Place:Acton, Los Angeles, California, United States

Watchers


NameActon
TypeInhabited place
Coordinates34.467°N 118.183°W
Located inLos Angeles, California, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Acton is an unincorporated census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, near the Antelope Valley. According to the 2010 census, Acton had a population of 7,596.

Acton is a small residential community located between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. It is off the Antelope Valley Freeway (Highway 14) south of Palmdale. Acton is roughly northeast of the San Fernando Valley, and north of downtown Los Angeles by highway. The town has a rural western theme which can be seen in its homes, commercial buildings and historical buildings, some of which date back to the late 1800s. The homes in the mountains around Acton have views of the valley below. In the valley are ranch style homes, often with equestrian facilities. While Acton is not a part of the Antelope Valley, it is grouped together with the Valley in the General Plan. Acton has a Metrolink commuter rail station on its border with Palmdale that is themed in an "old western" style and has been seen in various movies and commercials.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Acton was founded in 1887 by gold miners who were working in the Red Rover Mine. It was named after Acton, Massachusetts by one of the miners. Two of the best-known gold mines located in Acton were the Red Rover mine and the Governor mine. Mining of gold, copper, and titanium ore continued into the early 1900s. The town originally had served as a railroad camp from 1873 to 1876 when the Saugus-Mojave section of the Southern Pacific Railroad was under construction.

Acton was once considered for the State capital of California. California Governor Henry T. Gage (1899–1903) owned the Governor Mine, hence the name, and sought to relocate the capital to Acton. This effort ultimately failed and the capital was not moved from Sacramento. In the late 1880s, Acton started to become more of a ranching and farming community. In 1889 Acton's first hotel and its first saloon, the "49er", was opened and is still in business today.

Research Tips


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Acton, California. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.