Economic boom in Ridgecrest

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital CEO Jim Suver stands on the balcony of the hospital’s new wing under construction. The city of Ridgecrest is booming during a weak economy thanks to the China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, which expects to add 1,000 civilian jobs by 2011. In anticipation of growth, the local hospital and school district are pouring millions into renovations and developers are building houses and hotels. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 3:05 PM PT

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While the rest of California struggles with joblessness and budget woes, this high-desert city is proof of the power of government spending. Uncle Sam has helped turn it into a modern-day boomtown

Stan Dye is the owner of Beanster’s Espresso and is building a Pizza Factory restaurant in Ridgecrest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Andrew Gray, a federal government employee at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, is among the young professionals and construction workers who have moved to Ridgecrest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Carpenter Alvin Hall, left, and electrician Paul Cabral cool off at the Motel 6 in Ridgecrest after a day’s work. Many of the construction workers in town stay at the motel. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The SpringHill Suites, completed last year, is among the hotel projects helping to create a boom in Ridgecrest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is hiring many civilians and transferring military jobs to the high-desert location. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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