Topanga, California
Encyclopedia
Topanga is a census-designated place
in western Los Angeles County
, California
, USA
. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains
. Occupying Topanga Canyon, it is often referred to by that name. Topanga is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean
and a small strip of Malibu, which is the main community to the west. On the east is Pacific Palisades
. Topanga had a population of 8,289 as of 2010. The ZIP code
is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310
, with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.
entering the Santa Monica Bay
. The creek is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the area, and is a spawning ground for steelhead
trout. The area typically receives about 22" of rain annually. Topanga State Beach lies on the coast at the outlet of Topanga Creek. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, State Route 27
, is the principal thoroughfare, connecting the Ventura Freeway
(US 101) with Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1). The southern portion of the boulevard largely follows Topanga Creek. North of the Old Topanga Canyon Road intersection, the boulevard traverses the Santa Monica Mountains.
Topanga Canyon contains lands of both Topanga State Park
, which is the largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
. It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
.
can be found carved into rock outcroppings in many locations.
Topanga was first settled by Europeans
in 1839. In the 1920s, Topanga Canyon became a weekend getaway for Hollywood stars with several cottages built for that purpose. The rolling hills and ample vegetation served to provide both privacy and attractive surroundings for the rich and famous.
During the 1960s, Topanga Canyon became a magnet to many new artist
s. In 1965 Wallace Berman
settled in the area. For a time, Neil Young
lived in Topanga, first living with producer David Briggs
then later buying his own house. He would record most of his After the Gold Rush
album in his basement studio in 1970. Charles Manson
had previously been living in Topanga, where he had briefly befriended both Neil Young and Dennis Wilson
of The Beach Boys
. Members of "Manson's family" began their campaign of murder on July 31, 1969 with the murder of Topanga resident Gary Hinman, a music teacher who had opened his home to anyone needing shelter.
The Topanga Corral was a nightclub that featured an eclectic mix of performers, including then Topanga locals Canned Heat
, Spirit, Little Feat, Spanky and Our Gang, Taj Mahal
, Emmylou Harris
, Etta James
, Windance, Neil Young, and Crazy Horse
, Geronimo Black, and many others. It is rumored that Jim Morrison
was inspired to write "Roadhouse Blues" about the drive up Topanga Canyon Boulevard
to The Corral. Later in the 1970s, after being destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the club featured many up and coming bands from the L.A. punk scene. In 1986, the Corral again burned to the ground and was not rebuilt. Today, many musicians, artists and actors continue to make Topanga their home.
Due to its location in the Santa Monica Mountains
, Topanga is a favorite spot for hikers, as well as bicycle, and motorcycle riders/racers. Many movie/TV car/bike chases were filmed on the winding road with the picturesque cliffs in the background. The thick vegetation, steep terrain and frequent (and dry) Santa Ana winds combine to make Topanga an extreme fire danger.
Topanga State Park
is one of the largest open space preserve
s surrounded by a city in the world. It primarily represents a California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
, with large areas of the California oak woodland
plant community, boasting a wide variety of native plants
. Streams, waterfalls, cliffs of exposed bedrock, landmark rock outcroppings, and overlooks with panoramic views of the mountains, Pacific Ocean, and urban carpet of Los Angeles. There are many trails for short walks, hiking
, mountain biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and rock climbing. The main entrance and parking are near central Topanga.
enclave attracting artists, musicians, and others. Numerous music festivals have been organized in the canyon, including the Topanga Days Festival and Topanga Earth Day.
In the 1950s blacklist
ed actor Will Geer
had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to a small plot in the canyon where they could grow their own produce. Geer's friend Woody Guthrie
had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists' colony. Since its founding in 1973, the Geer family has continued to operate the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
. It has grown into an Equity
theater, and occupies a natural outdoor amphitheater. It features Shakespearean plays, modern classics, and original productions, as well as musical concerts. Performers have included Pete Seeger
, Arlo Guthrie
, Della Reese
, and Burl Ives
.
A famous venue in the canyon was the Elysium Institute, also known as Elysium Fields, a nudist club for 30 years. After surviving extended battles with county officials the 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) property was sold in 2002 by its founder's heirs.
Every Memorial Day
weekend on the grounds of the Topanga Community House, Topanga has an annual fair and parade, called Topanga Days. Recently dubbed the Biggest Bohemian Bash in Southern California, Topanga Days Country Fair now features three stages of diverse nonstop music, belly dancing, fun and games for all ages, over 80 unique craft vendors and a variety of mouthwatering food from Cajun to hot tamales to comfort-loving sausages. Local and national acts perform and a parade is held on Memorial Day. The parade is said to have inspired the more famous Doo-Dah Parade in Pasadena. Once a free event, admission has been raised to $20 over the past years causing many residents to avoid the once loved event.
The second weekend of each June Topanga Canyon Gallery hosts an artist studio tour. The tour is a self-guided tour to unique and memorable studios that populate the canyon.
Some popular destinations in Topanga include a small handful restaurants such as the upscale Inn of the Seventh Ray, Rocco's Pizza, Pat's Grill, Abuelitas Mexican Cuisine and Froggy's Fresh Seafood restaurant. The local music scene centers on weekend performances at Abuelitas on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Two strip malls, one old and the other new make up the local center of commerce. The newer mall, Pine Tree Circle, is home to the Topanga Historical Society. There are no hotels or motels in Topanga. There is a B&B called the Topanga Canyon Inn. L.
