Lancaster (California)

Lancaster is a city in far northern Los Angeles County in Southern California, 8 miles (13 km) from the Kern County line.

By car

 * California 14.svg California State Highway 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway, is the primary north - south route in and out of Lancaster. It ends in Los Angeles in the South and heads North to Reno, Nevada.


 * California 138.svg California State Highway 138 heads east out of the "next door" city of Palmdale to the south and heads west along Avenue D, 6 miles north of Lancaster in unincorporated Los Angeles County. CA-138 runs co-extensively with CA-14 from Avenue D to Palmdale Blvd. Highway 138 leads to the "Grapevine" area of Interstate 5 to the west, and the Inland Empire (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario) to the east.

By plane
Los Angeles area airports of LAX, Bob Hope in Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach, and John Wayne in Orange County, or Bakersfield's Meadows Field may be used if willing to drive a couple of hours.

By rail
The Lancaster Metrolink Station is the final destination on the Metrolink Rail system's Antelope Valley Line from Los Angeles' Union Station. Other nearby stops include the Palmdale Transportation Center and the Vincent-Grade/Acton Metrolink stations in Palmdale. Amtrak, the national rail carrier also has its Thruway Bus that stops at both the Lancaster Metrolink Station and the Palmdale Transportation Center.



By bus
Greyhound Bus Lines stops at the Lancaster Metrolink station and also at the nearby Palmdale Transportation Center. If continuing to your final destination using the local public bus system, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, it is advisable to get off at the Palmdale Transportation Center instead, since it is the principal hub for the AVTA and you have more connection options (5) there than the Lancaster Metrolink station, which connects to only 2 lines.

By bus
The Antelope Valley Transit Authority operates public transit buses throughout Lancaster with routes near most major hotels, parks, shopping areas and medical facilities. One-way fare (as of March, 2013) is $1.50. A day pass is $3.75.

Stay safe
Because of crime in Lancaster, it is best not to go out alone, particularly at night.

Go next

 * Rosamond - north of Lancaster on Highway 14, Rosamond is primarily a bedroom community in the desert of the Antelope Valley, although it does have food and lodging options for tourists, and is home to a non-profit center dedicated to feline protection where visitors can see cats ranging in size from the tiny fishing cat up to the Siberian tiger.
 * Palmdale - Lancaster's twin city is south on Highway 14. In 1962 Palmdale became the first city in the Antelope Valley to incorporate, and today it is home to over 150,000 people.  While it lacks exciting tourist destinations, the town does offer a vast number of hotels, restaurants and other services for travelers.