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High Desert (California)
Encyclopedia
The High Desert is an unofficial and vaguely-defined geographic area of southern California located to the northeast of the San Gabriel Mountains
. The term "High Desert" is used most commonly by the news media, especially in weather forecasts, and in the names of businesses and organizations. The High Desert may be defined as the area bounded by the San Gabriel Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains
, and extending varyingly into the Mojave Desert's Basin and Range Province to the east, depending upon the many different viewpoints on what constitutes the High Desert. The term is used most commonly to refer to the Antelope Valley
and Victor Valley areas, as well as the Edwards Air Force Base
region to the north, but also may encompass other areas, such as the northern portions of Joshua Tree National Park
and the Twentynine Palms area and Morongo Basin
. The term "High Desert" serves to differentiate it from southern California's Low Desert
.
defined boundary would also include a southern portion of Inyo County north of San Bernardino and Kern Counties, as well as a northern portion of Riverside County south of San Bernardino County.
Depending on how the boundaries of the Mojave Desert
and of the Colorado Desert
region in the Sonoran Desert
are defined, the High Desert either includes the entire California portion of the Mojave Desert (using a smaller geographic designation than the Mojave Desert ecoregion
), or as including the northern portion of the California desert (using a larger geographic designation for the Mojave Desert which includes the ecotope
area that is also a part of the Sonoran Desert).
The name of the region comes from its higher elevations and more northern latitude with associated climate and plant communities distinct from the Low Desert
, which includes the Colorado Desert and the below sea level Salton Sea
. The High Desert typically is windier than the Low Desert, and, in the winter, can be much colder.
. Palmdale, the largest city in the High Desert, is located in the Antelope Valley, with Lancaster
, and is the area's largest and most populous region with a metro area of just over 500,000. The Victor Valley
area, which includes such areas as Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Apple Valley, and Lucerne Valley
, boasts a population around 300,000. The Barstow area, to the north of Victor Valley, and the Morongo Basin near the Joshua Tree National Park
each have populations of around 60,000.
Though very sparsely populated outside of the Antelope and Victor Valleys, many small communities dot the region, especially along Interstate 15
, Interstate 40
, and US Highway 395, with towns like Baker
having an economy that exists almost entirely to provide service for highway travelers, especially those traveling between Las Vegas and Southern California's major population centers.
The Alabama Hills
and Red Rock Canyon
have been filming location
s for numerous Western
s. Southern California Logistics Airport
(George Air Force Base
, decommissioned in 1992) is used often for military dramas and action films. Boomtowns that prospered during Route 66 and Railroad travel in the early 20th Century including Amboy
, Ludlow
, and Cima
are also used in principal photography and location shots.
Films using High Desert as a subject of the narrative:
The western novel The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour
also uses features of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in its narrative.
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
. The term "High Desert" is used most commonly by the news media, especially in weather forecasts, and in the names of businesses and organizations. The High Desert may be defined as the area bounded by the San Gabriel Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
, and extending varyingly into the Mojave Desert's Basin and Range Province to the east, depending upon the many different viewpoints on what constitutes the High Desert. The term is used most commonly to refer to the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
and Victor Valley areas, as well as the Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
region to the north, but also may encompass other areas, such as the northern portions of Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
and the Twentynine Palms area and Morongo Basin
Morongo Basin
The Morongo Basin is located centrally in the southern portion of the state of California in the United States. The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire metropolitan statistical area, the 13th largest in the United States. Joshua Tree National Park lies within the basin. The basin stretches...
. The term "High Desert" serves to differentiate it from southern California's Low Desert
Low Desert
The Low Desert is a common name for one the Deserts of California regional areas, that includes the Colorado Desert and Yuha Desert in the Southern California portion of the Sonoran Desert...
.
Geography
A biogeographyBiogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
defined boundary would also include a southern portion of Inyo County north of San Bernardino and Kern Counties, as well as a northern portion of Riverside County south of San Bernardino County.
