Rosamond, Calif.--Located in Southern California's Antelope Valley and part of the Mojave Desert, Rosamond is an unincorporated town that serves as the gateway to Edwards Air Force Base. South of town are three major forces: Lancaster, Palmdale, and an emerging civilian spaceport at Mojave, all located in Los Angeles County. Kern county makes many of the decisions for the operations of the unincorporated Rosamond. Kern County is surround by Ventura, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Tulare, and Kings Counties. Its major city is Bakersfield, and a well known stretch of Interstate 5 in Kern County is called the Grapevine.

Rosamond, once known as Sand Creek, Bayles Station, or Baylesville, was named for the daughter of a Southern Pacific railroad official whose duties included work in the area. The Lida mine successfully yielded high-grade ore, employing hundreds of locals and others who came to find work.

World War II brought the military flight training operations to nearby auxiliary strips south of Rosamond, while the town at Mojave had a Navy airfield. Also, an existing remote training facility at nearby Muroc Dry Lake was upgraded in 1942 to become Muroc Army Air Base, a training and test facility that evolved into Edwards Air Base. It is the premier flight test & development operation, and a major economic factor for Rosamond.

Antelope Valley Freeway California 14 Highway serves Rosamond, and attracting commuters from nearby cities, even as far away as Los Angeles less than 100 miles by car.

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