Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Cows at the creek - California City, CA


Among my favorite sights in California City are the animals that I see while traveling around town. These cows were very cooperative about having their picture taken as they got a cool drink from Cache Creek. This favorite drinking hole is near Forest Blvd, between Desert Butte and Conklin.

Roger

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Microtel coming along - California City, CA


The Microtel is being erected east of the golf course where California City Blvd. turns south and heads down toward Highway 58. Now there is new grading which indicates that there may soon be parking lots and additonal pads for more buildings and stores in this rising commercial center.

Roger

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Neighborhood view - California City, CA


Here is an older but nice neighborhood just north of California City Blvd., off of Conklin Blvd. This and several of the neighborhoods are virtually surrounded by beautiful Tierra Del Sol Golf Course. From here it is an easy walk to Central Park, the coming Ellison Plaza, and other new developments.

Roger

Wind energy - Tehachapi CA


Tehachapi is another quickly growing community near the northern Antelope Valley area. Here at its edge are some of the over 4,600 wind turbines that the local slopes have become famous for. Wind farms come into view near Highways 14 and 58, west of California City and Mojave.

Roger

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Boulevard development - California City, CA


Here is a view from the east side of the public library along the north side of California City Blvd. There are at least several commercial and residential developments going up between the library and Tierra Del Sol Golf Course. Acres have been cleared and the new streets are now beginning to take shape.

Roger

Civic Center - California City, CA


The Civic Center of California City is at California City Blvd. and Hacienda Blvd. The buildings and the grounds are very modern and well kept. Parking is easy and it is a pleasure to drop in here to do any necessary business. Mel points out that California City is a true, master-planned, general law city within Kern County, with its own city hall, city council, building, fire, police, and numerous other city departments. This is important because issues can be handled easily and locally.

At the far (eastern) end of the City buildings is the Kern County Public Library. A glimpse of California City Blvd. is at the far right of the photo.

Roger

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

More construction - Rosamond, CA


On my way up to California City I stopped in Rosamond. Rosamond is just over the Los Angeles County/Kern County line. Things appear to be extremely active here too, as there were hundreds of new homes going up on brand new streets. Rosamond is south of the Mojave Airport/Spaceport and also a main juction to get to Edwards Airforce Base to the east.

Roger

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Antelope Valley Fairgrounds - Lancaster, CA


Just off Highway 14 in Lancaster lies the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. Facilitating hundreds of events each year, it is central to the Antelope Valley heritage. Lancaster is the final large community that is within Los Angeles County on the way to the northern part of the valley. Only minutes up the highway is the Kern County Line.

Roger

Thursday, November 09, 2006

United States Post Office - California City, CA


Here is the U.S. Post Office building on Hacienda Blvd. In the background are the city offices which face California City Blvd. These two intersecting boulevards would be considered the main corner of the California City Civic Center.

Roger

Antelope Valley view - Palmdale, CA


It is always exciting to get a glimpse of the Antelope Valley on a clear day. This photo was taken from a vista point along Highway 14 going north out of Los Angeles. It overlooks the California Aqueduct and Lake Palmdale in the foreground; beyond are the Cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, collectively now boasting a population of about 250,000.

Roger

Friday, November 03, 2006

New homes - California City, CA



Here are some homes under construction. The home by the lake is next to the golf course and is one of many new homes in this subdivision. It lies about 3/4 mile south of the Civic Center. The other three under construction homes are about a mile further south, and lie in a very scenic and open area. Both of these areas have modern underground power and phone lines.

Roger

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Top lunch destination - California City, CA




When I'm in California City, one of my favorite times of the day is lunchtime. I'll often grab a meal-to-go at the deli over in Aspen Mall, then head for Central Park to relax. Sometimes I bring some extra treats for the anxious residents, as you can see in one of the photos. This is a great looking park, with plenty of playground equipment for the kids, picnic facilities, ball field, huge summertime pool, etc. There is now talk underway of bringing back even more of the amenities from the past history of the park.

Roger

Look -- up in the sky! - Antelope Valley, CA


As I said, the Antelope Valley is very much aerospace central for major manufacturers, the military, and now and a civilian spaceport. Sometimes I am surprised to see some amazing aircraft being put through their paces in the clear blue skies over the northern valley. Here I spotted a V-22 Osprey, which is an amazing VSTOL (verticle/short takeoff and landing) tiltrotor aircraft being tested for the Marines and the Airforce. Those props are 38 feet in diameter!

Roger

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Highway 14 - California City, CA


Caltrans has been at work creating a much needed interchange at Highway 14 and California City Blvd. This is in the wake of a huge highway improvement project recently completed, which routed Highway 58 around the north side of Mojave Spaceport/Airport, just south of California City. Next is the widening of Highway 14 to four lanes for a number of miles north of here. There is also a revived movement to widen California City Blvd. from Highway 14 east, into the City.

Roger

Thursday, October 19, 2006

PGA Golf - California City, CA


Central to the City is Tierra Del Sol PGA Golf Course. This highly rated 18-hole course lies generally east of the Civic Center and spans from North Loop to South Loop Boulevards. There are single-family homes and condominiums at various places along the course's perimeter, and newer developments will be taking further advantage of the stunning views.

Roger

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

AltaOne - California City, CA


The AltaOne commercial center is now visibly under way. The grading and groundwork have been going on for months, but to the average passersby it was difficult to tell just what was happening there. Now there are not only defined building pads, but the first vertical steel has been erected, now offering some definition for the mind's eye.

This project is located on the north side of California City Blvd., just east of the public library.

Roger

Monday, October 16, 2006

Antelope Valley Gateway - Mojave, CA


The City of Mojave lies in the northern end of the Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles. Located squarely at the intersection of two major state highways, 14 and 58, this town has been a transportation hub of various sorts for over 100 years. It was the terminal end of the 165 mile 20 mule team borax wagon route from Death Valley; later it was a primary construction camp for the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Nowadays we are seeing a rebirth of this area in yet another generation of transportation, the world of aerospace. The Mojave Airport/Spaceport is home for many who are seeking to bring civilian space travel within reach of us all, including SpaceShipOne builder and X-Prize winner, Scaled Composites.

About ten miles southwest of California City, Mojave is within a short driving distance of Edwards Air Force Base (NASA's backup for Space Shuttle landings), Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing.

Roger

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Close to opening - California City, CA


Here is California City Business Center just weeks from opening near the Aspen Mall. This development is on the north side of California City Blvd. at 82nd St.

Roger

Boom town - California City, CA


It's fitting that the first photo in our Landrush! blog depicts a hydraulic boom placing an entire roof on the garage of a new home. California City, California is truly Boom Town! It's also true that you can't drive more than a block or two within the main part of the City without seeing numerous buildings under construction.

What this means to us is that there is plenty of momentum in the local economy, and developers are thriving on the potential. Being in CC frequently, I see the whole chain of events from the groundbreakings to the SOLD signs on the finished structures. I feel good that in many cases we played our part by identifying these properties and bringing them into the marketplace for speculators, builders and home buyers.

(This photo is of a home under construction near Yerba Blvd. & California City Blvd.)

Roger

Thursday, October 12, 2006

First post

Welcome fellow Landrushers!