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46-521: Hi Vista is located in the Antelope Valley , in the southwestern part of the Mojave Desert . This area is referred to as the " High Desert " due to its altitude. Edwards Air Force Base is located 22 miles (35 km) to the north, Adelanto is 31 miles (50 km) to the east, and Lake Los Angeles is 11 miles (18 km) to the south, and Lancaster is 21 miles (34 km) to the west. Hi-Vista

92-550: A decoction of the leaves as an emetic , and applied the boiled leaves as poultices to wounds or sores. Tohono O'odham Indians prepared it medicinally for stiff limbs, snake bites, and menstrual cramps. The shrub is still widely used as an herbal medicine in Mexico. In other uses, the reddish-colored lac that exudes from the plant was used by the Tohono O'odham , after boiling, to make a mending glue on broken pottery. Larrea tridentata

138-418: A plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and gobernadora ( Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In Sonora, it is more commonly called hediondilla ; Spanish hediondo = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae . The specific name tridentata refers to its three-toothed leaves. Larrea tridentata

184-602: A scientific observation of the valley in 1844. After Fremont's visit the 49ers crossed the valley via the Old Tejon Pass into the San Joaquin Valley on their way to the gold fields. Later, a better wagon road, the Stockton – Los Angeles Road route to Tejon Pass , followed in 1854. Stagecoach lines across the southern foothills came through the valley along this wagon road, and were the preferred method for travelers before

230-494: Is a brown-burgundy spherical, fuzzy capsule, which separates into five individual carpels each containing one seed. Galls may form by the activity of the creosote gall midge . The whole plant exhibits a characteristic odor of creosote , from which the common name derives. In the regions where it grows, its smell is often associated with the "smell of rain", as the scent of its' resinous leaves intensifies in rain. These animals eat creosote bush: The Arabian camel , brought to

276-565: Is a prominent species in the Mojave , Sonoran , and Chihuahuan Deserts of western North America, and its range includes those and other regions in portions of southeastern California , Arizona , southern Nevada , southwestern Utah , New Mexico , and Texas in the United States, and Chihuahua , Sonora , Coahuila , Nuevo León , Zacatecas , Durango and San Luis Potosì in Mexico. The species grows as far east as Zapata County, Texas , along

322-480: Is home to a wide range of plants and animals. This includes hundreds of plants such as the California juniper , Joshua tree , California scrub oak , creosote , and wildflowers, notably the California poppy . Winter brings much-needed rain, which slowly penetrates the area's dry ground, bringing up native grasses and wildflowers. Poppy season depends completely on the precipitation, but a good bloom can be killed off by

368-719: Is located near Boron . Also, several private and home-school high schools arein the area, most notably: The Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra is a professional ensemble that performs four concerts each year at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center. It is an auxiliary of Antelope Valley College, and performs regularly with the Antelope Valley College Civic Orchestra. Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park has been featured in films such as The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) and The Stone Killer (1973). Mackenna's Gold (1964)

414-410: Is often referred to as chaparral when used as a herbal remedy and supplement; however, it does not grow in the synonymous plant community chaparral . The United States Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings about the health hazards of ingesting chaparral or using it as an internal medicine, and discourages its use. In 2005, Health Canada issued a warning to consumers to avoid using

460-757: Is over 50 miles (80 km) away. Include: On the ridgeline of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles Crest Highway ( State Route 2 ) snakes 60 miles (100 km) through the Angeles National Forest to La Cañada Flintridge and the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan region. Some people of note have spent time in the valley, including: Over 10,000 population Under 10,000 population Larrea tridentata Larrea tridentata , called creosote bush and greasewood as

506-412: Is reduced by the resinous waxy coating of the leaves, and by their small size, which prevents them from heating above air temperature (which would increase the vapor pressure deficit between the leaf and the air, thus increasing water loss). Plants drop some leaves heading into summer, but if all leaves are lost, the plant will not recover. Accumulation of fallen leaves, as well as other detritus caught from

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552-597: The California Aqueduct . Long-term groundwater pumping has lowered the water table , thereby increasing pumping lifts, reducing well efficiency, and causing land subsidence . While aqueducts supply additional water that meets increasing human demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic uses, diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in northern California has caused and causes adverse environmental and social effects in

