Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Chatsworth is a district of Los Angeles
, California
, United States
; in the northwestern San Fernando Valley
. The district is bordered by the Santa Susana Mountains
and unincorporated Los Angeles County
lands to the north, Porter Ranch to the northeast, Northridge to the east, West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka to the south, and the Simi Hills
, Ventura County
, Simi Valley
to the west. The nearby Chatsworth Peak
in eastern Simi Hills overlooks the district.
Chatsworth was originally inhabited by the Tongva-Fernandeño, Chumash-Venturaño, and Tataviam-Fernandeño
Native American
tribes. Native American civilizations had inhabited the Valley for an estimated 8,000 years. Stoney Point
is the site of the Tongva Native American settlement of Asha'awanga or Momonga, that was also a trading place with the neighboring Tataviam
and Chumash people. The nearby Burro Flats Painted Cave
remains a legacy of the Chumash culture's rock art
and solstice
ceremony spirituality.
. With its establishment in 1797 and subsequent Spanish Land Grant by the King of Spain, Mission San Fernando
(Mission San Fernando Rey de España) gained dominion
over the San Fernando Valley's lands, including future Chatsworth.
The Native American trail that had existed from the Tongva-Tatavium village called rancheria Santa Susana (Chatsworth) to another village, replaced by Mission San Fernando
, became the route for missionaries and other Spanish travel up and down California. It was part of the El Camino del Santa Susana y Simi trail that connected the Valley's Mission, Los Angeles pueblo (town), and the southern missions with the Mission San Buenaventura
, the Presidio of Monterey
, and the northward missions. The trail crossed over the Santa Susana Pass
to the in Simi Valley
, through present day city park Chatsworth Park South and the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
. In 1795, the Spanish land grant had been issued for Rancho Simi
, reconfirmed in 1842 by the Mexican governor. Its lands included part of current Chatsworth, westward from Andora Avenue.
In 1821, after the successful Mexican War of Independence
from Spain
, the Mission San Fernando became part of Alta California
, Mexico. In 1834, the Mexican government began redistributing the mission lands. In 1846, the Mexican land grant for Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
was issued by Governor Pío Pico
. It was bounded on the north by Rancho San Francisco
and the Santa Susana Mountains
, on the west by the Simi Hills
, on the east by Rancho Tujunga
, and on the south by the Montañas de Portesuelo (Santa Monica Mountains
). The Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando received a Federal land patent to retain ownership by the United States Public Land Commission
in 1873, and was the single largest land grant in California.
to northern Californians, California State Senator
Charles Maclay
and his partners George K. Porter, a San Francisco shoe manufacturer, and his brother Benjamin F. Porter. The Porters’ land was west of present day Sepulveda Boulevard
including most of Chatsworth, and the Maclay land was east of Sepulveda Boulevard. Roscoe Boulevard was the border on the south, with a syndicate led by Issac Lankershim acquiring the southern half of the Valley.
The Old Santa Susana Stage Road or Santa Susana Wagon Road is a route taken by early travellers between the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley through Chatsworth and over the Santa Susana Pass
. The main route climbs through what is now Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
, with a branch in Chatsworth Park South. It was an important artery linking the Los Angeles Basin
and inland Ventura County
, and was part of the main route for travel by stagecoach
between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument
of Ventura County and of the city of Los Angeles under the name 'Old Stagecoach Trail'.
The Santa Susana Pass Road continued in use as an alternative to the route along El Camino Viejo from 1861 to 1875, replacing the older road as the main route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad
opened a tunnel through the Newhall Pass, enabling rail connections from Los Angeles north to San Francisco, and rail travel soon replaced travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From this time, the stagecoach traffic to Santa Barbara once again used the coast route, and the Santa Susana Pass road was relegated to local traffic.
A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called El Camino Nuevo (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917. In the 1920s Movie Ranches
began in the hills of Chatsworth, for both the dramatic scenery and being within the Studio zone
.
The present town was first called 'Chatsworth Park' and developed in 1888. It was named after Chatsworth House
, the family seat of the Duke of Devonshire
in Derbyshire
, United Kingdom
. The Devonshire name was also used for the naming the major east-west boulevard in Chatsworth.
Median household income in 2000 was $63,817.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times
"Mapping L.A." project supplied these Chatsworth neighborhood statistics: population: 33,829; median household income: $84,549.
, is located at 21052 Devonshire Street.
The Chatsworth Post Office, of the United States Postal Service
, is located at 21606 Devonshire Street. (The Chatsworth Post Office was one of the locations of an anthrax
threat shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.)
The U.S. Census Bureau operates the Los Angeles Regional Census Center in Chatsworth.
is a major transportation hub for the town and West Valley. It is served by 20 daily trains on the Metrolink
Ventura County Line from Ventura
to Union Station
in Downtown Los Angeles
, and by the Amtrak California
Pacific Surfliner
, with 10 trains up and down the state daily. The Coast Line
for freight transport by Union Pacific Railroad
also uses the tracks, and was involved in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision
.
Construction is underway to extend the Orange Line of the Los Angeles Metro
system to Chatsworth Station, with a dedicated right-of-way across the Valley to North Hollywood Station of the Red Line subway.
