Education is important to the community of Apple Valley. Our outstanding school system has grown from a one-room schoolhouse to a high-tech educational system, thanks to Apple Valley residents who take a great interest in their schools. Apple Valley’s education system shines with nationally-recognized private and public educational institutions.

The Apple Valley Unified School District offers outstanding educational opportunities to its students through a wide range of programs. The district serves just over 13,000 students ranging from preschool through 12th grade and offers an adult education program linked with Victor Valley College. For more information, visit www.avusd.org.

The Lewis Center for Educational Research has been called “one of the most interesting, unique, and unusual” education institutions in the nation. The school is known for its relationship with NASA and the Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope program.

Among the Lewis Center’s most significant programs are:

• The Academy for Academic Excellence, a K-12 charter school in which new teaching techniques and strategies are tested and refined in a standards-based educational program. The campus sits on 150 acres of Mojave river wildlands, and the campus itself is an outdoor laboratory where students study ecology and wildlife.

• The Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy, a K-8 charter school, is a Dual Immersion Program School with the goal of all students being able to speak, read and write in English and Spanish in all academic areas after five years in the program.

• The Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope project with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory gives teachers nationwide access via the internet, using a 34-meter radio antenna that was part of NASA’s Deep Space Network.

• The Local Outreach Educational Program is committed to extending the classroom to the community and beyond with local science and social studies programs, which align with the State of California Board of Education content standards.

• Additionally, the Lewis Center has programs in archaeology, California Gold Rush history, the solar system, solar energy and meteorology, as well as monthly observatory viewing at the optical observatory on the original campus. For more information, visit www.lewiscenter.org.

Other private K-12 schools in the area include Apple Valley Christian School.

Higher education is available through Victor Valley College, University of Redlands, California Baptist University, Azusa Pacific University, University of La Verne, Brandman University and California State University, San Bernardino.

Victor Valley College’s three divisions of academic focus are: health science/public safety/industrial technology; humanities, arts and social sciences; and Science, technology, engineering and math. The college at 18422 Bear Valley Rd., Victorville, offers a wide assortment of off-campus locations and online classes for convenience. For more information, visit www.vvc.edu.

In the early years, Apple Valley offered many entertainment and dining possibilities – a tradition that continues today. Probably the most famous dining and dance hall, The Branding Iron, set the tone for unique entertainment in Apple Valley. While it no longer exists, the ideals of fun, great food and meeting friends and neighbors in a relaxing atmosphere is still prevalent in our dining establishments today.

Apple Valley offers a host of outstanding family-run restaurants that reflect the pride of the owners and offer great atmosphere and comfort. There are all kinds of choices, including steakhouses, Italian, Mexican and American cuisine.

You can step into an Italian restaurant, seemingly right out of Brooklyn, where the owner has been known, on occasion, to sing a perfect impersonation of Tony Bennett to his patrons. You can join the country crowd and learn line dancing after your dinner of steak and baked potato. Taste great margaritas and dip into great salsa at the neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Country cafés offer great hamburgers or fried chicken and mashed potatoes in a warm, friendly setting. You choose!

After dinner, you can see a nearby movie or watch a play. In the summer, you can catch a baseball game at the Adelanto Stadium or go dancing at one of the several local nightspots. Karaoke is popular in several pubs, and some of the local talent is outstanding.

If you like a fine glass of wine, the local wine club hosts dinners that feature a sampling of the appropriate wines with the appropriate meal.

Don’t have time for a sit-down dinner? Grab your meal on the run with any number of fast-food restaurants in town, from hamburgers to burritos. A bag of burgers is perfect before a high school football game in the Newton T. Bass Stadium.

Industrious people with a strong work ethic are part of the history of Apple Valley. Farming, fruit trees and, of course, apple orchards sprung up during the 1920s. The mining industry began operating in the area at the turn of the century and continues today. Cement and limestone are the main materials supplied by local mining operations surrounding Apple Valley.

