About Ridgecrest Area

Where are we?

Ridgecrest is located in the Indian Wells Valley of California's beautiful High Desert. The valley is at approximately 2,500 feet in elevation and surrounded by the majestic Sierra Nevada, Coso, and Argus mountain ranges. We are only a two hour drive east of Bakersfield, four hours drive west of Las Vegas, NV, and a three hour drive north of Los Angeles. If one prefers to take a quick flight to the Inyokern Airport, we are only a couple minutes away.

Recreation

Not only are we a comfortable driving distance of less that two hours from a multitude of hiking, skiing, white water rafting, and many other outdoor activities, we have our own local attractions natural and manmade. From the movie theatre to the golf course, Ridgecrest offers all the amenities of most metropolitan areas. We pride ourselves on the Maturango museum which features historical displays from our local Native American culture, military mining and guided tours.

Commerce

Our major employer is China Lake NAWS, which emphasizes on technology in research and development for Naval Air Weapons and is due to expand within the next few years. Along with supporting the Naval Community, our retail stores, medical facilities, banking and other business support the communities within a 100 mile radius. Ridgecrest is a volatile part of the High Sierra Desert, providing information and services for recreation, the filming industry, and support of our local naval base.

Our Character

With a population of approximately 25,000 our community values quality of life, emphasizing on family values and a tranquil lifestyle set with technology and higher education.