West Hills, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley
region of Los Angeles
, California
, United States
.
West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth
and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park
to the east, Woodland Hills
to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest, and the Simi Hills
with the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
and Bell Canyon
to the west.
of the Los Angeles River
that originate in the Northwest San Fernando Valley
. The Los Angeles River itself begins at the confluence
of Arroyo Calabasas
(Calabasas Creek) and Bell Creek
in Canoga Park. These and other small creeks supply stormwater and suburban runoff water to the Los Angeles River, and several are considered year-round creeks. Although the creeks are now channeled and run within concrete walls, they do form a significant urban wildlife landscape and contribute to the population of indigenous wildlife left within the San Fernando Valley.
Both Bell Creek and Dayton Creek in particular have received attention due to their headwaters origins inside the SSFL—Santa Susana Field Laboratory
in the Simi Hills. The SSFL is mandated for an environmental cleanup due to its uses as a testing center for rocket and missile engines, nuclear reactor research and fuel reprocessing, and high technology defense systems. It was also the site of a partial nuclear core meltdown in 1959. Prominent contaminants include radionuclide
s, VOCs-volatile organic compounds
, Chromium
, Lead
, Benzene
, and other components of rocket engine fuel and cleaning compounds.
in the Tongva-Fernandeño and Chumash-Venturaño tribes, that lived in the Simi Hills
and close to Bell Creek
and the local tributaries to the Los Angeles River
. Native American civilizations had inhabited the San Fernando Valley for an estimated 8,000 years. The village, Hu'wam, of the Chumash-Venturaños, was located at the base of Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) near present day Bell Canyon Park
. It was a meeting and trading point for them with the Tongva-Fernandeño and Tataviam-Fernandeño
people. A cave near here known as The Cave of Munits is the believed home of a mythical Chumash shaman, Munits, who was killed by an eagle after murdering the son of a Chumash chief. Escorpión Peak is one of nine alignment points in Chumash territory and is essential to maintaining the balance of the natural world.
(Mission San Fernando). After Mexico won independence
from Spain, it later became part of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
in Alta California
. In 1845, a separate land grant for Rancho El Escorpión
was issued by Governor Pío Pico
to three Chumash people: Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Urbano's son Mañuel. It encompassed the land west of present day Fallbrook Avenue in West Hills, with its adobe
ranch buildings (present 1840s-1960s) sited where Bell Canyon Park
is now.
in 1850, with Spanish and Mexican land grants requiring a federal land patent to retain ownership. The United States Public Land Commission
patented the Rancho to the original grantees Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel in 1876. In 1912 the Chumash heirs sold Rancho El Escorpión to George Platt. He established a dairy operation on renamed Platt Ranch variously called Ferndale, ‘escorpion’, or Cloverdale Dairy. The Rancho El Escorpión-Platt Ranch was not incorporated into Los Angeles and its water system until 1958 and was left undeveloped until 1961.
West Hills was originally part of Owensmouth
(founded 1912) and renamed Canoga Park (1931). West Hills was formed in 1987 after homeowners on the western side of Canoga Park launched a petition drive a year earlier to form a new community. In an unusual move, the area's L.A. City Councilwoman, Joy Picus, polled Canoga Park residents, asking them if they would like to join the new community, to determine West Hills' boundaries.
status recognition and protection, and two are city parks. In addition on the western edge of West Hills huge open space preserves provide an undeveloped greenbelt and nearby recreation opportunities. The high number of neighborhood parks here offer sports fields and courts, play areas for children, and community rooms.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Times
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these West Hills neighborhood statistics: population: 38,834; median household income: $103,012.
, opened on Jan. 3, 2008. The police department named the station after a village in the Tongva language
of the historically local Tongva-Fernandeño Native American
tribe. The department originally planned to name it the Northwest Station, but residents preferred a name linking to the area's history.
Los Angeles Fire Department
Station 106 (West Hills), and Station 105 (Woodland Hills) serve the community.
operates the Platt Branch Library at 23600 Victory Boulevard, Woodland Hills, serving West Hills from just across street.
serves the community with an extensive website, events and activities, and via a 25-member neighbors board of directors that is elected by the West Hills "stakeholders" (all residents and local business owners). The council also is a resource as the city's official forum for individuals and the community to: learn about; discuss and debate; and take positions on local and citywide issues.
