population
Census

Pop.

1970

1,309

1980

2,743

109.5%

1990

5,955

117.1%

2000

8,385

40.8%

2010

14,120

68.4%

Est. 2012

13,260

[11]

6.1%

US Census[12]

2000[edit]
According to the census[13] of 2000, there were 8,385 people, 3,067 households, and 2,257 families
residing in the city. As of 2006 the city's population grew 8.9% from 12,106 to 13,219. California City
outpaced rivals Palmdale and Lancaster, making the city the 12th fastest growing city in California.
This also made California City the fastest growing city in the Antelope Valley. The population
density was 41.2 inhabitants per square mile (15.9/km2). There were 3,560 housing units at an
average density of 17.5/sq mi (6.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.19% White,
12.82% Black or African American, 1.56% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander,
7.43% from other races, and 5.94% from two or more races. 16.96% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,067 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them,
55.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and

7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was
2.72 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7%
from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and
over, there were 99.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,735, and the median income for a family
was $51,402. Males had a median income of $44,657 versus $28,152 for females. The per capita
incomefor the city was $19,902. About 12.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below
the poverty line, including 28.0% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Only 807 workers lived and worked in California City in 2006. This was 24.3% of the city's
population. 31% of the male population were public administrators in 2006. Public administration is
the most common job in California City. *City-Data.com
Although the growth of the city has not met its founders' expectations, California City has seen
substan