Palmdale’s ’88 Growth Rate of 17% Leads L.A. County

Palmdale was the fastest growing city in Los Angeles County last year, officials reported Tuesday, with the neighboring Antelope Valley city of Lancaster coming in third in county population growth.

Palmdale’s population grew 17% in 1988 to 45,850, according to an annual report released by the state Department of Finance.

Lancaster grew to 82,200, a 10.3% rise that ranked it just behind Irwindale’s 14.8% in county growth rates. The report listed population figures between January, 1988, and January of this year.

Palmdale ranked eighth in population growth among California cities, while Lancaster ranked 22nd, said Elizabeth Hoag, a state demographic researcher.

The fastest growing city in the state was Corcoran in the San Joaquin Valley, where workers and personnel involved with construction of a new state prison helped increase the population by 43% to 11,000, Hoag said.

Moorpark in Ventura County and Westlake Village and Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County were also among communities that grew rapidly. Moorpark’s population rose to 24,900, a 10.2% increase; the city of Santa Clarita, which was incorporated in December, 1987, grew 5.8% to 115,700, and Westlake Village grew 6.6% to 8,025.

Valley Growth 1.4%

The report on population growth in California showed that the San Fernando Valley portion of the city of Los Angeles grew 1.4% to reach 1,199,000 residents. The city of Los Angeles experienced an overall 1% increase to 3,400,500.

In Palmdale, officials welcomed the official announcement of news that they already knew: Their city is booming. Palmdale’s population has grown 220% since 1980.

“Right now, it’s very pro-growth here,” spokesman Steve Buffalo said. “As long as we can maintain our level of services, we’re oriented toward continuing to grow.”

Lancaster spokeswoman Susan Davis said her city’s enthusiasm about the boom is tempered with concern that growth be managed.

“We are encouraged about the growth,” she said. “But the council is very concerned about making sure that we are prepared to handle it. We knew this area was attractive, that people wanted the rural life style, lower crime rates, a sense of community. We want to maintain that quality of life that people moved to the desert for.”

Affordable housing and a thriving aerospace industry have fed the population rise in the Antelope Valley. The average price of a home in the area is $119,000, compared to this year’s average of $270,400 for a home in the San Fernando Valley.

“Initially, our surge was first-time home buyers,” Buffalo said. “It’s now becoming established families. People are selling homes in the San Fernando Valley for substantial amounts and putting the earnings into their homes up here.”

An estimated 40,000 Antelope Valley residents commute to jobs in the San Fernando Valley or other locations “down below,” as residents refer to areas 40 miles to the south. Leaders in both cities say their top priorities include attracting industries and jobs that could lure the commuter work force home.

“The major effort right now is getting the employers, both commercial and industrial development,” Buffalo said. “We’re trying to get people off the freeway.”