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MARISSA BELLES, Valley Press Staff Writer

Lancaster's growth fastest in County

Palmdale - last year's No. 1 - in second place

Lancaster is the fastest growing city in Los Angeles County, according to the state Department of Finance. The department's figures released Monday estimate the city's population at 138,392, a growth of 4.5%, as of Jan.1. Palmdale, which carried the title of the county's fastest growing city last year, slipped into second place with a 3.8% growth rate, although it still has a higher population: 141,012. As a whole, Los Angeles County experienced a 0.8% growth.

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"The entire Antelope Valley is a destination for growth," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. "The trick is to grow responsibly and keep quality of life as the end-all goal." Ledford said he was not surprised at the growth and will continue to anticipate it as master-planned communities such as Anaverde and Ritter Ranch are developed.

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Former Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts said he was delighted 2005 attracted so many new people to the community. "It's great to know that the city of Lancaster is providing the quality and quantity of services that make Lancaster the ideal place to call home," Roberts said. "The city of lancaster will continue to work towards bringing new jobs and diverse indistries to our valley to accommodate the needs of a growing population."

California's population grew in 2005 by 444,000 residents - a 1.2% growth rate - to total nearly 37.2 million people as of Jan. 1. The 2006 report lists 478 California cities, of which 357 gained population, eight experienced no change and the remaining 113 lost population.

"The L.A. basin is full, making our growth rates continually rise, Ledford said. "I expect this trend to continue for quite a few years." California's largest city - Los Angeles - had the largest numeric increase: 41,357. Los Angeles added 12,680 housing units and has a total population of 3,976,071