PALMDALE ANSWERS CRITICISM BY BRITS.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Criticism from a pair of Brits that Palmdale is a place of meth labs, bad restaurants and ugly scenery prompted some residents to defend the city while others said the criticism was on target.

Readers responded to a July 16 Daily News story about the comments from actress Keira Knightley and writer Jeremy Clarkson: About two-thirds of the responses were positive about the city.

``The desert has many beauties to be appreciated,'' an e-mail from K. Lugo said. ``You need to take the time and look instead of going by with your noses up in the air. There is good and bad everywhere. Yes, even in the U.K. too.''

But some e-mailers suggested that Knightley and Clarkson might have underplayed the negatives.

Dave Brockie, an Antelope Valley resident of 40 years, with 14 of those years in Palmdale, slammed the high desert for its gang crime, traffic congestion and rude drivers, and what he feels is a very anti-business attitude.

``Just for fun, check with your local Realtor and see how many people, and in particular, longtime residents of this valley, are leaving and relocating to other states,'' Brockie wrote. ``Why are they leaving? For the same reason I am. I've lived here long enough to see this valley go from a nice quiet valley to the hellhole it is now, and I've had enough.''

I disagree with him, but I can understand his point of view. For those who like a rural lifestyle, the population boom over the past 15 to 20 years probably has been a rude shock.

When I came here 18 years ago, gangs and violent crime were virtually unheard of and the only traffic concern was getting stopped by the occasional train. Now, gang crime is all too common and what I call Los Angeles-style traffic can be found on some major streets during rush hour.

All things considered, however, I still believe the pluses outnumber the minuses. For the record, I speak with real estate agents frequently in my line of work and they see people pouring into the valley, not an exodus out.

Another defender of A.V. life was Kimberlee Fletcher, a Lancaster resident who wrote almost poetically of the high desert.

``And where in the fair country of Great Britain can one stand in the middle of a seemingly endless, riotously colored tapestry of golden poppies and other wildflowers, stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions?'' Fletcher wrote. ``Or glance up and witness the heart- catching aerial acrobatics of feathered raptors and steel-clad Nighthawks? Or water ski and snow ski within an hour or so of each other, and wind up the day at a concert in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater under a blanket of stars?''

Where some see beauty, others see desert brown.

``How depressing is it to be someplace where the color green occurs naturally (yes, it does happen in other places) and have to think about returning home?'' wrote Gil Sattler.

Another Palmdale defense comes from Rose Binoya, a resident of the city for 13 years.

``And while the scenery at first doesn't look like much, there are some mornings where the sunrises just take your breath away and some evenings when the sun setting over the Joshua trees makes you forget all your problems,'' Binoya wrote. ``For me, it was a very special place to grow up.''