Sandra Faber is University Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Neighboring Lancaster has increased its population since the early 1980s to around 3 times its former level. Major retail has followed the population influx, centered around Palmdale's Antelope Valley Mall. The Antelope Valley is home to over 475,000, and is expected to reach 1,000,000 people by the year 2020.
Palmdale Leads County in 1992 Population Growth. Two Antelope Valley cities and one in the San Fernando Valley were among the 10 fastest-growing municipalities in Los Angeles County in population last year, according to estimates by the state Department of Finance. Palmdale led all county cities between January, 1992, and January, 1993.