The Indian Wells Valley's relative isolation from the rest of California has allowed the peaceful small town atmospheres and reasonable real estate prices in Ridgecrest and Inyokern to remain largely unchanged throughout the years.
The major employer in the area is the China Lake Navy base. They import people, especially engineers, from all over the country which makes for an interesting mix of locals. I've been told the valley contains the largest number of PhD's per capita than anywhere else in the country.