Split by the Cactus Curtain

Shoppers head into the Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale, which opened in 1990 and draws many Lancaster residents. The mall’s location was fiercely contested for years until Palmdale offered the developer millions in incentives to build on a site near the 14 Freeway.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Shoppers inside the Antelope Valley Mall in Palmdale. The mall, which eventually lured Lancaster’s J.C. Penney and Sears, touched off a long campaign of economic warfare which, by the estimate of Lancaster’s mayor, estimate, has cost both cities more $100 million in lost revenue.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

An F-4 Phantom 11, on loan from the U.S. Air Force, is on display in Lancaster. No one seems to know for sure why the Cactus Curtain went up in the first place. Some say the cities haven’t gotten along since Palmdale broke away from Lancaster and was incorporated in 1962.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Nina Naibova, left, and Hani Kamani enjoy the view at Vista Point above Highway 14 in Palmdale. A developer who has been involved in several large retail projects in Lancaster and Palmdale said the drama is hurting both cities: “It’s frustrating from both a business and a logical perspective.”   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

People stroll through the well-attended farmers market in Lancaster, which draws many Palmdale residents. The cities’ mayors acknowledge the lack of civility, and both can locate the cause: across Avenue M, in the other city.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Diahance Ivra, 17, performs a break dance during a fundraiser at Lancaster’s farmers market. In the 1980s and early ‘90s, a flood of new investment washed into the valley and the two cities began to fight over where the money should go.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)