Early

Padre Francisco Garcés, a Franciscan missionary, camped at Castle Butte in what is now California City in 1776 during the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition of Alta California.

In the late 19th century, the Twenty-Mule Team Trail, which carried loads of borax to the railhead in Mojave from Harmony Borax Works mines in the east, ran through the California City area.^[5]

Military

The Mojave Gunnery Range "C" was used from August 1944 until January 1959, when it became part of the California City land. It included bomb targets and strafing targets such as a vehicle convoy. It was also used for pilotless aircraft just after World War II. Unexploded ordnance and toxic waste are associated with the site, and the Army Corps of Engineers began surveying the site in 1999, and by 2001 the range was described as containing 20,908 acres (8,461 ha) southwest of the California City center.^[6][7][8][9]

Site surveys beginning in 1999 found MK 23 3-pound practice bombs with unfired signal cartridges, 20-millimeter Target Practice projectiles, 2.25, 2.75, and 5-inch practice rockets, high explosive bombs, and small arms ammunition from .22 to .50 caliber were found. The largest fuzed and unexploded bombs found were two 100-pound general purpose bombs.^[9]

Town

California City Central Park

The city was created in 1958, when developers purchased 82,000 acres (33,000 ha) of Mojave Desert. The new city was aggressively marketed.^[10][11] Developers pitched the city as an alternative to Los Angeles, which the developers argued could not handle the post-war population boom and needed other communities to share the increase.^[12] Instead of being built piecemeal, the whole city would be developed simultaneously.^[12] The city was designed to be a planned community.^[12] The master plan was prepared by Smith and Williams and Garrett Eckbo architects, at the behest of Nat Mendelsohn^[13], a real estate developer and sociology professor, and it included a central park with a 26-acre (11 ha) artificial lake, two golf courses, and a Holiday Inn hotel.^[14] Mendelsohn was president of a corporation called the California City Development Company. There were conflicting reports that the city was built over a large aquifer.^[15][16][17] The city was originally designed to hold 400,000 people, with a downtown center capable of holding 80,000-100,000 people and satellite suburbs housing the rest.^[12]

A post office opened in 1960,^[18] and the city incorporated in 1965, when it had 158 square miles (410 km²) of land, 5,900 landowners, 817 residents, and 232 homes.^[1][19][20]

Unbuilt neighborhoods in California City

By 1965, population growth was less than the developer's projection,^{[21][19][22][23]} and by 1969 only about 1,300 people lived in the city.^[24] The Federal Trade Commission began inspecting the development company in 1969, and Ralph Nader's 25-person California task force (part of "Nader's Raiders") published "Power and Land in California" in 1971. Part of the book focused on California City, calling it a fraud and "a particularly stark study of government failure."^{[25][19][22][23]} By the 1970s, over 50,000 lots had been sold and the market declined. The Federal Trade Commission filed a cease and desist against the home seller for misleading advertising about the city,^[26] and in 1977, over 14,000 landowners receiving partial refunds from a $4 million pool, the largest FTC settlement to date. The sales company was also required to invest $16 million in long-promised infrastructure in various cities.^{[19][22][27][23][28]}

California City had a population of 3,200 in 1985 and over 14,000 in 2018, clustered around the west end.^[19]

In 2015 it was reported that California City's water usage had exceeded expectations, increasing by 28% in May of that year.^[29] The rapidly increasing water usage was blamed on aging pipes beneath undeveloped portions of the city, faulty pumps reporting exaggerated figures, and the presence of the California City Correctional Facility.^[29]

In June of 2016,^[30] California City became the first city of Kern County, California, to allow commercial cannabis cultivation. The city anticipated over $10 million a year in tax revenue from the new policy. In the first quarter of 2023, the city made around $98,000 in cannabis-related revenues.^[31]

Geology

In 2000, the depth to groundwater was 370 feet (110 m).^[9]

The Garlock Fault runs nearby.

Climate

2000

According to the census^[36] of 2000, there were 8,385 people in 3,067 households, including 2,257 families, in the city. As of 2006, the city's population grew 8.9% from 12,106 to 13,219. California City outpaced rivals Palmdale and Lancaster, making the city the 12th fastest growing city in California. This also made California City the fastest growing city in the Antelope Valley. The population density was 41.2 inhabitants per square mile (15.9/km²). There were 3,560 housing units at an average density of 17.5/sq mi (6.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.19% White, 12.82% Black or African American, 1.56% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 7.43% from other races, and 5.94% from two or more races. 16.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 3,067 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.2% of households were one person and 7.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.15.

The age distribution was 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,735, and the median family income was $51,402. Males had a median income of $44,657 versus $28,152 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,902. About 12.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.0% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

31% of the male population were public administrators in 2006. Public administration is the most common job in California City.

Although the growth of the city has not met its founders' expectations, California City has seen substantial population growth over the past several years. The Demographic Research Unit of the California Department of Finance estimated California City's population at 12,048 as of January 1, 2006. California City's population increased an estimated 4.2% in 2005, over three times the growth rate of the state as a whole. California City currently ranks 345th out of 478 incorporated cities in California, up from 348th in 2005.^[37]

2010

At the 2010 census California City had a population of 14,120. The population density was 69.3 inhabitants per square mile (26.8/km²). The racial makeup of California City was 9,188 (65.1%) White (39.9% were non-Hispanic whites), 2,150 (15.2%) African American, 132 (0.9%) Native American, 367 (2.6%) Asian, 59 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 1,431 (10.1%) from other races, and 793 (5.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,385 persons (38.1%).^[38]

The census reported that 11,506 people (81.5% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 2,614 (18.5%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,102 households, 1,611 (39.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,980 (48.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 630 (15.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 287 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 335 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 949 households (23.1%) were one person and 312 (7.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.80. There were 2,897 families (70.6% of households); the average family size was 3.30.

The age distribution was 3,449 people (24.4%) under the age of 18, 1,294 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 4,617 people (32.7%) aged 25 to 44, 3,570 people (25.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,190 people (8.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 144.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 160.1 males.

There were 5,210 housing units at an average density of 25.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 2,474 (60.3%) were owner-occupied and 1,628 (39.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 8.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 22.5%. 6,584 people (46.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,922 people (34.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Transportation

California City is served by Highway 14 to the west and Highway 58 to the south. Kern Transit provides direct bus service to Mojave, Lancaster, and Ridgecrest with connections to Tehachapi and Bakersfield. The direct line to Lancaster also provides a direct connection with Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line, with service into Los Angeles. Within the city, California City Dial-A-Ride (DAR) Transit provides transportation on a demand-response basis on weekdays (except on holidays when City Hall is closed).

Public safety

As an incorporated city that does not contract with Kern County, California City has its own police and fire departments.