Today, Apple Valley is virtually an untapped market for service and industry. Apple Valley offers both established and new businesses an unequaled climate for success. Start-up and operating costs for new and expanding businesses are among the lowest in Southern California. Premium land sites, affordably priced land and a growing labor force of both skilled workers and professionals makes Apple Valley the perfect location for companies.

Located outside the South Coast Air Quality Management District (part of the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District), Apple Valley offers opportunities not available in the Los Angeles basin for manufacturing and industry.

In addition, low labor and production costs, low development fees and low property taxes make Apple Valley an attractive business location. Apple Valley has the highest estimated average income of all the Victor Valley cities.

The medical industry is also growing, and services include cardiology, radiology, oncology and pain management.

Financial institutions in Apple Valley include Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Chase Bank, Citizens Business Bank, Desert Community Bank, Downey Savings, Union Bank, US Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.

Major companies to small home-based businesses make Apple Valley their home because of the potential for growth. With the population of the area estimated to be 400,000 and growing, locating your business in Apple Valley makes sense. The Town of Apple Valley continues to show steady growth in all sectors of the local economy, led by continued growth in sales, tax revenues and the single-family residential sector.

Small apple orchards and farms were the beginning of industry here. The apple orchards are gone but growth continues in Apple Valley, the perfect place to plant your business.

Jayco Industries
Lifelong Apple Valley resident Jay Jeffs has built a nationally-known manufacturing company right here in the High Desert. Jayco Industries celebrated its 30th year of business recently – a grand milestone for a business that started in the garage of his parents’ home.

Jay’s mailbox repair business expanded with patent for The Letter Locker – a high-security, locking mailbox for residential and commercial use. Jayco has continued to grow and develop their product line, but its focus is still on using 100% USA-made raw materials and labor. What started in the family garage has now grown to a 17,000-square-foot full-line factory in Apple Valley’s North Industrial Specific Area, a second factory in San Diego and a nationwide dealer base while continuing to expand.

Things to Do in Apple Valley CA

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans loved Apple Valley so much they made it their home, and their first museum was located on Happy Trails Highway (Hwy. 18). Why did they love Apple Valley so much? One reason is because of the wide, open spaces, the outstanding desert sunset, the access to mountain and ski resorts and the wide range of things to see and do.

Come see a little piece of how prehistoric man lived, by visiting the Calico Early Man Site, located on Minnelola Road exit of I-15, Yermo.

Discovered in 1942, this important archaeological site allows the public to see what prehistoric life was like. Thousands of tools and other artifacts can be viewed year-round, Wednesday through Sunday. Call (760) 252-6000 for more information.

Calico Ghost Town is another historical site. Once a thriving silver mining community, it is now a great place to take the family. You can dine, be entertained, take a train ride, walk through a mine and watch cowboys shoot it out on Main Street. Call (760) 254-2122 for more information.

California Route 66 Museum celebrates a time when the automobile was king. The museum includes artifacts of the famed Route 66, rotating exhibits and a permanent display of roadside attractions. Hulaville. Call (760) 951-0436 for more information.

San Bernardino County Fairgrounds is home to annual events, including the County Fair. Over 100,000 people attend the fair to enjoy a rodeo, award-winning livestock, a carnival, vendor booths, stage shows, art and photo shows, craft shows and much more. Other events include stock car racing, Special Olympics, a gun show and more. Call (760) 951-2200 for more information.

Turn back the clock and learn about the town’s history at the Apple Valley Legacy Museum. Located at the Historic Apple Valley Inn #153 (old Bob Hope Cottage) viewings of the displays host Roy & Dale memorabilia, Murray’s Dud Ranch, film star Herb Jeffries, Terri Lee dolls, the Apple Valley Fire District, library and dairy. Learn about the town founders, Yucca Loma Ranch, Apple Valley Legacy Trail/Hilltop House and old cowboy films. Call (760) 985-1918 for more information in becoming a member or donor.

Since the days of Gable and Lombard, when rumors of their stolen visits to the Yucca Loma Ranch were whispered in Hollywood, Apple Valley has been known as “A Better Way of Life.” People who settle here do so by choice and not out of necessity. They are attracted by the clean air of the High Desert, the hometown feeling of the area and to Apple Valley in particular — it is a wonderful place to locate a business and raise a family.

