Lucerne Valley was settled in the early 1900's by James Gobar and his family, who found the desert valley to be an excellent place to raise alfalfa, also known as Lucerne. The closest water source at the time was Cushenbury Springs (currently a cement plant in the southeast of the area) which used to feed out by alluvial drainage after Winter from the San Bernardino Mountains to where central Lucerne Valley is today, so agricultural farms made the area viable. Today, Lucerne Valley is an agriculture/mining-based community, with Mitsubishi, Specialty Minerals and OMYA (Formerly Pfizer) as it's major contractors digging into the North Face of the San Bernardino Mountain range. Lucerne Valley also has a state-sponsored water reclamation project, where drainwater from the mountain snows of Big Bear and Holcomb Valley are transported and used to irrigate alfalfa farms on the eastern edge of the valley. The future of this village is still uncertain: because of it's unincorporated status, Lucerne Valley has no central utilities (except for power), and will not experience the same immediate growth as the Western High Desert area (comprising of Victor Valley and Antelope Valley residents) is enjoying right now. Fortunately, Lucerne Valley remains a "crossroads" between Apple Valley, Barstow, Big Bear and the Eastern High Desert area of Yucca Valley and Morongo Valley, all of which can be reached in less than an hour in clear conditions. Despite the recent buildup of houses without central water, sewage or gas lines, the town is still possible for consideration in the future for development, since most of the valley remains untouched. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucerne_Valley%2C_California