Apple Valley is a town in San Bernardino County, California, set in the High Desert region of the Victor Valley on the edge of the Mojave Desert. With roughly 75,000 residents, it is one of the largest communities in the Victor Valley, a cluster of desert cities that also includes Victorville and Hesperia. The town is closely associated with western film stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, who made their home here for decades; State Route 18, the main east-west artery, carries the name Happy Trails Highway in their honor, and the Roy Rogers Museum operated in Apple Valley beginning in 1967 before later relocating. Apple Valley developed as a ranching and resort community, with the historic Apple Valley Inn drawing Hollywood figures to the High Desert. Today the town is a largely residential community of Spanish-style ranch homes, stucco exteriors, and terracotta roofs spread across large desert lots, many with in-ground pools and desert landscaping. The landscape is defined by wide-open vistas, native desert vegetation, and the San Bernardino Mountains rising to the south. The town appeals to residents seeking space, quiet, and desert scenery, often at lower price points than the Inland Empire's western cities. Apple Valley Unified School District operates 15 schools serving roughly 13,700 students. Day-to-day life centers on Highway 18 and the surrounding retail corridors, while the larger employment and commercial centers of Victorville sit about eight miles away. The Victor Valley Transit Authority provides regional bus service, and Interstate 15, a short drive west, links the region to the rest of Southern California. Recreation leans toward the outdoors, with the surrounding desert and nearby mountains offering hiking and open space, and the town's western heritage running through its community character.