Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Granada Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley
region of the City of Los Angeles.
It is located just north of the North Hills and Northridge
districts, west of the Mission Hills
and Sylmar
districts, and just east of the Porter Ranch
district. It is accessible by the Ronald Reagan (SR 118
), San Diego
(Interstate 405
), and Golden State (Interstate 5) Freeways. Major thoroughfares include Balboa Boulevard, Woodley, Hayvenhurst, and Haskell Avenues, as well as Rinaldi Street, San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Chatsworth Street, and Devonshire Street.
In 1916, the San Fernando Valley's first oil well was drilled in what is now Granada Hills. The oil well was located at the northern tip of Zelzah Avenue. Granada Hills was founded in 1927 (as "Granada;" the "Hills" was added 15 years later) and started out as a dairy farm and orchard known as the Sunshine Ranch. Among the crops harvested here as the nation prepared for the Roaring '20s
were apricots, oranges, walnuts and beans. Vestiges of former citrus
groves can still be seen as small groups of orange, lemon or grapefruit
trees in some residential yards.
Median household income in 2000 was $68,801.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Granada Hills neighborhood statistics: population: 50,334; median household income: $95,247.
Council District 12 encompasses Granada Hills.
The area is served by two Neighborhood Councils:
Los Angeles Fire Department
Stations 18 (Knollwood/Granada Hills) and 87 (Granada Hills) are in the area.
Granada Hills is served by the Devonshire Community Police Station.
operates the Pacoima Health Center in Pacoima
, serving Granada Hills.
The United States Postal Service
Granada Hills Post Office is located at 18039 Chatsworth Street.
Granada Hills is in California's 27th congressional district
. It is in the 38th
and 40th
State Assembly districts, and the 17th
and 20th
State Senate districts.
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Granada Hills is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District
.
Grade K-5 elementary schools in Granada Hills include El Oro Way Elementary School, Haskell Elementary, Van Gogh Street Elementary School, Tulsa Street Elementary School, Danube Elementary School, Knollwood Elementary School and Granada Elementary School.
Grade 6–8 middle schools in Granada Hills include Patrick Henry Middle School (the Patriots), George K. Porter Middle School (the Trojans), and Robert Frost Middle School (the Timberwolves).
Grade 9–12 high schools in Granada Hills include Granada Hills High School (the Highlanders), John F. Kennedy High School (the Cougars), the Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Vipers), James Monroe High School (the Vikings) and Grover Cleveland High School (the Cavaliers). Residents are also eligible to attend Northridge Academy High School
.
Grade 6–12 schools include North Valley Charter Academy.
Granada Hills teaches PreK-6.
Granada Hills Baptist School teaches grades K-6.
Hillcrest Christian School is a Christian school teaching grades K-12 (the Eagles).
Saint John Baptist De La Salle is a Catholic elementary school teaching grades K-8.
, the second largest park in Los Angeles, consists of a large undeveloped area and a much smaller developed section with several dozen citrus trees, a small intermittent stream, and grass and picnic areas. This 672 acres (2.7 km²) park includes hiking trails and fire roads, including a grassy promontory from which a view of the northeastern portion of the San Fernando Valley
may be seen.
Mission Point
and its environs are popular mountain biking
and hiking areas. The view from the top of Mission Point, the highest point in Granada Hills, is striking, taking in most of the San Fernando Valley. In clear weather, one can see the Pacific Ocean and Downtown Los Angeles. The area around the peak is home to deer
, golden eagle
, bobcat
s, mountain lions, raccoon
s, and coyote
s.
The Granada Hills Recreation Center (also known as Petit Park) is located at 16730 Chatsworth Street, at Petit Avenue. It features an auditorium, playground, sports facilities, and picnic areas.
Zelzah Park, an unstaffed park, has a bridle path
, a children's play area, and picnic tables.
(named after the quarterback
, an alumnus), is the home of the Los Angeles Rampage
women's soccer team and the former home of the San Fernando Valley Quakes
.
In 1963, the Granada Hills Little League
won the Little League World Championship
in baseball.
In 1994, the Granada Hills Little League
made it all the way to the Little League World Championship
in baseball, but lost to Maracaibo, Venezuela with the score of 4–3.
walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon, unloading 70 shots into the complex. The gunfire wounded five people: three children, a teenage counselor, and an office worker. Shortly thereafter, Furrow murdered a mail carrier, fled the state, and finally surrendered to authorities.
arrived in California with two requests: to visit Disneyland and to meet John Wayne
, Hollywood's top box-office draw. Disneyland was ruled out due to security concerns and the Cold War, and as a result, he was taken on a visit to a modern American neighborhood on Sophia Drive in Granada Hills.