Depending on how the boundaries of the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and of the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
region in the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
are defined, the High Desert either includes the entire California portion of the Mojave Desert (using a smaller geographic designation than the Mojave Desert ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
), or as including the northern portion of the California desert (using a larger geographic designation for the Mojave Desert which includes the ecotope
Ecotope
Ecotopes are the smallest ecologically-distinct landscape features in a landscape mapping and classification system. As such, they represent relatively homogeneous, spatially-explicit landscape functional units that are useful for stratifying landscapes into ecologically distinct features for the...
area that is also a part of the Sonoran Desert).
The name of the region comes from its higher elevations and more northern latitude with associated climate and plant communities distinct from the Low Desert
Low Desert
The Low Desert is a common name for one the Deserts of California regional areas, that includes the Colorado Desert and Yuha Desert in the Southern California portion of the Sonoran Desert...
, which includes the Colorado Desert and the below sea level Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
. The High Desert typically is windier than the Low Desert, and, in the winter, can be much colder.
Regions
The High Desert is often divided into the following regions:- The Los Angeles County portion: containing the Antelope ValleyAntelope ValleyThe Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
, part of the Palmdale-Lancaster Urbanized Area, and in the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan AreaLos Angeles Metropolitan AreaThe Los Angeles metropolitan area, also known as Metropolitan Los Angeles or the Southland, is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the world and the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States....
.
- The San Bernardino County portion: containing the Victor ValleyVictor Valley, CaliforniaVictor Valley is a subregion of Southern California north of the San Bernardino Mountains in the Mojave Desert. It is located in San Bernardino County and situated east of the Antelope Valley and north of the Cucamonga Valley. The Victor Valley is part of the 14th largest metropolitan area, the...
, which is part of the Inland EmpireInland Empire (California)The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
area of Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, and along with the Antelope Valley, is considered to be part of the Greater Los Angeles AreaGreater Los Angeles AreaThe Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
. Other parts of the San Bernardino County portion include the Morongo BasinMorongo BasinThe Morongo Basin is located centrally in the southern portion of the state of California in the United States. The Morongo basin is part of the Inland Empire metropolitan statistical area, the 13th largest in the United States. Joshua Tree National Park lies within the basin. The basin stretches...
where Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms Marine Base are located, the northeastern reaches of the High Desert where the Fort Irwin Military ReservationFort Irwin Military ReservationFort Irwin & the National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin's...
and the Searles ValleySearles Valley, CaliforniaSearles Valley is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The CDP includes the unincorporated communities of Argus, Pioneer Point, Searles Valley and Trona. Searles Valley is at the western edge of Searles Lake, a dry lakebed at the bottom of in Searles...
are located, and the far eastern edge of the stateCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where places like Needles and Earp are located along the Colorado RiverColorado RiverThe Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
- The Kern County portion: containing part of two valleys, with the southeastern part in the Antelope Valley, including Rosamond, California City, Boron, Edwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, and Mojave which are all a part of the Palmdale-Lancaster Urbanized area, and the northeastern part being in the Indian Wells ValleyIndian Wells ValleyIndian Wells Valley is an arid north-south basin in east-central California. In the geologic sense, it is a southern extension of Owens Valley to the north, with the recent volcanics of the Coso Range being the separator...
including the communities of Inyokern and Ridgecrest.
- The Inyo County portion: north of Kern County and containing the northern end of the Indian Wells ValleyIndian Wells ValleyIndian Wells Valley is an arid north-south basin in east-central California. In the geologic sense, it is a southern extension of Owens Valley to the north, with the recent volcanics of the Coso Range being the separator...
, Panamint ValleyPanamint ValleyThe Panamint Valley is a long basin located east of the Argus Range and Slate Range, and west of the Panamint Range in the northeastern reach of the Mojave Desert, in eastern California, United States.-Geography:...
, and Saline ValleySaline Valley, CaliforniaSaline Valley is a large, deep, and arid valley in the northern Mojave Desert of California. Most of it became a part of Death Valley National Park when the park expanded in 1994. This area had previously been administered by the BLM. It is located northwest of Death Valley proper, south of...
are the most sparsely populated area of the High Desert with a single major community, Lone PineLone Pine, CaliforniaLone Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3727 feet . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the...
in the southern Owens ValleyOwens ValleyOwens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
.
