California City, California 2025

California City is a city located in northern Los Angeles County, California, in the San Joaquin Valley, in the United States. As per the 2020 census, the population was 14,120.

California City was established in the 1950s and 1960s as Muroc Dry Lake, a top-secret base for flight testing the X-15 and other experimental aircraft, and it was renamed California City in 1958. However, it was incorporated as a city on August 22, 1in 874.

California City is near Edwards Air Force base within the Mojave Desert. The city's population and economy rely on two organizations, Edwards Air Force Base and the California City Correctional Facility (CCCF), a medium-security state prison in town.

California City is a modest city in the Mojave Desert delimited by the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It has a desert climate, with no real seasons, although seasonal weather can be felt because they are close to the mountains. The Mojave receives only five inches of rainfall per year, which is also the state's average yearly snowfall. California City is well known for its aerospace research and development; the city is, after all, built around Edwards. It is also recognized for its grapes, staked out in rows to the horizon like soldiers waiting for a flight or liftoff on nearby Rogers dry lake.

As per the census of 2010, there were 14, 134people, 3,044 households, and 2,359 families residing in the city. The population was spread out, with 3,673.8 people per square mile (1,419.9/km2), with 4,063 housing units. The racial makeup of California City was 8,379 (74.4%) White (66.3% Non-Hispanic White), 1,421 (10.2%) Black or African American, 77 (0.5%) Native American or Alaska Native, 3,457 (24.3%) from other races, and 936 (6.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,357 persons (30.8%), with 2,947 (20.9%) from Mexico.

There were 3,044 households, of which 1,652 (54.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,788 (58.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 593 (19.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 275 (9.0%) had a male household with no wife present. There were 235 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 25 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 342 households (11.3%) were made up of individuals, and 110 (3.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68. There were 2,269 families (74.6% of all households), and the average family size was 3.02.

The city's population was distributed as follows: 4,112 people (29.1%) were under the 18 years old, 1,316 (9.4%) were between the ages of, 1,657 (11.7%) were between 20 and 24, 3,747 (26.5%) were between 25 and 44, 3,254 (23.3%) were between 45 and 64, and 921 (6.6%) were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

There were 4,063 housing units at an average density of 1,595.4 per square mile (615.6/km2), of which 1,850 (60.8%) were owner-occupied, and 1,214 (39.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%. 7,656 people (54.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 4,033 people (28.5% of the population) lived in rental housing units.

California City is home to the public California City Elementary School District and the private Antelope Valley Christian School, which serves students from Kindergarten to high school. California City also hosts the now-defunct California City Correctional Center, which was the first privately operated state prison in California. Prisoners from this jail have been moved to a newer facility in Mojave after its closure.

Every year, California City hosts the California City Whiptail Festival, held the second weekend in April. The festival features live music, games, vendors, and a parade that crosses the town along the city's main street, California City Boulevard.

In 2022, an annual music festival called 'California Vibes' was scheduled to be held in California City. However, on the opening day of the festival, which was expected to host thousands of attendees, it was abruptly canceled. The cancellation has been attributed to various issues, including 'local politics' and financial challenges. In its wake, there were allegations of fraud and a number of lawsuits were filed against the festival organizers.