The Chatsworth Transportation Center also offers connections to several Los Angeles Metro, Simi Valley, and Santa Clarita bus routes. It is located at 10046 Old Depot Plaza Road, between Devonshire and Lassen streets.
. Chatsworth High School
, Lawrence Middle School, Germain Street Elementary, Superior Street Elementary and Chatsworth Park Elementary School are all located in Chatsworth.
The area has several private schools, including Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth Hills Academy
, Chaminade College Preparatory
Middle School, and St. John Eudes Elementary and Middle School.
There is also one charter school, Chime Charter Middle School previously known as Santa Susana School. The school is located just down the street from Chatsworth Park Elementary School.
Ingenium Charter School - Kindergarten through Sixth Grade
, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
operate the various natural open space preserve parks
and neighborhood recreation parks
.
Chatsworth's residential homes are mostly single-story classic American ranch houses. The district's boundaries are not visible, marked only by signs on the streets, as a profusion of stores, apartments, and automobile traffic dominate.
. Chatsworth Oaks Park and the Chatsworth Nature Preserve are located here giving views of migrating birds and other animals, and their sounds such as the coyotes calling in the evening. The views of the rocky and dramatic Simi Hills
surround the open space.
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory
(SSFL), once busy with Rocketdyne
testing rocket engines and Atomics International
doing nuclear research, is quiet and high in the Simi Hills
west of Chatsworth. It has been closed and will be undergoing an extensive environmental cleanup, and become an open-space park. The park
will permanently add to Chatsworth's scenic
backdrop, greenway
, and hiking
opportunities.
Some current businesses based in Chatsworth are: 3M Corporation, Girl Scouts
, Capstone Turbine
, Hydraulics International
, and with Lamps Plus
having production and distribution facilities here.
es became the site for many western films and rural-themed television shows. Noteworthy ones above Chatsworth were the Iverson Movie Ranch, Spahn Movie Ranch
, and Corriganville Movie Ranch
. The setting fit the popular conception of the American West; boulders larger than houses were strewn against a backdrop of mountains. Tumbleweeds were and still are a common sight. California Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and white-barked California Sycamores (Platanus racemosa), trees native to Chatsworth, along with Australian eucalyptus
trees (Eucalyptus globulus), and orange trees in groves all lent to the rural feel for natural film scenery.
Between 1912 and 1960, Hopalong Cassidy
, Gene Autry
, Roy Rogers
and hundreds of other cowboys made movies at Iverson Movie Ranch. A five-hundred acre portion of the ranch was transformed into terraced Chinese
farmland for filming the MGM classic The Good Earth
(1937), originally a popular novel by Pearl S. Buck
. Disney's Zorro was filmed on the Chatsworth Spahn Movie Ranch
, as were the opening credits
of The Lone Ranger
. Also filmed partly in Chatsworth by Roy Rogers Productions was the western series Brave Eagle
starring Keith Larsen
as a young Cheyenne
chief, which ran on CBS in the 1955–1956 season.
Currently, in the film industry, Chatsworth continues to house numerous mainstream production offices, including that of the television show 24. Ghost of Zorro
was filmed here in 1949. The Iraq
scenes for the TV series Over There
were filmed in Chatsworth. The Bad News Bears (1976) was filmed in Mason Park.
The town also houses many adult production and distribution studios
, including Anabolic Video
, Black Market, Combat Zone
, KBeech, Red Light District Video
, Third World Media
, and Wicked Pictures
. Sex industry trade magazine AVN
is also headquartered in Chatsworth.
commissioned architect Richard Neutra
to design a residence in the avant-garde American modernism
architectural style, known as the Von Sternberg house
. It was located inside a silver walled compound on his estate's acreage of walnut groves in Chatsworth. The author and philosopher Ayn Rand
acquired the property, with the modernism
evocative of her novel 'The Fountainhead,' and resided there. The landmark residence was demolished in 1972 for construction of the Teledyne
complex.
Chatsworth's proximity to Hollywood studios meant that a number of actors and musicians call or have called the district home. Lucille Ball
and Desi Arnaz
established their first home on a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) parcel in Chatsworth, which they called "Desilu," the same name as their studio. Roy Rogers
and Dale Evans
had a horse ranch in Chatsworth for several decades, as did Errol Flynn
, and cowboy film star Montie Montana
. In television, Mr. Ed, the 1960s equine star, was born in a red barn on "Harvester Farms" located near Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Devonshire Avenue. The site became the home of the Palomino Horse Association of America for a short period of time.
Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
in Chatsworth is the final resting place of a number of Hollywood stars, including Fred Astaire
, Ginger Rogers
, Oscar winner Gloria Grahame
, and silent film actor and director Grace Cunard
. Some of the stars were in films shot on the Spahn
and Iverson Movie Ranches
above Chatsworth.