Cities and communities
The major metropolitan centers in the region are primarily centered around the cities of Palmdale and VictorvilleVictorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
. Palmdale, the largest city in the High Desert, is located in the Antelope Valley, with Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
, and is the area's largest and most populous region with a metro area of just over 500,000. The Victor Valley
Victor Valley, California
Victor Valley is a subregion of Southern California north of the San Bernardino Mountains in the Mojave Desert. It is located in San Bernardino County and situated east of the Antelope Valley and north of the Cucamonga Valley. The Victor Valley is part of the 14th largest metropolitan area, the...
area, which includes such areas as Victorville, Hesperia, Adelanto, Apple Valley, and Lucerne Valley
Lucerne Valley, California
Lucerne Valley is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert of western San Bernardino County, California. It lies east of the Victor Valley, whose population nexus includes Victorville, Apple Valley, and Hesperia...
, boasts a population around 300,000. The Barstow area, to the north of Victor Valley, and the Morongo Basin near the Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
each have populations of around 60,000.
Though very sparsely populated outside of the Antelope and Victor Valleys, many small communities dot the region, especially along Interstate 15
Interstate 15 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north–south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as points beyond...
, Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, and US Highway 395, with towns like Baker
Baker, California
Baker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
having an economy that exists almost entirely to provide service for highway travelers, especially those traveling between Las Vegas and Southern California's major population centers.
List of cities, towns, and CDPs
- Incorporated places in bold. This list includes all places in the broadest definition of "High Desert."
- ActonActon, CaliforniaActon was founded in 1887 by gold miners who were working in the Red Rover Mine. It was named after Acton, Massachusetts by one of the miners. Two of the best-known gold mines located in Acton were the Red Rover mine and the Governors mine. Mining of gold, copper, and titanium ore continued into...
(9,175) - AdelantoAdelanto, CaliforniaAdelanto is a city in San Bernardino County, California about northwest of Victorville. The population was 31,765 at the 2010 census, up from 18,130 at the 2000 census.-Name:...
(28,265) - Agua DulceAgua Dulce, CaliforniaAgua Dulce is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2,526 feet . Agua Dulce is located just north of Santa Clarita. The town has a population of about 4,000. It is located at and covers a geographic area of about...
(4,000) - AmboyAmboy, CaliforniaAmboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
(12) - Antelope AcresAntelope Acres, CaliforniaAntelope Acres is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2425 feet .Antelope Acres is located in the Antelope Valley the high desert area of northern Los Angeles County and is located approximately 13 miles from Downtown Lancaster, California and...
(2,800) - Apple ValleyApple Valley, California-Climate:*On average, the warmest month is July.*The highest recorded temperature was in 2002.*On average, the coolest month is December.*The lowest recorded temperature was in 1949.*The most precipitation on average occurs in February.-History:...
(72,922) - BagdadBagdad, CaliforniaBagdad is a ghost town in the eastern Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States.-Geography:Bagdad is located along the historic U.S. Route 66, east of Barstow and Ludlow, and west of Amboy and Needles...
(0) - BakerBaker, CaliforniaBaker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
(914) - BarstowBarstow, CaliforniaBarstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
(24,213) - Big RiverBig River, CaliforniaBig River is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 1,327 at the 2010 census, up from 1,266 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
(1,266) - BluewaterBluewater, CaliforniaBluewater is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 172 at the 2010 census, down from 265 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bluewater is located at ....
(265) - BoronBoron, CaliforniaBoron is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Boron is located east-southeast of Castle Butte, at an elevation of 2467 feet . The population was 2,253 at the 2010 census, up from 2,025 at the 2000 census...
(2,025) - CadizCadiz, CaliforniaCadiz is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is located just south of the Marble Mountains near the National Trails Highway. Cadiz is home to a former railroad stop, and is situated at 34° 31' 12" North latitude and 115° 30' 43" West...
(18) - CalicoCalico, CaliforniaCalico is a ghost town and former mining town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, it was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, and today has been converted into a county park. Located off...
(12) - California CityCalifornia City, California-2000:According to the census 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...
(14,828) - ChamblessChambless, CaliforniaChambless is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States, south of Interstate 40 on the historic Route 66....
