Agua Dulce () ( Spanish for "Sweet Water") is a census-designated place in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

, California, United States. It lies at an elevation of , northeast of Santa Clarita. The community had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census and covers a geographic area of about . Agua Dulce is on the Pacific Crest Trail. The ZIP code is 91390 (shared with Green Valley and far northern Santa Clarita), and the area code is 661.

Geography

Agua Dulce is located along

California State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Los Angeles to the northern Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects In ...

, halfway between Santa Clarita and Palmdale, and north of Los Angeles, in the Sierra Pelona Valley region of Southern California. Vasquez Rocks is located in Agua Dulce. The Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada, goes through Agua Dulce.

History

On June 1, 2021, a shooting occurred at Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 81 in Agua Dulce. Firefighter Jonathan Tatone shot and killed a fellow firefighter and wounded a fire captain.

Demographics

At the 2010 census Agua Dulce had a population of 3,342. The population density was . The racial makeup of Agua Dulce was 2,854 (85.4%) White (75.5% Non-Hispanic White), 59 (1.8%) Black, 24 (0.7%) Native American, 78 (2.3%) Asian, 3 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 223 (6.7%) from other races, and 101 (3.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 611 people (18.3%). The census reported that 3,314 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 28 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 1,201 households, 355 (29.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 795 (66.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 72 (6.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 58 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 64 (5.3%)

unmarried opposite-sex partnerships POSSLQ ( , plural POSSLQs) is an abbreviation (or acronym) for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of ...

, and 10 (0.8%) same-sex couples or partnerships. 200 households (16.7%) were one person and 73 (6.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76. There were 925 families (77.0% of households); the average family size was 3.06. The age distribution was 645 people (19.3%) under the age of 18, 310 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 588 people (17.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,336 people (40.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 463 people (13.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 47.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males. There were 1,277 housing units at an average density of 55.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,058 (88.1%) were owner-occupied and 143 (11.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%. 2,929 people (87.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 385 people (11.5%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Agua Dulce had a median household income of $103,333, with 2.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Education

Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District is a school district serving the rural unincorporated communities of Acton and Agua Dulce in northern Los Angeles County, California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, ...

: *Vasquez High School, Acton *High Desert Middle School, Acton *Meadowlark School, Acton *Agua Dulce Elementary School, Agua Dulce

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Agua Dulce is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Agua Dulce is in .

Filming location

Vasquez Rocks has long been used as a popular filming location by the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

movie industry, most notably '' The Flintstones'' movie, Mel Brooks' ''

Blazing Saddles ''Blazing Saddles'' is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Alan Uger. The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. ...

'', '' The Invaders'' episode "The Saucer", and the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episode " Arena." The 1971 movie ''

Duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

'' filmed extensively in the area, as was the western film ''

More Dead Than Alive ''More Dead Than Alive'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Robert Sparr and produced by Aubrey Schenck. It was filmed at Agua Dulce, California. Plot An incarcerated killer named Cain (Clint Walker) is released from prison after 18 ...

''. Other films shot in the area are '' Rat Race'', ''

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989). ...

'' and '' The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle''. The History channel shoots the popular reality TV show "Top Shot" in the hills and canyons on the north side of the valley. '' Reno 911'' has filmed in locations off of Soledad Canyon Road. The Agua Dulce area has played host to music video shoots, including those for

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

" You Got Lucky",

Bloodhound Gang The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career pro ...

's "Your Only Friends Are Make-Believe", Weird Al Yankovic's " I Love Rocky Road", and various Nike commercials. L.A. based rockers and "Rat Pack" recording artist
Roxanne
filmed
Super Bad
at the Diamond View Ranch in Agua Dulce. Vasquez Rocks got its name from the famous bandit Tiburcio Vásquez who used them as a hideout. Most recently, Agua Dulce was used as the primary setting for

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...

’s 2022 horror sci-fi film '' Nope''. The main characters in the film are horse wranglers that often work on movie shoots that happen around Agua Dulce.

Transportation

Agua Dulce has a general aviation airport known as Agua Dulce Airpark. The Airpark and surrounding area was the location for the ABC game show

101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow ''101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow'' is a British game show produced by Initial (a subsidiary of Endemol UK) for the BBC hosted by Steve Jones and Nemone. On each episode, eight contestants compete for a £10,000 prize by picking the correct answ ...

which premiered on 21 June 2011.

References

External links

Agua Dulce Town CouncilTownship of Agua Dulce''Acton/Agua Dulce News''
local newspaper * (Photos, text, TV shows)
Agua Dulce VineyardsVanguard News Agua Dulce and Acton news onlineWeather information for Agua Dulce and Acton
{{authority control Census-designated places in Los Angeles County, California Census-designated places in California Sierra Pelona Ridge