Recent examples include:
Actors Kevin Spacey
, Mare Winningham
, Adam Rich
, Val Kilmer
, and Kirk Cameron
graduated from Chatsworth High School
. Spacey thanked the drama department of his alma mater when he won his first Oscar.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; in the northwestern San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. The district is bordered by the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
and unincorporated Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
lands to the north, Porter Ranch to the northeast, Northridge to the east, West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka to the south, and the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
, Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, Simi Valley
Simi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
to the west. The nearby Chatsworth Peak
Chatsworth Peak
Chatsworth Peak is a peak in the Simi Hills overlooking Chatsworth, California on the east. Is southwest of Santa Susana Pass and north of the Chatsworth Reservoir at an elevation of ....
in eastern Simi Hills overlooks the district.
Native Americans
Tataviam
The Tataviam , were called the Alliklik by their neighbors the Chumash , are a Native American group in southern California...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes. Native American civilizations had inhabited the Valley for an estimated 8,000 years. Stoney Point
Stoney Point (California)
Stoney Point, also known as the Stoney Point Outcroppings, is a city park near the north end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, California...
is the site of the Tongva Native American settlement of Asha'awanga or Momonga, that was also a trading place with the neighboring Tataviam
Tataviam
The Tataviam , were called the Alliklik by their neighbors the Chumash , are a Native American group in southern California...
and Chumash people. The nearby Burro Flats Painted Cave
Burro Flats Painted Cave
Burro Flats Painted Cave is in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, and West Hills and Bell Canyon, in Ventura County of Southern California, United States. It is a Cave containing Chumash Native American pictographs...
remains a legacy of the Chumash culture's rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
and solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
ceremony spirituality.
Spain and Mexico
The first European explorers came into the Chatsworth area on August 5, 1769, led by the Spanish military leader Gaspar de PortolàGaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
. With its establishment in 1797 and subsequent Spanish Land Grant by the King of Spain, Mission San Fernando
Mission San Fernando Rey de España
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary" , 1797. The settlement is located on the former Encino Rancho in the Mission Hills community of northern Los Angeles, near the site of the first gold discovery in Alta California.-History:Mission San Fernando Rey de...
(Mission San Fernando Rey de España) gained dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
over the San Fernando Valley's lands, including future Chatsworth.
The Native American trail that had existed from the Tongva-Tatavium village called rancheria Santa Susana (Chatsworth) to another village, replaced by Mission San Fernando
Mission San Fernando Rey de España
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary" , 1797. The settlement is located on the former Encino Rancho in the Mission Hills community of northern Los Angeles, near the site of the first gold discovery in Alta California.-History:Mission San Fernando Rey de...
, became the route for missionaries and other Spanish travel up and down California. It was part of the El Camino del Santa Susana y Simi trail that connected the Valley's Mission, Los Angeles pueblo (town), and the southern missions with the Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura was founded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 in Las Californias, part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain. Named for a Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventure, it was the last of the missions founded by Father Serra...
, the Presidio of Monterey
Presidio of Monterey, California
The Presidio of Monterey, located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center .-Spanish fort:...
, and the northward missions. The trail crossed over the Santa Susana Pass
Santa Susana Pass
The Santa Susana Pass is a Southern California mountain pass in the Simi Hills connecting the San Fernando Valley and town of Chatsworth, to the Simi Valley and city of Simi Valley.-Natural history:...
to the in Simi Valley
Simi Valley
Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...
, through present day city park Chatsworth Park South and the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park is a California State Park of approximately located on the boundary between Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, between the communities of Chatsworth and Simi Valley. Geologically, the park is located where Simi Hills meet the Santa Susana Mountains...
. In 1795, the Spanish land grant had been issued for Rancho Simi
Rancho Simi
Rancho Simi, also known as Rancho San José de Nuestra Senora de Altagarcia y Simi, was a Spanish land grant in eastern Ventura and western Los Angeles counties given in 1795 to Francisco Javier Pico and his two brothers, Patricio Pico and Miguel Pico by Governor Diego de Borica...
, reconfirmed in 1842 by the Mexican governor. Its lands included part of current Chatsworth, westward from Andora Avenue.
In 1821, after the successful Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Mission San Fernando became part of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, Mexico. In 1834, the Mexican government began redistributing the mission lands. In 1846, the Mexican land grant for Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Eulogio de Celis...
was issued by Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
. It was bounded on the north by Rancho San Francisco
Rancho San Francisco
Rancho San Francisco was a land grant in present day northwestern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It was of by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Antonio del Valle, a Spanish army officer, in recognition for his service to the state of Alta California...
and the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
, on the west by the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
, on the east by Rancho Tujunga
Rancho Tujunga
Rancho Tujunga was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1840 by Mexican governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Lopez and Pedro Lopez. The rancho lands included the present day Los Angeles communities of Lake View Terrace, Sunland, Tujunga.-History:The Mexican...
, and on the south by the Montañas de Portesuelo (Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
). The Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando received a Federal land patent to retain ownership by the United States Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1873, and was the single largest land grant in California.
