Los Angeles, California
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Mar. 7, 2007
When Isaac Van Nuys built the first wood frame house in the San Fernando Valley back in 1872, he could not have imagined that his name would come to mean a bustling population area. Where once there were wheat fields, now there are 150,000 people and all the features of a 21 st century San Fernando Valley town. And, of course, one of the busiest airports in the world.
Manufacturing and distribution industry has long been important to Van Nuys. Once the home of a major Chevrolet facility, Van Nuys is now home to an Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Home Depot, and other large employers. The San Fernando Valley Administration Center is also here providing municipal, county, state, and federal government services for the Valley population.
For almost a 80 years, the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) has been a center of activity. From a small field in the 1920's it has grown to be the world's busiest general aviation airport. There are no commercial airline flights here, yet private and chartered aircraft account for nearly a half million takeoffs and landings a year.
In the early days, Van Nuys Airport served barnstormers and intrepid airmen – and women – who sought flying records. They included:
- A men’s solo endurance record of 37 hours, by Herbert Fahy, in 1929.
- A women’s endurance record of 42 hours, by Elinor Smith and Bobbi Trout, in 1929.
- A women’s speed record of 196 mph, by Florence “Pancho” Barnes, in 1930.
Just about 20 miles north of the Los Angeles Airport (LAX), the airport was a favorite of Hollywood stars like Gene Autry, Cecil B. DeMille, and Howard Hughes who flew here. The airport has become increasingly popular as it offers both convenience and a measure of anonymity for celebrities and politicians. And for those who do need to fly out of LAX, the Flyaway Bus Service offers non-stop service between the two airports.
Van Nuys has Airport a film-friendly policy that aims to keep film production at "home" in Lost Angeles. From Casablanca to the TV show 24, the airport has been part of many films and TV shows over the years. The 1980's action-espionage series Airwolf used the VNY hangars as the site of "Santini Air," the charter air service operated by Dominic Santini and played by Ernest Borgnine. Even during the war years of the 1940's when the airport was a defense-manufacturing center, Hollywood discovered a young woman there on an aircraft assembly line; her name would be Marilyn Monroe.
The airport is not only about movies, takeoffs, and landings; the 730 acres of VNY are home to 100 businesses plus a 27-hole golf course. Los Angeles police, fire, and water and power helicopters have hangars and maintenance facilities here. Future airframe and power plant mechanics get their training in the aviation mechanics school run by the Lost Angeles schools.
In the1960's a guided tour program opened the airport to the local community for a journey through aviation past and present. VNY continues to offer tours, giving about 10,000 adults and children a close-up look at the airport each year. And for those who can't get enough of airplanes, a public observation area adjacent to the east side of the airfield features permanent displays, special children’s exhibits and a continuous live broadcast of air traffic controllers in the airport’s control tower.
We hope you've enjoyed this stop on our continuing San Fernando Valley tour. Happy landings!
Feb. 16, 2007
This is the beginning of a series, not unlike the serials of the old movie theater double feature. Back in the day – like the early to mid-20th century – when you went to the movies on Saturday, you saw a newsreel, cartoons, and two feature movies. There was also an ongoing adventure with a new chapter every week to keep you coming back.
There won't be any hoof-pounding Western adventures in this series, but there will be interesting history, intriguing facts, and fascinating trivia about the communities of the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and the Westside of Los Angeles. Whether you are a native or newcomer, we hope you'll enjoy the journey.
First on the tour is Encino. It is truly hard to go anywhere in the Los Angeles area without finding a connection to the movie industry. Homes of the stars and hangouts of the famous are everywhere. Even a well-known Realtor® chose Encino for his home base. Here in Encino, though, not only the people are stars; the district itself has played a role in film and literature.
Like much of this area, Encino was once mission land owned by the Spanish government. When the missions were abandoned in the early 1800's, about seven square miles was given to three Grabielino Indians and became known as Rancho Los Encinos (Ranch of the Oaks.) By the middle of the 19th century the land had been a cattle ranch, grown wheat and barley, and had become a stop on the stage line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. According to the Encino Chamber of Commerce, some of the buildings from those days are still seen in the Los Encinos State Park.
Through all this, a massive California Live Oak tree stood on what became Ventura Boulevard, and watched over more than a thousand years of human history before falling during an El Niño storm in 1998.
Encino is now home to more than 40,000 people who live in the area bordered on the west by Tarzana, on the north by the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, on the east by Sherman Oaks, and on the south by the Encino Reservoir.
And now for the connections to film and literature we promised: (with thanks to Wikipedia)
· In the glory days of filmmaking, Encino was also the site of RKO Studios "Encino Ranch" and the site of such iconic movies as It's a Wonderful Life and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
· It is the setting of the 1992 comedy, Encino Man.
· Encino is mentioned in Frank Zappa's 1982 hit song, "Valley Girl."
· "The Point" from Fast Times at Ridgemont High was located in Encino (Encino Little League Field).