: The West Hills Post Office
is located at 23055 Sherman Way at Sherman Place, 91307. The community's postal codes are 91307 and 91304.
Representing West Hills in the California State Senate is Fran Pavley (D-23rd Senate District). Representing West Hills in the California Assembly are Bob Blumenfield (D-40th Assembly District) (south of Roscoe Boulevard) and Jeff Gorell
(R-37th Assembly District) (north of Roscoe Boulevard).
Representing West Hills in the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (Third District).
counties. The West Hills Hospital is particularly renowned for its Surgical Center. Opened in 1996, the Surgical Center performs procedures in specialties such as general
and hand surgery
(done by The Hand Center of Southern California), gynecology, gastroenterology
and orthopedics
. The West Hills Hospital and Medical Center facilities also include a large maternity ward and an oncology
unit. In September 2009, Grossman Burn Centers, then based at Sherman Oaks Hospital, announced it would move to West Hills Hospital early in 2010.
. Small portions are within the Las Virgenes Unified School District
.
The former Highlander Road Elementary School was closed in the 1980s, though the site and buildings remain.
Most West Hills residents attend George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School
in Woodland Hills.
Some residents are zoned to Lawrence Middle School and Chatsworth High School
in Chatsworth. Some residents are zoned to Columbus Middle School and Canoga Park High School
in Canoga Park.
.
Residents are zoned to:
is located near Stone Gate Drive and Valley Circle Boulevard. Chabad
of West Hills is located near the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Valley Circle Boulevard.
The Corporate Pointe business park, on the largest research and light industry property in West Hills, is in planning for redevelopment. It is located at Fallbrook Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard, near Hidden Lake and the Chatsworth Reservoir. The property was originally developed in 1959 as the Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge
aerospace corporation's new headquarters. It was later used by Atomics International
, Hughes Aircraft
, and Raytheon
for aerospace development advancements and nuclear research.
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 Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California
Chatsworth is a district of Los Angeles, California, United States; in the northwestern San Fernando Valley. The district is bordered by the Santa Susana Mountains and unincorporated Los Angeles County lands to the north, Porter Ranch to the northeast, Northridge to the east, West Hills, Canoga...
and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles....
to the east, Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest, and the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
with the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County....
and Bell Canyon
Bell Canyon, California
Bell Canyon is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California. Bell Canyon is a residential unincorporated community located near West Hills and the western San Fernando Valley in the Simi Hills. Although only minutes from the Los Angeles city limits, Bell Canyon is a Horse Community. ...
to the west.
Boundaries
In 1987, Los Angeles recognized the following description of the boundaries of West Hills: "Starting at the centerline intersections of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, westward down the centerline of Nordhoff extended in a straight line to the city limits of the City of Los Angeles; thence southward, following the border of the City of Los Angeles to the centerline of Victory Boulevard; thence eastward down the centerline of Victory Boulevard to Shoup Avenue centerline; thence northward down the centerline of Shoup Avenue to the intersection of the centerline of Roscoe Boulevard; thence eastward down the centerline of Roscoe Boulevard to the centerline of Topanga Canyon Boulevard; then northward down the centerline of Topanga Canyon Boulevard to the centerline of Nordhoff Street."Geography
Bell and Dayton creeks in West Hills are several of the headwatersSource (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
of the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
that originate in the Northwest 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 Los Angeles River itself begins at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of Arroyo Calabasas
Arroyo Calabasas
Arroyo Calabasas is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the southwestern San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County in California.-Route:...
(Calabasas Creek) and Bell Creek
Bell Creek (Southern California)
Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
in Canoga Park. These and other small creeks supply stormwater and suburban runoff water to the Los Angeles River, and several are considered year-round creeks. Although the creeks are now channeled and run within concrete walls, they do form a significant urban wildlife landscape and contribute to the population of indigenous wildlife left within the San Fernando Valley.