598-807: The Mojave Desert , opening up to the Victor Valley and the Great Basin to the east. Lying north of the San Gabriel Mountains , southeast of the Tehachapis , and east of the Sierra Pelona Mountains , this desert ecosystem spans around 2,200 sq mi (5,698 km ). The valley is bounded by the Garlock and San Andreas fault systems. Precipitation in the surrounding mountain ranges contributes to groundwater recharge . The Antelope Valley

644-592: The Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth in 2000 in Northwest Antelope Valley. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common foreign places of birth in the northwest. German and English were the most common ancestries in the northeast. German and Irish were the most common ancestries in Southeast Antelope Valley. Mexico and Colombia were the common foreign places of birth in

690-667: The Rio Grande southeast of Laredo near the 99th meridian west . Larrea tridentata is an evergreen shrub growing to 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) tall, rarely 4 m (13 ft). The light gray stems of the plant bear resinous, dark green leaves with two opposite lanceolate leaflets joined at the base, with a deciduous awn between them, each leaflet 7 to 18 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4 to 11 ⁄ 16  in) long and 4 to 8.5 mm ( 5 ⁄ 32 to 11 ⁄ 32  in) broad. The flowers are up to 25 mm (1 in) in diameter, with five yellow petals. The fruit

736-594: The United States Geological Survey : "A deliberate management effort will be required to meet future water demand in the Antelope Valley without incurring significant economic and environmental costs associated with overuse of the ground-water resource." The first peoples of the Antelope Valley include the Kawaiisu , Kitanemuk , Serrano , and Tataviam . Europeans first entered in the 1770s, during

782-584: The colonization of North America . Father Francisco Garcés , a Spanish Franciscan friar, is believed to have traveled the west end of the valley in 1776. The Spanish established El Camino Viejo through the western part of the valley between Los Angeles and the missions of the San Francisco Bay in the 1780s. By 1808, the Spanish had moved the native people out of the valley and into missions. Jedediah Smith came through in 1827, and John C. Fremont made

828-484: The railroad tracks , many of them starved to death. The remainder of these pronghorns were hunted for their hides by settlers. Once abundant, they either died off or migrated into the Central Valley . A drought in the early 1900s caused a scarcity in bunch grass , their main food source. Now, the sighting of a pronghorn is rare, although a small number remain in the western portion of the valley. Common game species in

874-417: The Antelope Valley include mule deer and mountain quail . Other common species in the Antelope Valley include the golden-mantled ground squirrel , Beechey ground squirrel , red-tailed hawk , Cooper's hawk , Stellar's jay , leopard frog , and rattlesnake . Human water use in the Antelope Valley depends mainly on pumping of groundwater from the valley's aquifers and on importing additional water from

920-608: The area by the United States Camel Corps , readily ate creosote bush. It is thought that this meeting reestablished a biological relationship that was broken when the American camels became extinct in the Quaternary Extinction Event , making it an evolutionary anachronism . As the creosote bush grows older, its oldest branches eventually die and its crown splits into separate crowns. This normally happens when

966-507: The central Mojave Desert near present-day Lucerne Valley, California . This single clonal colony plant of L. tridentata reaches up to 20 m (67 ft) in diameter, with an average diameter of 14 m (45 ft). King Clone was identified and its age estimated by Frank Vasek, a professor at the University of California, Riverside . Measurements of the plant, as well as radiocarbon dating of wood fragments, were used to determine

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1012-475: The coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876. The rail service linking the valley to the Central Valley and Los Angeles started its first large influx of white settlers, and farms and towns soon sprouted on the valley floor. The aircraft (now called aerospace) industry took hold in the valley at Plant 42 in 1952. Edwards AFB, then called Muroc Army Air Field, was established in 1933. The area

1058-493: The delta: "Over decades, [the] competing uses for water supply and habitat have jeopardized the Delta's ability to meet either need. All stakeholders agree the estuary is in trouble and requires long-term solutions to ensure reliable, quality water supplies and a healthy ecosystem." The Antelope Valley's population growth and development place considerable stress on the local and regional water systems. According to David Leighton of

1104-421: The early 1980s to around three times its former level. Major retail has followed the population influx, centered on Palmdale's Antelope Valley Mall . The Lancaster—Palmdale urbanized area is home to 372,287 people. Some long-term residents living far out in the desert have been cited by Los Angeles County's nuisance abatement teams for code violations, forcing residents to either make improvements or move. One of

