Ridgecrest (California)

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Ridgecrest
College Heights Blvd.  in Ridgecrest
College Heights Blvd. in Ridgecrest
Seal of Ridgecrest
seal
Location in California
Ridgecrest (California)
Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest
Basic data
Foundation : November 29, 1963
State : United States
State : California
County : Kern County
Coordinates : 35 ° 37 ′  N , 117 ° 41 ′  W Coordinates: 35 ° 37 ′  N , 117 ° 41 ′  W
Time zone : Pacific ( UTC − 8 / −7 )
Residents : 28,940 (as of 2018)
Population density : 567.5 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 51.8 km 2  (approx. 20 mi 2 ) of
which 51.0 km 2  (approx. 20 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 698 m
Postcodes : 93555, 93556
Area code : +1 760
FIPS : 06-60704
GNIS ID : 1652783
Website : www.ridgecrest-ca.gov
Mayor : Peggy Breeden (as of 2019)

Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County in the US state of California , United States , with a population of about 28,900 (as of 2018). The geographic coordinates are: 35.63 ° north, 117.66 ° west. The urban area has a size of 55.6 km². Ridgecrest is near the Death Valley .

geography

Ridgecrest is located in eastern Southern California within the Mojave Desert . It is located in the Indian Wells Valley , the southern extension of the Owens Valley east of the Sierra Nevada . To the west of the city runs the US Highway 395 and through Ridgecrest itself the California State Route 178 .

economy

In Ridgecrest there is access to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake , an important military research base with an area of ​​4,500 km². Part of the base is reserved airspace of around 51,000 km² in which low-level flights are often performed.

history

The settlement began as a farming community called Crumville in 1912 , in honor of James and Robert Crum, local milk merchants. The first post office was opened in 1941. By 1943, Ridgecrest had grown to 115 houses and 196 residents. The Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake was established in November 1943 and provided a job base for years to come. Ridgecrest was founded as a city in 1963 . During this time, Ridgecrest's growth was driven by the continued needs of high-tech industries coupled with the Naval Station's weapons and guidance systems testing programs.

In 2019, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 MW occurred on July 4 about 10 miles north of Ridgecrest at about 10:30 a.m. local time . The earthquake was followed on Friday, July 5th, by another tremor with a magnitude of 7.1 MW. This was followed by over 4,700 aftershocks . In some parts of the city there were power outages and there were no individual fires, seriously injured or fatalities. The tremors could be felt as far as Los Angeles , Phoenix and Las Vegas .

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Commons : Ridgecrest  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ridgecrest City, California. United States Census Bureau, factfinder.census.gov, accessed July 5, 2019 .
  2. http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake.html
  3. a b c d Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif .: Word Dancer Press. P. 1096. ISBN 1-884995-14-4 .
  4. 'Alcohol was just flooding the aisle': Ridgecrest market has lots to clean after quake , Los Angeles Times, July 4, 2019
  5. Fires break out after another powerful earthquake hits near Ridgecrest in Southern California , CNN on July 5, 2019.
  6. Earthquakes put Ridgecrest residents on edge: 'Nobody in this town has slept for days' , cnn.com, accessed on July 8, 2019 (English)
  7. Another severe earthquake in southern California , tagesspiegel.de, accessed on July 8, 2019
  8. Magnitude 7.1 earthquake reported in California, felt in Phoenix , AZ Central on July 6, 2019.