Exploring the Town of Apple Valley through this publication will reveal several surprises sure to delight you. You will discover that Apple Valley is considered the premier community of the High Desert, and find out how Apple Valley meets the needs of families and businesses.

Bright and clear, Apple Valley sunrises set the tone for a busy, active community. Apple Valley is centrally located for your business and manufacturing needs. While overcrowding drives growing businesses out of L.A. and San Bernardino to other states, Apple Valley offers 78 square miles in which to successfully grow your business and family. Our healthy community is the ideal location to expand. Many Hollywood movie stars realized that in the 1940s.

Apple Valley was the family home of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Dale often stated that she realized she made the right decision to live in Apple Valley just by watching an Apple Valley sunset. The Town of Apple Valley’s unique scenery and beautiful sunsets have also made it the perfect location for several movies. You too can have the same experience by visiting Apple Valley.

Wildlife also abounds in Apple Valley. On quiet desert nights, you can hear coyotes in the distance. In the morning, quail and jackrabbits scurry off for their homes as another beautiful day begins in Apple Valley. Birds of every variety — including owls, hawks and road runners — make Apple Valley and the High Desert perfect for those who like to view wildlife up close.

While no publication can tell all, we hope you will take the time to browse the pages of this book and learn about Apple Valley’s beauty. Come and discover why Apple Valley can offer you and your family A Better Way of Life.

Apple Valley was founded on a strong tradition of community spirit and the belief of neighbor helping neighbor. While this old-fashioned tradition may have died out in some communities around the country, it is still strong in Apple Valley.

The community’s churches and worship centers have been leaders in keeping this tradition alive – through words and through example. Local churches tackle community projects by partnering with other churches to get the job done. A multi-faith, after-school kids’ care program, neighborhood clean-up projects and an interfaith thrift shop (to raise money for low-income families) are among the projects that our faith community has taken on together.

Area houses of worship range from the large and well-established to the small and intimate. Families and friends can gather in beautiful houses of worship for most faiths with over 180 congregations, including Catholic and Protestant (denominational and non-denominational), Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish.

Nestled into the Sycamore Rocks at the east end of Apple Valley, Sunset Hills Memorial Park is not only one of the most scenic areas of the Valley, but it is also quickly becoming an event and tourist destination. The cemetery’s popularity is partly due to its most famous residents, King of the Cowboys Roy Rogers and Queen of the West Dale Evans. Dale spent many hours there after Roy’s death in 1998, sitting in the Rogers Family Estate Garden overlooking the Valley, working on some of her many books.

During this time, Dale approached Sunset Hills founder Chet Hitt about building a chapel in honor of her late husband. Hitt responded that no tribute to Roy would be complete without mention of Dale and the idea for the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Sunset Chapel was born. He made a promise to Dale on that day, and on Feb. 19, 2007, that promise was fulfilled. Today, the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Sunset Chapel is a place of celebration Dale would have been proud of.

In fact, at the Chapel Grand Opening in 2007, Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr. praised Hitt for maintaining the “spirit of life and celebration” that meant so much to his mother. In addition to the “Celebrations of Life,” which the Chapel was built for, more and more couples are choosing to celebrate the beginning of their lives together, with a wedding on the chapel grounds. Charities and other local organizations have hosted events at the chapel due to its state-of-the-art technology, a knowledgeable and caring staff and flexible layout.

Sunset Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary is nationally recognized as one of the most innovative and beautiful funeral facilities anywhere, and national media and funeral industry executives often visit the park “to see what Chet Hitt’s been up to.” Estate gardens and mausoleums were designed with the park’s natural rockscape as well as artificial rocks and grass, offering Sunset Hills families one of the most distinctive cemetery properties available today.

Photos of all of the properties of Sunset Hills, as well as service schedules, online obituaries, and live webcasts are available on the company website, www.sunsethills.cc.