Ridgecrest, California | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°37′21″N117°40′15″W / 35.62250°N 117.67083°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Kern |
Incorporated | November 29, 1963 [1] |
Government | |
• Mayor | Eric A. Bruen [2] |
• State senator | Melissa Hurtado (D) [3] |
• Assemblymember | Tom Lackey (R) [4] |
• U. S. rep. | Vince Fong (R) [5] |
Area | |
• Total | 21.53 sq mi (55.76 km2) |
• Land | 20.88 sq mi (54.08 km2) |
• Water | 0.65 sq mi (1.69 km2) 3.04% |
Elevation | 2,290 ft (698 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 27,959 |
• Density | 1,300/sq mi (500/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−08:00 (Pacific) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
ZIP Codes | 93555–93556 |
Area codes | 442 and 760 |
FIPS code | 06-60704 |
GNIS feature IDs | 1652783, 2410944 |
Website | www |
Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake). It was incorporated as a city in 1963. The population was 27,959 at the 2020 census, up slightly from 27,616 at the 2010 census.
Ridgecrest is surrounded by four mountain ranges; the Sierra Nevada on the west, the Cosos on the north, the Argus Range on the east, and the El Paso Mountains on the south. It is approximately 82 miles (132 km) from the Lancaster/Palmdale area, 110 miles (177 km) from Bakersfield, and 120 miles (193 km) from San Bernardino, the three nearest major urban centers. Private air travel in and out of the city is provided through the Inyokern Airport. There are currently no scheduled commercial flights.
The city has been near the epicenter of major earthquakes, including one in 1995 and a series of quakes in July 2019.
The settlement began as a farming community called Crumville in 1912, [8] honoring James and Robert Crum, local dairymen. [8] The first post office opened in 1941. By 1943, Ridgecrest had grown to 115 homes and 196 residents. NOTS (Naval Ordnance Test Station) was established in November 1943, providing a strong job base for the years to come. [8]
Ridgecrest incorporated in 1963. [8] During this era the growth of Ridgecrest was governed by the continuing needs of the high tech industries coupled to the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) programs for testing arms and guidance systems.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.4 square miles (55.4 km2), of which 20.8 sq mi (53.9 km2) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) of it (3.04%) is water. Ridgecrest is located in Indian Wells Valley, which is a southern extension of Owens Valley, broken up by the volcanic Coso Range.
The area, associated with the Eastern California Shear Zone, has in the past experienced numerous earthquake swarms, groups of several thousand quakes under magnitude 6.0 or so, often with no obvious mainshock. The 1995 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence started on August 17, when a magnitude 5.4 quake, centered 18 kilometers (11 mi) north of the town of Ridgecrest, shook the area and spawned over 2,500 aftershocks over the course of the following five weeks. Then, on September 20, 1995, the second large quake struck the area: it measured magnitude 5.8, and was at that time the largest earthquake to hit southern California since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. [9]
Between July 4 and 5, 2019, Ridgecrest, California, experienced a series of significant earthquakes, including the strongest to impact the area in decades—a magnitude 7.1 mainshock. The epicenter of the main earthquake was located approximately 10 miles northeast of Ridgecrest. [10]
The sequence began on July 4 with a 4.0-magnitude quake approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) southwest of Searles Valley. Later that morning, at 10:33 A.M., a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck around 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) southwest of Searles Valley. [11] This initial sequence triggered over 1,400 aftershocks in the Ridgecrest and Searles Valley regions. [12] [13]
On July 5, 2019, at 8:19 P.M., the magnitude 7.1 mainshock occurred, significantly impacting the Ridgecrest area. [10]
The weather in the Indian Wells Valley is predominantly influenced by its high desert location. The climate is characterized by hot days and cool nights with extremely arid conditions prevailing throughout the summer months. The mean annual maximum temperature for the Ridgecrest area is 75 °F (24 °C) while the mean annual minimum temperature is 48 °F (9 °C). There are wide annual temperature fluctuations that occur from a high of 119 °F (48 °C) to a low of 1 °F (−17 °C). On average, annual rainfall is less than 5 inches (130 mm) "equivalent rainfall" per year, which includes less than 2 inches (51 mm) of snow. The area is known to have wind as high as 75 mph (121 km/h). December is the coolest month with an average maximum temperature of 60 °F (16 °C) and an average minimum temperature of 30 °F (−1 °C). The all-time minimum temperature of 1 °F (−17 °C) was recorded on December 23, 1963, and January 7, 1973.
