San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. Woodland Hills in foreground. Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.

The San Fernando Valley or The Valley is an urbanized valley located in the north-western section of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Geography

San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is 345 square miles (894 km²) bounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the northwest, the Simi Hills to the west, the Santa Monica Mountains to the south, the Verdugo Mountains to the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the northeast. The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States The Simi Hills are a low rocky Mountain range in Southern California The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. The Verdugo Mountains are a small Mountain range located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California The San Gabriel Mountains are located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County California, USA. The Sierra Pelona Mountains (to the north) can be seen in parts of the San Fernando Valley from the gap between the Santa Susana and San Gabriel (Newhall Pass). The Sierra Pelona Mountains, also known as the Sierra Pelona Range, are a rocky transverse range in Southern California. Newhall Pass is a Mountain pass in Los Angeles County California, USA. The Los Angeles River starts at the confluence of Calabasas and Bell Canyon creeks behind Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park and flows east along the southern areas of the Valley. The Los Angeles River is a creek flowing through Los Angeles County California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers One of the river's only unpaved section can be found at the Sepulveda Basin. Another waterway, the Tujunga Wash, drains much of the western San Gabriel Mountains and, after passing through the Hansen Dam Recreation Center, winds south through the eastern communities of the Valley before merging with the Los Angeles River in Studio City. Tujunga Wash is a Stream in Los Angeles County California. It is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, providing about a fifth of its flow and drains Hansen Dam in the Los Angeles district of Pacoima in Los Angeles County California was built by the U Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Other tributaries of the Los Angeles River include Caballero Creek, Bull Creek, Pacoima Wash, and Verdugo Wash. The valley's elevation varies from between about 250 and 1,200 ft. above sea level.

Most of the San Fernando Valley is within the City of Los Angeles, California, although several smaller cities are within the Valley as well; Burbank and Glendale are in the southeast corner of the Valley, Hidden Hills and Calabasas are in the southwest corner, and San Fernando, which is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles, is in the northeast Valley. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Hidden Hills is an incorporated city and also a gated development in Los Angeles County, California, Calabasas is a city in Los Angeles County California in the western United States. San Fernando is a city located in northwestern Los Angeles County California, United States. Universal City, an enclave in the southern part of the Valley, is unincorporated land housing the Universal Studios filming lot. Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County California, that encompasses the 415 acre ( Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Mulholland Drive, which runs along the ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountains, marks the boundary between the Valley and the communities of Hollywood and Los Angeles' westside. Mulholland Drive is a very well-known (due to its proximity to Hollywood) road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland

Los Angeles' administrative center for the Valley is in Van Nuys. The area in and around the former Van Nuys City Hall is home to a police station, municipal and superior courts and Los Angeles city and county administrative offices. Northridge is home to California State University Northridge. California State University Northridge (also known as CSUN, Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the San Fernando Valley, within the city limits The 1994 Northridge Earthquake (January 17, 1994 which measured 6. 7 on the Richter Scale), one of the few major earthquakes to have struck directly under a major city, was epicentered in neighboring Reseda just east of the intersection of Elkwood Street and Baird Avenue. The Richter magnitude scale, or more correctly local magnitude M L scale assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. An earlier major temblor (in 1971), The Sylmar Quake (February 9, 1971 and measured 6. Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. 5 on the Richter Scale), was also a killer, having destroyed the Olive View and Veterans Administration Hospitals, and rendered the east west Interstate 210 useless for a number of years due to severe damage. Prior to development, before the arrival of the Los Angeles Owens Valley Aqueduct water, the valley was a bleak semi-desert, too dry for extensive agriculture over more than a small part of the valley. The water brought farming with some major crops including corn, cotton, persimmons, lemons, oranges, and walnuts. The advent of three new industries - motion picture, automobile, and aircraft - spurred urbanization and population growth. World War II and a subsequent post war boom accelerated this growth so that by 1960, the valley had a population of well over 1 million.