The novel, Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien, by Steve Hillard
, begins and ends in Topanga Canyon in a fictional establishment called The Mirkwood Forest.
The hit 1990s ABC sitcom Boy Meets World features the character Topanga Lawrence (played by Danielle Fishel
) named after this location.
The award winning HBO series Six Feet Under (2001-2005) uses Topanga Canyon as the setting for the home of the recurring character, Aunt Sarah, the artsy sister of major character, Ruth Fisher.
The novel The Tortilla Curtain
by T.C. Boyle is set in Topanga Canyon in the fictional housing development of Arroyo Blanco.
Topanga is featured in the lyrics of the Billy Joel
song "Getting Closer" on his 1986 album The Bridge
: I'm a mark for every shyster from Topanga to Berlin...
was one of the first musicians who found a home there. As nearby Los Angeles
grew into a major music capital, Topanga became a preferred residence for many performers, including J. B. Eckl
, Taylor Hawkins
, Neil Young
, Chris Robinson, Devendra Banhart
, Ryan Ross
of The Young Veins
, Eric Ronick of Black Gold
, Billy Preston
, Marvin Gaye
, Joni Mitchell
, Stephen Stills
, Ed Cassidy
and Randy California
of Spirit (band)
, Bernie Leadon
of the Eagles and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Don Felder
of the Eagles, Gram Parsons, Jim Morrison
and John Densmore
of the Doors
, Mick Fleetwood
, Spanky McFarland, Lowell George
, JC Crowley
, Toni Basil
, Julia Fordham
, Richie Hayward
and Fred Tackett
of Little Feat
, Amy Smart
, Taj Mahal
, Pee Wee Crayton
, Big Joe Turner
, Alice Cooper
, Johnny Skorjanec, Van Morrison
, Tim Booth
, Ryan Bingham
, Mark Andes
, Jay Ferguson
and John Locke
of Spirit
, Justin Chancellor
& Adam Jones
of Tool
and the house music
production artist & DJ, Rithma, Bob Hite
and Alan Wilson
of blues band Canned Heat
. Children's musician residents include Hap Palmer
and Peter Alsop
. So many orchestral musicians live in the canyon that the Topanga Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1982.
Actors who have lived in Topanga include Billy Gray
and his late mother Beatrice Gray
, Sissy Spacek, Louis Gossett Jr., Emile Hirsch
, D.W. Moffett
, William O'Leary
. Viggo Mortensen
, Will Geer
, Dean Stockwell
, Joshua Jackson
, Lisa Bonet
, Teri Garr
, Lisa Traiser, Wendie Malick
, Eric Mabius
, Beau Garrett
, Keith Carradine
, Robin Williams
, Ricky Schroder, and Dennis Hopper
. Russ Tamblyn
raised his daughter Amber Tamblyn
, and Lynn Redgrave
and husband John Clark
raised their children there. Barry Watson
from 7th Heaven. Others include Jennifer Holden
from the Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock. Also, Billy Gray
("Bud" of Father Knows Best
, Kyle Chandler
('Coach Eric Taylor' of Friday Night Lights
) and Tony Dow ("Leave it to Beaver") currently live there, as well as Jeffrey Tambor
(The Larry Sanders Show
) with his wife Kasia and 2 children. Screenwriter Jon Povill
(Star Trek: The Motion Picture
, Total Recall
, "Sliders") also resided there until 2008.
Biotech pioneer Gisela Hoschek and German-American author Gero Hoschek lived there before they moved to San Diego county. Another famous German-American, Uschi Obermaier
, former top-model, actress and icon of the polit-hippie
movement in Europe, still lives there. Music teacher Gary Hinman, a victim of the notorious Charles Manson gang, lived there on Old Topanga Canyon Road in 1969. Noted Archaeologist Dr. Clement Meighan
, UCLA Professor of Archaeology/Anthropology, resided in Topanga over 30 years. In addition, well-known writer and L.A. Times columnist Al Martinez lives there with his wife, and often comments on the nature of life in Topanga. Writer Millicent Borges Accardi
lives in Topanga and writes theater reviews for the local Topanga Messenger newspaper. Four times 250cc Grand Prix Champion and 2010 WSBK (World Superbike) Max Biaggi (Italy) has a home in the community. Gangster Henry Hill moved to Topanga Canyon after he was put on probation in 2009.
was 433.2 people per square mile (167.2/km²). The racial makeup of Topanga was 7,313 (88.2%) White, 117 (1.4%) African American, 35 (0.4%) Native American, 353 (4.3%) Asian, 3 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 125 (1.5%) from other races
, and 343 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 534 persons (6.4%).
The Census reported that 8,289 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,442 households, out of which 996 (28.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,772 (51.5%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 262 (7.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 140 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 239 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 49 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 903 households (26.2%) were made up of individuals and 256 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 2,174 families
(63.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.87.
The population was spread out with 1,682 people (20.3%) under the age of 18, 333 people (4.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,917 people (23.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,188 people (38.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,169 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.1 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
There were 3,750 housing units at an average density of 196.0 per square mile (75.7/km²), of which 2,589 (75.2%) were owner-occupied, and 853 (24.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 6,597 people (79.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,692 people (20.4%) lived in rental housing units.