July is the hottest month with an average maximum temperature of 103 °F (39 °C) and an average minimum temperature of 66 °F (19 °C). The all-time maximum temperature of 119 °F (48 °C) was recorded on July 11, 2021, tied with July 1988 and July 1993.
Climate data for China Lake NAF, California (normals 1981-2010, extremes 1945-2020, precipitation 1944-1973) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 89 (32) | 91 (33) | 92 (33) | 104 (40) | 109 (43) | 118 (48) | 119 (48) | 119 (48) | 114 (46) | 103 (39) | 93 (34) | 81 (27) | 119 (48) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 72 (22) | 77 (25) | 85 (29) | 94 (34) | 102 (39) | 108 (42) | 113 (45) | 111 (44) | 106 (41) | 96 (36) | 83 (28) | 71 (22) | 113 (45) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 60.3 (15.7) | 64.4 (18.0) | 71.1 (21.7) | 77.8 (25.4) | 87.9 (31.1) | 96.9 (36.1) | 103.3 (39.6) | 101.7 (38.7) | 93.9 (34.4) | 81.5 (27.5) | 68.9 (20.5) | 59.0 (15.0) | 80.6 (27.0) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.2 (7.3) | 49.8 (9.9) | 55.8 (13.2) | 62.1 (16.7) | 71.7 (22.1) | 79.8 (26.6) | 86.2 (30.1) | 84.5 (29.2) | 76.7 (24.8) | 64.7 (18.2) | 52.9 (11.6) | 44.3 (6.8) | 64.5 (18.1) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 35.2 (1.8) | 40.6 (4.8) | 46.3 (7.9) | 55.4 (13.0) | 62.7 (17.1) | 69.1 (20.6) | 67.3 (19.6) | 59.5 (15.3) | 47.9 (8.8) | 36.8 (2.7) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 48.4 (9.1) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 20 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 29 (−2) | 34 (1) | 44 (7) | 51 (11) | 60 (16) | 57 (14) | 49 (9) | 37 (3) | 24 (−4) | 19 (−7) | 18 (−8) |
Record low °F (°C) | 6 (−14) | 12 (−11) | 21 (−6) | 27 (−3) | 35 (2) | 42 (6) | 50 (10) | 51 (11) | 39 (4) | 20 (−7) | 16 (−9) | 8 (−13) | 6 (−14) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.45 (11) | 0.62 (16) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.11 (2.8) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.10 (2.5) | 0.22 (5.6) | 0.12 (3.0) | 0.55 (14) | 0.50 (13) | 2.90 (74) |
Average precipitation days | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 15.4 |
Source: NOAA [14] |
Climate data for Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) | 89 (32) | 92 (33) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 118 (48) | 119 (48) | 114 (46) | 109 (43) | 103 (39) | 89 (32) | 77 (25) | 119 (48) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.3 (16.3) | 63.7 (17.6) | 74.4 (23.6) | 76.1 (24.5) | 85.9 (29.9) | 98.2 (36.8) | 101.8 (38.8) | 101.9 (38.8) | 94.3 (34.6) | 81.2 (27.3) | 64.3 (17.9) | 58.5 (14.7) | 80.1 (26.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 34.6 (1.4) | 40.1 (4.5) | 45.6 (7.6) | 52.8 (11.6) | 63.1 (17.3) | 68.4 (20.2) | 67.4 (19.7) | 59.4 (15.2) | 48.3 (9.1) | 33.8 (1.0) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 47.5 (8.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | 6 (−14) | 12 (−11) | 21 (−6) | 27 (−3) | 38 (3) | 42 (6) | 50 (10) | 51 (11) | 39 (4) | 24 (−4) | 18 (−8) | 8 (−13) | 6 (−14) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.88 (22) | 0.79 (20) | 0.78 (20) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.11 (2.8) | 0.02 (0.51) | 0.09 (2.3) | 0.31 (7.9) | 0.24 (6.1) | 0.18 (4.6) | 0.27 (6.9) | 0.47 (12) | 4.27 (108.41) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 1.3 (3.3) |
Source: [15] |
Climate data for Inyokern, California | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 86 (30) | 93 (34) | 100 (38) | 112 (44) | 114 (46) | 119 (48) | 114 (46) | 110 (43) | 105 (41) | 88 (31) | 84 (29) | 119 (48) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.6 (15.3) | 64.8 (18.2) | 70.3 (21.3) | 77.7 (25.4) | 87.0 (30.6) | 96.7 (35.9) | 102.7 (39.3) | 101.2 (38.4) | 94.2 (34.6) | 83.2 (28.4) | 69.0 (20.6) | 59.7 (15.4) | 80.5 (27.0) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 34.6 (1.4) | 38.7 (3.7) | 44.3 (6.8) | 52.9 (11.6) | 60.5 (15.8) | 66.2 (19.0) | 64.6 (18.1) | 58.1 (14.5) | 48.2 (9.0) | 37.3 (2.9) | 30.2 (−1.0) | 47.2 (8.4) |