Climate

The Valley shares the Los Angeles Basin's dry, sunny weather. The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal Sediment -filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in Although the southwestern edge of the Valley is less than 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Valley can be considerably hotter than the Los Angeles Basin during the summer months and cooler during the winter months. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Temperatures in the Valley normally reach as high as the nineties and triple-digits during latter part of summer and early fall, from around late June through early October. The West Valley community of Woodland Hills has set the highest recorded temperature in the City of Los Angeles of 119 °F (49 °C) in 2006, the coldest recorded temperature was in Canoga Park 18 °F (-8 °C) in 1989. Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers Also, rainfall accumulations tend to be slightly higher in the Valley during the rainy season in comparison to the Los Angeles Basin and the coast. Rain is Liquid precipitation. On Earth it is the condensation of atmospheric Water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall often making it to The valley is more likely to get snow during winter months than the Los Angeles basin, although snow in San Fernando valley is quite rare. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. The last measurable accumulation of snow in the valley was in 1988 while the last measurable accumulation of snow in the Los Angeles basin was in 1960. The Valley is prone to smog, particularly in the summer, because of the mountain ranges surrounding it and because vertical motion in the atmosphere is often blocked by temperature inversions. Smog is a kind of Air pollution; the word "smog" is a Portmanteau of Smoke and Fog. In meteorology an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude Environmental regulations and improvements through the years have cut the smog levels almost in half since they peaked in the 1960s.

History

Mission San Fernando Rey de España was established in 1797 by Franciscan friars. Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary " ( September 8) 1797. It is the 17th of the twenty-one missions.

The Tataviam, also known as the Fernandeño, tribe of Indians and the Tongva had inhabited the valley for almost 2,000 years before the Spanish built the San Fernando Mission in 1797. The Tataviam which means "people facing the sun" also sometimes called the Alliklik, are a Native American group in southern California Tongva may also refer to the Tongva language. The Tongva are a Native American people who inhabited the area in and around Los Angeles Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of Religious outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between Year 1797 ( MDCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

The treaty ending the Mexican-American War in California was signed near the mouth of the Cahuenga Pass (at the southeast corner of San Fernando Valley) at the Campo de Cahuenga in 1847. The Treaty of Cahuenga. usually called the "Capitulation of Cahuenga" ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in California in 1847 The Cahuenga Pass (kəˈwɛŋɡə in English from the indigenous Tongva language) (el Campo de Cahuenga in North Hollywood California, near Cahuenga Pass, was an Adobe farmhouse on the Rancho Verdugo where the Treaty of

After the construction of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct, the mostly rural area was annexed by the city of Los Angeles in 1915, more than doubling the size of the city. Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. There are two Los Angeles Aqueducts, the First Los Angeles Aqueduct (or the Owens Valley aqueduct) (completed 1913 and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct A highly fictionalized story based on these events is told in the film Chinatown (1974). Chinatown is a American Neo-noir film directed by Roman Polanski. Los Angeles continued to consolidate its territories in the San Fernando Valley by annexing Laurel Canyon (1923), Lankershim (1923), Sunland (1926), Tuna Canyon (1926), the incorporated city of Tujunga (1932), and Porter Ranch (1965). Laurel Canyon is a canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Sunland is a neighborhood in the Valley section of the city of Los Angeles California. Tujunga (təˈhʌŋɡə is a district in the far northern reaches of the City of Los Angeles California. Porter Ranch is a district in the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The additions expanded the Los Angeles portion of San Fernando Valley from the original 169 square miles (438 km²) to 224 square miles (580 km²) today. Six cities incorporated independent from Los Angeles: Glendale (1906), Burbank (1911), San Fernando (1911) Hidden Hills (1961), Calabasas (1991). Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. San Fernando is a city located in northwestern Los Angeles County California, United States. Hidden Hills is an incorporated city and also a gated development in Los Angeles County, California, Calabasas is a city in Los Angeles County California in the western United States. Universal City is an unincorporated enclave that is home to Universal Studios theme park and Universal CityWalk. Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County California, that encompasses the 415 acre ( Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Universal CityWalk is the name given to the entertainment and retail districts located adjacent to the theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts.

Secession movement

In 2002, Los Angeles residents defeated a proposal under which the San Fernando Valley portion of the City of Los Angeles would have seceded and become an independent incorporated city of its own. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity Had the proposal passed, it would have created a new municipality of 211 square miles (546 km²) with about 1. 3 million residents. The new Valley City would have been the sixth most populous city in the U. S. , just ahead of Phoenix. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, Los Angeles would have become the third largest city in the nation, behind New York City and Chicago. The City of New York Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.