On his visit, the Soviet leader got a show of American consumerism and the American way of life. Khrushchev's visit marked the first time a Soviet leader set foot on U.S. soil. His whirlwind 20-hour Los Angeles journey, part of a six-day, coast-to-coast tour, is better remembered for the Kremlin boss' bumptious antics than for his talks with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
at the White House
and at Camp David
.
Although he declared himself outraged at missing Mickey Mouse and offended when he saw a rousing Hollywood rendition of the can-can
, then finally threatened to go home when Los Angeles Mayor Norris Poulson
needled him, his visit gave fascinated Granada Hills and L.A. area residents a close look at him.
Shortly after his noon arrival, Khrushchev, already irritated that Disneyland had been placed off-limits, was further annoyed that the main event of the day was a lunch with 300 movie stars and other celebrities and a visit to the set of the movie "Can-Can
" at 20th Century Fox
, rather than an inspection of an aerospace plant.
After Khrushchev left the studio, gawkers pasted tomatoes on his limo as the doubly offended leader and his 30-car, heavily guarded caravan made its way through city streets. Angelenos, six-deep at the curb, offered not one wave or audible greeting while the open limo lumbered by. Authorities would later report that a bomb was planted in a tree along the route and that a 47-year-old Hawthorne man who said he was "deer hunting" was arrested on suspicion of carrying concealed weapons—a .45-caliber handgun and a bow and arrow—just moments before Khrushchev's motorcade passed on Sepulveda Boulevard.
Heading toward the San Fernando Valley
, the premier was escorted by a Jewish Russian emigre whom the mayor had appointed to accompany the Soviet leader while he inspected two types of housing developments on Sophia Drive just south of Rinaldi Street. Ironically, the Ronald Reagan Freeway (State Route 118) was later built within a mile of the housing site and named after the former U.S. President who is credited with ending America's long Cold War with the Soviet Union. Crowds of several hundred gathered to observe the Soviet leader's reaction to an American model home. As it turned out, the earlier visit to 20th Century Fox had cut into Khrushchev's time, and his only inspection of the housing project was a fleeting glance from a motorcade.
. The most notable tract is "Balboa Highlands," a small tract designed by iconic architect Joseph Eichler
. Many of these homes, which are North of Rinaldi/West of Balboa, have been featured in movies, commercials, magazine pictorials and often pop up in books both on Eichler and classic examples of mid-century architecture.
While the Eichler homes are the most famous examples of MCM in this North Valley suburb many areas of Granada Hills feature the aesthetic style that includes pitched roofs and beam ceilings including numerous homes surrounding the Knollwood golf course to the east of Balboa, Knollwood Grove to the west of Balboa (behind the Eichler tract) and dotted throughout the areas south of Rinaldi.
Scenes in the movie Drive (2011) were located in Granada Hills. (Pizza Place)
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...
region of the City of Los Angeles.
It is located just north of the North Hills and Northridge
Northridge, Los Angeles, California
Northridge is a community located in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.The 1994 Northridge earthquake is named for the place based on early estimates of the location of the quake's epicenter; however, further refinements showed it to be technically...
districts, west of the Mission Hills
Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California
Mission Hills is a suburban community in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is located near the northern junction of the Golden State Freeway and the San Diego Freeway . The Ronald Reagan Freeway bisects the neighborhood. Mission Hills is the northern...
and Sylmar
Sylmar, Los Angeles, California
Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The northernmost neighborhood in the city, Sylmar is located east of Interstate 5 and north of the city of San Fernando...
districts, and just east of the Porter Ranch
Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California
Porter Ranch is an affluent neighborhood in the northwest region of the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is bounded by Chatsworth on the south and west, Northridge on the south, and Granada Hills on the north and east. The Santa Susana Mountains, which separate...
district. It is accessible by the Ronald Reagan (SR 118
California State Route 118
State Route 118 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that begins running west to east through Ventura and Los Angeles counties in southern California. It travels from Saticoy in Ventura County east to Lake View Terrace in Los Angeles...
