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is located in the Victor Valley of San Bernardino County, in the U.S. state of California. It was incorporated on November 14, 1988, and is one of the twenty-two incorporated municipalities in California that uses "town" in its name instead of "city". As of 2006 the population was estimated to be 67,507. The town is
In the early 1900s, resident Ursula M. Poates planted three apple trees in her yard to help convince prospective land-owners that fruit could be grown in this part of the Mojave Desert. She called the area Apple Valley and the name was officially recognized when a post office was established in 1949.
, whose 2009 mayor is Rick Roelle. The Mayor changes each December by a vote of the five-member Council.
Apple Valley was home to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, whose museum was first established in Apple Valley (in 1967) before the museum was relocated to Victorville in 1976. Since 2003 the museum has been in Branson, Missouri, United States The move was made in hopes of reaching more fans.
Apple Valley is the final resting place for both Roy and Dale. There are reminders of the Rogers everywhere one turns including roads and highways. Roy and Dale created St. Hillary's Episcopal Church, founded a home for boys, a juvenile detention center and while they were living took in some 20-40 children and raised them as their own.
Apple Valley was also where most location filming was done for the Sky King TV series in the late 1950s.
Apple Valley is located at the southern edge of the Mojave Desert. It is bordered by Victorville on the west and Hesperia on the south sides. These three towns, along with Adelanto, are commonly known as the Victor Valley. The primary thoroughfare through Apple Valley is State Route 18, which is known locally as the "Happy Trails Highway," named after the theme song of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Its downtown area is split currently between State Route 18 and Bear Valley Road (both roads are parallel until they intersect in the east outside of town).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 190.7 km² (73.6 mi²) of which 189.9 km² (73.3 mi²) is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²), or 0.39%, is water.