· Encino was where Ali's family lived (Elisabeth Shue) in the movie The Karate Kid. Their country club was Encino Oaks and they lived on Alonzo Avenue.
· Encino is where specials on the popular cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants take place.
· Encino is the setting of the first half of Chilean author Alberto Fuguet's novel "Las Películas de mi Vida (The Movies Of My Life)"
· According to a recurring on-air gag of the 1970's show Match Game, panelist Brett Somers would take host Gene Rayburn to a nice hotel in Encino after the show if she were "feeling frisky."
· Encino has been home to many of Hollywood's stars, including Rudolph Valentino, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Michael Landon, and Phil Hartman.
Rich in history, Encino is one of the San Fernando Valley's treasures. That's the end of today's tour. Please join us again next time for…Tarzana!
Jul. 11, 2006
Categorized in: Real Estate
Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills is a community within the City of Los Angeles. It is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, northeast of Calabasas and west of Tarzana. To the north Woodland Hills is bordered by West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka. Running east-west through the community is U.S. Route 101 (Ventura Freeway) and Ventura Boulevard, which starts in Woodland Hills.
History
Victor Girard Kleinberger (later known as simply Victor Girard) bought 2,886 acres (12 km²) in the area and founded Girard in 1922. He sought to attract residents and businesses by developing the land, advertising in newspapers, and planting 120,000 trees. Although much of his development provided a dubious facade of economic activity in Girard (local lore has it that in order to attract development he erected false store fronts on Ventura Blvd., for which he spent time in jail), the Girard Golf Course completed in 1925 continues to operate today as the Woodland Hills Country Club, and his scheme was successful in attracting interest in the community.
The town suffered through the Great Depression yet survived. In 1941, the community was renamed Woodland Hills, an appropriate name owing to all the trees that Girard had planted years earlier. Harry Warner came along in the 1940s and bought 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) in the area for a horse ranch. The modern Warner Center commercial zone is named for Harry and features several high-rise buildings, hotels, and shopping centers in Woodland Hills. A major transit hub — the western end of the Orange Line — opened here in October 2005.
The population living in Woodland Hills nears 70,000.
Education
Schools serving Woodland Hills are operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The schools include Lockhurst Elementary School, Woodlake Elementary School, Woodland Hills Elementary School, Calabash St. Elementary School, Hale Middle School, Parkman Middle School, and Louisville High School (on the Calabasas border). El Camino Real High School and William Howard Taft High School are multiple United States Academic Decathlon winners.
Los Angeles Pierce College is also located in Woodland Hills.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,092 people. 74.8% White, 3.4% African American, 7.2% Hispanic/Latino, 5.9% Asian, and 6.8% Two or more races. Median age: 40.8 Average household size: 2.66 Median household income (1999): $70,411
Famous Residents
Born and raised in Woodland Hills:
Ted Cassidy, actor who played Lurch on The Addams Family lived here until he died in 1979 (his ashes were supposedly buried in his yard)
Lisa Kudrow, actress on Friends graduated from William Howard Taft High School
Paige Hurd, actress who played Vanessa in Beauty Shop
Sara Paxton, actress
Will Smith, actor, R&B singer
Xzibit, hip-hop artist
Noel Webb, violinist and composer.
Val Lauren, Actor.
Businesses
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Fry's Electronics (store #8)
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Health Net, Inc. headquarters
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Information Technology Channel main office
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Panavision headquarters
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United Online headquarters
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Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade
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Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga Plaza (borders Canoga Park)
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21st Century Insurance is headquartered in Woodland Hills.
The information herein was complied using sources deemed reliable (as noted throughout this book under “source”), including the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and Wikipedia. However, the information in this book is not guaranteed, and all users are advised to research any questions or concerns independently. Michael Trust Realty, its employees, assigns, Broker, or any others, assume no responsibility nor any liability for any inaccuracies contained herein.
Jul. 11, 2006
Categorized in: Real Estate
Tarzana
Location
It is surrounded by Reseda to the north, Woodland Hills to the west, Encino to the east, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. Major thoroughfares include Reseda Boulevard, Tampa Avenue, Wilbur Avenue, Burbank Boulevard and the commercial backbone of the south San Fernando Valley, Ventura Boulevard.
Most of Tarzana's inhabitants live in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains south of Ventura Blvd. North of Ventura, there is a uniquely designed area meant to emulate a more rural setting called Melody Acres. Tarzana contains two country clubs (with golf courses) nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains: El Caballero Country Club and Braemar Country Club. At the remote southern end of Reseda Blvd., there are a number of luxurious gated communities, including Mulholland Park, Silverhawk Ridge, Monte Verde and Braemar Estates.
North of the Boulevard, where a smaller portion of the population lives, there are fewer houses and more apartment buildings. Tarzana extends to Victory Boulevard, though only a small percentage of the population lives in the area.
Residents
There are approximately 28,484 residents. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial composition was predominantly White (78.9%), followed by Asian (5.6%), and Black or African American (3.8%).
