Antelope Valley - Antelope Valley Real Estate Cities

</head> <body> rosamond, rosamond ca, rosamond california, lancaster, lancaster ca, lancaster california, palmdale, palmdale ca, palmdale california, antelope valley press, los angeles times, homes for sale, bakersfield californian, los angeles daily news, mojave desert news, the press enterprise, el chicano, san bernardino county sun, inland empire community newspapers, apple valley sun, mohave valley daily news, santa clarita - the signal, <h1> antelope valley</h1> <h2> antelope valley real estate</h2> <h3> av</h3> Valley cities near top in growth <br>Kern County population up by 2.8% <br>This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Wednesday, May 4, 2005. <br>By BOB WILSON <br>Valley Press Staff Writer <br>  <br>  <p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>PALMDALE - New state estimates indicate Agoura Hills, Palmdale and Lancaster were the fastest-growing cities in Los Angeles County last year. <br>Agoura Hills grew by 5.4%, Palmdale by 4.1% and Lancaster by 3.5%, giving the cities respective populations of 23,330, 136,734 and 133,703, according to estimates released Monday by the state Department of Finance. <p>But L.A. County is not the fastest-growing jurisdiction in the state. That honor belongs to neighboring Riverside County, which grew by 3.8% last year, compared to 1.2% for L.A. County. <p>Kern County also outpaced L.A. County, growing by 2.8% between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2004. <p>A dozen cities in Riverside County grew faster than Palmdale, as did five cities in San Bernardino County and two in Kern. <p>Among the high desert cities outpacing Palmdale was Victorville, which grew to a population of 86,473, a jump of 10.7%. <p>The fastest-growing city in California was Colma, in San Mateo County. Colma grew 21%, to 1,567 people, in 2004. <p>Smaller cities like Agoura Hills and Colma have an easier time achieving relatively larger percentages of growth, Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. <p>The same 297 people that generated a 21% increase for Colma would have generated a 1.3% increase in Agoura Hills and far less than a 1% increase in Palmdale, Ledford said. <p>"It's hard to make those percentages when you get up to our population size," the mayor said. <p>Palmdale and Lancaster are among 63 cities in the state with populations between 100,000 and 200,000. <p>Eighteen cities have populations between 200,000 and 300,000. Only 10 California cities have populations greater than 300,000, including Los Angeles, which has grown to nearly 4 million residents. <p>The other 387 cities in the state have fewer than 100,000 residents each, the smallest being the L.A. County municipality of Vernon, with a population of 98. <p>Los Angeles is the most populous county in the nation, with more than 10.2 million people. By itself, L.A. County represents nearly 28% of the state's 36.8 million inhabitants. <p>All told, about one of every eight people in the United States resides in California, which grew 1.5% last year. <p>Ledford said he expects Palmdale to grow by another 4% this year, mainly because of new housing in the city. <p>Two of the city's larger developments, Anaverde and Ritter Ranch, will bring more than 12,000 new homes by themselves. <p>But growing too fast puts undue pressure on existing infrastructure, Ledford said. <p>"I feel confident that we are growing in the right way," the mayor said. <p>While Palmdale grew by 5,386 residents and Lancaster by 4,465, neighboring Victorville grew by 8,326. <p>Victorville Mayor Mike Rothschild said the city's growth stemmed from conversion of the former George Air Force Base into a business park. <p>"Our rooftops have exploded in the last three years" because of the redevelopment of the base as a cargo destination for air, rail and truck shipping, Rothschild said. <p>Part of the attraction for large-scale distributors and warehouse companies is the low cost of electricity, natural gas and water, which are supplied by the city, he said. <p>"We are generating electricity separate from the (statewide power) grid," and the city has contracts for the purchase of natural gas three years into the future, Rothschild said. <p>For these reasons, Victorville has become the focal point for many firms seeking facilities close to, but outside, the L.A. basin, he said. <p>Asked if he believed the growth would continue, Rothschild replied, "Absolutely." <p>A message left Tuesday seeking comment from Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts drew no immediate response. <p>Ledford said that, as a whole, Riverside County, commonly referred to as the Inland Empire, "is probably the fastest-growing region in the state," followed by north L.A. County. Their growth indicates the state's coastal regions have become too expensive, the mayor said. <p>"These inland areas are where new families are looking to buy," he said. <p>"Our new residents, when we make contact with them, are ecstatic about living here," Ledford said. "They typically come from the more crowded, more impersonal L.A. basin." <p>California City, the third municipality in the Antelope Valley, grew by 498 people, the equivalent of the city of Vernon. <p>The city's influx generated an increase of slightly less than 1.5%, giving California City a new population of 11,504. <p>Of the state's 478 cities, 404 gained population, three experienced no changes and 71 lost population. <p>Almost half of California's population resides in four southern counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino. <p>Orange County remains the state's second most populous county for the second year, after surpassing San Diego County in January 2004. <p>bwilson@avpress.com <br>  <h1> antelope valley</h1> <h2> antelope valley real estate</h2> <h3> av</h3> <b><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>MORE NEWS IN ROSAMOND CA - <a href="http://www.rosamondproperties.com/news.html">CLICK HERE</a></font></font></b> <p><b><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>HOMES FOR SALE IN ROSAMOND CALIFORNIA - <a href="http://www.rosamondproperties.com">CLICK HERE</a></font></font></b> <p><b><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>MORE NEWS IN CALIFORNIA CITY CA - <a href="http://www.califcity.com/avnr.html">CLICK HERE</a></font></font></b> <p><b><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>HOMES FOR SALE IN CALIFORNIA CITY CALIFORNIA - <a href="http://www.califcity.com/homesscc.html">CLICK HERE</a></font></font></b> <p><b><font color="#000000"><font size=-1><a href="http://www.rosamondproperties.com">HOMEPAGE</a></font></font></b> </body> </html>