, a wealthy private club in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,659 acre (6.7 km2) parcel was rented out to a variety of businesses and residents for decades at remarkably low rents, considering that it borders the city of Malibu. Thus Lower Topanga became unique as one of the last outposts of the classic Topanga Canyon bohemian hippie lifestyle.
The Chumash considered Lower Topanga a sacred, economic, and cultural meeting place for tribes all along the coast. One of the main neighborhoods, the "Rodeo Grounds," takes its name from an actual rodeo arena that existed there on a Mexican Ranch in the 1800s. (Another neighborhood, "The Snake Pit," was named both for its abundance of rattlesnakes and for the shifty characters who passed through like Charles Manson
.)
In the early 1900s, Lower Topanga was a Japanese fishing village. William Randolph Hearst
owned the property for a time and turned it into a weekend getaway spot with beach shacks for his and Marion Davies
' guests.
Famous residents of Lower Topanga include Humphrey Bogart
, Peter Lorre
, Bertolt Brecht
, Carole Lombard
, Shirley Temple
, Johnny Weissmuller
, Tia Carrere
and Ida Lupino
.
In the '60s, a lively community of artists and surfers sprang up in Lower Topanga. They maintained their houses without assistance: sometimes digging them out of the mud after floods, or setting backfires to prevent a spreading wildfire from burning down their neighborhood. The roads remained unpaved.
In 2001, Lower Topanga was sold to California State Parks. Even though the Lower Topanga community occupied less than 2% of the total purchased land, State Parks had an aggressive policy to relocate everyone and bulldoze all of the houses. (State Parks had already evicted residents who lived directly on Topanga Beach in the late '70s.)
Arundo
, a type of giant reed resembling bamboo that characterizes the Lower Topanga landscape, became a totemic plant for the residents because it was first on a long list of non-native plants that State Parks also condemned to be uprooted in an attempt to restore the land to its natural state.
A group of 10 Lower Topanga poets calling themselves the "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove" published a book of the same name in 2002, celebrating their community and lamenting the prospect of having to leave. Their publisher, Brass Tacks Press
, continued publishing works by (and about) Lower Topangans including "Rat Tales" by Baretta (2005), "The Snake Pit" by Baretta (2006), a "Lower Topanga Calendar" (2005), and "Prevenge of the Androgynous Cyborg Pyrates from the Future: A Graphic Novel" by Toylit (2006— ).
In addition, Austrian filmmakers Natalie Lettner and Werner Hanak shot a documentary film about the neighborhood called Malibu Song (2006).
Even though Lower Topanga residents were given money to leave, some fought bitterly against their relocation in court. However, the last holdouts were forced off the land in March 2006.
Although some Upper Topanga residents (including the local Native American
population) believed that the destruction of the Lower Topanga human community would be a terrible cultural loss, the ecological benefits of returning this vital watershed to a natural state has convinced many that this is the right move. With its completion, the flora and fauna indigenous to the region will recover, and the trails and park that replace the shacks and arundo will give way to a more balanced, natural environment, accessible to all.
operates Fire Station #69 in Topanga as a part of Battalion 5.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(LASD) operates the Malibu/Lost Hills Station in Calabasas
, serving Topanga.
The United States Postal Service
Topanga Post Office is located at 101 South Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Most Topanga residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District
.
The area is within Board District 4. As of 2010 Steve Zimmer represents the district.
Some portions are in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
(SMMUSD). Those portions are zoned to Webster Elementary School and Malibu High School
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in western 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...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the 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:...
. Occupying Topanga Canyon, it is often referred to by that name. Topanga is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and a small strip of Malibu, which is the main community to the west. On the east is Pacific Palisades
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
Pacific Palisades is an affluent neighborhood and district within the U.S. city of Los Angeles, California, located among Brentwood to the east, Malibu and Topanga to the west, Santa Monica to the southeast, the Santa Monica Bay to the southwest, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the north. The...
. Topanga had a population of 8,289 as of 2010. The ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310
Area code 310
North American telephone area codes 310 and 424 are the California telephone area codes which are roughly coterminous with the West Los Angeles and South Bay areas of Los Angeles County, including Santa Catalina Island . It also includes a small portion of Ventura County...
, with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.
Topanga Canyon
Topanga Creek drains Topanga Canyon and is the third largest watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
entering the Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Bay
Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, in Malibu, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Its eastern...
. The creek is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the area, and is a spawning ground for steelhead
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
trout. The area typically receives about 22" of rain annually. Topanga State Beach lies on the coast at the outlet of Topanga Creek. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, State Route 27
California State Route 27
State Route 27 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga State Beach near Pacific Palisades, through Topanga Canyon including the community of Fernwood Pacific also known as Topanga, and continuing through Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, West...
, is the principal thoroughfare, connecting the Ventura Freeway
Ventura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. From Ventura to its intersection with the Hollywood Freeway in the southeastern San...
(US 101) with Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1). The southern portion of the boulevard largely follows Topanga Creek. North of the Old Topanga Canyon Road intersection, the boulevard traverses the Santa Monica Mountains.
Topanga Canyon contains lands of both Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park is a California state park located in Los Angeles County. It is located adjacent to the unincorporated community of Topanga, California, within the city of Los Angeles, California...
