Woodland Hills, Los Angeles

History

The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans of the Fernandeño-Tataviam and Chumash-Venturaño tribes, who lived in the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills and close to the Arroyo Calabasas (Calabasas Creek) tributary of the Los Angeles River in present-day Woodland Hills. The first Europeans to enter the San Fernando Valley were the Portola Expedition in 1769, exploring Alta California for Spanish mission and settlement locations. Seeing it from present-day Sepulveda Pass, the oak savanna inspired them to call the area El Valle de Santa Catalina de Bononia de Los Encinos (Valley of St. Catherine of Bononia of the Oaks). The Mission San Fernando Rey de España (Mission San Fernando) was established in 1797 and controlled the valley's land, including future Woodland Hills.

Ownership of the southern half of the valley, south of present-day Roscoe Boulevard from Toluca Lake to Woodland Hills, by Americans began in the 1860s. First, Isaac Lankershim (as the "San Fernando Farm Homestead Association") in 1869, then Isaac Lankershim's son, James Boon Lankershim, and Isaac Newton Van Nuys (as the "Los Angeles Farm & Milling Company") in 1873, and finally, in the "biggest land transaction ever recorded in Los Angeles County", a syndicate led by Harry Chandler of the Los Angeles Times with Hobart Johnstone Whitley, Gen. Moses Sherman, and others (as the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company) in 1910.

Victor Girard Kleinberger bought 2,886 acre in the area from Chandler's group and founded the town of Girard in 1922. He sought to attract residents and businesses by developing an infrastructure, advertising in newspapers, and planting 120,000 trees. His 300 pepper trees, forming a canopy over Canoga Avenue between Ventura Boulevard and Saltillo Street, became Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #93 in 1972. the area was described as "A small business district on Ventura Boulevard at Topanga Canyon Junction. The population is scattered, being found mostly throughout the surrounding agricultural country." The community of Girard was eventually incorporated into Los Angeles, and in 1945, it became known as Woodland Hills. Reference to the founding of Girard is part of the story arc in the first season of Perry Mason (2020).

Geography

Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley. Situated to the north is West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka, to the east is Tarzana, to the south is the Santa Monica Mountains, and to the west is Calabasas.

Running east–west through the community is U.S. Route 101 (the Ventura Freeway) and also Ventura Boulevard, the San Fernando Valley's main thoroughfare, whose western terminus is at Valley Circle Boulevard in Woodland Hills.

Climate

Woodland Hills can experience some of the more extreme temperature changes from season to season than other regions of the San Fernando Valley. During summer days, temperatures in Woodland Hills are often very high, and overnight winter temperatures can be among the lowest of the Valley. On September 6, 2020, Woodland Hills recorded the highest temperature ever in Los Angeles County, hitting 121 °F at Pierce College, tying with Chino's reading as the highest temperature on record in Southern California's coastal basin. The climate is classified as a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) in the Köppen climate classification, which is characterized by mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Precipitation in Woodland Hills averages much the same as most other regions of the west San Fernando Valley, although somewhat higher amounts of rainfall occur in the surrounding hills.

|Jan record high F = 93 |Feb record high F = 94 |Mar record high F = 101 |Apr record high F = 105 |May record high F = 113 |Jun record high F = 113 |Jul record high F = 119 |Aug record high F = 116 |Sep record high F = 122 |Oct record high F = 113 |Nov record high F = 101 |Dec record high F = 96 | Jan avg record high F = 82.9 | Feb avg record high F = 83.7 | Mar avg record high F = 88.3 | Apr avg record high F = 94.6 | May avg record high F = 97.8 | Jun avg record high F = 102.4 | Jul avg record high F = 106.5 | Aug avg record high F = 108.0 | Sep avg record high F = 107.3 | Oct avg record high F = 100.4 | Nov avg record high F = 91.1 | Dec avg record high F = 82.4 | year avg record high F = 110.5 | Jan avg record low F = 30.2 | Feb avg record low F = 32.0 | Mar avg record low F = 34.7 | Apr avg record low F = 37.5 | May avg record low F = 42.3 | Jun avg record low F = 47.6 | Jul avg record low F = 52.3 | Aug avg record low F = 52.5 | Sep avg record low F = 48.2 | Oct avg record low F = 42.0 | Nov avg record low F = 33.6 | Dec avg record low F = 29.5 | year avg record low F = 27.8 |Jan record low F=19 |Feb record low F=18 |Mar record low F=26 |Apr record low F=30 |May record low F=33 |Jun record low F=36 |Jul record low F=42 |Aug record low F=42 |Sep record low F=38 |Oct record low F=27 |Nov record low F=23 |Dec record low F=20

Demographics

In 2008, the population of Woodland Hills was approximately 63,000. The median age in 2000 was 40.