Both Bell Creek and Dayton Creek in particular have received attention due to their headwaters origins inside the SSFL—Santa Susana Field Laboratory
Santa Susana Field Laboratory
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a complex of industrial research and development facilities located on a 2,668 acre portion of the Southern California Simi Hills in Simi Valley, California, used mainly for the testing and development of Liquid-propellant rocket engines for the United States...
in the Simi Hills. The SSFL is mandated for an environmental cleanup due to its uses as a testing center for rocket and missile engines, nuclear reactor research and fuel reprocessing, and high technology defense systems. It was also the site of a partial nuclear core meltdown in 1959. Prominent contaminants include radionuclide
Radionuclide
A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy available to be imparted either to a newly created radiation particle within the nucleus or to an atomic electron. The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay, and emits gamma...
s, VOCs-volatile organic compounds
Volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and...
, Chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, Benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
, and other components of rocket engine fuel and cleaning compounds.
History
Pre-Spanish contact history
The present day West Hills area was the homeland of Native AmericansNative 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...
in the Tongva-Fernandeño and Chumash-Venturaño tribes, that lived in the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
and close to Bell Creek
Bell Creek (Southern California)
Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
and the local tributaries to the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. Native American civilizations had inhabited the San Fernando Valley for an estimated 8,000 years. The village, Hu'wam, of the Chumash-Venturaños, was located at the base of Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) near present day Bell Canyon Park
Bell Canyon Park
Bell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows through the park with riparian zone vegetation along its natural...
. It was a meeting and trading point for them with the Tongva-Fernandeño and Tataviam-Fernandeño
Tataviam
The Tataviam , were called the Alliklik by their neighbors the Chumash , are a Native American group in southern California...
people. A cave near here known as The Cave of Munits is the believed home of a mythical Chumash shaman, Munits, who was killed by an eagle after murdering the son of a Chumash chief. Escorpión Peak is one of nine alignment points in Chumash territory and is essential to maintaining the balance of the natural world.
Spanish and Mexican history
From 1797 to 1846, the area (future West Hills) was part of Mission San Fernando Rey de EspañaMission San Fernando Rey de España
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary" , 1797. The settlement is located on the former Encino Rancho in the Mission Hills community of northern Los Angeles, near the site of the first gold discovery in Alta California.-History:Mission San Fernando Rey de...
(Mission San Fernando). After Mexico won independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
from Spain, it later became part of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando
Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California granted in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Eulogio de Celis...
in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
. In 1845, a separate land grant for Rancho El Escorpión
Rancho El Escorpión
Rancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel....
was issued by Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
to three Chumash people: Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Urbano's son Mañuel. It encompassed the land west of present day Fallbrook Avenue in West Hills, with its adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
ranch buildings (present 1840s-1960s) sited where Bell Canyon Park
Bell Canyon Park
Bell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows through the park with riparian zone vegetation along its natural...
is now.
American history
California was admitted to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1850, with Spanish and Mexican land grants requiring a federal land patent to retain ownership. The United States Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
patented the Rancho to the original grantees Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel in 1876. In 1912 the Chumash heirs sold Rancho El Escorpión to George Platt. He established a dairy operation on renamed Platt Ranch variously called Ferndale, ‘escorpion’, or Cloverdale Dairy. The Rancho El Escorpión-Platt Ranch was not incorporated into Los Angeles and its water system until 1958 and was left undeveloped until 1961.
West Hills was originally part of Owensmouth
Owensmouth (Pacific Electric)
The Pacific Electric streetcar service to Owensmouth was part of an extraordinary real estate development in Southern California...
(founded 1912) and renamed Canoga Park (1931). West Hills was formed in 1987 after homeowners on the western side of Canoga Park launched a petition drive a year earlier to form a new community. In an unusual move, the area's L.A. City Councilwoman, Joy Picus, polled Canoga Park residents, asking them if they would like to join the new community, to determine West Hills' boundaries.
Parks and landmarks
Two historic ranches and a silent film star's estate in West Hills have been awarded Los Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
status recognition and protection, and two are city parks. In addition on the western edge of West Hills huge open space preserves provide an undeveloped greenbelt and nearby recreation opportunities. The high number of neighborhood parks here offer sports fields and courts, play areas for children, and community rooms.