, which is the largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains, 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...
. It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or SMMNRA, is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California...
.
History
Topanga is the name given to the area by the Native American indigenous Tongva tribe, and may mean "a place above." It was the western border of their territory, abutting the Chumash tribe that occupied the coast from Malibu northwards. Bedrock mortarsMortar and pestle
A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances . The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone...
can be found carved into rock outcroppings in many locations.
Topanga was first settled by Europeans
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
in 1839. In the 1920s, Topanga Canyon became a weekend getaway for Hollywood stars with several cottages built for that purpose. The rolling hills and ample vegetation served to provide both privacy and attractive surroundings for the rich and famous.
During the 1960s, Topanga Canyon became a magnet to many new artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s. In 1965 Wallace Berman
Wallace Berman
Wallace Berman was an American visual and assemblage artist. He has been called the "father" of assemblage art and a "crucial figure in the history of postwar California art".-Personal life and education:...
settled in the area. For a time, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
lived in Topanga, first living with producer David Briggs
David Briggs (producer)
David Briggs was an American record producer best known for his work with Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse. He is noted for his eclectic imagination and style.-Early life:David Briggs was born in Douglas, Wyoming...
then later buying his own house. He would record most of his After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush is the third studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Released in August 1970 on Reprise Records, it was one of the four high-profile albums released by each member of folk rock collective Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu...
album in his basement studio in 1970. Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
had previously been living in Topanga, where he had briefly befriended both Neil Young and Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. Members of "Manson's family" began their campaign of murder on July 31, 1969 with the murder of Topanga resident Gary Hinman, a music teacher who had opened his home to anyone needing shelter.
The Topanga Corral was a nightclub that featured an eclectic mix of performers, including then Topanga locals Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
, Spirit, Little Feat, Spanky and Our Gang, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Windance, Neil Young, and Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse (band)
Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:...
, Geronimo Black, and many others. It is rumored that Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
was inspired to write "Roadhouse Blues" about the drive up Topanga Canyon Boulevard
California State Route 27
State Route 27 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Pacific Coast Highway at Topanga State Beach near Pacific Palisades, through Topanga Canyon including the community of Fernwood Pacific also known as Topanga, and continuing through Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, West...
to The Corral. Later in the 1970s, after being destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the club featured many up and coming bands from the L.A. punk scene. In 1986, the Corral again burned to the ground and was not rebuilt. Today, many musicians, artists and actors continue to make Topanga their home.
Due to its location in the 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:...
, Topanga is a favorite spot for hikers, as well as bicycle, and motorcycle riders/racers. Many movie/TV car/bike chases were filmed on the winding road with the picturesque cliffs in the background. The thick vegetation, steep terrain and frequent (and dry) Santa Ana winds combine to make Topanga an extreme fire danger.
Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park is a California state park located in Los Angeles County. It is located adjacent to the unincorporated community of Topanga, California, within the city of Los Angeles, California...
is one of the largest open space preserve
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...
s surrounded by a city in the world. It primarily represents a California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
The California coastal sage and chaparral, a sub-ecoregion of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, is found in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California in Mexico.-Location:...
, with large areas of the California oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
plant community, boasting a wide variety of native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
. Streams, waterfalls, cliffs of exposed bedrock, landmark rock outcroppings, and overlooks with panoramic views of the mountains, Pacific Ocean, and urban carpet of Los Angeles. There are many trails for short walks, 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...
, mountain biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and rock climbing. The main entrance and parking are near central Topanga.
Culture
Topanga is known as a bohemianBohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
enclave attracting artists, musicians, and others. Numerous music festivals have been organized in the canyon, including the Topanga Days Festival and Topanga Earth Day.
In the 1950s blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed actor Will Geer
Will Geer
Will Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons....
had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to a small plot in the canyon where they could grow their own produce. Geer's friend Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists' colony. Since its founding in 1973, the Geer family has continued to operate the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Theatricum Botanicum
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum , is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. In the 1950s Will Geer was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House...
. It has grown into an Equity
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
theater, and occupies a natural outdoor amphitheater. It features Shakespearean plays, modern classics, and original productions, as well as musical concerts. Performers have included Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, Della Reese
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
, and Burl Ives
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
.
A famous venue in the canyon was the Elysium Institute, also known as Elysium Fields, a nudist club for 30 years. After surviving extended battles with county officials the 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) property was sold in 2002 by its founder's heirs.
Every Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend on the grounds of the Topanga Community House, Topanga has an annual fair and parade, called Topanga Days. Recently dubbed the Biggest Bohemian Bash in Southern California, Topanga Days Country Fair now features three stages of diverse nonstop music, belly dancing, fun and games for all ages, over 80 unique craft vendors and a variety of mouthwatering food from Cajun to hot tamales to comfort-loving sausages. Local and national acts perform and a parade is held on Memorial Day. The parade is said to have inspired the more famous Doo-Dah Parade in Pasadena. Once a free event, admission has been raised to $20 over the past years causing many residents to avoid the once loved event.
The second weekend of each June Topanga Canyon Gallery hosts an artist studio tour. The tour is a self-guided tour to unique and memorable studios that populate the canyon.
