A layout of a city that was never fully built out.
- Wikipedia entry.
The city was formed in 1958, when developers purchased 82,000 acres (33,000 ha), 128 square miles or 332 square km of western Mojave Desert. The new city was aggressively marketed. Developers pitched the city as a northern alternative to Los Angeles, which the developers argued could not handle the post-war population-boom, and the region needed other communities to share the increase. Instead of being built piecemeal, the whole city would be developed simultaneously. The city was designed to be a planned community. The masterplan was prepared by Smith and Williams and architect Garrett Eckbo at the behest of real estate developer and sociology professor Nat Mendelsohn. The city included a central park with a 26-acre (11 ha) manmade lake, two golf courses, and a new Holiday Inn. Mendelsohn was then president of a corporation called the California City Development Company. There were conflicting reports that the city was built over a large aquifer. The city was originally designed to accommodate 400,000 people, with a downtown center capable of holding 80,000–100,000, and satellite suburbs housing the rest.
The city was formed in 1958, when developers purchased 82,000 acres (33,000 ha), 128 square miles or 332 square km of western Mojave Desert. The new city was aggressively marketed. Developers pitched the city as a northern alternative to Los Angeles, which the developers argued could not handle the post-war population-boom, and the region needed other communities to share the increase. Instead of being built piecemeal, the whole city would be developed simultaneously. The city was designed to be a planned community. The masterplan was prepared by Smith and Williams and architect Garrett Eckbo at the behest of real estate developer and sociology professor Nat Mendelsohn. The city included a central park with a 26-acre (11 ha) manmade lake, two golf courses, and a new Holiday Inn. Mendelsohn was then president of a corporation called the California City Development Company. There were conflicting reports that the city was built over a large aquifer. The city was originally designed to accommodate 400,000 people, with a downtown center capable of holding 80,000–100,000, and satellite suburbs housing the rest.
