Rosamond, California

Rosamond is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, US, near the Los Angeles county line. Rosamond is part of Greater Los Angeles and is located in the Mojave Desert just north of Lancaster and Palmdale, the two largest cities in the Antelope Valley. As of the 2020 Census, Rosamond's population was 21,071. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rosamond as a census-designated place (CDP).

Rosamond is a suburban bedroom community with many residents employed by nearby Edwards Air Force Base or commuting to Los Angeles, Lancaster, and Palmdale for work. The town is about 15 minutes north of the Lancaster Metrolink station providing direct access to Los Angeles Union Station in just two hours. It has few grocery stores such as Grocery Outlet, Albertsons and Dollar General.

History

Rosamond was established in 1877 as a townsite owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad; it was named for the daughter of one of the railroad's officials. The first local industries were mining and cattle. During the 1890s, gold was discovered in the area, quickly drawing miners and prospectors. After the initial boom, gold mining gradually declined, though it had a second, smaller boom during the 1930s. In 1933, Muroc Army Air Field was established some miles away; it was later renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of fallen test pilot Glenn Edwards.

The Rosamond post office opened in 1885, closed in 1887, and re-opened in 1888.

1932 Ford V-8 endurance test

In July 1932, racing driver Eddie Pullen and his team demonstrated the endurance of the newly developed Ford V-8 engine, by driving a Ford V-8, model 18, in 33 days, in the Mojave desert near Rosamond. The average speed was over course of of difficult desert terrain, where temperatures were as high as . Fuel consumption averaged .

Geography

Rosamond sits in the northern end of the Antelope Valley, the westernmost valley of the Mojave Desert. Because the elevation is above sea level, the area, like the other parts of the Mojave Desert region, is referred to as ''the High Desert''. Some cities and communities within the trading area of Rosamond include Lancaster, Palmdale, Hi Vista, Roosevelt, Redman, Lake Los Angeles, Quartz Hill, and Mojave. Residents of these desert cities and unincorporated communities share Sierra Highway, Angeles Forest Highway, Angeles Crest Highway ( State Route 2), and the Antelope Valley Freeway ( State Route 14) for commutes to the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles Basin in order to get to work.

Willow Springs lies west of Rosamond and was a watering hole for stagecoach travelers for generations, though its springs have since dried up. Willow Springs Raceway is nearby, which hosts a variety of motor racing events, attracting people from all over Southern California and beyond.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.41%) is water. The Census Bureau definition of the area may not precisely correspond to the local understanding of the historical area of the community.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Rosamond had a population of 20,961. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rosamond was 48.1% White, 10.5% African American, 1.9% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 19.7% from other races, and 16.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.1% of the population.

The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 7,111 households, out of which 39.2% included children under the age of 18, 47.6% were married-couple households, 8.6% were cohabiting couple households, 23.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 22.5% of households were one person, and 7.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95. There were 5,066 families (71.2% of all households).

The age distribution was 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% aged 18 to 24, 29.0% aged 25 to 44, 24.0% aged 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 33.2years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males.

There were 7,608 housing units at an average density of , of which 7,111 (93.5%) were occupied. Of these, 67.7% were owner-occupied, and 32.3% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 11.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 68.8% spoke only English at home, 26.9% spoke Spanish, 2.1% spoke other Indo-European languages, 2.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 85.7% were high school graduates and 17.2% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income in 2023 was $77,773, and the per capita income was $30,592. About 13.7% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Rosamond had a population of 18,150. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rosamond was 11,294 (62.2%) White, 1,476 (8.1%) African American, 221 (1.2%) Native American, 658 (3.6%) Asian, 66 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 3,258 (18.0%) from other races, and 1,177 (6.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,230 persons (34.3%)

The census reported that 18,145 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 5 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 6,197 households, 2,603 (42.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,254 (52.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 843 (13.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 390 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 432 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 40 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,317 households (21.3%) were one person and 342 (5.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 4,487 families (72.4% of households); the average family size was 3.43.

The age distribution was 5,290 people (29.1%) under the age of 18, 1,956 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 4,708 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 4,716 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,480 people (8.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.

There were 6,968 housing units at an average density of 133.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,202 (67.8%) were owner-occupied and 1,995 (32.2%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.7%. 12,388 people (68.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,757 people (31.7%) lived in rental housing units.

Education

There are five schools in Rosamond: Rosamond Elementary School, West Park Elementary School, Tropico Middle School, Rosamond High School and Rare Earth High School (alternative education).

Transportation

Rosamond sits along the California State Route 14, also known as the Antelope Highway, providing direct access to Los Angeles to the south and Mojave to the north.

Bus service from Rosamond to Bakersfield and Lancaster is provided by Kern Transit. The nearest Metrolink station is located about 15 minutes south in Lancaster. Expansion of the Metrolink train north to Rosamond had been discussed in a 2012 Kern County Council of Governments report.

Notable people

* Kay Ryan, poet and writer
* John Quade, actor

See also

* Tejon Ranch Radar Cross Section Facility

References

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Census-designated places in Kern County, California
Populated places in the Mojave Desert
Populated places established in 1877
Antelope Valley
Census-designated places in California
1877 establishments in California