Record low °F (°C) | 1 (−17) | 9 (−13) | 15 (−9) | 21 (−6) | 26 (−3) | 38 (3) | 46 (8) | 45 (7) | 35 (2) | 20 (−7) | 14 (−10) | 5 (−15) | 1 (−17) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.74 (19) | 0.95 (24) | 0.55 (14) | 0.17 (4.3) | 0.07 (1.8) | 0.02 (0.51) | 0.16 (4.1) | 0.22 (5.6) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.10 (2.5) | 0.38 (9.7) | 0.59 (15) | 4.15 (105.61) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.6 (1.52) |
Source: [16] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1950 | 2,028 | — | |
1960 | 5,099 | 151.4% | |
1970 | 7,629 | 49.6% | |
1980 | 15,929 | 108.8% | |
1990 | 27,725 | 74.1% | |
2000 | 24,927 | −10.1% | |
2010 | 27,616 | 10.8% | |
2019 (est.) | 28,973 | [17] | 4.9% |
U.S. Decennial Census [18] |
The 2010 United States Census [19] reported that Ridgecrest had a population of 27,616. The population density was 1,289.5 inhabitants per square mile (497.9/km2). The racial makeup of Ridgecrest was 21,387 (77.4%) White, 1,113 (4.0%) African American, 341 (1.2%) Native American, 1,209 (4.4%) Asian, 143 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 1,836 (6.6%) from other races, and 1,587 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,941 persons (17.9%).
The Census reported that 27,420 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 109 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 87 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,781 households, out of which 3,901 (36.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,211 (48.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,352 (12.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 609 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 681 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 64 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,978 households (27.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,001 (9.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54. There were 7,172 families (66.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.10.
The population was spread out, with 7,544 people (27.3%) under the age of 18, 2,654 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 7,157 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 6,844 people (24.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,417 people (12.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
There were 11,915 housing units at an average density of 556.3 units per square mile (214.8 units/km2), of which 6,525 (60.5%) were owner-occupied, and 4,256 (39.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%. 16,520 people (59.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,900 people (39.5%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the census [20] of 2000, there were 24,927 people, 9,826 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,179.9 inhabitants per square mile (455.6/km2). There were 11,309 housing units at an average density of 535.3/sq mi (206.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.02% White, 3.53% Black or African American, 1.08% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 4.93% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. 12.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,826 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,971, and the median income for a family was $52,725. Males had a median income of $46,993 versus $29,558 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,312. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
People in group quarters: [21]
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS China Lake) is an airborne weapons testing and training range located adjacent to Ridgecrest and operated by the United States Navy and its contractors. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake provides the majority of employment in the city at just under 8,000 jobs in 2018. This includes the government civilian workforce, active duty military personnel and private contractors. [22]
AltaOne Federal Credit Union has its corporate headquarters in Ridgecrest. [23]
The Searles Valley Minerals plant is located adjacent to the Searles Dry Lake near the town of Trona, California, about thirty miles east of Ridgecrest.