United States
In 1869, the grantee's son, Eulogio F. de Celis, returned from Spain to Los Angeles. In 1874, the family sold their northern half of Rancho Ex-Mission San FernandoRancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Eulogio de Celis...
to northern Californians, California State Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
Charles Maclay
Charles Maclay
Charles Maclay was a California State Senator and the funder of the city of San Fernando, California in the San Fernando Valley.-History:Charles Maclay's heritage was from Ireland and Scotland...
and his partners George K. Porter, a San Francisco shoe manufacturer, and his brother Benjamin F. Porter. The Porters’ land was west of present day Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles, California, which stretches some 42.8 miles from Rinaldi Street at the north end of the San Fernando Valley to the city limits of Hermosa Beach, where it "jumps" east and continues on to Long Beach. It generally runs north-south, passing underneath...
including most of Chatsworth, and the Maclay land was east of Sepulveda Boulevard. Roscoe Boulevard was the border on the south, with a syndicate led by Issac Lankershim acquiring the southern half of the Valley.
Santa Susana Pass
The Santa Susana Pass is a Southern California mountain pass in the Simi Hills connecting the San Fernando Valley and town of Chatsworth, to the Simi Valley and city of Simi Valley.-Natural history:...
. The main route climbs through what is now Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park is a California State Park of approximately located on the boundary between Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, between the communities of Chatsworth and Simi Valley. Geologically, the park is located where Simi Hills meet the Santa Susana Mountains...
, with a branch in Chatsworth Park South. It was an important artery linking the Los Angeles Basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
and inland Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, and was part of the main route for travel by stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail traffic between the cities in 1876. The Old Santa Susana Stage Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
of Ventura County and of the city of Los Angeles under the name 'Old Stagecoach Trail'.
The Santa Susana Pass Road continued in use as an alternative to the route along El Camino Viejo from 1861 to 1875, replacing the older road as the main route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
opened a tunnel through the Newhall Pass, enabling rail connections from Los Angeles north to San Francisco, and rail travel soon replaced travel by stagecoach between Los Angeles and San Francisco. From this time, the stagecoach traffic to Santa Barbara once again used the coast route, and the Santa Susana Pass road was relegated to local traffic.
A new wagon route bypassing the deteriorating Devil's Slide was opened in 1895. Initially called El Camino Nuevo (the New Road), it was later named the Chatsworth Grade Road, which continued in use until Santa Susana Pass Road (now Old Santa Susana Pass Road) was built in 1917. In the 1920s Movie Ranches
Movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
began in the hills of Chatsworth, for both the dramatic scenery and being within the Studio zone
Studio zone
In the American entertainment industry, the studio zone, also known as the thirty-mile zone or the TMZ, is the area within a 30-mile radius from the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard and North La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California...
.
The present town was first called 'Chatsworth Park' and developed in 1888. It was named after Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
, the family seat of the Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Devonshire name was also used for the naming the major east-west boulevard in Chatsworth.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, and according to the Los Angeles Almanac, there were 41,255 people and 15,668 households residing in Chatsworth. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 70.99% White, 14.33% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 3.51% African American, 0.51% Native American, 6.11% from other races, and 4.41% from two or more races. 16.31% of the population were Hispanic of any race.Median household income in 2000 was $63,817.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
"Mapping L.A." project supplied these Chatsworth neighborhood statistics: population: 33,829; median household income: $84,549.
Government and infrastructure
The Chatsworth Branch Library, operated by the Los Angeles Public LibraryLos Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
, is located at 21052 Devonshire Street.
The Chatsworth Post Office, of the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
, is located at 21606 Devonshire Street. (The Chatsworth Post Office was one of the locations of an anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
threat shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.)
The U.S. Census Bureau operates the Los Angeles Regional Census Center in Chatsworth.
Transportation
The Chatsworth Transportation Center and train stationChatsworth (Amtrak station)
The Chatsworth Amtrak/Metrolink Station, sometimes referred to as the Chatsworth Transportation Center, is an Amtrak and Metrolink rail station in the Los Angeles community of Chatsworth, California, USA. It is served by both Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and...
is a major transportation hub for the town and West Valley. It is served by 20 daily trains on the Metrolink
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
Ventura County Line from Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
to Union Station
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, and by the Amtrak California
Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
Pacific Surfliner
Pacific Surfliner
The Pacific Surfliner is a Amtrak regional passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo....
, with 10 trains up and down the state daily. The Coast Line
Coast Line (UP)
The Coast Line is a railroad line from Burbank, California north to the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly along the Pacific Coast.The first version of the Coast line, via Saugus and Santa Paula, was completed by the Southern Pacific Railroad on December 31, 1900; the line via Santa Susana opened in...
for freight transport by Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
also uses the tracks, and was involved in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision
2008 Chatsworth train collision
The Chatsworth train collision occurred at 16:22 PDT on Friday September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States...
.
Construction is underway to extend the Orange Line of the Los Angeles Metro
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
system to Chatsworth Station, with a dedicated right-of-way across the Valley to North Hollywood Station of the Red Line subway.
The Chatsworth Transportation Center also offers connections to several Los Angeles Metro, Simi Valley, and Santa Clarita bus routes. It is located at 10046 Old Depot Plaza Road, between Devonshire and Lassen streets.
Education
Chatsworth residents are zoned to the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School is a public secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S..As of the 2005–06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3183 students and 117.8 classroom teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 27.0.- History :The campus...
, Lawrence Middle School, Germain Street Elementary, Superior Street Elementary and Chatsworth Park Elementary School are all located in Chatsworth.