(6) - CimaCima, CaliforniaCima is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, in the United States. Few people live in the area...
(10) - DaggettDaggett, CaliforniaDaggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was...
(200) - Del SurDel Sur, CaliforniaDel Sur is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert, in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of about 1,750. The ZIP Code is 93536 and the community is inside area code 661.-Geography:...
(1,750) - EarpEarp, CaliforniaEarp, California is an unincorporated townsite in San Bernardino County in the Sonoran Desert close to the California/Arizona state line at the Colorado River in Parker Valley....
(48) - EdwardsEdwards, CaliforniaEdwards is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California.It is located east-southeast of Mojave, at an elevation of 2356 feet ....
(5,909) - Elizabeth LakeElizabeth Lake, CaliforniaElizabeth Lake lies directly on the San Andreas earthquake fault wihin the Angeles National Forest in northwest Los Angeles County, California. Situated in the western Antelope Valley and surrounded by rolling golden hills, it is one of a series of sag ponds in the area, including Hughes Lake and...
(2,200) - EssexEssex, CaliforniaEssex is a small unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California. Essex lies on Old National Trails Highway - part of the old Route 66 - just south of Interstate 40 in the Mojave Desert.-History:...
(89) - Fort IrwinFort Irwin Military ReservationFort Irwin & the National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin's...
(9,473) - GoffsGoffs, CaliforniaGoffs, an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, is a nearly empty one-time railroad town at the route's high point in the Mojave Desert. Goffs was a stop along famous U.S. Route 66 prior to 1931, when a more direct route between Needles and Amboy was built...
(23) - Halloran SpringsHalloran Springs, CaliforniaHalloran Springs is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It lies at in the Mojave Desert approximately 15 miles northeast of Baker, California on Interstate 15 between Baker and Las Vegas, Nevada....
(18) - HelendaleHelendale, CaliforniaHelendale is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, on historic Route 66 west of the Mojave Freeway, between Barstow and Victorville, in the Victor Valley. It includes the Helendale resort community of Silver Lakes.-History:...
(4,936)
- HesperiaHesperia, CaliforniaHesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...
(88,184) - HinkleyHinkley, CaliforniaHinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in California, U.S., northwest of Barstow, east of Mojave, and north of Victorville. It sits just north of California State Highway 58....
(1,915) - InyokernInyokern, CaliforniaInyokern is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Inyokern is located west of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 2434 feet . Located in the Indian Wells Valley. The population was 1,099 at the 2010 census, up from 984 at the 2000 census...
(985) - Johnson ValleyJohnson Valley, California- Location :Johnson Valley is a small unincorporated community in San Bernardino County in Southern California between the Victor Valley and Morongo Basin areas of the High Desert region of California. It is located south of Highway 247 in the Mojave Desert northwest of Yucca Valley...
(2,101) - Joshua TreeJoshua Tree, CaliforniaJoshua Tree is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 7,414 at the 2010 census, up from 4,207 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Joshua Tree is located in the Mojave Desert at ....
(4,207) - Kramer JunctionKramer Junction, CaliforniaKramer Junction is a small community in the Mojave Desert at the intersection of U.S. Route 395 and State Route 58.Solar Energy Generating Systems sites SEGS III-VII are located less than a mile to the northwest....
(315) - KelsoKelso, CaliforniaKelso is a ghost town and defunct railroad depot in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him...
(0) - Lake HughesLake Hughes, CaliforniaLake Hughes is an unincorporated community northwest of Palmdale and the Santa Clarita Valley in the Angeles National Forest on the sag pond waters of Hughes Lake and Elizabeth Lake . The community is agricultural in character, with a population of 649 at the 2010 census, but also has a strong...
(3,680) - Lake Los AngelesLake Los Angeles, CaliforniaLake Los Angeles is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,328 at the 2010 census, up from 11,523 at the 2000 census...
(15,480) - LancasterLancaster, CaliforniaLancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
(145,074) - LandersLanders, CaliforniaLanders is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. The town lies in the Homestead Valley of the Mojave Desert, northeast of Flamingo Heights. The closest large towns are Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. The town has its own small airport, Landers Airport.Near Landers is Giant...