Orcutt Ranch
- Orcutt Ranch EstateOrcutt Ranch Horticulture CenterThe Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center, formally known as Rancho Sombra del Roble, is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument located in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, California, USA.-William Orcutt's vacation home:...
, ('Rancho Sombra del Roble') to the Orcutts, is the 1920 adobe residence, gardens, and citrus orchards of William Warren Orcutt, an early Union Oil Company executive. The park has an attractive new entry through craftsman style stone gates to a parking area with natural habitat landscaping on Roscoe Boulevard near Valley Circle Boulevard. The park, now named the Orcutt Ranch Horticulture CenterOrcutt Ranch Horticulture CenterThe Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center, formally known as Rancho Sombra del Roble, is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument located in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, California, USA.-William Orcutt's vacation home:...
, offers: self-guided strolling, exploring and scheduled house tours; public community gardens; annual public citrus harvests; and garden wedding and special event facilities. Orcutt Ranch is a registered-protected Los Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
.
Shadow Ranch
- Shadow RanchShadow RanchShadow Ranch is a historic ranch house, built from 1869-1872 using adobe and redwood lumber, on the original Workman Ranch in the western San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California...
Park, formerly the Workman Ranch, on Vanowen Boulevard just east of Fallbrook Avenue. Alfred Workman was a muleskinner who emigrated from Australia, winding up running a massive wheat farm owned by a syndicate led by Isaac Lankershim and Isaac Van NuysIsaac Newton Van NuysIsaac Newton Van Nuys was an American businessman, real estate developer, banker, and agricultural entrepreneur. He founded the community of Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California in 1911...
. He bought the ranch in 1869, and from then to 1872, Workman built a home for his wife, Henrietta Feliz, and himself by adding onto an existing adobe. The Australian had eucalyptus trees imported and planted on the ranch, and some folks claim all the eucalyptus trees in California stem from Workman Ranch. Workman Ranch was acquired by a married, screenwriting couple, Colin Clements and Florence Ryerson (the latter co-wrote the screenplay for The Wizard of Oz while living here.) She re-named the estate Shadow Ranch for the amount of shade provided by the numerous eucalyptus trees planted by Workman decades. William Wyler’s movie The Children’s Hour, based on the playThe Children's Hour (play)The Children's Hour is a 1934 stage play written by Lillian Hellman. It is a drama set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and to avoid being sent back she tells her grandmother that the two...
by Lillian HellmanLillian HellmanLillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
, was filmed here in 1961. Shadow Ranch ParkShadow RanchShadow Ranch is a historic ranch house, built from 1869-1872 using adobe and redwood lumber, on the original Workman Ranch in the western San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California...
is a L.A. City Park with: lighted basketball courts, children's play area, football and soccer fields, meeting and community rooms, a baseball diamond, and picnic tables. Organized youth sports are also offered; and a registered-protected Los Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
Open-space parks
All of these large Parks are open for walks, hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian riding; sunrise to sunset.- El Escorpión ParkEl Escorpion ParkEl Escorpión Park is a three-acre park located in the Simi Hills of the western San Fernando Valley, in the West Hills district of Los Angeles, California...
- The area landmark El Escorpión Peak centered in the park offers hikes with impressive views of the Valley. The trailhead and parking are at the western end of Vanowen Boulevard, west of Valley Circle Boulevard (Castle Peak Park). - Bell Canyon ParkBell Canyon ParkBell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows through the park with riparian zone vegetation along its natural...
is directly adjacent on the northwest of El Escorpión Park, with trails along natural Bell CreekBell Creek (Southern California)Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
and up the north side of the Peak. The trailheads and parking are off Bell Canyon Boulevard just before the 'Bell Canyon community' gatehouse, west of Valley Circle Boulevard. Pedestrian access follows up the creek past the gated road to later loop around the Peak to El Escorpión Park. - Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveUpper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveThe Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County....
parking and trailheads are at the western end of Victory BoulevardVictory Boulevard (Los Angeles)Victory Boulevard is a major east-west arterial road that runs traversing the entire length of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. Through much of the San Fernando Valley, Victory Boulevard divides the affluent communities at the southern end of the Valley , from the less affluent...