1150-588: The growth of burro bush roots, but as of 2013, much of their relationship remains unexplained. Creosote bush stands tend to display an evenly spaced distribution of plants. Originally, it was assumed that the plant produced a water-soluble inhibitor that prevented the growth of other bushes near mature, healthy bushes. Now, however, it has been shown that the root systems of mature creosote plants are simply so efficient at absorbing water that fallen seeds nearby cannot accumulate enough water to germinate, effectively creating dead zones around every plant. Owing to

1196-459: The harshness of the germination environment above mature root systems, young creosote bushes are much more susceptible to drought stress than established plants. Germination is quite active during wet periods, but most of the young plants die very quickly unless water conditions are optimal. Ground heat compounds the young plants' susceptibility to water stress, and ground temperatures can reach upwards of 70 °C (160 °F). To become established,

1242-472: The lake beds offer a vast landing area. Although NASA later built a landing strip at Kennedy Space Center , Edwards was retained as the backup in case of bad weather at Cape Canaveral . NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center is a tenant organization at Edwards AFB. The center is best known for the X-15 experimental rocket ship program. It has been the home of NASA's high-performance aircraft research since it

1288-544: The manufacturing and integration and testing of new military aviation equipment. With the size of the industry there, Antelope Valley has been nicknamed the Aerospace Valley. The valley's first main industry as a part of the United States was agriculture . Historically known in the region for its extensive alfalfa fields and fruit crops, farmers now are growing a wider variety of crops, such as carrots, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. As housing tracts continue to build in

1334-540: The many animals. Local students now attend Eastside High School in Lancaster , about 20 miles (32 km) to the west-southwest, rather than Littlerock High School in Littlerock , which was nearly 30 miles (48 km) southwest. Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California , United States, and the southeast portion of California's Kern County , and constitutes

1380-525: The middle of the valley, the farm operations are found farther to the west and east sides than in earlier decades. The northern reaches of Antelope Valley are part of the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area , the largest wind resource area in California. The valley also has numerous solar farms , some of which are among the largest in the United States . The world's largest open-pit borax mine

1426-403: The music video for " Road to Nowhere " by Talking Heads . Hi Vista is home to Saddleback Butte State Park , Butte Valley Wildflower Sanctuary, and The Kill Bill Church. The Phacelia Wildlife Sanctuary, operated by Los Angeles County, was dedicated in 1961. Plant life at the sanctuary includes "creosote bush scrub [and] small Joshua trees," and zebra-tailed lizards and roadrunners are just two of

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1472-562: The newly dedicated Mojave Air and Space Port . The spaceport is famous as the base of operations for Scaled Composites , the company that designed SpaceShipOne and won the X-Prize . Much of the work done at these facilities is performed in coordination with Edwards Air Force Base and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (see above), from the creation and testing of proof-of-concept X-planes, to Space Shuttle operations, to

1518-500: The passing wind, creates an ecological community specific to the creosote bush canopy, including beetles , millipedes , pocket mice , and kangaroo rats . Native Americans in the Southwest held beliefs that it treated many maladies, including sexually transmitted diseases , tuberculosis , chicken pox , dysmenorrhea , and snakebite . The Coahuilla Indians used the plant for intestinal complaints and tuberculosis. The Pima drank

1564-424: The plant is 30 to 90 years old. Eventually, the old crown dies and the new ones become a clonal colony from the previous plant, composed of many separate stems all from the same seed. The cloned individuals sometimes form a "ring" around the original plant, which may no longer be visible. The "King Clone" creosote ring is one of the oldest living organisms on Earth . It has been alive an estimated 11,700 years, in

1610-677: The plant's mean annual growth rate outward from the center of the ring. By measuring the diameter of the ring, its total age could be estimated. It is within the Creosote Rings Preserve of the Lucerne Valley and Johnson Valley. Creosote bush is most common on the well-drained soils of alluvial fans and flats. In parts of its range, it may cover large areas in practically pure stands, though it usually occurs in association with Ambrosia dumosa (burro bush or bur-sage). Chemicals found in creosote bush roots have been shown to inhibit