The Valley attempted to secede in the 1970s, but the state passed a law barring city formation without the approval of the City Council. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. In 1997, Assemblymen Bob Hertzberg and Tom McClintock helped pass a bill that would make it easier for the Valley to secede by removing the City Council veto. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Robert Myles Hertzberg (born November 19 1954 in Los Angeles California is a lawyer businessman and community activist who served in the California Legislature from 1996-2002 Thomas Miller McClintock II (born July 10, 1956, in White Plains, New York) is a California State Senator, representing the 19th AB 62 was signed into law by Governor Pete Wilson. Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23 1933 is an American Politician from California. Meanwhile, a grassroots movement to split the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and create new San Fernando Valley-based school districts became the focal point of the desire to leave the city. Los Angeles Unified School District (" LAUSD " is the largest (in terms of number of students Public school system in California. Though the state rejected the idea of Valley-based districts, it remained an important rallying point for Hertzberg's mayoral campaign, which proved unsuccessful.

Before secession could come out for a vote, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) studied the fiscal viability of the new city and decided that the new city must mitigate any fiscal loss incurred by the rest of Los Angeles. A Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCo) is one of several decision making Government entities in California with the responsibility to decide boundary Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West LAFCO concluded that a new San Fernando Valley city would be financially viable, but would need to mitigate the $60. 8 million that Los Angeles would lose in revenues. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Secessionists took this figure as evidence that the Valley gave more money to Los Angeles than it received back in services. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West This triggered a petition drive led by Valley VOTE to put secession on the ballot. Measures F and H not only decided whether the Valley became a city but voters also got to pick a new name for it. The proposed names on the ballot were as follows: San Fernando Valley, Rancho San Fernando, Mission Valley, Valley City and Camelot. Along with Measures F and H, elections were held for fourteen council members and a mayor.

Valley politicians such as State Senator Richard Alarcon and City Council President Alex Padilla opposed the initiatives. Alejandro "Alex" Padilla (born March 22 1973) is a California State Senator The leader of the LAUSD breakup and former congresswoman and busing opponent Bobbie Fiedler also campaigned against secession. Supporters pointed out that the Valley suffered from many of the same problems of poverty, crime, drug and gang activity as the rest of the city.

The proposal passed with a slight majority in the Valley, but was defeated by the rest of Los Angeles voters due to a heavily-funded campaign against it led by former Los Angeles mayor James Hahn. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. Republican Assemblyman Keith Richman of Northridge was voted in as mayor of the stillborn city. Dr Keith S Richman is a California, United States Republican politician Richman and other activists behind the secession movement attempted to redirect their civic energies toward influencing Los Angeles city politics, but their efforts largely fizzled. Hertzberg's 2005 mayoral campaign, which received heavy support in the Valley, nonetheless finished in third place (only a few percentage points behind incumbent Mayor Hahn), and no secession supporters were elected to positions on the Los Angeles City Council.

Non-Political Secession

Many neighborhoods of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley have 'seceded' from one another in the form of renaming and reforming known community boundaries. Groups are motivated by the desire to disassociate themselves from undesirable connotations that some communities have inherited and, in the process, increase property values. Lake Balboa broke away from Van Nuys. Lake Balboa is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Valley Village, Studio City and Valley Glen separated from North Hollywood. Valley Village is a district located in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, north of Studio City, west and south of Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. West Hills and Winnetka separated from Canoga Park. West Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The Winnetka is a suburb district in the San Fernando Valley region of the County of Los Angeles California. Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers Porter Ranch seceded from Northridge. Porter Ranch is a district in the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Northridge is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, United States. Arleta successfully broke off from Pacoima but was thwarted in its attempts to carve out a separate ZIP code. Arleta is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The ZIP code is the system of Postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS The separate districts are in name only as none of the communities have actual governmental authority and all of the communities remain politically a part of the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

Demographics

The San Fernando Valley had a population 1,996,347 in 2000. A recent estimate by the Los Angeles County Urban Research Unit and Population Division puts the 2004 population at 1,808,599. The largest cities entirely in the valley are Glendale and Burbank. Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. The largest sections of Los Angeles in the valley are North Hollywood and Van Nuys. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Each of the two districts and each of the two sections of Los Angeles mentioned has more than 100,000 residents. Despite the San Fernando Valley's reputation for sprawling, low-density development, the Valley communities of Panorama City, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Reseda, Canoga Park, and Northridge, all in Los Angeles, have numerous apartment complexes and contain some of the densest census tracts in Los Angeles. Panorama City is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers Northridge is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, United States.