(848) - LenwoodLenwood, CaliforniaLenwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,543 at the 2010 census, up from 3,222 at the 2000 census...
(3,222) - Leona ValleyLeona Valley, CaliforniaLeona Valley is a census-designated place located in the geographic Leona Valley of northern Los Angeles County, California, in the transition between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Mojave Desert, just west of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley. The population was 1,607 at the 2010 census.Leona...
(2,200) - LittlerockLittlerock, CaliforniaLittlerock is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2010 census, down from 1,402 at the 2000 census...
(12,591) - LlanoLlano, CaliforniaLlano is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California, near the San Bernardino Countyline. The town has a population of about 1200.- Geography :...
(1,201) - Lone PineLone Pine, CaliforniaLone Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3727 feet . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the...
(1,655) - Lucerne ValleyLucerne Valley, CaliforniaLucerne Valley is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert of western San Bernardino County, California. It lies east of the Victor Valley, whose population nexus includes Victorville, Apple Valley, and Hesperia...
(7,500) - LudlowLudlow, CaliforniaLudlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
(10) - MojaveMojave, CaliforniaMojave is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Mojave is located east of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2762 feet...
(3,836) - Mountain PassMountain Pass, CaliforniaMountain Pass is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is situated on Interstate 15 in the southeast mountainous desert region of the state approximately from the Nevada border at an elevation of - the highest point along I-15 between California and...
(8) - Mountain View AcresMountain View Acres, CaliforniaMountain View Acres is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,130 at the 2010 census, up from 2,521 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mountain View Acres is located at ....
(2,521) - Nebo CenterNebo Center, CaliforniaNebo Center is a former census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 1,174 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nebo Center is located at ....
(1,174) - NeedlesNeedles, CaliforniaNeedles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
(5,793) - NeenachNeenach, CaliforniaNeenach is an agricultural settlement in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, with a population of about 800. It is facing a massive change with the proposed construction of a 23,000-home planned community to its north called Centennial....
(800) - Newberry SpringsNewberry Springs, CaliforniaNewberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...
(1,280) - NiptonNipton, CaliforniaNipton is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, on the northern edge of Mojave National Preserve, west of Searchlight, Nevada. It has a population of 20 people....
(28) - North EdwardsNorth Edwards, CaliforniaNorth Edwards is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. North Edwards is located south-southeast of Castle Butte and north of Edwards Air Force Base, at an elevation of 2293 feet...
(1,227) - Oak Hills (0)
- Oro GrandeOro Grande, CaliforniaOro Grande is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies on the city boundary of Victorville and Adelanto. It is at elevation in Victor Valley north of the San Bernardino mountain range. It is located on old Route 66 near...
(974) - PalmdalePalmdale, CaliforniaPalmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
(151,346) - PearblossomPearblossom, CaliforniaPearblossom is an unincorporated town located in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661.-Geography:...
(2,435) - PhelanPhelan, CaliforniaPhelan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, north of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population was 14,304 in the 2010 census.-Geography:...
(19,885) - Pinon HillsPinon Hills, CaliforniaPiñon Hills is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, near the Los Angeles Countyline. It is located along Pearblossom Highway, 28 miles east of Palmdale, and 15 miles west of the Cajon Pass where Pearblossom Highway meets Interstate 15. The town lies within 25 miles of...
(6,282) - PioneertownPioneertown, CaliforniaPioneertown, California is an unincorporated village in the Morongo Basin region of Southern California's Inland Empire Metropolitan Area. It is located approximately 56 miles east of San Bernardino.-History:...
(24,848) - Quartz HillQuartz Hill, CaliforniaQuartz Hill is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 10,912 at the 2010 census, up from 9,890 at the 2000 census. The name is also shared with the neighboring district areas of its border cities, Palmdale, and Lancaster...
(9,890) - RagtownRagtown, CaliforniaRagtown is a mining town, now a ghost town, in the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California, U.S.. John Suter discovered gold in the Bagdad-Chase area in about 1898...
(0) - RandsburgRandsburg, CaliforniaRandsburg is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Randsburg is located south of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 3504 feet . The population was 69 at the 2010 census, down from 77 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Randsburg is located at . It is on the west side of U.S...
