Gorman, California

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Gorman, California, is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County just west of the Antelope Valley, where three mountain ranges meet: The Sierra Pelonas, Tehachapis and the San Emigdios. Interstate 5 runs past Gorman and CA Route 138 connects to Interstate 5 a few miles south of the community. It is just south of Frazier Park and Lebec.

Named after a former soldier who had been stationed in nearby Fort Tejon, the community is owned by the Ralphs family, owner of the Ralphs supermarket chain.

Gorman was a stop on the original Ridge Route of Highway 99, where its Standard service station beckoned travelers. It was a Greyhound bus rest stop until 1977 and a stop for long-distance truckers, who now use a Flying J station three miles away.

The artist Christo arranged a set of colored cloth sheets on poles to add contrast to the summertime golden hills surrounding the area in the early 1990's. Thousands of visitors flocked to Gorman to see the display, which attracted international attention. The California poppy and other wildflowers cover the hills in springtime.

The motion picture Thelma and Louise was filmed in the community. In Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) passes a "Right Lane for Gorman" sign after her conversation with a highway patrolman.

The residents of Gorman in 2005-6 lobbied for annexation into Kern County. They believe they can receive better public services from nearby Kern County. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors denied this request.