Lake Los Angeles is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 13,187 at the 2020 census, up from 12,328 at the 2010 census. It is located east of Palmdale's Civic Center. According to the Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance report of 2009, the Palmdale / Lancaster urban area has a population of 483,998, of which Lake Los Angeles is a part.
Transportation
Public transportation services are operated by the Antelope Valley Transit Authority. The route 50 bus travels from Lake Los Angeles's Town Center Plaza to Owen Memorial Park in Lancaster. Route 51 also serves Town Center Plaza, but terminates at Palmdale Transportation Center. Each route runs about every two hours all week, with a one-way fare of $1.50.
History
The region was once called Los Angeles Buttes, since they were the only ones in the northern part of the county. The eponymous lakes (one dedicated to fishing and one dedicated to swimming and boating) have dried up. The fishing lake was stocked with trout, bass and catfish. In 1967, during the 1960s land speculation boom in the Antelope Valley, land developers bought in the region, subdivided it into 4,465 lots, and artificially refilled the natural lake and named it Lake Los Angeles as an enticement to land buyers. Advertisements showed a water skier on the lake (which was probably no more than 5 feet deep) and a showcase home on the top of the nearby hill, giving the impression of a resort town. There was a country club and a high-end restaurant that overlooked the large recreational lake. There was also a small store/bar and grill. Streets were named Biglake Avenue, Lakespring Avenue and Longmeadow Avenue to draw attention away from the fact that the town was in fact a barren desert used for filming westerns. The lake was left to evaporate in the early 1980s after the initial developers sold their interests. Much of the land was sold to buyers who never visited the area. There are efforts to refill the lake, but the main obstacle has been funding.
The film history of the region dates back to 1938. Numerous movies, serials, commercials and television series were filmed in Lake Los Angeles for decades. Filmed segments and stock footage of Bonanza episodes made at the region include "The Mission", "Gallagher's Sons", "Twilight Town", "Big Shadow on the Land", "The Deed and the Dilemma", "The Oath", "Second Chance" and "Meena." Lake Los Angeles has two permanent film sets: Four Aces, a replica mid-century style rest stop with a diner, gas station and motel, used in the films Identity, Fall, and Palm Springs; and Club Ed, a more dilapidated early 20th century gas station and two-story house, originally built for the 1991 film Eye of the Storm, since used in The Devil's Rejects and Torque. Both locations and their surrounding areas have been used for television series, feature films, music videos, and television commercials.