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Lompoc (pronounced Lom-poke) was originally settled by the Chumash Indians who recognized the majesty of this region and made it the heart of their society. Known today as the Valley of Flowers, this rich valley is the nation’s most prolific flower seed producing region. Cool ocean breezes give Lompoc a wonderful year-round climate, producing a lush environment for the production of vegetables.
The Chumash and their predecessors lived in the Lompoc Valley for nearly 10,000 years prior to European contact. The establishment of La Purisima Mission in 1787 marked the earliest European settlement in the Lompoc Valley. The original mission was destroyed by an earthquake in 1812. Remnants of the mission can be seen at this site which has been preserved as a State Historical Landmark. The mission was rebuilt over several years beginning in 1813 at its current location on the north side of the Valley. The Mission, the most authentically restored in the mission system, is now a State Park.
The Lompoc Land Company was formed and incorporated in August of 1874 for the purpose of purchasing almost 43,000 acres to establish a temperance colony. The City of Lompoc was incorporated on August 13, 1888. A number of wharves were constructed during this period serving as shipping points for incoming supplies and outgoing agricultural produce until the turn of the century when the railroad replaced shipping as the primary means of commercial transportation.
The completion of the coastal railroad between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1901, and the subsequent extension of a spur into Lompoc, provided the impetus for growth in the Valley. Fields were cleared and leveled for agricultural production of specialized crops including flower seeds. The flower seed industry so dominated agricultural production that the area was dubbed The Valley of Flowers. The Johns-Mannville Corporation and others began the mining of diatomaceous earth in the southern hills. The mining industry continues to be major employer.
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In 1941, Camp Cooke was established as an Army training base which was renamed Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1958. The Base was the first missile base of the United States Air Force. The Space Shuttle program was slated to begin launches in the late 1980's. However, the when the Challeger exploded during take-off in 1986, the West Coast Shuttle Program was terminated, leaving Lompoc in a severe recession.
The Lompoc Valley responded to the Shuttle disaster by focusing on tourism as a means of fighting it way through the recession. By focusing on the natural beauty of the Valley, its flower industry, the pristine Central Coast, and by developing a successful downtown mural program, the City of Lompoc has built an excellent tourism industry that is to this day a primary component of the Lompoc economy. Today, the City of Lompoc is dubbed The City of Mural in the Valley of Flowers.
The future of Lompoc looks forward to commercial space launch activities at the California Spaceport, the first spaceport licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Industry continues to diversify form its agricultural/mining roots. The City of Lompoc hosts such diverse industries as PACTUCO, Inc., plastic injection-moulding; Gore Photonics, semi-conductor wafers; and Paradigm Humidor, cigar humidors and other high-quality, exotic wood products.
© CIRHM