, west of Valley Circle Boulevard. Trails cross the huge natural park and connect west to adjoining Cheseboro-Palo Comado Canyon Park section of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaThe 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...
, north to El Escorpión and Bell Canyon Parks, and south to Hidden Hills, creating a generous greenbelt for West Hills. There are also scheduled evening moonlight hikes, and daytime events. - Roscoe/Valley Circle Park is a rustic linear open space park with panoramic views and an equestrian trail, west of Valley Circle Blvd. with access at Roscoe Boulevard, at West Stagg Street, and at Quiet Hills Court.
Neighborhood parks
- Knapp Ranch Park has two sections: Kittridge Avenue east section offers these outdoor unlighted sports facilities: baseball diamond, basketball courts, a children's play area, picnic tables, and tennis courts; Wooded Vista and Twisted Oak Drive west section offers walks, a picnic area, and panoramic views.
- The West Hills Sports Center/Adam Bischoff Soccer Fields has a pocket park, recreation center, and soccer fields. It is on the west side of Valley Circle Blvd. near Vanowen.
- Mae Boyer Recreation Center has basketball courts and a playground, on Highlander Rd.
- Taxco Trails Park is a pocket park, with a children's play area and picnic tables on Platt Ave. and Saticoy.
- Lazy J. Park is a pocket park, with a children's play area on Valley Circle Blvd.
- Chase Park has a children's play area and picnic tables.
- Hidden Lake Park, a neighborhood park at Lees Lake, Sedan Ave. off Roscoe Boulevard, directions at gate.
- Castle Peak Park is a small neighborhood open space park for picnics on Valley Circle Blvd., (not to be confused with El Escorpión [Peak] Park).
- Four Oaks Park is a neighborhood pocket park, with a children's play area and picnic tables, on Cohasset and Melba Ave.
Other historical-cultural landmarks
- Francis Lederer Estate, has the other two West Hills Los Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentLos Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
s. These are the former: residence, outdoor rooms, and grounds; and the equestrian stables, of film and stage actor Francis LedererFrancis LedererFrancis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
(1899–2000). Lederer was the honorary Mayor of Canoga Park (pre-West Hills) for many years, and in retirement a member of the City Parks Board of Directors. The landmark buildings are located near the West Hills Post Office to the west.
-
- Francis Lederer Residence, is a very distinguished residential example of the Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Mission RevivalMission Revival Style architectureThe Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
styles of architecture integrated together, with the interior and exterior design and artisan detailing being of museum quality. The house was constructed over a period of years by the Lederers, starting in 1934, with the help of artisan builder John R. Litke. The materials were chosen with the greatest of care and painstakingly employed in such a manner as to make them appear old. The Spanish and Italian furnishings are of particular interest, dating from the 14th century. The property is to become a public museum and arts center.
- Francis Lederer Residence, is a very distinguished residential example of the Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Mission Revival
-
- Francis Lederer Stables are in a rustic and authentic Mission Revival architectural styleMission Revival Style architectureThe Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
, using locally quarried stones. It was also designed by Francis Lederer and John R. Litke in the 1930s. It was originally on the natural bank of free-flowing Bell CreekBell Creek (Southern California)Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
, before the channelization. Through Mrs. Lederer's efforts in the 1970s, the stables opened to the community as the Canoga Mission Gallery - now the Hidden Chateau, on western Sherman Way.
- Francis Lederer Stables are in a rustic and authentic Mission Revival architectural style
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, and according to the Los Angeles Almanac, there were 38,814 people and 10,626 households residing in West Hills. The ethnic-racial medley of the neighborhood was 78.89% White, 11.97% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.11% African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.80% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. 9.26% of the population were Hispanic of any race.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 West Hills neighborhood statistics: population: 38,834; median household income: $103,012.