Some popular destinations in Topanga include a small handful restaurants such as the upscale Inn of the Seventh Ray, Rocco's Pizza, Pat's Grill, Abuelitas Mexican Cuisine and Froggy's Fresh Seafood restaurant. The local music scene centers on weekend performances at Abuelitas on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Two strip malls, one old and the other new make up the local center of commerce. The newer mall, Pine Tree Circle, is home to the Topanga Historical Society. There are no hotels or motels in Topanga. There is a B&B called the Topanga Canyon Inn. L.
The novel, Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien, by Steve Hillard
Steve Hillard
Steve Hillard is a fantasy author.He is author of Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien. That work is the subject of an ongoing dispute regarding the right of publicity...
, begins and ends in Topanga Canyon in a fictional establishment called The Mirkwood Forest.
The hit 1990s ABC sitcom Boy Meets World features the character Topanga Lawrence (played by Danielle Fishel
Danielle Fishel
Danielle Christine Fishel is an American actress and television personality best known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on the 1990s TV sitcom Boy Meets World and as the host of Style Network's The Dish...
) named after this location.
The award winning HBO series Six Feet Under (2001-2005) uses Topanga Canyon as the setting for the home of the recurring character, Aunt Sarah, the artsy sister of major character, Ruth Fisher.
The novel The Tortilla Curtain
The Tortilla Curtain
The Tortilla Curtain is a novel by U.S. author T.C. Boyle about middle-class values, illegal immigration, a fear and hatred of foreigners, poverty, and environmental destruction...
by T.C. Boyle is set in Topanga Canyon in the fictional housing development of Arroyo Blanco.
Topanga is featured in the lyrics of the Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
song "Getting Closer" on his 1986 album The Bridge
The Bridge (Billy Joel album)
The Bridge is Billy Joel's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 and was his final album to be produced by Phil Ramone...
: I'm a mark for every shyster from Topanga to Berlin...
Notable residents
In the music field, Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
was one of the first musicians who found a home there. As nearby Los Angeles
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...
grew into a major music capital, Topanga became a preferred residence for many performers, including J. B. Eckl
J. B. Eckl
J. B. Eckl is a Canadian songwriter, producer, and recording artist. Eckl lives in Topanga Canyon, near Los Angeles, California.After doing some guitar session work with Latin pop producer K. C. Porter, Eckl signed as a staff songwriter for Porter's Insignia Music, a joint venture with Paramount...
, Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters....
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, Chris Robinson, Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
, Ryan Ross
Ryan Ross
George Ryan Ross III is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter most known for his work as the lead guitarist, backup vocalist and main songwriter for the band Panic! at the Disco, before his departure from the band in 2009...
of The Young Veins
The Young Veins
The Young Veins is a rock band from Echo Park, California. The band is composed of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, two former members of the Las Vegas band Panic! at the Disco, along with bassist Andy Soukal, drummer Nick Murray and keyboardist Nick White.-History:...
, Eric Ronick of Black Gold
Black Gold (band)
Black Gold is a Brooklyn, New York, U.S. based music project with Eric Ronick and Than Luu formed in early 2006. The project was started after touring with M. Ward, Ambulance LTD, Rachael Yamagata, Panic! at the Disco, and Adam Franklin of Swervedriver...
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, Ed Cassidy
Ed Cassidy
Ed "Cass" Cassidy is an American drummer who was one of the founders of the rock group Spirit in 1967.His family moved to Bakersfield, California, in 1931, and he started as a professional musician in 1937. He was in the Navy during World War II, and after his discharge worked at many jobs before...
and Randy California
Randy California
Randy California was a guitarist, singer and songwriter and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit, formed in 1967.-Biography:...
of Spirit (band)
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
, Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon
Bernard Mathew "Bernie" Leadon, III is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of two pioneering and highly influential country rock bands, Dillard & Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
of the Eagles and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Don Felder
Don Felder
Donald William "Don" Felder is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as lead guitarist for the Eagles from 1974 to 1980 and again from 1994 to 2001.-Early life and influences:...
of the Eagles, Gram Parsons, Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
and John Densmore
John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
of the Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Mick Fleetwood
Mick Fleetwood
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
, Spanky McFarland, Lowell George
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...
, JC Crowley
JC Crowley
John Charles Crowley is an American musician. In his career, he has been a member of the band Player, has recorded one studio album for RCA Records, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts.In 1977, Crowley co-founded the rock band Player, and co-wrote their song "Baby Come Back"...
, Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
, Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...
, Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward
Richie Hayward was a drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player...
and Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett
Fred Tackett, an American native of Arkansas, is an accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known for his longevity as a member of the band Little Feat....
of Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
, Amy Smart
Amy Smart
Amy Lysle Smart is an American television and film actress and former fashion model.-Early life:Smart was born in Topanga, California. Her mother, Judy Lysle , worked at a museum, and her father, John Boden Smart, was a salesman...
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, Pee Wee Crayton
Pee Wee Crayton
Connie Curtis Crayton , known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer.-Career:...
, Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Johnny Skorjanec, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Tim Booth
Tim Booth
Timothy John Booth is an English singer, dancer, and actor best known as the lead singer from the band James.-1980s:Booth was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England and attended Shrewsbury School...
, Ryan Bingham
Ryan Bingham
Ryan Bingham is an Americana singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California.After garnering critical acclaim for his first two studio releases on Lost Highway Records, 2007's Mescalito and 2009's Roadhouse Sun, Ryan Bingham went on to collaborate with Grammy-winning producer T Bone...
