Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 116,670. As of mid 2004, the city proper has a total population of 135,575. The Palmdale Metropolitan Area has a population of 702,686.
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2 General Information 3 Demographics 4 Highways 5 External links |
Geography
Palmdale is located at 34°34'52" North, 118°6'2" West (34.581005, -118.100603)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 272.2 km² (105.1 mi²). 271.8 km² (105.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.13% water.
General Information
Over the last 20 years this city has consistently been ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities in the United States. As of mid-2004 the population is estimated at 135,575, making Palmdale seventh-largest city in Los Angeles County and the largest desert city in California. The city is in the top 100 largest cities in the United States in geographic area and in the top 200 in population. The city's rapid growth has in some respects outstripped its faciities and its image. It is the largest city in America without a hospital. (There are plans to build one with a trauma center in 2005.) In the movie Bubble Boy, Palmdale was depicted as a small strip of houses and a bus stop.
It is nicknamed the "aerospace capital of the world", and is the birthplace of the Space Shuttle, X-15, B-2 Spirit & F-117 Nighthawk, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, SR-71 Blackbird, and many other aircraft that have been used in the United States Air Force and NASA. The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works building at Palmdale Regional Airport is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was used in the movie "The Terminal" to house the duplicate JFK terminal set since it was the only building large enough to house it. Palmdale's Airport is also one of the largest in the world with multiple runways over 2 miles long. The Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) has a commercial air terminal served by Scenic Airlines with daily flights to North Las Vegas (VGT). Upon attracting more major airline services, a planned 30 gate terminal will be constructed at the facility. Convincing airlines of this has been difficult because of the impression that people initially have of the city.
While still part of Los Angeles County, the urban centers of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by a mountan range 40 miles wide, giving Palmdale a metropolitan area of its own. The Palmdale Metropolitan Area is the largest in geographic area in the state of California consisting of northern Los Angeles County, northeastern tip of Ventura County, eastern Kern County, and northwestern San Bernardino County. Palmdale has many suburbs of various sizes, the largest, Lancaster (118,718) directly to the north, out to Lake Los Angeles to the east. Ridgecrest (24,927), Edwards Air Force Base (8,000), California City (9,500), Boron (2,025), Tehachapi (10,957), Rosamond (14,981), and Mojave (3,836) are located in the northern Palmdale Metropolitan Area. Gorman (3,811), Frazier Park (6,220), Lebec (2,180), Neenach (850), Del Sur (3,170), Lake Hughes (1,330), Lake Elizabeth (1,090), and Antelope Acres (3,496) lie to the west, while Acton (11,180), Leona Valley (2,140), Agua Dulce (7,370), Littlerock (12,230), Pearblossom (5,540), and Llano (1,125) lie to the south.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 116,670 people, 34,285 households, and 28,113 families residing in the city. The population density is 429.2/km² (1,111.6/mi²). There are 37,096 housing units at an average density of 136.5/km² (353.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 54.77% White, 14.50% African American, 1.03% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 20.45% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races. 37.71% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 34,285 households out of which 54.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% are married couples living together, 16.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% are non-families. 13.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.40 and the average family size is 3.72.
In the city the population is spread out with 38.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $46,941, and the median income for a family is $49,293. Males have a median income of $42,190 versus $29,401 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,384. 15.8% of the population and 12.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.1% are under the age of 18 and 8.7% are 65 or older.