Police and fire
West Hills is served by the Topanga Community Station of the Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
, opened on Jan. 3, 2008. The police department named the station after a village in the Tongva language
Tongva language
-Collected by C. Hart Merriam :Numbers# Po-koo /bo'kʰøː/# Wěh-hā /ʋɛj'χɒː/# Pah-hā /pa'χɒː/# Wah-chah /ʋa'ʃɒχ/# Mah-har /ma'χɒʁ/# Pah-vah-hā /pa'va'χɒː/# Wah-chah-kav-e-ah /ʋa'ʃa'kʰav̥eʲa/...
of the historically local Tongva-Fernandeño 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...
tribe. The department originally planned to name it the Northwest Station, but residents preferred a name linking to the area's history.
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....
Station 106 (West Hills), and Station 105 (Woodland Hills) serve the community.
Public library
The Los Angeles Public LibraryLos Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
operates the Platt Branch Library at 23600 Victory Boulevard, Woodland Hills, serving West Hills from just across street.
City representation
Representing West Hills are two members of the Los Angeles City Council. The portion south of Roscoe Boulevard is represented by Dennis Zine (3rd Council District) and the portion north of Roscoe Boulevard is represented by Greig Smith (12th Council District).West Hills Neighborhood Council
The West Hills Neighborhood CouncilNeighborhood Councils
Neighborhood councils are governmental or non-governmental bodies composed of local people who handle neighborhood problems.-Introduction:...
serves the community with an extensive website, events and activities, and via a 25-member neighbors board of directors that is elected by the West Hills "stakeholders" (all residents and local business owners). The council also is a resource as the city's official forum for individuals and the community to: learn about; discuss and debate; and take positions on local and citywide issues.
Post office
The United States Postal ServiceUnited 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...
: The West Hills Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
is located at 23055 Sherman Way at Sherman Place, 91307. The community's postal codes are 91307 and 91304.
Representation
West Hills is represented in Congress by U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-30th Congressional District).Representing West Hills in the California State Senate is Fran Pavley (D-23rd Senate District). Representing West Hills in the California Assembly are Bob Blumenfield (D-40th Assembly District) (south of Roscoe Boulevard) and Jeff Gorell
Jeff Gorell
Jeff Gorell is a Republican politician from California. In 2010, Gorell was elected to the State Legislature to serve as Assembly Member for the 37th Assembly District in California.-Local business owner:...
(R-37th Assembly District) (north of Roscoe Boulevard).
Representing West Hills in the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (Third District).
Hospitals
The West Hills Hospital and Medical Center, located at Medical Center Dr. near Sherman Way, serves the local community as well as patients from several cities in Los Angeles and VenturaVentura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
counties. The West Hills Hospital is particularly renowned for its Surgical Center. Opened in 1996, the Surgical Center performs procedures in specialties such as general
General surgery
General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...
and hand surgery
Hand surgery
The field of hand surgery deals with both surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions and problems that may take place in the hand or upper extremity including injury and infection. Hand surgery may be practiced by graduates of general surgery, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery...
(done by The Hand Center of Southern California), gynecology, gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
and orthopedics
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
. The West Hills Hospital and Medical Center facilities also include a large maternity ward and an oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
unit. In September 2009, Grossman Burn Centers, then based at Sherman Oaks Hospital, announced it would move to West Hills Hospital early in 2010.
Public schools
Most of the area is served by the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. Small portions are within the Las Virgenes Unified School District
Las Virgenes Unified School District
Las Virgenes Unified School District is a K-12 school district headquartered in Calabasas, California, United States. The district, serving the western section of Los Angeles County, consists of 14 public schools in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and several small...
.
Los Angeles Unified School District
Public elementary schools serving West Hills include:- Capistrano Avenue Elementary School
- Enadia Way Elementary School
- Hamlin Street Elementary School
- Haynes Street Elementary School
- Justice Street Elementary School
- Pomelo Drive Elementary School
- Welby Way Elementary School
The former Highlander Road Elementary School was closed in the 1980s, though the site and buildings remain.
Most West Hills residents attend George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School
El Camino Real High School
El Camino Real Charter High School is a public secondary school located in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California...
in Woodland Hills.