(77) - RiceRice, CaliforniaRice, California is a vacant town site in the southern tip of the Mojave Desert in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, United States.-History:...
(0) - RidgecrestRidgecrest, CaliforniaRidgecrest, formerly known as Crumville, was incorporated as a city in 1913. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake . Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County...
(28,353) - RosamondRosamond, CaliforniaRosamond is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, USA, north of Palmdale, in the Antelope Valley, the westernmost desert valley of the Mojave Desert. Rosamond is also south of Mojave, , and north of Lancaster at an elevation of 2342 feet...
(14,349) - SiberiaSiberia, CaliforniaSiberia is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies along historic Route 66 between Bagdad and Ludlow, in the ZIP code 92357 and area code 760....
(0) - SunfairSunfair, CaliforniaSunfair is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. The community is about three and one half miles northeast of Joshua Tree. State Route 62 traverses the area south of Sunfair in an east-west direction...
(288) - Sunfair HeightsSunfair Heights, CaliforniaSunfair Heights is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California.The community is officially recognized by the US Geological Survey with a USGS feature ID of 1661526. Latitude and longitude for the community are . The USGS lists elevation above mean sea level as 2,580 feet. This...
(149) - Sun VillageSun Village, CaliforniaSun Village is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California. At an elevation of , it is located in the eastern Antelope Valley, north of Littlerock. The center of Sun Village may be considered to be Palmdale Boulevard and 90th Street East. The 2010 United States census reported Sun...
(9,224) - TehachapiTehachapi, CaliforniaTehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
(13,631) - TronaTrona, CaliforniaTrona is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. In 2000 it had a population of 2,742. Trona is at the western edge of Searles Lake, a dry lake bed in Searles Valley, southwest of Death Valley. The town takes its name from the mineral trona, abundant in the lakebed.It is...
(1,885) - Twentynine PalmsTwentynine Palms, CaliforniaTwentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms...
(30,832) - Twentynine Palms Base (8,413)
- ValyermoValyermo, CaliforniaValyermo is an unincorporated town located in the Mojave Desert, in Los Angeles County, California. The town has a population of about 450.- Geography :Valyermo is located about southeast of Palmdale in the Antelope Valley portion of Southern California...
(450) - VictorvilleVictorville, CaliforniaVictorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
(109,441) - VidalVidal, CaliforniaVidal, California is a small Unincorporated community located in southeastern California, in San Bernardino County on U.S. Route 95, north of Blythe, California and south of Needles. The town is west of the townsite of Earp, California and west of Parker, Arizona on State Highway 62. The town...
(34) - Vidal JunctionVidal Junction, CaliforniaVidal Junction, California is a small town site in the Sonoran Desert in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, United States.The town is near the California/Arizona state line immediately west of Parker at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and State Route 62 a short distance north of...
(17) - YermoYermo, CaliforniaYermo is a town in San Bernardino County, California. Its name is derived from the Spanish word for wilderness. It is located 13 miles east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains...
(4,200) - Yucca ValleyYucca Valley, CaliforniaYucca Valley is an incorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 at the 2010 census, up from 16,865 at the 2000 census...
(21,239) - ZzyzxZzyzx, CaliforniaZzyzx, California , formerly Camp Soda and Soda Springs, is a settlement in San Bernardino County, California. It is the former site of the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa and now the site of the Desert Studies Center...
(15)
Major highways
CA State Route 2 / Angeles Crest HighwayAngeles Crest HighwayThe Angeles Crest Highway is a two-lane segment of California State Route 2 in the United States. The road is in length, with its western terminus at the intersection at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge and its eastern terminus at State Route 138 northeast of Wrightwood...
CA State Route 14California State Route 14State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...
/ Antelope Valley Freeway.svg.png)
Interstate 15
CA State Route 18.svg.png)
Interstate 40
CA State Route 58 / Tehachapi FreewayCalifornia State Route 58State Route 58 is an east-west highway across the California Coast Ranges, the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. It runs between its western terminus near Santa Margarita and its eastern terminus at Barstow....svg.png)
U.S. Route 95U.S. Route 95 in CaliforniaIn the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction....
