ACTON PORTRAIT : A SMALL TOWN FULL OF PRIDE

Visitors are often charmed by Acton, a picturesque desert community that has retained its small-town nature.

Although the U.S. Census Bureau defines Acton as having fewer than 1,500 people, those living here consider the 8,000 neighbors scattered in the nearby hills as part of the Acton family as well.

According to local history, Acton supported 35 bars during its heyday as a flourishing mining town--including the 49er Saloon that remains in the center of town.

Acton’s most famous residents include Lou Henry, a geologist who married President Herbert Hoover, and Bill Taylor, who played baseball for the Detroit Tigers and the old New York Giants. Taylor, who listed Acton as his hometown on the back of his bubble gum card, later returned to the area to work in real estate.

An assortment of notables are said to have visited this tiny community during their travels. Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt and at least one king of Spain reportedly stayed at the Acton Hotel on different occasions.

BRIEF HISTORY

* The name: Acton was named for a village near Concord, Mass., and a borough in the suburbs of London. Founded in 1868, the town was once considered a good candidate for the capital of California because of its location between Sacramento and San Diego. The community may still have left its mark on California government: A large brown bear shot near Acton is said to have been the model for California’s state flag.

* The mines: Prospectors were first drawn to the area in the mid-1800s when gold was found in nearby Soledad City, which eventually became known as Ravenna, and some of the largest gold strikes in California came from the area’s Governor Mine. Acton wears its mining-town heritage proudly. A collection of dark brown, wood-frame buildings worthy of any western sit in the center of town, and proposed themes for this year’s Fourth of July parade include Horses are the Root of Our Country, Pieces of the Past and Boot Scootin’.

THE WAR

* Community leaders playfully went to war with disc jockey “Sweet Dick” Whittington of KFI radio in 1976, after his “Where the hell is Acton?” comment went over the airwaves. Weeks of bantering between KFI and town residents culminated when 2,000 people in mock military garb appeared for a verbal battle. Whittington’s “maneuvering misfits” declared Acton responsible for most of life’s problems, ranging from fleas on cats to snow in the Great Salt Lake. Jo Anne Darcy, then-president of the Acton Chamber of Commerce, stated victory demands that included returning the “I” in Acton, establishing an “emerald lane” on the Antelope Valley Freeway for Acton tractors, and a federal subsidy to either restart the local mining industry or launch a mushroom industry.

COMMUNITY ISSUES

* Trustees of Acton’s only school district, which includes about 1,800 students even with nearby Agua Dulce thrown in, are among only a half-dozen school boards statewide that refused to administer the CLAS exams in 1994. Critics of the California Learning Assessment System test were leery of its open-ended questions, claiming the queries invaded students’ privacy. Acton school officials have weathered criticism and threats of lawsuits, and ultimately ignored a court order demanding they administer the test.

* Growth and future development are major concerns here as residents struggle for Acton to maintain the isolated, rural atmosphere that attracted them. Fearing crime, traffic and other problems, residents successfully fought a four-year effort to establish a major supermarket in the community. Ralphs Grocery Co. withdrew plans for the 45,000-square-foot store in March, one day before the project was to be reviewed by Los Angeles County officials.

* Locals were bursting with pride late last year when one of their own, 17-year-old Shawna Gambill, became the first California contestant to win the Miss Teen USA Pageant in the competition’s 30-year history. The straight-A student and cheerleader, who hopes to become an environmental attorney, credited the community for her values. “Acton has made me who I am today,” Shawna said in an interview after the pageant.

Community Profile

Based on 1990 U.S. Census figures.

Statistics

Size: 4.6 square miles

Population: 1,390

Median age: 32.8

Number of households: 477

Persons per household: 2.98

Owner-occupied housing units: 46%

Average single-family home value: $312,000

Population over 25 with bachelor’s degree: 17.1%

Population below poverty level: 6.6%

Income

Average household income is higher than Los Angeles city and county averages, but lower than that in neighboring Santa Clara.

Action: $53,642

Santa Clarita: $60,413

Los Angeles County: $47,252

Los Angeles city: $45,701

Ethnicity:

White: 82.3%

Latino: 9.3%

African American: 2.9%

Native American: 1.6%

Other: 3.9%

Sources: Acton Historical Society

Researched by DOUG ALGER / Los Angeles Times