PRESS DISPATCH
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Su n d ay, A p r i l 28 , 20 1 3
NO STOPPING
GROWTH PROGRESS
2013 H I G H D E S E RT R E G I O N C O U L D S E E
EXPLOSIVE EX PA N S I O N I N N EXT T WO D E C A D E S BY KRIS REILLY AND BRYAN KAWASAKI FOR THE PRESS DISPATCH
T
oward the end of the 1800s, new railroads brought an influx of settlers to a tiny village called Victor. By 1913, apple orchards had sprung up in the surrounding desert valley. A chamber of commerce was established; railways were expanded; water and power projects were planned. It was a boom town. Or so the settlers thought. Then World War I came and thwarted the boom. Progress slowed in the region, which became known as the Victor Valley, but explosive growth came at the turn of the next century. Now, as local residents and businesses shake off the cobwebs of the Great Recession,
the Victor Valley could be on the verge of another major boom. And as the population grows, the economy is sure to grow with it. The village, now a city called Victorville, could nearly quadruple in population over the next 17 years if the city’s projections are correct. Victorville expects to grow from its current population of 113,057 to a population of 407,534 by 2030. That’s about equal to the current size of Miami and larger than the current populations of Oakland, Cleveland, Minneapolis and New Orleans. As Victorville grows, it’s likely the neighboring cities will, too: Adelanto, Apple Valley, Barstow, Hesperia and the unincorporated areas surrounding them. According to multiple sources, the Victor Valley-Barstow region could be home to upwards of 700,000 people by 2030. SEE EXPANSION • PAG E 6