, Mark Andes
Mark Andes
Mark Andes is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.-Early life:...
, Jay Ferguson
Jay Ferguson (American musician)
Jay Ferguson is an American rock and roll musician, known for his work with Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and his 1978 solo hit "Thunder Island". His later career has been as a composer of music for television programs and films.-Childhood and early musical career:He was born in Burbank, California, in...
and John Locke
John Locke (musician)
John Tilden Locke was an American rock keyboardist and a member of the rock group Spirit. Locke was also a member of the band Nazareth in the early 1980s....
of Spirit
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
, Justin Chancellor
Justin Chancellor
Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor is an English musician formerly in the band Peach but best known as the bass player for Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool. Chancellor is of Norwegian and English descent...
& Adam Jones
Adam Jones (musician)
Adam Thomas Jones is a three time Grammy Award-winning Welsh-American musician and visual artist, best known for his position as the guitarist for Grammy-Award winning band Tool. Jones has been rated the 75th Greatest Guitarist of all time by the Rolling Stone and placed 9th in Guitar World's Top...
of Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
and the house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
production artist & DJ, Rithma, Bob Hite
Bob Hite
Robert Ernest "Bob" "The Bear" Hite was the American lead singer of the blues-rock band, Canned Heat, from 1965 to his death in 1981....
and Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson (musician)
Alan "Blind Owl" Christie Wilson was the leader, singer, and primary composer in the American blues band Canned Heat. He played guitar and harmonica, and wrote most of the songs for the band.-Early years:...
of blues band Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
. Children's musician residents include Hap Palmer
Hap Palmer
Hap Palmer is an American children's musician and Guitarist whose songs specialize in developing motor skills, language acquisition, math and reading skills, and overall basic skills aimed at young children. Palmer released his first recording in 1969, and has composed over 200 songs for children...
and Peter Alsop
Peter Alsop
Peter Alsop is an American musician whose work has ranged from satirical music for adults to children's music.He graduated from Trinity College, Columbia University Teachers College, and Columbia Pacific University with a PhD...
. So many orchestral musicians live in the canyon that the Topanga Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1982.
Actors who have lived in Topanga include Billy Gray
Billy Gray (actor)
William Thomas "Billy" Gray , is a former American actor known primarily for his role as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., in 193 episodes of the NBC and CBS situation comedy, Father Knows Best, which aired between 1954 and 1960. Gray's fellow cast members were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue,...
and his late mother Beatrice Gray
Beatrice Gray
Beatrice Gray was an American actress and dancer best known for her appearances in a series of western films during the 1940s and 1950s.Gray was born Bertrice Kimbrough on a farm near Carthage, Illinois...
, Sissy Spacek, Louis Gossett Jr., Emile Hirsch
Emile Hirsch
Emile Davenport Hirsch is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in Lords of Dogtown, The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, and Into the Wild. In...
, D.W. Moffett
D.W. Moffett
Donald Warren Moffett is an American actor known for the recurring role of Joe McCoy on the NBC series Friday Night Lights since 2008, and as Dean Winston on The WB series, For Your Love.-Early life:...
, William O'Leary
William O'Leary (actor)
William O'Leary is an American actor. Bill made his Broadway debut as "Art" in "Precious Sons" at the Longacre Theatre, starring Ed Harris and Judith Ivey....
. Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Will Geer
Will Geer
Will Geer was an American actor and social activist. His original name was William Aughe Ghere. He is remembered for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series, The Waltons....
, Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
, Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
, Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
, Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, Lisa Traiser, Wendie Malick
Wendie Malick
Wendie Malick is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles as Judith Tupper Stone on the HBO series Dream On , Nina Van Horn on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! , Ronee Lawrence on the NBC sitcom Frasier and Victoria Chase on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland .-Early...
, Eric Mabius
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
, Beau Garrett
Beau Garrett
Beau Jesse Garrett is an American actress and model.-Career:She was first hired by GUESS in the late 1990s. She is currently a spokesmodel for Revlon cosmetics, along with Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Connelly and Jessica Alba, and has also modeled for Double D Ranch and CosmoGirl...
, Keith Carradine
Keith Carradine
Keith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film and television. In addition, he is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning songwriter. As a member of the Carradine family, he is part of an acting "dynasty" that began with his father, John Carradine.-Early life:Keith...
, Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, Ricky Schroder, and Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
. Russ Tamblyn
Russ Tamblyn
Russell Irving "Russ" Tamblyn is an American film and television actor, who is arguably best known for his performance in the 1961 movie musical West Side Story as Riff, the leader of the Jets gang....
raised his daughter Amber Tamblyn
Amber Tamblyn
Amber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
, and Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
and husband John Clark
John Clark (actor/director)
Ivan John Clark is an English actor, director, producer, and writer with British, American and Canadian citizenship. He is also known as the ex-husband of actress Lynn Redgrave, to whom he was married for 33 years.-Early career:...
raised their children there. Barry Watson
Barry Watson (actor)
Michael Barrett "Barry" Watson is an American actor, known for his roles of Dr. Matthew "Matt" Camden on 7th Heaven, Brian Davis in What About Brian and Todd Deepler in Samantha Who?-Early life:...
from 7th Heaven. Others include Jennifer Holden
Jennifer Holden
Jennifer Holden , born in Chicago, Illinois, is an actress who appeared in such films as Jailhouse Rock, Buchanan Rides Alone, and Gang War.-See also:**...
from the Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock. Also, Billy Gray
Billy Gray
William Patrick "Billy" Gray was an English professional association footballer and manager who played initially as a winger....