The principal employers in Ridgecrest in 2020 were: [24]
Rank | Employer | Employees |
---|---|---|
1 | NAWS China Lake | 7,995 |
2 | Ridgecrest Regional Hospital | 840 |
3 | Searles Valley Minerals | 700 |
4 | Sierra Sands Unified School District | 527 |
5 | Walmart | 333 |
6 | Albertsons | 173 |
7 | Cerro Coso Community College | 152 |
8 | Alta One Federal Credit Union | 123 |
9 | City of Ridgecrest | 116 |
10 | Home Depot | 116 |
The most notable feature in the nearby area is the Coso People rock art in Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons. The Coso People were prolific artists and traded with distant tribes using tools crafted of stone. Archeological recovery at coastal Chumash sites in California indicates considerable trade with the Coso People. [25]
Other activities in the area are:
The Maturango Museum is located in Ridgecrest. The museum is best known for the guided tours to Little Petroglyph Canyon on China Lake Naval Weapons Station (NAWS). [26] The museum offers exhibits and displays featuring both the natural and the cultural history and diversity of the Northern Mojave Desert with exhibits of plants, animals, Native American artifacts, geology and contemporary arts and crafts. [27]
Coso Rock Art District, sometimes equated with the Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons is a site containing over 20,000 Native American petroglyphs [28] now located within Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, near China Lake and Ridgecrest, California. In fact, there are several other distinct canyons to the Coso Rock Art District besides the Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons. The most popular subjects are bighorn sheep, deer, and antelope.[ citation needed ] Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In 2001, they were incorporated into a larger National Historic Landmark District, called Coso Rock Art District. In 2014, the Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival, a celebration of the petroglyphs, native culture, and Ridgecrest as a California tourist destination was created as an annual event. It was named as one of Groupon's "10 Most Unique Autumn Festivals in the Country" [29]
Walker Pass (elevation 5,250 ft (1.60 km)) is a mountain pass by Lake Isabella in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It is located in northeastern Kern County, approximately 53 mi (85 km) ENE of Bakersfield and 10 mi (16 km) WSW of Ridgecrest. The pass provides a route between the San Joaquin Valley on the west and the Mojave Desert on the east.[ citation needed ]
Trona Pinnacles featured in many notable films are located near Ridgecrest.
Red Rock Canyon State Park is also very close to Ridgecrest and provides the community with hiking and camping opportunities.
Sierra Sands Unified School District, [30] which serves the city of Ridgecrest, Inyokern, and the surrounding communities, includes the following elementary schools: Las Flores Elementary, Faller Elementary, Richmond Elementary currently displaced to Vieweg Elementary due to damage in recent earthquakes, [31] Gateway Elementary, Pierce Elementary, and Inyokern Elementary. For middle-schoolers the school district includes James Monroe Middle School, and Murray Middle School. The district's primary high school, Sherman E Burroughs High School, serves Ridgecrest, China Lake NAWC, Inyokern, Buttermilk Acres, Red Mountain, and Randsburg. There is also an alternative high school, Mesquite High School. [32] Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language, Music, and Science (REALMS)is a public charter school sponsored by the Kern County Office of Education. Opened in 2019, the school educates children from Transitional K to the 6th grade. The school campus was formerly a Transitional K to 8th grade school which operated from 2001 to 2018 under the name Ridgecrest Charter School.
Grades | School | City |
---|---|---|
K-5 | Faller Elementary School | Ridgecrest |
Gateway Elementary School | ||
Inyokern Elementary School | Inyokern | |
Las Flores Elementary School | Ridgecrest | |
Pierce Elementary School | ||
Richmond Elementary School | ||
Rand Elementary School | Johannesburg | |
6-8 | James Monroe Middle School | Ridgecrest |
Murray Middle School | ||
9-12 | Sherman E. Burroughs High School | |
Mesquite High School (alternative) |
Cerro Coso Community College, a part of the Kern Community College District, was established in 1973 and has a full-time enrollment of 2,347. [33] The 420 acres (1.7 km2) Indian Wells Valley Campus (IWV) is located in the upper Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest. [34] The IWV Campus is the largest of the Cerro Coso campuses. It serves a population of about 50,000. The college serves the communities of Ridgecrest, China Lake, Inyokern, and Trona.
Ridgecrest Branch Library, a branch of the Kern County Library, serves Ridgecrest, Inyokern, China Lake, Trona and surrounding communities.