Latinos and non-Hispanic whites are nearly even in numbers, combining to comprise more than four out of five Valley residents. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. In general, communities in the northeastern, central, and southeastern parts of the Valley have the highest concentration of Latinos. Non-Hispanic Whites live mainly along the communities along the region's mountain rim and in the northwestern and southern sections of the valley. The city of Glendale has an influential and very large Armenian community. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The cities of San Fernando, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and the Tarzana area of Los Angeles are quite homogeneous in racial makeup. San Fernando is a city located in northwestern Los Angeles County California, United States. Calabasas is a city in Los Angeles County California in the western United States. Hidden Hills is an incorporated city and also a gated development in Los Angeles County, California, Tarzana (/tɑɹˈzænə/ is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.

Asian Americans make up 10. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian 7% of the population and live throughout the Valley, but are most numerous in the city of Glendale and the Los Angeles communities of Chatsworth, Panorama City, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills. Chatsworth is a district of the City of Los Angeles California in the San Fernando Valley region Porter Ranch is a district in the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Granada Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. African Americans compose 5. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa 1% of the Valley's population, living mainly in the Los Angeles sections of Lake View Terrace, Pacoima, Reseda, Valley Village, Van Nuys, and Northridge. Lake View Terrace is a Suburb district in the north east quadrant of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. Valley Village is a district located in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, north of Studio City, west and south of Northridge is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, United States. Another large ethnic element is the Iranian community with 200,000 people living mainly in west San Fernando Valley. The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. The valley is also home to a large and influential Jewish community.

Poverty rates in the San Fernando Valley are lower than the rest of the county (15. 3% compared to 17. 9%). Eight San Fernando Valley communities have at least one in five residents living in poverty.

The Pacoima section of Los Angeles is widely known in the region as a hub of suburban blight. Other San Fernando Valley communities, such as the Los Angeles sections of Mission Hills, Arleta, and Sylmar, have poverty rates well below the regional average, even lower than neighborhoods populated by a higher number of Non-Hispanic White residents. Mission Hills is a suburban community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Arleta is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California.

Many wealthy families live in the hills south of Ventura Boulevard; as a result, the phrase "South of the Boulevard" has become a commonly used buzzword in local real estate.

Neighborhoods and districts

A view of the San Fernando Valley looking west from Brand Park in Glendale. Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Santa Monica Mountains, and Simi Hills are seen in the distance. The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. The Simi Hills are a low rocky Mountain range in Southern California

Cities

• Burbank
• Calabasas
• Hidden Hills
• San Fernando
• Glendale

Unincorporated communities

• Bell Canyon
• Kagel Canyon
• Olive View

Communities of the City of Los Angeles

⁺Common usage of the term San Fernando Valley include these communities that are in Crescenta Valley. Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. Calabasas is a city in Los Angeles County California in the western United States. Hidden Hills is an incorporated city and also a gated development in Los Angeles County, California, San Fernando is a city located in northwestern Los Angeles County California, United States. Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Bell Canyon is a private guard-gated residential community located near the western San Fernando Valley. Arleta is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The Cahuenga Pass (kəˈwɛŋɡə in English from the indigenous Tongva language) (el Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers Chatsworth is a district of the City of Los Angeles California in the San Fernando Valley region Granada Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Knollwood is a luxury Planned Unit Development consisting of approximately 250 half-acre estate homes along the Knollwood Country Club golf course in Granada Hills Lake View Terrace is a Suburb district in the north east quadrant of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Lake Balboa is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Mission Hills is a suburban community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The NoHo Arts District is a new Los Angeles community located near Valley Village and North Hollywood, that is home to contemporary theaters art galleries North Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Northridge is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, United States. Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Panorama City is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Porter Ranch is a district in the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. North Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Shadow Hills is a semi-rural neighborhood in northern Los Angeles California, USA Sherman Oaks is an 81-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Studio City is a four-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Sun Valley is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Sunland is a neighborhood in the Valley section of the city of Los Angeles California. Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Tarzana (/tɑɹˈzænə/ is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Toluca Lake is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Tujunga (təˈhʌŋɡə is a district in the far northern reaches of the City of Los Angeles California. Valley Glen is a community in the southeastern portion of the San Fernando Valley district of the City of Los Angeles California, United States Valley Village is a district located in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California, north of Studio City, west and south of The Ventura Business District is the commercial district surrounding Ventura Boulevard, the main thoroughfare of California 's San Fernando Valley in the West Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. The Winnetka is a suburb district in the San Fernando Valley region of the County of Los Angeles California. Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.