), San Diego
Interstate 405 (California)
Interstate 405 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass of Interstate 5, running along the western areas of the Greater Los Angeles Area from Irvine in the south to near San Fernando in the north...
(Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (California)
Interstate 405 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass of Interstate 5, running along the western areas of the Greater Los Angeles Area from Irvine in the south to near San Fernando in the north...
), and Golden State (Interstate 5) Freeways. Major thoroughfares include Balboa Boulevard, Woodley, Hayvenhurst, and Haskell Avenues, as well as Rinaldi Street, San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Chatsworth Street, and Devonshire Street.
In 1916, the San Fernando Valley's first oil well was drilled in what is now Granada Hills. The oil well was located at the northern tip of Zelzah Avenue. Granada Hills was founded in 1927 (as "Granada;" the "Hills" was added 15 years later) and started out as a dairy farm and orchard known as the Sunshine Ranch. Among the crops harvested here as the nation prepared for the Roaring '20s
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
were apricots, oranges, walnuts and beans. Vestiges of former citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
groves can still be seen as small groups of orange, lemon or grapefruit
Grapefruit
The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
trees in some residential yards.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, and according to the Los Angeles Almanac there were 54,700 people and 28,833 households residing in Granada Hills. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 65.36% White, 20.91% Hispanic(of any race), 16.40% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 3.93% African American, 0.49% Native American, 8.86% from other races and 4.87% from two or more races.Median household income in 2000 was $68,801.
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....
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Granada Hills neighborhood statistics: population: 50,334; median household income: $95,247.
Local government
Los Angeles City CouncilLos Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
Council District 12 encompasses Granada Hills.
The area is served by two Neighborhood Councils:
Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
Stations 18 (Knollwood/Granada Hills) and 87 (Granada Hills) are in the area.
Granada Hills is served by the Devonshire Community Police Station.
County, state, and federal representation
The Los Angeles County Department of Health ServicesLos Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Pacoima Health Center in Pacoima
Pacoima, Los Angeles, California
Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is bordered by the Los Angeles districts of Mission Hills on the west, Arleta on the south, Sun Valley on the southeast, Lake View Terrace on the northeast, and by the city of San Fernando on the north...
, serving Granada Hills.
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...
Granada Hills Post Office is located at 18039 Chatsworth Street.
Granada Hills is in California's 27th congressional district
California's 27th congressional district
California's 27th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district includes a large portion of the San Fernando Valley and Burbank, as well as the communities of Northridge and Reseda in the Greater Los Angeles Area.The...
. It is in the 38th
California's 38th State Assembly district
California's 38th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Republican Cameron Smyth of Santa Clarita.-District profile:...
and 40th
California's 40th State Assembly district
California's 40th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. As of the November 2008 election, it is currently represented by Democrat Bob Blumenfield of Woodland Hills.-District profile:...
State Assembly districts, and the 17th
California's 17th State Senate district
California's 17th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is represented by Republican Sharon Runner of Lancaster.-District profile:...
and 20th
California's 20th State Senate district
California's 20th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Alex Padilla of Los Angeles. The district encompasses a part of Los Angeles County in the San Fernando Valley, including all of San Fernando and more than a fifth of Los...
State Senate districts.
Public schools
Los 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...
.
Grade K-5 elementary schools in Granada Hills include El Oro Way Elementary School, Haskell Elementary, Van Gogh Street Elementary School, Tulsa Street Elementary School, Danube Elementary School, Knollwood Elementary School and Granada Elementary School.
Grade 6–8 middle schools in Granada Hills include Patrick Henry Middle School (the Patriots), George K. Porter Middle School (the Trojans), and Robert Frost Middle School (the Timberwolves).
Grade 9–12 high schools in Granada Hills include Granada Hills High School (the Highlanders), John F. Kennedy High School (the Cougars), the Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Vipers), James Monroe High School (the Vikings) and Grover Cleveland High School (the Cavaliers). Residents are also eligible to attend Northridge Academy High School
Northridge Academy High School
Northridge Academy High School is a public high school located in Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA.-Overview:The school is administered by the Los Angeles Unified School District...
.
Grade 6–12 schools include North Valley Charter Academy.
Private schools
The Concordia SchoolsThe Concordia Schools
The Concordia Schools is a system of K-12 Lutheran schools in the San Fernando Valley region of Greater Los Angeles. The system headquarters are on the property of Concordia Junior Senior High School in Sylmar, Los Angeles.-Schools:...
Granada Hills teaches PreK-6.
