Pearblossom, California
Encyclopedia
Pearblossom is an unincorporated
town located in Los Angeles County, California
. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code
is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661
.
in the Antelope Valley
portion of Southern California
.
Pearblossom is well known by Southlanders
as the home of one of the most dangerous roads in the US
. State Route 138
(Pearblossom Highway) is the main street in Pearblossom and as of 2004 has been the location of numerous serious and fatal automobile accidents in its Palmdale to I-15 segment. It is known locally as Deathtrap Highway. The road is only single lane each direction for most of this segment's length, and the volumes of traffic that use it are far beyond what it was engineered to handle. The chief reason for accidents according to CHP
data is passing the double yellow line in unsafe conditions. Overuse of Pearblossom Highway is chiefly on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, the time period many use the route to travel to Las Vegas
. This section of 138's route is commonly used as a bypass of the Los Angeles
Metropolitan region, and as a route from the Antelope Valley to the Inland Empire.
Pearblossom Highway (1986) was actually photographed in the Littlerock
rural vicinity; it, like Huxley's The Crows of Pearblossom, is not about Pearblossom proper.
Western actor Bob Faust (Louis R. Faust, aka Louis Faust) died in his rental on Hwy 138 in Pearblossom, CA; his seven movies followed his purple-heart exit from the U.S. Navy. He acted with John Wayne in Angel and the Badman
. His son named after him owns a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) plot in Pearblossom gained partly from a split inheritance from the actor.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
town located in Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
. The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661
Area code 661
North American area code 661 covers the majority of California's Kern County, as well as part of Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County, and Tulare County...
.
Geography
Pearblossom is located about 15 miles (24.1 km) Southeast of PalmdalePalmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
in the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
portion of Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
About Pearblossom
The name Pearblossom came from the multitude of local pear farms along the southern ridge of the Antelope Valley. A few still exist today, but most of those farms are now abandoned and have returned to the desert landscape or have been overridden by small-scale housing development.Pearblossom is well known by Southlanders
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
as the home of one of the most dangerous roads in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. State Route 138
California State Route 138
State Route 138 is an east–west state highway generally following the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California, USA from its junction with Interstate 5 south of Gorman eastward to Mount Anderson Junction, its eastern junction with State Route 18 south of...
(Pearblossom Highway) is the main street in Pearblossom and as of 2004 has been the location of numerous serious and fatal automobile accidents in its Palmdale to I-15 segment. It is known locally as Deathtrap Highway. The road is only single lane each direction for most of this segment's length, and the volumes of traffic that use it are far beyond what it was engineered to handle. The chief reason for accidents according to CHP
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
data is passing the double yellow line in unsafe conditions. Overuse of Pearblossom Highway is chiefly on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, the time period many use the route to travel to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. This section of 138's route is commonly used as a bypass of the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Metropolitan region, and as a route from the Antelope Valley to the Inland Empire.
Pearblossom in the arts
Pearblossom (in name only at present) is found in the following creative works:- The Crows of Pearblossom, authored by Aldous HuxleyAldous HuxleyAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
- Pearblossom Highway, a photographic collage assembled by David HockneyDavid HockneyDavid Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire and Kensington, London....
Pearblossom Highway (1986) was actually photographed in the Littlerock
Littlerock, California
Littlerock is a census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,377 at the 2010 census, down from 1,402 at the 2000 census...
rural vicinity; it, like Huxley's The Crows of Pearblossom, is not about Pearblossom proper.
Western actor Bob Faust (Louis R. Faust, aka Louis Faust) died in his rental on Hwy 138 in Pearblossom, CA; his seven movies followed his purple-heart exit from the U.S. Navy. He acted with John Wayne in Angel and the Badman
Angel and the Badman
Angel and the Badman is a 1947 black-and-white Western film, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the...
. His son named after him owns a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) plot in Pearblossom gained partly from a split inheritance from the actor.