Ridgecrest has its own police department, as well as a regional station of the Kern County Sheriff's Department. The Kern County Fire Department [35] provides fire protection and emergency medical services. Full-time law enforcement employees in 2008 numbered 56 (41 officers).
Crime statistics for 2011 (reported by the Ridgecrest Police Department): [36]
Notable natives include:
Ridgecrest has one TV station, KZGN-LD, owned by Wiknich Broadcasting Corp., that has 3 channels serving the entire Indian Wells Valley over the air and on Mediacom Cable. KZGN provides local news, weather and sports. KZGN also provides a daily local interview program, Ridgecrest Talk. Ridgecrest is served by two newspapers, The Daily Independent and the News Review, as well as a mixture of local broadcast stations and repeaters from radio and TV stations based in Los Angeles and Bakersfield. The repeaters are operated by the IWV TV Booster. Radio stations in the area include KRSF 89.3 a Christian radio format with Radio 74; KZFX 93.7 a classic rock format with ABC and California news and weather; KSSI (FM) 102.7, broadcasting rock music, local news and weather; KLOA (AM) 1240, broadcasting CBS Sports Radio; KZIQ 92.7, featuring adult contemporary music; KRAJ The Heat 100.9 FM, featuring a hip-hop format; and K296AI the 107.1, with KCNV classical music feed. KRCK-1360, "Ridgecrest Radio", went off the air in the 1970s. TV repeater K05FO 5 rebroadcasts KTLA; and K35HO-D 35 rebroadcasts KBAK.
The town of Junktown in the video game Fallout is based on a post-apocalyptic version of Ridgecrest. [40]
External videos | |
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Sony - No More Shakes, YouTube video |
In a 1984 Sony commercial, Ridgecrest is known as the "Earthquake Capital of the World..."
Ridgecrest is located at the junction of highways California State Route 178 and U.S. Route 395 (business route).
The city of Ridgecrest provides the Ridgecrest Transit shuttle bus service to and from Inyokern, connecting with the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority bus that serves Bishop and Mammoth Lakes to the north, and Lancaster (Metrolink station), with connections to the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles, to the south. Kern Transit connects Ridgecrest to Lake Isabella and Mojave. [41]
Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield.
Inyokern is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. Its name derives from its location near the border between Inyo and Kern Counties. Inyokern is located 8 miles (13 km) west of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 2,434 feet (742 m). It is on the western side of the Indian Wells Valley. The population was 988 in the 2020 census, down from 1,099 in the 2010 census. It was a railroad town established along the Southern Pacific railroad's Lone Pine Branch and with WWII became site of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
Rosamond is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, US, near the Los Angeles county line. Rosamond is part of Greater Los Angeles and is located in the Mojave Desert just north of Lancaster and Palmdale, two of the largest cities in Antelope Valley. As of the 2010 Census, Rosamond's population was 18,150. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rosamond as a census-designated place (CDP).
Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installations Command, and was originally known as Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS).
The Coso Volcanic Field is located in Inyo County, California, at the western edge of the Basin and Range geologic province and northern region of the Mojave Desert. The Fossil Falls are part of the Coso Field, created by the prehistoric Owens River. They are within the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and northeast of Little Lake and U.S. Route 395.
The Kawaiisu Nation are a tribe of indigenous people of California in the United States. The Kawaiisu Nation is the only treatied tribe in California, Ratified Treaty, 9 Stat. 984, Dec. 30, 1849. This Treaty with the Utah Confederation of tribal nations. They have never given up their territorial rights to any of their ancestral land to the United States. The Kawaiisu Nation had preexisting treaties with Spain and those were recognized by Mexico until 1849 when California was becoming a State.
The Timbisha are a Native American tribe federally recognized as the Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California. They are known as the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and are located in south central California, near the Nevada border. As of the 2010 Census the population of the Village was 124. The older members still speak the ancestral language, also called Timbisha.
The El Paso Mountains are located in the northern Mojave Desert, in central Southern California in the Western United States.