The area has several private schools, including Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth Hills Academy
Chatsworth Hills Academy
Chatsworth Hills Academy is a private, coeducational day school located in Chatsworth, California, USA. CHA students are enrolled in Grades K through Eight and Preschool....
, Chaminade College Preparatory
Chaminade College Preparatory School (California)
Chaminade College Preparatory is a private Catholic preparatory school with two campuses in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California...
Middle School, and St. John Eudes Elementary and Middle School.
There is also one charter school, Chime Charter Middle School previously known as Santa Susana School. The school is located just down the street from Chatsworth Park Elementary School.
Charter school
Our Community School - Kindergarten through Seventh Grade (Mayall/Jumilla)Ingenium Charter School - Kindergarten through Sixth Grade
Parks and recreation
Chatsworth is distinguished by having more parks and parkland acreage than most communities in Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department, California Department of Parks and RecreationCalifornia Department of Parks and Recreation
The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks and 1.4 million acres , with over of coastline; of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and of hiking, biking, and...
, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space, for wildlife and California native plants habitat Nature Preserves, and for public recreation...
operate the various natural open space preserve parks
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
and neighborhood recreation parks
City Park
City Park can refer to:Australia*Launceston City ParkCanada* City Park, Saskatoon, a neighbourhoodHungary* City Park Kenya* City Park, NairobiLuxembourg* City Park , a park in central Luxembourg CityUnited Kingdom...
.
Open-space parks
- Chatsworth Park North includes more than 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of the scenic Simi Hills and is operated by the Los Angeles Parks Department. Chatsworth North Park has a baseball diamond, American football field, and outdoor basketball courts - all lighted; volleyball courts, a children's play area, hikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails, a joggingJoggingJogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
path, and picnic tables with barbecue pits. The Park now has fencing that blocks visitors from climbing the large boulder outcrops, however Stoney Point ParkStoney Point (California)Stoney Point, also known as the Stoney Point Outcroppings, is a city park near the north end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, California...
and Chatsworth Park South are nearby for boulderingBoulderingBouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
and rockclimbing.
- Chatsworth Park South includes more than 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of the rocky landmark Simi HillsSimi HillsThe Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
. Chatsworth Park South is adjacent to the Santa Susana Pass State Historic ParkSanta Susana Pass State Historic ParkSanta Susana Pass State Historic Park is a California State Park of approximately located on the boundary between Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, between the communities of Chatsworth and Simi Valley. Geologically, the park is located where Simi Hills meet the Santa Susana Mountains...
, a 174 acre (0.70415364 km²) National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
property consisting of historic features and deposits, prehistoric village site remnants, and portions of the Old Santa Susana Stage Road which was the main route for mail and travelers between Los Angeles and San Francisco from 1861 until the opening of rail connections between the two cities in 1876. The stage route was also declared Los Angeles City Historical Cultural Monument #92 (designated 01/05/1972) and Ventura County Historical Landmark #104 (designated 10/21/1986). The park has miles of horseback, jogging, and hiking trails, picnic tables and barbecue pits, and boulderingBoulderingBouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
outcrops.- Chatsworth Recreation Center facilities are located within the lower area of Chatsworth Park South; with lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, an indoor gymnasium, a stage, and lighted tennis courts.
- The Minnie Hill Palmer House and MuseumMinnie Hill Palmer HouseThe Minnie Hill Palmer House, also known as The Homestead Acre, is the only remaining homestead cottage in the San Fernando Valley. The cottage is a redwood Stick-Eastlake style American Craftsman-Bungalow located on a site in Chatsworth Park South in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles,...
, one of the West Valley's historic original homestead houses, is in Chatsworth Park South for visits and the Chatsworth Historical Society archives.
- Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park (SSPSHP) is a large natural area adjacent to and above town's western side. The Santa Susana Pass State Historic ParkSanta Susana Pass State Historic ParkSanta Susana Pass State Historic Park is a California State Park of approximately located on the boundary between Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, between the communities of Chatsworth and Simi Valley. Geologically, the park is located where Simi Hills meet the Santa Susana Mountains...
protects and offers a historical site of the late 19th century, when Chatsworth was on a main thoroughfare for the figures of the American West. Joaquin MurrietaJoaquin MurrietaJoaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
and his bandits hid out in the rocky crevices around Stony Point. The Old Stagecoach TrailOld Stagecoach TrailThe Old Santa Susana Stage Road or Santa Susana Wagon Road is a route taken by early travellers between the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley near Chatsworth, California via the Santa Susana Pass...
above Chatsworth to the west, is now a popular hiking trail in the Simi HillsSimi HillsThe Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
. It goes through Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park and Chatsworth Park South, and by Chatsworth Oaks Park. The State Park is open to the public with several parking and trailhead areas and many hiking and view opportunities.
- Chatsworth Oaks Park is an approximately 3 acres (1.2 ha) natural open space park. It has barbecue pits, a children's play area, and picnic tables near the parking area. Beyond visitors may ride bicycles and hike in the park, which has no established trails but links to nearby Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park. The park overlooks the Chatsworth Nature Preserve, with birdwatchingBirdwatchingBirdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
opportunities.