Economy

The Valley is home to numerous companies, the most well-known of which are involved in motion pictures, recording, and television production (including CBS Studio Center, NBC-Universal, The Walt Disney Company (and its ABC television network), and Warner Bros.. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. NBC Universal is a media and Entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric 's NBC with Vivendi Universal The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The Valley was previously known for stellar advances in aerospace technology by companies such as Lockheed, Rocketdyne, and Marquardt. The Lockheed Corporation (originally Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company was an American aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United States company that designs and produces Rocket engines that use liquid propellants. Marquardt Corporation was one of the few Aeronautical engineering firms that was dedicated almost solely to the development of the Ramjet engine Most of these enterprises have since disappeared or moved on to regions with friendlier political climates and/or cheaper labor.

The Valley became the pioneering region for producing adult films in the 1970s and since then has been home to a multi-billion dollar pornography industry earning the monikers "Porn Valley", "San Pornando Valley" or "Silicone Valley" (a play on Silicon Valley and silicone breast implants). Pornography in the United States is a legal term at the federal level except the generic terms " Hardcore pornography " and " child pornography For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Silicones are largely inert compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses A breast implant is a Prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman's Breasts (known as breast augmentation, breast enlargement, mammoplasty The leading trade paper for that field (AVN Magazine) is based in the Northwest Valley, as are a majority of the nation's adult video and magazine distributors. Adult Video News ( AVN or AVN Magazine) is an American Trade journal that covers the adult video industry According to the HBO series Porn Valley, nearly 90% of all legally distributed pornographic films made in the United States are either filmed in or by studios based in the San Fernando Valley.

Transportation

Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys (2002). This boulevard is lined with low-rise commercial establishments and is typical of the broad, straight roadways in the San Fernando Valley.

Although most of the Valley is part of Los Angeles, its development pattern is almost exclusively suburban, and the automobile is the dominant mode of transportation. Several freeways criss-cross the Valley, most notably, Interstate 405, U.S. Route 101, State Route 118, and Interstate 5. In the US state of California, US Route 101 (also known as Highway 101, The 101, or simply 101) is one of the last remaining and State Route 118 is a state highway in the United States state of California that begins running west to east through Ventura and Los Angeles Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts Most of the major thoroughfares run on a cartographic grid; notable streets include Sepulveda Boulevard, Ventura Boulevard, Laurel Canyon Boulevard, San Fernando Road, Victory Boulevard, Reseda Boulevard, Riverside Drive, Mulholland Drive, and State Route 27 (Topanga Canyon Boulevard). Sepulveda Boulevard is a Street in Los Angeles California, which stretches some 42 Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles California. San Fernando Road officially known as Business Loop 5 is a major street in the city and county of 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. Reseda Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road that runs through the western San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. Riverside Drive is one of the principal east-west roads connecting the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States Mulholland Drive is a very well-known (due to its proximity to Hollywood) road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland State Route 27 is a State highway in the US state of California that runs from Pacific Coast Highway (PCH at Topanga State Beach near

Despite the dominance of the automobile, the Valley has two Metro subway stations, in Universal City and North Hollywood, which opened in 2000 as an extension of the Metro Red Line Subway connecting the Valley to Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and Public transportation Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County California, that encompasses the 415 acre ( The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a Heavy rail Rapid transit line in Los Angeles. The Orange Line, an east-west Bus Rapid Transit bus-way was opened in October 2005, connecting the North Hollywood Metro station to Warner Center in the west Valley. The Metro Orange Line is a dedicated transitway operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority which began its operation on October Bus rapid transit ( BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that through improvements to infrastructure vehicles and scheduling attempt to use The new line features "train-like" articulated buses and very high frequency of service. Long-promised daily bus service between Sylmar and Santa Clarita began operating in 2006. Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles California. Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Two Metrolink commuter rail lines connect the Valley to downtown Los Angeles, merging into one at Burbank. Metrolink is a Regional rail system that serves Southern California. Commuter rail, regional rail or suburban rail is a Passenger rail transport service between a city center and outer suburbs and Commuter towns These operate on a limited schedule serving commuters only during regular work hours. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner has stations at Burbank Airport, Van Nuys and Chatsworth. The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (563 km Amtrak Passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between Bob Hope Airport Train Station is an unstaffed Amtrak and Metrolink rail station at Bob Hope Airport in the city of Burbank California Five Metro Rapid bus rapid transit lines (the 734, the 741, the 750, the 761, and the 780) serve the area, with more planned. Metro Rapid is a Bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County California, mainly operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro service is planned and operated by the San Fernando Valley Sector under policies and oversight of its Governance Council [1].