Some residents are zoned to Lawrence Middle School and Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School
Chatsworth High School is a public secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S..As of the 2005–06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3183 students and 117.8 classroom teachers , for a student-teacher ratio of 27.0.- History :The campus...
in Chatsworth. Some residents are zoned to Columbus Middle School and Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School is a public school located in Canoga Park in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States, and is in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
in Canoga Park.
Las Virgenes Unified School District
A small portion of West Hills is zoned to Las Virgenes Unified School DistrictLas Virgenes Unified School District
Las Virgenes Unified School District is a K-12 school district headquartered in Calabasas, California, United States. The district, serving the western section of Los Angeles County, consists of 14 public schools in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and several small...
.
Residents are zoned to:
- Round Meadow Elementary School
- Alice C. Stelle Middle School
- Calabasas High SchoolCalabasas High SchoolCalabasas High School is a four-year high school in Calabasas, California, United States.Calabasas High School, which serves Calabasas,and portions of West Hills, Los Angeles, California is one of three high schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School District Calabasas High School is a four-year...
Private schools
- Chaminade College Preparatory SchoolChaminade College Preparatory School (California)Chaminade College Preparatory is a private Catholic preparatory school with two campuses in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California...
, Roman Catholic high school operated by the MarianistsSociety of Mary (Marianists)The Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic Marian Society, is a congregation of brothers and priests called The Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. The Society was founded by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, a priest who survived the anti-clerical persecution during the French Revolution. ...
. The campus opened in 1961. - Faith Baptist School, Baptist university-preparatory School.
- Kadima Day School, Jewish day school.
- New Community Jewish High SchoolNew Community Jewish High SchoolNew Community Jewish High School is a Jewish high school in West Hills, California. It offers a college preparatory program for students in grades 9-12; 145 academic courses including 58 electives; 5 world languages; 14 Advanced Placement courses in Math, Science, English, History, and Languages;...
, Jewish high school. - Saint Bernardine of Siena, Catholic elementary and middle school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los AngelesRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los AngelesThe Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
-nearby in Woodland Hills. - West Valley Christian SchoolWest Valley Christian SchoolWest Valley Christian School is a K-8 Christian school in West Hills, Los Angeles, California. The West Valley Christian Church established it in 1978. It previously had a high school division....
(elementary and middle) - It previously had a high school, but it closed in June 2011
Locations
Temple Judea (West Campus), originally Temple Solael, is located on the corner of Valley Circle Boulevard and Kittridge Street. Shomrei Torah SynagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
is located near Stone Gate Drive and Valley Circle Boulevard. Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
of West Hills is located near the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Valley Circle Boulevard.
The Corporate Pointe business park, on the largest research and light industry property in West Hills, is in planning for redevelopment. It is located at Fallbrook Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard, near Hidden Lake and the Chatsworth Reservoir. The property was originally developed in 1959 as the Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
aerospace corporation's new headquarters. It was later used by Atomics International
Atomics International
Atomics International was a division of the North American Aviation company which engaged principally in the early development of nuclear technology and nuclear reactors for both commercial and government applications...
, Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
, and Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
for aerospace development advancements and nuclear research.
See also
- Rancho El EscorpiónRancho El EscorpiónRancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel....
- Owensmouth (Pacific Electric)Owensmouth (Pacific Electric)The Pacific Electric streetcar service to Owensmouth was part of an extraordinary real estate development in Southern California...
- Burro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted Cave is in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, and West Hills and Bell Canyon, in Ventura County of Southern California, United States. It is a Cave containing Chumash Native American pictographs...
- Rock art of the Chumash peopleRock art of the Chumash peopleChumash rock art is a genre of paintings on caves, mountains, cliffs, or other living rock surfaces, created by the Chumash people of southern California. Pictographs and petroglyphs are common through interior California, the rock painting tradition thrived until the 19th century...
- History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded...
External links
- Official Orcutt Ranch Park site
- Orcutt Ranch photos
- Official Shadow Ranch Park site
- Shadow Ranch photos
- Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Park site
- Lederer Residence photos
- Lederer Stables photos
- Digital Collections-CSUN: Rancho El Escorpion photos
- West Hills Neighborhood Council
- Canoga Mission Gallery - Hidden Chateau website.