- Stoney Point Park, at Stoney PointStoney Point (California)Stoney Point, also known as the Stoney Point Outcroppings, is a city park near the north end of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, California...
is a natural rock outcropping, geographic promentory landmark, and legendary boulderingBoulderingBouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
and rock climbingRock climbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
location on 76 acres (30.8 ha). The boulders at Stoney Point Park merge and form alcoves, caves, and dens. The park also has bridle paths, hiking trails, and connections to adjacent parks to the north. Stoney Point is the site of the Tongva settlement named Asha'awanga or Momonga.
- Chatsworth Trails Park is in the Santa Susana MountainsSanta Susana MountainsThe Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
foothills just north of the 118 Freeway with parking at 11200 Mayan Drive. Chatsworth Trails Park has miles of horseback, hiking, and mountain biking trails, and is also a hub connecting to the huge Michael D. Antonovich Regional Park at Joughin Ranch, the Indian Springs Open Space Park, and Rocky Peak Park at Rocky PeakRocky peakRocky Peak, located in Rocky Peak Park, is the third-highest point in the Santa Susana Mountains, and overlooks the San Fernando Valley and Chatsworth, the Simi Hills, and the Simi Valley in Southern California...
. The Rim of the Valley Trail passes through here, with trailhead access.
- Sage Ranch Park overlooks Chatsworth from its 2000 feet (609.6 m) high ridges in the Simi HillsSimi HillsThe Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
near the Santa Susana Field LaboratorySanta Susana Field LaboratoryThe Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a complex of industrial research and development facilities located on a 2,668 acre portion of the Southern California Simi Hills in Simi Valley, California, used mainly for the testing and development of Liquid-propellant rocket engines for the United States...
. It is a new open space park at the end of Woolsey Canyon Road. Sage Ranch Park has campsites, walking and hiking trails, and panoramic views of the San Fernando and Simi Valleys.
Neighborhood parks
- Mason Park It offers barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, an unlighted baseball diamond, a children's play area, and picnic tables.
- Mason Recreation Center It has an indoor gymnasium that may also be used as an auditorium; the capacity is 400 has a kitchen, a multi-purpose field, and a stage.
- Mason Child Care Center It is licensed to have up to 30 children of ages 3 and 4 and up to 60 school age children in educational and recreational activities at the center.
Modern terrain
The topography of modern Chatsworth is varied, with many industrial areas, sleepy home communities, large apartment and condominium complexes, parks, ranches, horse stables, horse trails, and farms, a few shopping centers, restaurants, and a train station. Congressman Buck McKeon (25th District) notes on his web page, "Chatsworth still has a lot of horse zoned properties and it is not unusual to see horses tied to the hitching post out back of the Los Toros Mexican Restaurant or the Cowboy Palace Saloon."Chatsworth's residential homes are mostly single-story classic American ranch houses. The district's boundaries are not visible, marked only by signs on the streets, as a profusion of stores, apartments, and automobile traffic dominate.
Chatsworth Reservoir
A distinctive feature in Chatsworth is the Chatsworth Reservoir, mostly drained since the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The property belongs to the Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerLos Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
. Chatsworth Oaks Park and the Chatsworth Nature Preserve are located here giving views of migrating birds and other animals, and their sounds such as the coyotes calling in the evening. The views of the rocky and dramatic Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
surround the open space.
Business
Chatsworth is the home of the National Notary Association and the headquarters for three major credit unions: Premier America (Formerly Litton Federal Credit Union), Matadors Community Credit Union and Telesis Community Credit Union.The Santa Susana Field Laboratory
Santa Susana Field Laboratory
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a complex of industrial research and development facilities located on a 2,668 acre portion of the Southern California Simi Hills in Simi Valley, California, used mainly for the testing and development of Liquid-propellant rocket engines for the United States...
(SSFL), once busy with Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United States company that designs and produces rocket engines that use liquid propellants. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, headquartered in Canoga Park, California, is a division of Pratt & Whitney, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation...
testing rocket engines and Atomics International
Atomics International
Atomics International was a division of the North American Aviation company which engaged principally in the early development of nuclear technology and nuclear reactors for both commercial and government applications...
doing nuclear research, is quiet and high in the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
west of Chatsworth. It has been closed and will be undergoing an extensive environmental cleanup, and become an open-space park. The park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
will permanently add to Chatsworth's scenic
Scenic
Scenic is the first full-length album by Denver Harbor, released on October 12, 2004 on Universal Records. It contains re-recorded versions of four of the five tracks from their debut EP Extended Play , as well as two of the three songs from their 2003 demo Scenic is the first full-length album by...
backdrop, greenway
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
, and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
opportunities.
Some current businesses based in Chatsworth are: 3M Corporation, Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, Capstone Turbine
Capstone Turbine
Capstone Turbine Corporation , incorporated in 1988, is a California based gas turbine manufacturer that specializes in microturbine power and heat cogeneration systems. Key to the Capstone design is its use of foil bearings, which provides maintenance and fluid-free operation for the lifetime of...
, Hydraulics International
Hydraulics International, Inc.
', known as HII headquartered in Chatsworth, California, U.S.A., is a supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, aviation and commercial industries, Government agencies and prime contractors worldwide...