Granada Hills Baptist School teaches grades K-6.
Hillcrest Christian School is a Christian school teaching grades K-12 (the Eagles).
Saint John Baptist De La Salle is a Catholic elementary school teaching grades K-8.
Parks and recreation
O'Melveny ParkO'Melveny Park
O'Melveny Park is a public park located in the Santa Susana Mountains, in the Granada Hills community of the northern San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, California.-History:...
, the second largest park in Los Angeles, consists of a large undeveloped area and a much smaller developed section with several dozen citrus trees, a small intermittent stream, and grass and picnic areas. This 672 acres (2.7 km²) park includes hiking trails and fire roads, including a grassy promontory from which a view of the northeastern portion of the 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...
may be seen.
Mission Point
Mission Point (California)
Mission Point , also known as "Mission Peak" by locals, is a peak in the Santa Susana Mountains. It is 2,771 ft . Mission Point is located in Los Angeles County, Southern California, and is the second highest peak in the Santa Susana Mountains after the nearby Oat Mountain.-Geography:Mission...
and its environs are popular mountain biking
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
and hiking areas. The view from the top of Mission Point, the highest point in Granada Hills, is striking, taking in most of the San Fernando Valley. In clear weather, one can see the Pacific Ocean and Downtown Los Angeles. The area around the peak is home to deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, mountain lions, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, and coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s.
The Granada Hills Recreation Center (also known as Petit Park) is located at 16730 Chatsworth Street, at Petit Avenue. It features an auditorium, playground, sports facilities, and picnic areas.
Zelzah Park, an unstaffed park, has a bridle path
Bridle path
A bridle path is a thoroughfare originally made for horses, but which these days serves a wide range of interests, including hikers, walkers and cyclists as well as equestrians. The laws relating to permissions vary from country to country...
, a children's play area, and picnic tables.
Sports
Granada Hills High School's stadium, the John Elway StadiumJohn Elway Stadium
The John Elway Stadium is a 4,000-seat sports stadium on the campus of Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, California, a district of the city of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley....
(named after the quarterback
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
, an alumnus), is the home of the Los Angeles Rampage
Los Angeles Rampage
Los Angeles Rampage is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2007. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the third tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada...
women's soccer team and the former home of the San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American soccer team based in Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team...
.
In 1963, the Granada Hills Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
won the Little League World Championship
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
in baseball.
In 1994, the Granada Hills Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
made it all the way to the Little League World Championship
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
in baseball, but lost to Maracaibo, Venezuela with the score of 4–3.
Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting
On August 10, 1999, at around 10:50 am local time, white supremacist Buford O. Furrow, Jr.Buford O. Furrow, Jr.
Buford O'Neal Furrow, Jr. is a former Aryan Nations member and security guard who perpetrated the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting in August 1999...
walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon, unloading 70 shots into the complex. The gunfire wounded five people: three children, a teenage counselor, and an office worker. Shortly thereafter, Furrow murdered a mail carrier, fled the state, and finally surrendered to authorities.
Khrushchev visit
On September 19, 1959, a special visitor entered Granada Hills with a large entourage. Soviet leader Nikita KhrushchevNikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
arrived in California with two requests: to visit Disneyland and to meet John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Hollywood's top box-office draw. Disneyland was ruled out due to security concerns and the Cold War, and as a result, he was taken on a visit to a modern American neighborhood on Sophia Drive in Granada Hills.
On his visit, the Soviet leader got a show of American consumerism and the American way of life. Khrushchev's visit marked the first time a Soviet leader set foot on U.S. soil. His whirlwind 20-hour Los Angeles journey, part of a six-day, coast-to-coast tour, is better remembered for the Kremlin boss' bumptious antics than for his talks with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and at Camp David
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
.
Although he declared himself outraged at missing Mickey Mouse and offended when he saw a rousing Hollywood rendition of the can-can
Can-can
The can-can is a high-energy and physically demanding music hall dance, traditionally performed by a chorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and black stockings...
, then finally threatened to go home when Los Angeles Mayor Norris Poulson
Norris Poulson
C. Norris Poulson served as the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1953 to 1961, after having been a California State Assemblyman and then a member of the United States Congress for eight years...
needled him, his visit gave fascinated Granada Hills and L.A. area residents a close look at him.