Parks and recreation

The San Fernando Valley is home to several large and many small parks. Griffith Park, the largest of Los Angeles' municipal parks, lies at the southeastern end of the valley, straddling the eastern end of the Hollywood Hills. Griffith Park is a large public Park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Two large recreation areas occupy the flood control basins behind Sepulveda Dam and Hansen Dam. Located in Los Angeles California, the Sepulveda Dam is a project of the U Hansen Dam in the Los Angeles district of Pacoima in Los Angeles County California was built by the U O'Melveny Park above Granada Hills protects the upper reaches of Bee Canyon, at the eastern end of the Santa Susana Mountains. There is also a sizeable recreation area in the northwest valley, Chatsworth Park.

In the past decade, many large tracts of undeveloped or ranch lands in the mountains surrounding the Valley have been acquired for parkland. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and its affiliated agencies have purchased or otherwise acquired many of these lands, which are maintained as parkland by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California state parks, or local parks districts. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1979 and dedicated to the acquisition of The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a US National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, located in Los Angeles This is a list of parks and reserves in the California State Park system In 2003 the Ahmanson Ranch, a 2,983 acre (12 km²) property in Ventura County at the west end of the Valley, was purchased by the State of California, and dedicated as the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve on April 10, 2004. 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 3000 acres Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the US state of California ( Southern California) 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 3000 acres

House prices

Prices for houses in the Valley are some of the highest in the U. S. (Housing affordability is a major problem in California as a whole, not just in the Valley [2]. ) In August of 2005, the median price of an average one family, two bedroom, one bath, home in the San Fernando Valley reached over $600,000. In Probability theory and Statistics, a median is described as the number separating the higher half of a sample a population or a Probability distribution In 1997, it was only $155,000. In the summer of 2003, it reached $400,000 and by July 2005, it reached $578,500. From July to August (one month) 2005, it rose by $100,000. A cooling off was noted in 2006, when between November 2005 and November 2006, median prices rose by the smallest amount of any 12 month period since mid-1997. Indeed, November prices were lower than October prices, and sales for November had fallen 19. 1% compared to a year earlier. [3]

Movies about the Valley

See also: List of movies set in Los Angeles

Several motion pictures about life in the San Fernando Valley were produced by many companies also in the San Fernando Valley, including Chinatown (1974), Thank God It's Friday (1978), Foxes (1980), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), E.T. (1982),Valley Girl (1983), La Bamba (1987), Encino Man (1992), Safe (1995), Boogie Nights (1997), some scenes of Mulholland Drive (2001), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), Knocked Up (2007), and Down in the Valley (2005). This is a list of films set in Los Angeles California: This list is incomplete 1920s Hollywood (1923 Chinatown is a American Neo-noir film directed by Roman Polanski. Foxes is a 1980 English-language Drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and written by Gerald Ayres Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen - Comedy film written by Cameron Crowe (adapted This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. Valley Girl is a 1983 Romantic comedy movie starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, E La Bamba ( 1987) is an American Biographical film written and directed by Luis Valdez. Encino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 Comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Safe (sometimes written as or) is a 1995 drama/thriller film written and directed by Todd Haynes This article is about the 1997 film For the Heatwave song see Boogie Nights. Mulholland Drive is a very well-known (due to its proximity to Hollywood) road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland Magnolia is a 1999 American Drama film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 American film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson 2 Days in the Valley is a 1996 film, directed by John Herzfeld, about 48 hours in the lives of a group of people who are drawn together by a Murder Earth Girls Are Easy is a 1988 American comedy / musical Film directed by Julien Temple. Knocked Up is a 2007 American Comedy film, written co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow.