, and with Lamps Plus
Lamps Plus
LAMPS PLUS, Inc. is a privately held corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells portable lighting, fixture lighting, home décor items and a variety of other related products...
having production and distribution facilities here.
Entertainment industry
Chatsworth remained mostly rural until the 1960s, and as a result, its movie ranchMovie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
es became the site for many western films and rural-themed television shows. Noteworthy ones above Chatsworth were the Iverson Movie Ranch, Spahn Movie Ranch
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a movie ranch used for filming generally Western-themed movies and television programs. With mountainous terrain, boulder-strewn scenery, and an 'old Western town' set, Spahn Ranch was a versatile filming site for many scripts...
, and Corriganville Movie Ranch
Corriganville Movie Ranch
Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction...
. The setting fit the popular conception of the American West; boulders larger than houses were strewn against a backdrop of mountains. Tumbleweeds were and still are a common sight. California Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and white-barked California Sycamores (Platanus racemosa), trees native to Chatsworth, along with Australian eucalyptus
Eucalyptus globulus
The Tasmanian Blue Gum, Southern Blue Gum or Blue Gum, is an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia. They typically grow from 30 to 55 m tall. The tallest currently known specimen in Tasmania is 90.7 m tall...
trees (Eucalyptus globulus), and orange trees in groves all lent to the rural feel for natural film scenery.
Between 1912 and 1960, Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....
, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and hundreds of other cowboys made movies at Iverson Movie Ranch. A five-hundred acre portion of the ranch was transformed into terraced Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
farmland for filming the MGM classic The Good Earth
The Good Earth (film)
The Good Earth is a film about Chinese farmers who struggle to survive. It was adapted by Talbot Jennings, Tess Slesinger, and Claudine West from the play by Donald Davis and Owen Davis, which was in itself based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S...
(1937), originally a popular novel by Pearl S. Buck
Pearl S. Buck
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu , was an American writer who spent most of her time until 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932...
. Disney's Zorro was filmed on the Chatsworth Spahn Movie Ranch
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a movie ranch used for filming generally Western-themed movies and television programs. With mountainous terrain, boulder-strewn scenery, and an 'old Western town' set, Spahn Ranch was a versatile filming site for many scripts...
, as were the opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
of The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger (TV Series)
The Lone Ranger is an American western television series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The live-action series initially featured Gerald Mohr as the episode narrator...
. Also filmed partly in Chatsworth by Roy Rogers Productions was the western series Brave Eagle
Brave Eagle
Brave Eagle is a 26-episode half-hour western television series which aired on CBS from September 28, 1955, to March 14, 1956, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 6. Keith Larsen , who was of Norwegian descent, starred as Brave Eagle, a peaceful young Cheyenne chief...
starring Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.-Background:...
as a young Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
chief, which ran on CBS in the 1955–1956 season.
Currently, in the film industry, Chatsworth continues to house numerous mainstream production offices, including that of the television show 24. Ghost of Zorro
Ghost of Zorro
Ghost of Zorro is a Republic Movie serial. It uses substantial stock footage from earlier serials, including Son of Zorro and Daredevils of the West. This movie was shot in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.-Cast:...
was filmed here in 1949. The Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
scenes for the TV series Over There
Over There (TV series)
Over There is an action / drama / war television series that aired on FX. It premiered in the United States on July 27, 2005 and premiered in Canada on September 6, 2005 on the History Television channel. The series was presented in 16:9 widescreen format in the U.S...
were filmed in Chatsworth. The Bad News Bears (1976) was filmed in Mason Park.
The town also houses many adult production and distribution studios
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, including Anabolic Video
Anabolic Video
Anabolic Video is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California. The studio was a pioneer of gonzo pornography, and is considered one of the most successful gonzo producers.-History:...
, Black Market, Combat Zone
Combat Zone (Studio)
Combat Zone is a pornographic film production company headquartered in Chatsworth, California.-Company history:Combat Zone was founded in January 2006 by the industry veteran director and producer Dion Giarrusso. The company specializes in gonzo pornography featuring actresses that are new to the...
, KBeech, Red Light District Video
Red Light District Video
Red Light District Video is an American pornographic film studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California.-History:The company was founded in 2001 by industry veteran Dion Giarrusso and his half-brother David Joseph, who co-owned the company. Giarrusso had previously worked as general manager of...
, Third World Media
Third World Media
Founded in 1999 by Steve Scott and veteran director Ed Hunter, Third World Media is recognized in the adult industry as one of the first producers of wall-to-wall entertainment featuring authentic ethnic performers exclusively from outside of the United States....
, and Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry...
. Sex industry trade magazine AVN
AVN (magazine)
Adult Video News is an American trade journal that covers the adult video industry. The New York Times notes that AVN is to pornographic films what Billboard is to records...
is also headquartered in Chatsworth.
Past and present residents
In 1932 the film director Josef von SternbergJosef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg — born Jonas Sternberg — was an Austrian-American film director. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and seven-film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich.-Youth:Von Sternberg was born Jonas Sternberg to a Jewish...
commissioned architect Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
to design a residence in the avant-garde American modernism
American modernism
American modernism like modernism in general is a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation, and is thus in its essence both progressive and optimistic...
architectural style, known as the Von Sternberg house
Von Sternberg house by Neutra
Von Sternberg House was a single bedroom mini-mansion designed by the architect Richard Neutra. It was built in 1935 in Northridge, California, in the then-rural San Fernando Valley for the movie director Josef von Sternberg...