Shortly after his noon arrival, Khrushchev, already irritated that Disneyland had been placed off-limits, was further annoyed that the main event of the day was a lunch with 300 movie stars and other celebrities and a visit to the set of the movie "Can-Can
Can-Can (film)
Can-Can is a 1960 musical film made by Suffolk-Cummings productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Walter Lang, produced by Jack Cummings and Saul Chaplin, from a screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley and Charles Lederer, loosely based on the musical play by Abe Burrows with music...
" at 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, rather than an inspection of an aerospace plant.
After Khrushchev left the studio, gawkers pasted tomatoes on his limo as the doubly offended leader and his 30-car, heavily guarded caravan made its way through city streets. Angelenos, six-deep at the curb, offered not one wave or audible greeting while the open limo lumbered by. Authorities would later report that a bomb was planted in a tree along the route and that a 47-year-old Hawthorne man who said he was "deer hunting" was arrested on suspicion of carrying concealed weapons—a .45-caliber handgun and a bow and arrow—just moments before Khrushchev's motorcade passed on Sepulveda Boulevard.
Heading toward the 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 premier was escorted by a Jewish Russian emigre whom the mayor had appointed to accompany the Soviet leader while he inspected two types of housing developments on Sophia Drive just south of Rinaldi Street. Ironically, the Ronald Reagan Freeway (State Route 118) was later built within a mile of the housing site and named after the former U.S. President who is credited with ending America's long Cold War with the Soviet Union. Crowds of several hundred gathered to observe the Soviet leader's reaction to an American model home. As it turned out, the earlier visit to 20th Century Fox had cut into Khrushchev's time, and his only inspection of the housing project was a fleeting glance from a motorcade.
Architecture
Granada Hills is a hot spot of mid-century architecture which returned to vogue in the 1990s, known as mid-century modernMid-century modern
Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...
. The most notable tract is "Balboa Highlands," a small tract designed by iconic architect Joseph Eichler
Joseph Eichler
Joseph Eichler was a 20th century post-war U.S. American real estate developer known for developing distinctive residential subdivisions of Mid-Century modern style Tract housing in California, United States. He was one of the influential advocates of bringing modern architecture from custom...
. Many of these homes, which are North of Rinaldi/West of Balboa, have been featured in movies, commercials, magazine pictorials and often pop up in books both on Eichler and classic examples of mid-century architecture.
While the Eichler homes are the most famous examples of MCM in this North Valley suburb many areas of Granada Hills feature the aesthetic style that includes pitched roofs and beam ceilings including numerous homes surrounding the Knollwood golf course to the east of Balboa, Knollwood Grove to the west of Balboa (behind the Eichler tract) and dotted throughout the areas south of Rinaldi.
Historical landmarks
White Oak Avenue, between San Fernando Mission and San Jose Street was declared a Historical Landmark on August 3, 1966 for the 101 Deodar Cedar Trees that line the street (which has been dubbed "Christmas Tree Lane"). The trees are native to the Himalayas and valued for their size, beauty and timber.Filming location
- The actual location of the cul-de-sac in the prime time soap opera Knots LandingKnots LandingKnots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
was on Crystalaire Place in the Knollwood Country Club Estates area of Granada Hills. - Multiple TV shows and commercials were filmed in the Greyhawk Ranch subdivision, including one episode of V.I.P. (TV series)V.I.P. (TV series)V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
starring Pamela Anderson, The Handler (TV series)The Handler (TV series)The Handler is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle young undercover officers in the FBI. Other cast members included...
episode Jar of Spiders (2003) starring Joe Pantoliano and Lou Diamond Phillips, and an Isuzu commercial with Joe IsuzuJoe IsuzuJoe Isuzu was a fictional spokesman used in a series of television advertisements for Isuzu cars and trucks. Created by the ad agency Della Femina, Travisano, and Partners, the segments aired on American television in 1986-90, reaching their zenith in 1987 after the character was featured during...
. - In the fifth episode of season 6 of the television show 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, Jack Bauer visits Granada Hills and rescues a man from a crashed helicopter. - Many locations along Chatsworth Street in Granada Hills were filmed in My TutorMy TutorMy Tutor is a 1983 film directed by George Bowers. It stars Matt Lattanzi, Caren Kaye, Kevin McCarthy and Crispin Glover.-Premise:The film details high school graduates' attempts to lose their virginity during the summer vacation before leaving to college, and one's eventual relationship with his...
