Palmdale Leads State in Decade of Growth

The Antelope Valley community of Palmdale was the fastest-growing city in California from 1980 to 1990, a Palo Alto-based private research group said Monday.

Palmdale’s top ranking among 451 California cities was based on combined growth in number of households, residential building permits, retail sales and assessed property values, according to a report by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

Palmdale and other urban “fringe” communities throughout the state accounted for much of the state’s growth of about 6 million people and 3 million jobs during the decade, the center said. “In each major region of California, growth is spreading out and new communities are sprouting,” said center Director Stephen Levy.

Palmdale led all cities in two categories: The number of households increased by 344% from 4,658 to 20,674, and population grew 360% from 12,277 to 56,476. The city ranked sixth in total residential building permits issued, 10th in assessed value growth and 23rd in retail sales growth.

Palmdale’s retail sales grew from $62.2 million in 1980 to $246.6 million in 1989, an increase of almost 297%. The assessed value of property in the city climbed from $533.4 million in 1980 to $2.54 billion in 1989, a nearly 377% increase. Specific building permit figures were not available.

Neighboring Lancaster ranked 18th, its population growing from 48,027 in 1980 to 88,732 as of January 1990, a nearly 85% increase that ranked 37th statewide. The number of households in the city climbed from 17,312 to 32,665, a nearly 89% increase that ranked 28th statewide, the center said.

The assessed value of property in Lancaster went from $752.5 million in 1980 to $2.9 billion in 1989, an increase that ranked 24th in the state. Annual retail sales grew from $259.9 million to $743.8 million, ranking the city 58th. Lancaster was ninth in residential building permits.

Among other cities in the center’s top 25 for the decade, the San Gabriel Valley community of Walnut ranked fourth overall, Victorville in San Bernardino County ranked fifth, Irvine in Orange County was 11th and Moorpark in Ventura County was 13th.

Center officials said Santa Clarita also might have ranked high on the list, except that it did not become a city until December, 1987. In the center’s separate ranking of growth in California cities for the year 1989 alone, Palmdale placed second, Lancaster was 11th, and Santa Clarita was 12th.