The first and third The Karate Kid films (1984 and 1989 respectively) were mostly filmed and set in the Valley, while the second entry (1986) starts there but in the six-month flashforward, moves its story to Okinawa. The Karate Kid is a 1984 Film directed by Phillip Ali, and starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū A Cinderella Story (2004) also takes place in the San Fernando Valley. A Cinderella Story is a teen Romantic comedy Movie starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.

Alpha Dog (2007) was based on a true story that happened in the San Fernando Valley in 2000, and it was mostly filmed in the Valley in Fall 2004, but, for legal reasons, it was fictionalized within the film to take place in the San Gabriel Valley instead. Alpha Dog is a 2006 Crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, and released on January 27, 2006. The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California.

In the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Valley is referenced by Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules, as being a place where Marsellus Wallace had no friends. Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an Academy Award - BAFTA Award - and Palme d'Or -winning Emmy - and Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21 1948 is an American Academy Award -nominated and BAFTA -winning actor This being in response to John Travolta's character, Vincent, accidentally shooting a man point blank in the face there in broad daylight.

Songs about the Valley

The lifestyles of Valley teens in the 1980s, and their slang (Valspeak), were satirized in the Frank Zappa song "Valley Girl. Valley Girl (less commonly Val) is a term referred to affluent middle-class young girls living in the neighborhood of San Fernando Valley. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Valspeak is a common name for a now partially universal American Sociolect, originally of Southern Californians, in particular Valley girls This stereotype Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director " The song featured his daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, performing Valspeak (example: "Like, grody to the max!"). Moon Unit Zappa (born September 28 1967) is an American actress and musician In the English language, the word like has a very flexible range of uses

Bing Crosby had a #1 hit song in 1944 called "The San Fernando Valley", written by Gordon Jenkins. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular

The protagonist of Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'" has ended a relationship with a Valley girl, and mentions various locations and landmarks associated with the area: "It's a long day living in Reseda," "all the vampires walkin' through the Valley/ move west down Ventura Boulevard," and "I wanna glide down over Mulholland. Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20 1950 is an American singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist " Free Fallin' " is the opening track from Tom Petty 's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish Mulholland Drive is a very well-known (due to its proximity to Hollywood) road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland "

Soul Coughing's song "Screenwriter's Blues" describes a person who is "going to Reseda to make love to a model. Soul Coughing was a New York -based Alternative rock band active in the 1990s Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California. "

Randy Newman's song "I Love L.A." mentions Victory Boulevard. Randall Stuart “Randy” Newman (born November 28 1943 is an Academy Award –winning American Singer/songwriter, arranger, Composer "I Love LA" is a song about Los Angeles California written and recorded by Randy Newman. Victory Boulevard is a major east-west Arterial road that runs traversing the entire length of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.

Roy Roger's song "Make My Home the San Fernando Valley. "

Waking Ashland have a song named Reseda. Waking Ashland was a Piano rock band from San Diego California, signed to Tooth and Nail Records and Immortal Records. Reseda ( IPA:) is a district in the San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles California.

Bryan Ferry mentions that "Canoga Park is a straight safe drive" in "Can't Let Go" on The Bride Stripped Bare. Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945 in Washington, Sunderland) is an English Singer, Musician, Songwriter and occasional Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers The Bride Stripped Bare is a 1978 solo album by Bryan Ferry and is his fifth album released independent of Roxy Music.

"Van Nuys" by Sixx:A.M. released in 2007 on the album "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. SixxAM is a Hard rock / heavy metal band formed in 2007 by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael. The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack is a Concept album written by Nikki Sixx, James Michael and DJ Ashba and recorded by their band "

"Van Nuys (Es Very Nice)" by Los Abandoned is a lament about the many immigrants who have left their country for the seemingly mundane and uncomfortable lifestyle in Van Nuys: "The summer's hot, it's hell the bus is always late/ The great big cloud of smog that makes you choke and hate/ Y dejaste tu pais por esto?"

Phantom Planet sing about The Sherman Oaks Galleria in "The Galleria. Los Abandoned is an American Alternative rock band from the Los Angeles, California area Phantom Planet is an Alternative rock band from Southern California. "

See also

• Crescenta Valley
• San Gabriel Valley
• Santa Clara River Valley
• Rancho Los Encinos

External links

• San Fernando Valley Digital Library - History
• San Fernando Valley Statistics
• San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center