("Bud" of Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
, Kyle Chandler
Kyle Chandler
Kyle Martin Chandler is an American film and television actor best known for his roles in the television shows Early Edition as Gary Hobson, Deputy Jackson Lamb in the film Super 8, and as Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead...
('Coach Eric Taylor' of Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
) and Tony Dow ("Leave it to Beaver") currently live there, as well as Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
(The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
) with his wife Kasia and 2 children. Screenwriter Jon Povill
Jon Povill
Jon Povill is an American scriptwriter and television producer. He wrote the first two drafts of the screenplay for Total Recall in the 1970s, and then took up a position on the attempted Star Trek: Phase II, becoming Story editor, and penning the episode "The Child", which would later be remade...
(Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
, Total Recall
Total Recall
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...
, "Sliders") also resided there until 2008.
Biotech pioneer Gisela Hoschek and German-American author Gero Hoschek lived there before they moved to San Diego county. Another famous German-American, Uschi Obermaier
Uschi Obermaier
Uschi Obermaier is a former fashion model, actress and is associated with the 1968 left-wing movement in Germany. In the latter she is considered an iconic sex symbol of the so-called "1968 generation"....
, former top-model, actress and icon of the polit-hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement in Europe, still lives there. Music teacher Gary Hinman, a victim of the notorious Charles Manson gang, lived there on Old Topanga Canyon Road in 1969. Noted Archaeologist Dr. Clement Meighan
Clement Woodward Meighan
Clement W. Meighan was an archaeologist who made notable contributions to reconstructing the prehistory of southern California, Baja California, and west central Mexico.-Early life and education:...
, UCLA Professor of Archaeology/Anthropology, resided in Topanga over 30 years. In addition, well-known writer and L.A. Times columnist Al Martinez lives there with his wife, and often comments on the nature of life in Topanga. Writer Millicent Borges Accardi
Millicent Borges Accardi
Millicent Borges Accardi is a Portuguese-American poet. She has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts , CantoMundo, the California Arts Council, Barbara Deming Foundation, and Formby Special Collections at Texas Tech University for research on the writer/activist...
lives in Topanga and writes theater reviews for the local Topanga Messenger newspaper. Four times 250cc Grand Prix Champion and 2010 WSBK (World Superbike) Max Biaggi (Italy) has a home in the community. Gangster Henry Hill moved to Topanga Canyon after he was put on probation in 2009.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Topanga had a population of 8,289. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 433.2 people per square mile (167.2/km²). The racial makeup of Topanga was 7,313 (88.2%) White, 117 (1.4%) African American, 35 (0.4%) Native American, 353 (4.3%) Asian, 3 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 125 (1.5%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 343 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 534 persons (6.4%).
The Census reported that 8,289 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,442 households, out of which 996 (28.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,772 (51.5%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 262 (7.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 140 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 239 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 49 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 903 households (26.2%) were made up of individuals and 256 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 2,174 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(63.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.87.
The population was spread out with 1,682 people (20.3%) under the age of 18, 333 people (4.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,917 people (23.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,188 people (38.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,169 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.1 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
There were 3,750 housing units at an average density of 196.0 per square mile (75.7/km²), of which 2,589 (75.2%) were owner-occupied, and 853 (24.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 6,597 people (79.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,692 people (20.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Lower Topanga Canyon
The bottom of Topanga Canyon, where it meets Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean, was owned for many years by the Los Angeles Athletic ClubLos Angeles Athletic Club
Los Angeles Athletic Club is an athletic club and private social club in Los Angeles, California, USA. It awards the John R. Wooden Award to the outstanding men's and women's college basketball player of each year....
, a wealthy private club in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,659 acre (6.7 km2) parcel was rented out to a variety of businesses and residents for decades at remarkably low rents, considering that it borders the city of Malibu. Thus Lower Topanga became unique as one of the last outposts of the classic Topanga Canyon bohemian hippie lifestyle.
The Chumash considered Lower Topanga a sacred, economic, and cultural meeting place for tribes all along the coast. One of the main neighborhoods, the "Rodeo Grounds," takes its name from an actual rodeo arena that existed there on a Mexican Ranch in the 1800s. (Another neighborhood, "The Snake Pit," was named both for its abundance of rattlesnakes and for the shifty characters who passed through like Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
.)
In the early 1900s, Lower Topanga was a Japanese fishing village. William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
owned the property for a time and turned it into a weekend getaway spot with beach shacks for his and Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
' guests.
Famous residents of Lower Topanga include Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
, Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
, Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
, Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
, Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere is an American actress, model, voice artist, and singer, perhaps most widely known for her role as Cassandra Wong in the feature films Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, Queen Tyr'ahnee in Duck Dodgers, and as Sydney Fox in the TV series Relic Hunter.-Early life:Carrere was born in...
and Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...
.
In the '60s, a lively community of artists and surfers sprang up in Lower Topanga. They maintained their houses without assistance: sometimes digging them out of the mud after floods, or setting backfires to prevent a spreading wildfire from burning down their neighborhood. The roads remained unpaved.