. - In Fast Times at Ridgemont HighFast Times at Ridgemont HighFast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
the pirate hat scene featuring Judge Reinhold was shot along Chatsworth Street. - My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
is frequently filmed in Granada Hills. - Several scenes from the movie E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
were filmed in Granada Hills, including one notable scene having been filmed on White Oak Avenue between Chatsworth Street and San Fernando Mission Boulevard. - The 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
s final musical segment was shot near O'Melveny Park, located in Granada Hills. - One episode of ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
where J. D. went to see his girlfriend at another hospital was filmed at the now demolished Granada Hills Hospital. - Keith: The Movie filmed a scene at a house residing in Granada Hills.
- A March 2009 Jack in the Box commercial was shot near the corner of Chatsworth Street and Zelzah Avenue.
- The scene in The Lost World Jurassic Park where the Tyrannosaurs Rex goes into a backyard of a house is filmed in Granada Hills.
Scenes in the movie Drive (2011) were located in Granada Hills. (Pizza Place)
Notable residents
- Garret AndersonGarret AndersonGarret Joseph Anderson is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played most of his career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels...
, professional baseball player, Kennedy High School alumnus - Valerie BertinelliValerie BertinelliValerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her roles as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television series One Day at a Time , Gloria on the television series Touched by an Angel and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland .- Early years :Bertinelli was born in Wilmington,...
, actress, 1978 Granada Hills High School graduate - Ryan BraunRyan BraunRyan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
, professional baseball player, Granada Hills High School alumnus - James CagneyJames CagneyJames Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, actor, owned a ranch here - Chao-Li ChiChao-Li ChiChao-Li Chi was a Shanxi-born actor and dancer, who worked extensively in American television, including his best known role as Chao Li, opposite Jane Wyman's character in Falcon Crest. Additionally, his film credits include Big Trouble in Little China, The Joy Luck Club, The Nutty Professor,...
, actor - Darren DayeDarren DayeDarren Keefe Daye is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'8", 220 lb guard-forward played high-school basketball for Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, CA, and attended UCLA...
, professional basketball player, Kennedy High School alumnus - Gustavo Diaz, actor/director and businessman who co-founded Project One Source; attended Granada Hills High School and Kennedy High.
- Bo DiddleyBo DiddleyEllas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, rock & roll musician - John ElwayJohn ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
, professional football player, Granada Hills High School alumnus, but lived in Northridge. - Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
, actor, Granada Hills High School alumnus - Vivica A. FoxVivica A. FoxVivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
, owns a home in Granada Hills, CA - Jon GarlandJon GarlandJon Steven Garland is a right-handed starting pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-High school career:At John F...
, professional baseball player, Kennedy School alumnus - Cuba Gooding, Jr, actor, Kennedy High School alumnus
- Stuart GrayStuart GrayStuart Allan Gray is an American/Panamanian former professional basketball player. At 7'0" tall, he played at the center position....
, professional basketball player, Kennedy High School alumnus - Maurice GreeneMaurice Greene (athlete)Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...
, track athlete - Ashley JuddAshley JuddAshley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
, actress, was born in Granada Hills. - Gavin MacLeodGavin MacLeodGavin MacLeod is an American actor most notable for playing Happy Haines on McHale's Navy, Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat...
actor, owned a home in Granada Hills - Cheech MarinCheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
, actor, comedian, grew up here - Gary Matthews, Jr.Gary Matthews, Jr.Gary Nathaniel Matthews, Jr. is an outfielder who is currently a free agent. Matthews is the son of Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Gary Matthews, who played 16 years in the majors as an outfielder. Matthews, Jr...
, professional baseball player, Granada Hills High School alumnus - Lee MeriwetherLee MeriwetherLee Ann Meriwether is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant. She is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Jones, the crime-solving partner in the long-running 1970s crime drama, Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in...
, actress - Jimmie RodgersJimmie Rodgers (pop singer)James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
, pop singer, lived here for several years - Jim RodnunskyJim RodnunskyJames "Jim" Lewis Rodnunsky was a Canadian-born technician, cinematographer and inventor of the Cablecam system. Cablecam consists of cable-suspended, remote control cameras to film overhead shots. Rodnunsky's Cablecam is now widely used in sporting events, film and television...
, technician, inventor of the Cablecam system. - Jeff SuppanJeff SuppanJeffrey Scot Suppan , is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Baseball career:Suppan was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors making his debut at the age of 20...
, professional baseball player