Due to its proximity to an impressive air force base, Rosamond is often called by its nickname, Aerospace Valley.
Located in a valley created by the surrounding picturesque San Gabriel and Tehachapi mountain ranges, Rosamond, with its 18,150 residents (based on the US Census Bureau's 2010 data), exists to serve and support the more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel who are based on and around the 481-square-mile Edwards Air Force Base facility. In fact, a neat little burg like Rosamond that seems out in the middle of nowhere takes on the appearance of a thriving mini-metropolis with its teeming life and daily activity not typically seen in a residential area of this size.
Moving To Rosamond
If you're contemplating a move here, don't jump the gun! With sufficient time in hand, you can prepare by properly accessing online internet sites showcasing property rental in Rosamond before you even show up. By so doing, you'll end up in a win-win situation that won't take a big bite out of your wallet.
During your Internet-based search for a rental apartment, you'll find a liberal mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments for rent, unless of course you're moving more than two, in which case a larger house rental might be in order.
Neighborhoods in Rosamond
Rosamond has multiplied ten-fold in the last two decades. When it comes to selecting a particular neighborhood before your intended move, Rosamond is pretty much a "what you see is what you get" town. Accordingly, it's more of one big, flat land mass covering 52 square miles that evolved, in one fell swoop, into what it is now. There was no traditional civic administrative planning that more mainstream towns boast, and there are no apparent neighborhoods per se. However, there are certain sections within Rosamond's legal boundaries that have been developed and established and now have higher-priced real estate evaluations.
Living in Rosamond
When one utters the town name of Rosamond, chances are the sound of raucous, screaming fighter jets comes to mind. If you happen to be there at this moment, you'd undoubtedly see and hear one shrieking and cavorting overhead in the crystal-clear blue skies. Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), the United States Air Force's (USAF) premier test facility, is located here. Edwards is the second largest USAF base in America. Located in idyllic must-see Antelope Valley, it kisses the western boundary of America's classic Hollywood-depicted hot-and-dry Mojave Desert. Over these sands, America's world preeminence in the sky has evolved over time.
Rosamond is actually the closest of six residential enclaves that surround the base. Palmdale and Lancaster (Judy Garland and John Wayne once lived there in their youth) are two of the most notable nearby towns. Rosamond was settled in the 19th century under the name of Sand Creek, a name that would eventually change to Rosamond because, as they say, the "well ran dry" - with too many settlers, a lot of sand and not enough of the wet stuff. Once properly settled and better organized, the area's main water resources were implemented with irrigation wells, underground aquifers, nearby mountain water supply reserves and the development of the huge Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1908.
Shopping, dining and convenient and handy take-out emporiums are adequately represented in this "desert-like oasis" community. Your standard fast-food mix, such as McDonald's, Jack-in-the-Box and Taco Bell are well represented in the area. The Wayside Cafe, Thai Garden and Ramon's Mexican Restaurant should fit the bill nicely when stepping out for a nice meal.
But after all, no matter what, odds are you're probably not looking to move your digs to Rosamond for the culinary attractions. Relocation here offers work potential at, or as a support service to, Edwards AFB. With today's modern transportation, mobile communications and satellite TV, you'll hardly feel isolated when you get up and go pursue career advancement in the Rosamond patch of Southern California's warm turf.
Travel to and from Rosamond has become quite easy as a result of the landmark development of the Antelope Valley Freeway (California Highway 14), which was expanded to service Edwards AFB and its surrounding communities in 1968. Any insecurity about living in such a previously remote area was instantly removed with the opening of this major artery. While automobile use is the principal mode of travel around the Rosamond region, commercial air travel access is less convenient; ironic in itself with such an immense nearby air base facility at hand. Los Angeles International Airport is the nearest local airport, and the Greyhound Bus Line is an alternative option in case that mode of transport tickles your fancy. There's an Amtrak Metrolink station in Lancaster if rail travel is your thing. Strange as it may seem, although not considered a suburb of Los Angeles nor a piece-of-cake commute, some Rosamond residents make the daily workday round trip through LA owing mostly to the long-term beneficial living conditions here: economical housing, the influence and stability that Edwards brings to the table, and the unpolluted air of a picturesque and rustic spot like the Antelope Valley.