American Indian or Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander each constituted less than one percent (0.3% and 0.1% respectively) of the population. 13.1% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. About 35.2% of the population in 2000 was foreign-born, including 21.9% that were born in Iran and 10.6% in Mexico.
Tarzana features a burgeoning Iranian-American population, and the community is well known for its Persian restaurants, booksellers, and language training institutes.
A thriving and long-established Jewish community attends four synagogues and provides the customer base for the first and only branch of the Hebrew language bookseller Steimatzky constructed outside of Israel. A number of popular and well-regarded delicatessens can be found in Tarzana, such as the Tarzana Armenian Grocery and Mort's Deli.
Notable residents include comedian Jeremy Hotz, actor Jamie Foxx, actor Chuck Norris, filmmaker John-Erik Jordan, KROQ's Kevin, Bon Jovi gutairist Richie Sambora his wife, actress Heather Locklear and frequent Star Trek guest star Hana Hatae.
Early History
The area now known as Tarzana was originally part of the San Fernando Mission, which was established in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries, who eventually displaced the indigenous population. Later on the area was seized by Mexico and then sometime afterwards, the United States, at which point the area came to be part of a sequential order of large cattle ranches owned by the wealthy and powerful local elites. Beginning in the 1870s, the area was purchased by investors who transformed it into a large-scale wheat farm operation.
In 1909 the surrounding area was purchased by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. General Harrison Gray Otis, founder and publisher of the Los Angeles Times, had invested in the company, while also purchasing 550 acres in the center of modern-day Tarzana. Another investor established a small town called Runnymede in the general vicinity and allocated the surrounding land for small poultry ranches and berry farms.
In 1915 Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the author of the Tarzan stories, purchased Otis’ land upon which he built a large home, and renamed the property, Tarzana Ranch. Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development, while the neighboring small farms were also converted to residential areas. In 1927, local residents renamed the town Tarzana in honor of Burroughs and his famous literary character.
Trivia
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Portola Middle School in Tarzana was used as a location for the movie Thirteen.
- In the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia , Tom Cruise's character, Frank T.J. Mackey, was born and raised in Tarzana. The climactic scene from that same movie occurs on the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way, a locus for many P.T. Anderson scenes.
The information herein was complied using sources deemed reliable (as noted throughout this book under “source”), including the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and Wikipedia. However, the information in this book is not guaranteed, and all users are advised to research any questions or concerns independently. Michael Trust Realty, its employees, assigns, Broker, or any others, assume no responsibility nor any liability for any inaccuracies contained herein.
Jul. 11, 2006
Categorized in: Real Estate
Encino
Encino is a district of Los Angeles, California, located in the central portion of the southern San Fernando Valley. It derives its name from the Rancho Los Encinos (Ranch of the Oaks), a parcel of land given to three Mission Indians by the Spanish government following its abandonment of the California missions in the early 1800s.
Geography
Encino is bordered by Tarzana on the west, the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area on the north, Sherman Oaks on the east, and the Encino Reservoir of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on the south. The district's boundaries are roughly Mulholland Drive on the south, Lindley Avenue on the west, Victory Boulevard on the north, and the San Diego Freeway on the east. Major thoroughfares include Ventura, Magnolia, and Burbank Boulevards, as well as Balboa Boulevard, Hayvenhurst Avenue, and Haskell Avenue.
Census data
As of the 2000 Census, the population of Encino was 40,946, with a population density 3,864.9 per square mile. 18.25% of the population was under 18, and 20.08% was over 64. The district contained 18,159 housing units in a land area of 10.59 square miles (27.44 square kilometers). Water covers 0.13 square miles (0.33 square kilometers) of the district.
Encino in popular culture
It is the setting of the 1992 comedy, Encino Man,
Encino is mentioned in Frank Zappa's 1982 hit song, "Valley Girl."
"The Point" from Fast Times at Ridgemont High was located in Encino (Encino Little League Field).
Encino was where Ali's family lived (Elisabeth Shue) in the movie "The Karate Kid". Their country club was Encino Oaks and lived on Alonzo Avenue.
Encino is where specials on the popular cartoon SpongeBob Square Pants takes place.
Encino is the setting of the first half of Chilean author Alberto Fuguet's novel Las películas de mi vida (The Movies Of My Life).
Encino is where, according to a recurring on-air gag, Match Game panelist Brett Somers would take host Gene Rayburn to a nice hotel after the show if she were "feeling frisky."
The Jackson Family have owned a mansion here since the 1970's, with all their children including Michael and Janet growing up there. Parents Joe and Katherine still live in the gated mansion on Hayvenhurst Ave in Encino.
Notable attractions
The Encino Velodrome has provided an outdoor oval bicycle racing track since 1963.
The information herein was complied using sources deemed reliable (as noted throughout this book under “source”), including the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and Wikipedia. However, the information in this book is not guaranteed, and all users are advised to research any questions or concerns independently. Michael Trust Realty, its employees, assigns, Broker, or any others, assume no responsibility nor any liability for any inaccuracies contained herein.
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