Coso Rock Art District is a rock art site containing over 100,000 Petroglyphs by Paleo-Indians and/or Native Americans. The district is located near the towns of China Lake and Ridgecrest, California. Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In 2001, they were incorporated into this larger National Historic Landmark District. There are several other distinct canyons in the Coso Rock Art District besides the Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons. Also known as Little Petroglyph Canyon and Sand Tanks, Renegade Canyon is but one of several major canyons in the Coso Range, each hosting thousands of petroglyphs. The majority of the Coso Range images fall into one of six categories: bighorn sheep, entopic images, anthropomorphic or human-like figures, other animals, weapons & tools, and "medicine bag" images. Scholars have proposed a few potential interpretations of this rock art. The most prevalent of these interpretations is that they could have been used for rituals associated with hunting.
Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons are two principal landforms within which are found major accumulations of Paleo-Indian and/or Native American Petroglyphs, or rock art, by the Coso People located in the Coso Range Mountains of the northern Mojave Desert, and now within the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, near the towns of China Lake and Ridgecrest, California. Little Petroglyph Canyon contains 20,000 documented images, which surpasses in number for most other collections. Additionally, the archeological resources are remarkably undisturbed.
Searles Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Searles Valley of the Mojave Desert, in northwestern San Bernardino County, California.
Trona is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. In 2015 it had a population of approximately 1,900. 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 about 170 miles (274 km) northeast of Los Angeles, on State Route 178. The ZIP code is 93562.
Indian 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. It is defined by a major fault on the west side of the valley. Unlike Owens Valley, it is bound by a fault to the south, the Garlock Fault. The valley is part of California's South Lahontan hydrologic region.
Cerro Coso Community College is a public community college in the Eastern Sierra region of Southern California. It was established in 1973 as a separate college within the Kern Community College District. The college offers traditional and online courses and two-year degrees. The college serves an area of approximately 18,000-square-miles. Cerro Coso has five instructional sites: Eastern Sierra Center Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, Indian Wells Valley, Kern River Valley, and South Kern. The college also has an Incarcerated Student Education Program in two locations, the California City Correctional Facility and Tehachapi California Correctional Institution.
Maturango Museum is located in Ridgecrest, California. The museum is best known for the guided tours of the Coso Rock Art District located on China Lake Naval Weapons Station. The museum offers exhibits and displays featuring both the natural and the cultural history and diversity of the Northern Mojave Desert with exhibits of animals, plants, rocks and minerals, Native American artifacts, and contemporary arts and crafts.
The Sierra Sands Unified School District is located in the Indian Wells Valley of California. It was established in 1960. It serves all of Indian Wells Valley, including the cities of Ridgecrest, Inyokern, China Lake, Johannesburg and Kernville. The District serves an estimated 50,000 residents. Sierra Sands has six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.
China Lake is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is located 2.5 miles (4 km) north-northeast of Ridgecrest, at an elevation of 2,264 feet. The place is on China Lake, a dry lake near the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
The Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival is an annual weekend-long festival held in Ridgecrest, California, celebrating the Coso people, and specifically the 10,000-year-old petroglyphs of the Coso Rock Art District. The festival was founded in 2014, and attracted over 15,000 guests in its first year and was named one of Groupon's "10 Most Unique Autumn Festivals in the Country". Events include an intertribal powwow, street fair, and guided tours to the local petroglyphs.
The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 4 and 5 occurred north and northeast of the town of Ridgecrest, California located in Kern County and west of Searles Valley. They included three initial main shocks of Mw magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1, and many perceptible aftershocks, mainly within the area of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Eleven months later, a Mw 5.5 aftershock took place to the east of Ridgecrest. The first main shock occurred on Thursday, July 4 at 10:33 a.m. PDT, approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) ENE of Ridgecrest, and 13 km (8.1 mi) WSW of Trona, on a previously unnoticed NE-SW trending fault where it intersects the NW-SE trending Little Lake Fault Zone. This quake was preceded by several smaller earthquakes, and was followed by more than 1,400 detected aftershocks. The M 5.4 and M 7.1 quakes struck on Friday, July 5 at 4:08 a.m. and 8:19 p.m. PDT approximately 10 km (6 miles) to the northwest. The latter, now considered the mainshock, was the most powerful earthquake to occur in the state in 20 years. Subsequent aftershocks extended approximately 50 km (~30 miles) along the Little Lake Fault Zone.