Air Force Base Community
Welcome to Edwards, an unincorporated Kern County community that houses personnel of Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.
Edwards is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, located entirely within the boundaries of Edwards Air Force Base in the western Mojave Desert. Formerly known as Muroc and later as Wherry Housing, the community serves primarily as a residential area for active-duty military personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and their families. It lies about 22 miles northeast of Lancaster, 16 miles east-southeast of Mojave, and roughly 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, at an elevation of about 2,350 feet. Edwards Air Force Base is one of the nation's principal flight-test centers, and the community of Edwards is the base's housing hub. The base's operations have made this corner of the Antelope Valley synonymous with aerospace research and testing, from early flight experiments to the modern test programs that continue there. The surrounding landscape of dry lakebeds and open desert has long been suited to that mission. Education is provided by the Muroc Joint Unified School District, a K–12 system of roughly 2,000 students that serves Edwards Air Force Base along with the nearby communities of Boron and North Edwards. Branch Elementary School is located on the base itself, keeping education close to home for base families, and the district's history reaches back to an elementary school founded in 1911. The surrounding Antelope Valley is a landscape of wide-open desert, dry lakebeds, and distant mountain ranges, with clear skies that made the area well suited to flight testing. Off-base, the cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Rosamond, and California City provide shopping, services, and additional housing. Edwards is a distinct, mission-oriented community defined by its relationship to the air base and the desert environment around it.
Edwards is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, located entirely within the boundaries of Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. It lies in the Antelope Valley region of the western Mojave.
Edwards functions primarily as a residential area for active-duty military personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and their families. It is the housing hub for Edwards Air Force Base, one of the nation's major flight-test installations.
Students in Edwards attend the Muroc Joint Unified School District, which serves Edwards Air Force Base and the communities of Boron and North Edwards. Branch Elementary School is located on the base itself.
The community was formerly known as Muroc and later as Wherry Housing before becoming Edwards. The Muroc name reflects the area's history before the Air Force base dominated the landscape.
Edwards sits about 22 miles northeast of Lancaster and roughly 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The nearby off-base communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Rosamond, and California City provide shopping, services, and additional housing for area residents.
City Guide
Housing in Edwards consists primarily of military family housing and related residential areas within the base, reflecting the community's role as a home for Air Force personnel. The surrounding Antelope Valley offers single-family homes and subdivisions in nearby off-base communities such as Rosamond, California City, and the Lancaster-Palmdale area for those seeking housing outside the installation. The area's character is tied to the base and the open desert rather than to traditional suburban development.
Edwards is organized around the base's residential areas and support facilities rather than conventional neighborhoods. The community's housing clusters near the base's schools, shops, and services, with the desert landscape extending in every direction. Off-base, the Antelope Valley communities of Rosamond, Mojave, and California City form the surrounding settlement pattern, and personnel often draw on these towns for additional services and housing.
Life in Edwards is shaped by the rhythms of military service and the Mojave Desert. The community provides base housing and support services for Air Force families, with schools, recreation, and amenities located within the installation. The surrounding Antelope Valley offers wide-open desert landscapes and clear skies, while nearby Lancaster and Palmdale provide off-base shopping, dining, and entertainment. It is a close-knit, mission-oriented community suited to those connected to the base and its flight-test work.
Edwards is served by the Muroc Joint Unified School District, a K–12 unified system of about 2,000 students spanning portions of Kern and San Bernardino counties. The district serves Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, and North Edwards, and operates Branch Elementary School on the base itself. Its roots reach back to an elementary school founded at Edwards in 1911, and it continues to provide a full K–12 pathway for base families and surrounding desert communities.
Edwards lies about 22 miles northeast of Lancaster and roughly 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, reached by state highways that cross the western Mojave Desert. The nearby communities of Rosamond, Mojave, and California City connect to the broader Antelope Valley road network, with the Palmdale-Lancaster area offering regional services and a Metrolink rail link toward the Los Angeles basin. Los Angeles and its airports are the principal air gateways for the region.
Recreation in Edwards centers on the base's facilities and the surrounding desert. The Antelope Valley offers off-roading, hiking, and stargazing beneath famously clear desert skies, while nearby communities provide parks and sports facilities. The region's dry lakebeds and open terrain are a defining part of the landscape. Larger recreational destinations, including the Angeles National Forest and the Sierra Nevada, lie within reach for day trips, as do the cultural amenities of Lancaster and Palmdale.
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