. It was located inside a silver walled compound on his estate's acreage of walnut groves in Chatsworth. The author and philosopher Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
acquired the property, with the modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
evocative of her novel 'The Fountainhead,' and resided there. The landmark residence was demolished in 1972 for construction of the Teledyne
Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an industrial conglomerate primarily based in the United States but with global operations. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky....
complex.
Chatsworth's proximity to Hollywood studios meant that a number of actors and musicians call or have called the district home. Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
established their first home on a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) parcel in Chatsworth, which they called "Desilu," the same name as their studio. Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and Dale Evans
Dale Evans
Dale Evans, was an American writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.-Early life:...
had a horse ranch in Chatsworth for several decades, as did Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, and cowboy film star Montie Montana
Montie Montana
Montie Montana , was a rodeo trick rider, actor, stuntman and cowboy inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994....
. In television, Mr. Ed, the 1960s equine star, was born in a red barn on "Harvester Farms" located near Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Devonshire Avenue. The site became the home of the Palomino Horse Association of America for a short period of time.
Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
The Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 22601 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. It has been used as a cemetery since 1924, and there was a Native American graveyard next to the cemetery before a fire destroyed the old wooden crosses that marked the site. The Old...
in Chatsworth is the final resting place of a number of Hollywood stars, including Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
, Oscar winner Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
, and silent film actor and director Grace Cunard
Grace Cunard
Grace Cunard was an American actress, screenwriter and film director, who was also sister of actress Mina Cunard.-Career:...
. Some of the stars were in films shot on the Spahn
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a movie ranch used for filming generally Western-themed movies and television programs. With mountainous terrain, boulder-strewn scenery, and an 'old Western town' set, Spahn Ranch was a versatile filming site for many scripts...
and Iverson Movie Ranches
Movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
above Chatsworth.
Recent examples include:
- R&B singer Brian McKnightBrian McKnightBrian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
- Professional Skateboarder Paul Rodriguez Jr.Paul Rodriguez Jr.Paul Rodriguez III , also known by his nickname P-Rod, is a Mexican-American professional street skateboarder and actor.-Early life:...
- Shock rock musician Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
(between 2004 and 2006) - Author Gerina DunwichGerina DunwichGerina Dunwich is a professional astrologer, occult historian, and New Age author, best known for her books on Wicca and various occult subjects...
- Former child actress Noreen CorcoranNoreen CorcoranNoreen M. Corcoran is a former actress and dancer best known for her costarring role as the teenager Kelly Gregg, the niece of wealthy attorney Bentley Gregg, played by John Forsythe, in the television sitcom Bachelor Father, the only series to have been carried at one time by all three major...
- Screenwriter and film director Bob ForwardBob ForwardRobert D. Forward , commonly known as Bob Forward, is an American writer, director and producer. Forward is the production director and president of his independent company, Detonation Films. Forward has been the writer of many animated television series, as well as a film, The Owl, based on his...
- Helicopter pilot/television news reporter Desiree HortonDesiree HortonDesiree Tyler Horton , nicknamed "Chopper Chick," is a helicopter pilot and television personality based in Los Angeles, California...
- Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
3rd baseman and 2nd overall pick in 2007 MLB Draft Mike MoustakasMike MoustakasMichael Christopher Moustakas is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He was drafted second overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.... - Rapper/Dancer - Kevin FederlineKevin FederlineKevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
- Hip-hop/rapper - XzibitXzibitAlvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
Actors Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
, Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...
, Adam Rich
Adam Rich
Adam Rich is an American actor.-Career:Rich is most remembered for his role as the youngest son, Nicholas Bradford, on the television series Eight is Enough, which ran for five seasons, from 1977-1981. After leaving that show, he made guest appearances on The Love Boat, CHiPS, Fantasy Island, The...
, Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
, and Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Thomas Cameron is an American actor best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains , as well as several other television and film appearances as a child actor...
graduated from Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School is a public secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S..As of the 2005–06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3183 students and 117.8 classroom teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 27.0.- History :The campus...
. Spacey thanked the drama department of his alma mater when he won his first Oscar.
See also
- Lassen Street Olive Trees (Chatsworth, California)Lassen Street Olive Trees (Chatsworth, California)The Lassen Street Olive Trees, also known as 76 Mature Olive Trees, is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles, California. When the site was designated a monument in 1967, there were 76 olive trees in a short stretch of Lassen Street...
- Old Santa Susana Stage Road
- Burro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted Cave is in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, and West Hills and Bell Canyon, in Ventura County of Southern California, United States. It is a Cave containing Chumash Native American pictographs...
- History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded...
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley
External links
- Chatsworth Neighborhood Council
- Chatsworth Historical Society
- official Santa Susana City Park website
- California State Parks Dept. - official Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park website
- LAMountains.com - Santa Susana Pass Historic Park hiking website
- official Los Angeles City Parks: Chatsworth Park South website
- (Chatsworth Equine Cultural Heritage Organization) Chatsworth Historical Trivia