1656-410: The practical average floor is around −70 bars, where the plant's need for cellular respiration generally exceeds the level that the water-requiring process of photosynthesis can provide. Cell division can occur during these times of water stress, and new cells commonly quickly absorb water after rainfall. This rapid uptake causes branches to grow several centimeters at the end of a wet season. Water loss

1702-480: The properties is a church building that was used as a filming location for Kill Bill . The code enforcers have arrived on some of their visits in SWAT -team formats. Hispanics and Whites make up the majority of the population. Spanish and Tagalog are the most common foreign languages spoken in the Antelope Valley. According to Mapping L.A. , German and English were the most common ancestries and Mexico and

1748-487: The southeast. Edwards Air Force Base lies east of Rosamond , 37 miles (60 km) northeast of Palmdale . Edwards AFB's dry lakebeds are the lowest geographic elevation in the valley. Significant numbers of U.S. military test flights are performed there, and it has been the site of many important aeronautical accomplishments, including the first flight to break the sound barrier , accomplished by Chuck Yeager. NASA Space Shuttles originally landed at Edwards because

1794-437: The unusual weather in the late winter and early spring. The Antelope Valley gets its name from its history of pronghorn grazing in large numbers. In 1882-85, the valley lost 30,000 head of antelope, almost half of the species for which it was named. Unusually heavy snows in both the mountains and the valley floor drove the antelope toward their normal feeding grounds in the eastern part of the valley. Since they would not cross

1840-465: The western tip of the Mojave Desert . It is situated between the Tehachapi , Sierra Pelona , and the San Gabriel Mountains . The valley was named for the pronghorns that roamed there until they were all eliminated in the 1880s, mostly by hunting, or resettled in other areas. The principal cities in the Antelope Valley are Palmdale and Lancaster . The Antelope Valley comprises the western tip of

1886-437: The young plant apparently must experience three to five years of abnormally cool and moist weather during and after germination. From this, it can be inferred that all the plants inside a stand are of equal age. Mature plants, however, can tolerate extreme drought stress. In terms of negative water potential , creosote bushes can operate fully at −50 bars of water potential and have been found living down to −120 bars, although

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1932-655: Was also partly filmed in Antelope Valley. The video to the R.E.M. song " Man on the Moon " was shot in Antelope Valley in October 1992. Major hospitals include: The Antelope Valley was formerly served by a county hospital, High Desert Hospital, which was converted into an urgent care clinic in 2003 due to the county's budget problems. As a result, indigent patients with serious but non-life-threatening medical conditions must seek treatment at Olive View – UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, which

1978-607: Was expected to show 150 kinds of flowers, as well as have "a ham dinner and turtle (tortoise) racing." In 1985 Space Ordnance Systems requested permission to burn industrial waste, including magnesium and Teflon, near Hi-Vista, but residents protested, arguing that the fumes would make them sick and endanger the schoolchildren at Wilsona . Calvary Baptist Church in Hi Vista was used as a filming location for Quentin Tarantino 's Kill Bill films, Vol. I & II (2003, 2004), as well as

2024-647: Was founded about 1930 and named by the wife of the developer for its views of the San Bernardino and the Sierra Madres. Hi-Vista was formerly known for its spring wildflower celebrations. For example, in 1933, after a lunch and educational talk sponsored by the Hi-Vista Improvement Association, visitors would be able to see "coreopsis, hyacinth, lupine, purple sage, aster, primrose, heliotrope, larkspur, wild rhubarb and wild onion plant." The 1964 event

2070-638: Was founded for the X-1 program. The Space Shuttle orbiter was serviced there when it landed at Edwards. U. S. Air Force Plant 42 in northeast Palmdale is home to Lockheed Martin , Boeing , Northrop Grumman , and BAE Systems , among other aerospace-related companies. Notable projects assembled and/or designed there include the Space Shuttle orbiters , B-1 Lancer bombers, B-2 Spirit bombers, F-117 Nighthawk fighters, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters , and Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passenger jets. This region also houses

2116-471: Was once under Mexican rule and was named after the large herds of antelope. In recent decades, the valley has become a bedroom community to the Greater Los Angeles area . Major housing-tract development and population growth took off beginning in 1983, which has increased the population of Palmdale around 12 times its former size as of 2006. Neighboring Lancaster has increased its population since

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