CA State Route 127California State Route 127State Route 127 is a California state highway that connects Interstate 15 to Nevada State Route 373, passing through Death Valley National Park....
CA State Route 136California State Route 136State Route 136 is a short state highway in California, USA, running from Lone Pine to State Route 190 along the northern edge of Owens Lake.-Route description:This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System....
CA State Route 138California State Route 138State Route 138 is an east–west state highway generally following the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California, USA from its junction with Interstate 5 south of Gorman eastward to Mount Anderson Junction, its eastern junction with State Route 18 south of...
/ Pearblossom Highway
CA State Route 178California State Route 178State Route 178 is a route that exists in two constructed segments. The gap in between segments is connected by various local roads and State Route 190 through Death Valley National Park....
CA State Route 190California State Route 190State Route 190 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that is split into two parts by the Sierra Nevada. The western portion of begins at Tipton at a junction with State Route 99 and heads east towards Porterville before ending at Quaking Aspen in the Sequoia National Forest...
CA State Route 247California State Route 247State Route 247 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in San Bernardino County.This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:....svg.png)
U.S. Route 395
In media and culture
The High Desert is often featured in American movies and television in location footage. Some notable projects include:- Stagecoach - 1939; Lucerne Valley
- The Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 American film written and directed by John Huston, a feature film adaptation of B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name, in which two Americans Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin during the 1920s in Mexico join with an old-timer, Howard , to prospect for gold...
- 1948; Red Rock Canyon State Park - WestworldWestworldWestworld is a 1973 science fiction-thriller film written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton and produced by Paul Lazarus III. It stars Yul Brynner as a lifelike robot in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park, and Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as guests of the park.Westworld was the...
- 1973; Red Rock Canyon State Park - Bagdad CafeBagdad CaféBagdad Café is a 1987 German film directed by Percy Adlon.The film is a comedy set in a remote truck-stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert. The plot is centered around two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship which ensues. It ran 95 minutes in...
- 1987; Newberry Springs - Jurassic ParkJurassic Park (film)Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
- 1993; Red Rock Canyon State Park
- CasinoCasino (film)Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
- 1995; Palmdale - ContactContact (film)Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
- 1997; Adelanto - Face/OffFace/OffFace/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....
- 1997; Victorville - JarheadJarhead (film)Jarhead is a 2005 biographical drama war film based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford's 1991 Gulf War memoir of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with co-stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper. The title comes from the slang term used to refer to...
- 2005; Victorville - ValkyrieValkyrie (film)Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
- 2008; Victorville
The Alabama Hills
Alabama Hills
Alabama Hills are a "range of hills" and rock formations near the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California....
and Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon State Park (California)
Red Rock Canyon State Park features scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park is located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains....
have been filming location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
s for numerous Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
s. Southern California Logistics Airport
Southern California Logistics Airport
Southern California Logistics Airport , also known as Victorville Airport, is a public airport located in the city of Victorville in San Bernardino County, California approximately north of San Bernardino...
(George Air Force Base
George Air Force Base
George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...
, decommissioned in 1992) is used often for military dramas and action films. Boomtowns that prospered during Route 66 and Railroad travel in the early 20th Century including Amboy
Amboy, California
Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
, Ludlow
Ludlow, California
Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
, and Cima
Cima, California
Cima is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, in the United States. Few people live in the area...
are also used in principal photography and location shots.
Films using High Desert as a subject of the narrative:
- Erin Brockovich (film)Erin Brockovich (film)Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
- 2000; centered around the PG&E environmental disaster in the town of HinkleyHinkley, CaliforniaHinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in California, U.S., northwest of Barstow, east of Mojave, and north of Victorville. It sits just north of California State Highway 58....
west of BarstowBarstow, CaliforniaBarstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
. - Space CowboysSpace CowboysSpace Cowboys is a 2000 science fiction film directed by Clint Eastwood. Eastwood also stars in the film alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four older "ex-test pilots" who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite...
- 2000; one of many examples that feature Edwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
in the 1940s used in experimental test flights and for shuttle landings with the NASA Space Program.
The western novel The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour
Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
also uses features of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in its narrative.