Los Angeles Relocation Guide - Antevia

Palmenthal, the first European settlement within the limits of Palmdale, was establishedas a village in 1886 by westward travelers from the American Midwest, mostly ofGerman and Swiss descent. These travelers mistook the local Joshua Trees for PalmTrees and so called their settlement after them. The village was officially establishedupon the arrival of a post office on June 17, 1888.In the 1890s many families continued to migrate to Palmenthal and nearby Harold togrow grain and fruit. However, most of these settlers were unfamiliar with farming in adesert climate, so when the drought years occurred, most abandoned their settlement. By1899, only one family was left in the original village. The rest of the settlers, includingthe post office, moved closer to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. This newcommunity 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 SouthernPacific and traveled between Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was also the WellsFargo stagecoach line that ran between San Francisco and New Orleans that stoppedthere as well. The only remaining pieces of evidence of the original settlements ofPalmenthal and Harold are the old cemetery located on the northeast corner of Avenue Sand 20th Street East, and the old schoolhouse now relocated to 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. Today it is calledThe Antelope Valley Press.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 agriculturalindustry to flourish and was the first major step towards defining the metropolis thatexists today. Presently this road is known as Sierra Highway.In 1924, the Littlerock Dam and the Harold Reservoir, present day Lake Palmdale, wereconstructed to assist the agricultural industry and have enough water to serve the growingcommunities.Agriculture continued to be the foremost industry for Palmdale and its northern neighborLancaster until the outbreak of World War II. In 1933, the United States governmentestablished Muroc Air Base north of Lancaster in Kern County, now known as EdwardsAir Force Base. They also bought Palmdale Airport in 1952 and established an aerospacedevelopment and testing facility called United States Air Force Plant 42. One year later,in 1953, Lockheed established a facility at the airport. After this point in time, theaerospace industry took over as the primary local source of employment, where it hasremained ever since. Today the city is even referred to as the “Aerospace Capital ofAmerica” because of its rich heritage in being the home of many of the aircraft used inthe United States military.