In 2001, Lower Topanga was sold to California State Parks. Even though the Lower Topanga community occupied less than 2% of the total purchased land, State Parks had an aggressive policy to relocate everyone and bulldoze all of the houses. (State Parks had already evicted residents who lived directly on Topanga Beach in the late '70s.)
Arundo
Arundo
Arundo is a genus of two or three species of cane: stout, perennial grasses from the family Poaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to India, China and Japan. They grow to 3–6 m tall, occasionally to 10 m, with leaves 30-60 cm long and 3-6 cm broad.- Species :* Arundo...
, a type of giant reed resembling bamboo that characterizes the Lower Topanga landscape, became a totemic plant for the residents because it was first on a long list of non-native plants that State Parks also condemned to be uprooted in an attempt to restore the land to its natural state.
A group of 10 Lower Topanga poets calling themselves the "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove" published a book of the same name in 2002, celebrating their community and lamenting the prospect of having to leave. Their publisher, Brass Tacks Press
Brass Tacks Press
Brass Tacks Press, based in Los Angeles, has published over 50 books of poetry, prose, and comics since it was founded in 2002 by poets Robert Campbell, Pablo Capra, and Richard McDowell....
, continued publishing works by (and about) Lower Topangans including "Rat Tales" by Baretta (2005), "The Snake Pit" by Baretta (2006), a "Lower Topanga Calendar" (2005), and "Prevenge of the Androgynous Cyborg Pyrates from the Future: A Graphic Novel" by Toylit (2006— ).
In addition, Austrian filmmakers Natalie Lettner and Werner Hanak shot a documentary film about the neighborhood called Malibu Song (2006).
Even though Lower Topanga residents were given money to leave, some fought bitterly against their relocation in court. However, the last holdouts were forced off the land in March 2006.
Although some Upper Topanga residents (including the local 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...
population) believed that the destruction of the Lower Topanga human community would be a terrible cultural loss, the ecological benefits of returning this vital watershed to a natural state has convinced many that this is the right move. With its completion, the flora and fauna indigenous to the region will recover, and the trails and park that replace the shacks and arundo will give way to a more balanced, natural environment, accessible to all.
Government and infrastructure
The Los Angeles County Fire DepartmentLos Angeles County Fire Department
The Los Angeles County Fire Department , serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including La Habra. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, which serves the city of...
operates Fire Station #69 in Topanga as a part of Battalion 5.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
(LASD) operates the Malibu/Lost Hills Station in Calabasas
Calabasas, California
Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...
, serving Topanga.
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...
Topanga Post Office is located at 101 South Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Education
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...
.
- Topanga Elementary School
- A choice between Revere Charter Middle School or Woodland Hills Academy (formerly known as Parkman Middle School)
- A choice between Palisades Charter High SchoolPalisades Charter High SchoolPalisades Charter High School is a secondary school in Los Angeles, California, United States. The public high school serves the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, Palisades Highlands, Kenter Canyon and portions of Brentwood...
and Taft High SchoolTaft High School (Los Angeles)William Howard Taft High School is a public school located on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, USA, within the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:Taft opened in 1960....
The area is within Board District 4. As of 2010 Steve Zimmer represents the district.
Some portions are in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Santa Monica, California, United States. The district serves the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu...
(SMMUSD). Those portions are zoned to Webster Elementary School and Malibu High School
Malibu High School
Malibu High School is a public secondary school in Malibu, California for middle school and high school . As one of three high schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, MHS serves the Malibu and Santa Monica communities and by inter-district permit, the greater Los Angeles area...
.
Natural disasters
- November 6, 1961, The Santa Ynez Fire began, the same day as the Bel-Air–Brentwood Fire further east. It burned nine structures and 9,720 acres (39 km2) of watershed.
- Topanga Creek causes occasional flooding and extensive road erosion, requiring the closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. In 1980, severe flooding washed out large sections of the road at the bottom of the "s" curves. Traffic was severely restricted during the six months of repairs. However, the heavy rains also produced beautiful waterfalls on the mountains east of the creek for a few months.
- November 2, 1993, The Old Topanga Fire. Within an hour, had burned 1,000 acres (4 km2). It resulted in the largest mobilization of emergency resources in a 24-hour period in California history. By the time it was extinguished 10 days later, 16,516 acres (67 km2) of watershed and at least 388 structures were burned in Topanga and adjoining areas.
- In 1997–8 Topanga Canyon received over 58" of rainfall resulting in extensive flood damage.
- In 2005, a fire referred to as the "Topanga Fire" burned in Chatsworth and points south and west of Chatsworth. This fire did not burn any areas in Topanga Canyon, but was named due to its origin near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR 27) and the Ronald Reagan Freeway (SR 118) in Chatsworth.
External links
- TopangaOnline.com - website of Topanga.
- www.parks.ca. Official Topanga State Park website.
- Topanga Messenger, the local newspaper
- TopangaBands.com - Links to over 70 bands from Topanga.
- Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest
- Official report Old Topanga Fire
- Project to save historic Los Angeles County Engine 69 which served Topanga area around 1955
- Topanga Days Country Fair
- Census 2000 Demographic Profile
- The Fire Next Time A story on Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (T-CEP)
- Topanga Creek watershed map
