Lake Los Angeles, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Los Angeles, California
Census-designated place
Club Ed, popular filming location
Location of Lake Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California.
Lake Los Angeles, California Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Lake Los Angeles, California Location in southern California Show map of southern California Lake Los Angeles, California Location in California Show map of California Lake Los Angeles, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Area
• Total	9.790 sq mi (25.355 km2)
• Land	9.741 sq mi (25.229 km2)
• Water	0.049 sq mi (0.126 km2)  0.5%
Elevation	2,661 ft (811 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,187
• Density	1,346.99/sq mi (520.095/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	93535 (North of Avenue O) & 93591 (South of Avenue O)
Area code(s)	661
FIPS code	06-39612
GNIS feature ID	1666854

Lake Los Angeles is a special kind of community in Los Angeles County, California. It's called a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's an area that looks like a town but isn't officially a city. In 2020, about 13,187 people lived here. It's located about 17 miles (27 km) east of Palmdale's main area. Lake Los Angeles is part of the larger Palmdale/Lancaster urban area, which has a population of nearly half a million people.

Getting Around Lake Los Angeles

You can get around Lake Los Angeles using public buses. The Antelope Valley Transit Authority runs these services.

• Route 50 travels from the Town Center Plaza in Lake Los Angeles to Owen Memorial Park in Lancaster.
• Route 51 also starts at Town Center Plaza but goes to the Palmdale Transportation Center.

Both bus routes run about every two hours, seven days a week. A one-way ticket costs $1.50.

A Lake That Vanished: The History of Lake Los Angeles

This area was once known as Los Angeles Buttes. This name came from the unique hills, or "buttes," that were found only in this northern part of the county.

The Artificial Lake

In 1967, during a time when people were buying a lot of land in the Antelope Valley, land developers bought 4,000 acres (16 km²) here. They divided the land into many smaller pieces. To make the area more attractive, they refilled a natural lake and named it Lake Los Angeles. They even showed pictures of people water skiing on the lake, making it seem like a fancy resort town. There was a country club and a nice restaurant overlooking the lake. There was also a small store and a grill.

The developers gave streets names like Biglake Avenue and Lakespring Avenue. This was to make people think of a watery place, even though the town was actually in a dry desert. The lake was only about 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep. After the first developers sold their land in the early 1980s, the lake was left to dry up. Many people who bought land here never even visited the area. Today, there are ideas to refill the lake, but finding enough money is the biggest challenge.

Lake Los Angeles on the Big Screen

Lake Los Angeles has a long history with movies, dating back to 1938. Many films, TV shows, and commercials have been filmed here over the years.

• The TV show Bonanza filmed parts of several episodes in this region, including "The Mission" and "Big Shadow on the Land."
• There are two permanent film sets in Lake Los Angeles:
  • Four Aces: This set looks like a mid-century rest stop with a diner, gas station, and motel. It has been used in movies like Identity, Fall, and Palm Springs.
  • Club Ed: This set is an older, more run-down gas station and a two-story house. It was built for the 1991 film Eye of the Storm. You might have seen it in The Devil's Rejects and Torque.

Both of these locations and the areas around them are still used for filming today.

Who Lives in Lake Los Angeles?

The number of people living in Lake Los Angeles has grown over the years.

Population in 2010

In 2010, Lake Los Angeles had a population of 12,328 people. About 55.7% of the residents were White, and 11.3% were African American. Many people, about 53.6%, were of Hispanic or Latino background.

Most people (99.8%) lived in regular homes. There were 3,267 households. About 52.3% of these households had children under 18 living in them. The average household had about 3.76 people. The average age of people living in Lake Los Angeles was 29.9 years old.

Population in 2000

In 2000, there were 11,523 people living in Lake Los Angeles. The racial makeup was similar to 2010, with about 61% White and 12.1% African American. About 33.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household size was 3.66 people. The median age was 28 years. The most common backgrounds reported were Mexican and German. Many people born outside the U.S. came from Mexico and El Salvador.

Community Services

Several important services help the people of Lake Los Angeles:

• The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) has a station in Lancaster that serves Lake Los Angeles. They help keep the community safe.
• The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Antelope Valley Health Center, also in Lancaster. This center provides health care services to residents.

See also

In Spanish: Lake Los Angeles para niños