As of the 2000 census, and according to the Los Angeles Almanac, there were 67,006 people and 29,119 households residing in Woodland Hills. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 79.90% White, 6.97% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.34% African American, 0.33% Native American, 4.80% from other races, and 4.52% from two or more races. 11.94% of the population were Hispanic of any race.

In population, it is one of the least dense neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and the percentage of white people is high for the county. The percentage of residents 25 and older with four-year college degrees is 47.0%, which was high for both the city and the county. The percentage of veterans, 10.7% of the population, was high for the city of Los Angeles and high for the county overall. The percentage of veterans who served during World War II or Korea was among the county's highest.

The 2008 Los Angeles Timess "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Woodland Hills neighborhood statistics: population: 59,661; median household income: $93,720. The Times said the latter figure was "high for the city of Los Angeles and high for the county."

Iranian (8.8%) and German (7.8%) were the most common ancestries in 2000. Iran (27.7%) and the United Kingdom (4.8%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

Arts and culture

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Woodland Hills Branch Library (Ventura Boulevard) and the Platt Branch Library (Victory Boulevard) in Woodland Hills.

Parks and recreation

Woodland Hills is home to the Woodland Hills Country Club, a private equity golf club. The country club is complete with golf course, fine dining, and entertainment options.

The Woodland Hills Recreation Center (Shoup Park) is a 19 acre park in Woodland Hills. The park has a small indoor gymnasium without weights and with a capacity of 300 people, it may be used as an auditorium. The park also has a lighted baseball diamond, outdoor lighted basketball courts, a children's play area, a lighted football field, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and lighted tennis courts. Woodland Hills Pool is an outdoor seasonal unheated swimming pool.

The Warner Center Park, also known as Warner Ranch Park, is located in Woodland Hills. The park, unstaffed and unlocked, has a children's play area and picnic tables. Serrania Park in Woodland Hills is an unstaffed, unlocked pocket park. It has a children's play area, hiking trails, and picnic tables. Alizondo Drive Park in Woodland Hills is an unstaffed, unlocked, and undeveloped park used for brush clearance once per year.

Along the western boundary of Woodland Hills is the large Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, a regional park with a trail network for miles of hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian rides. The trailhead and parking are at the very western end of Victory Boulevard in Woodland Hills. Scheduled walks and programs are offered. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area has various parks nearby to the south of the community. The Top of Topanga Overlook gives panoramic views of the verdant Woodland Hills neighborhoods and the Valley.

Government

Local government

Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council is the local elected advisory body to the city of Los Angeles representing stakeholders in the Woodland Hills and Warner Center areas.

Woodland Hills is located within Los Angeles City Council District 3 represented by Bob Blumenfield.

State representation

Woodland Hills is within California's 46th State Assembly district represented by Democrat Jesse Gabriel and California's 27th State Senate district represented by Democrat Henry Stern.

Federal representation

• Woodland Hills is represented in the United States Senate by California's Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.
• Woodland Hills is located within California's 32nd congressional district represented by Democrat Brad Sherman.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Public schools serving Woodland Hills are under the jurisdiction the Los Angeles Unified School District. Much of the area is within Board District 4.

Elementary schools include:

• Calabash Street Elementary School
• Lockhurst Elementary School
• Serrania Elementary School
• Woodlake Avenue Elementary School
• Woodland Hills Charter for Enriched Studies
• Ivy Academia Entrepreneurial Charter School
• Calvert Street Elementary School

Middle schools include:

• Woodland Hills Charter Academy (formerly known as Parkman Middle School)
  • The school opened in 1959 as "Parkman Junior High School." It received its current name in 2006.
• George Ellery Hale Charter Academy

High schools include:

• El Camino Real High School
• William Howard Taft High School
• Henry David Thoreau Continuation High School

Adult School:

• West Valley Occuptional Center, 6200 Winnetka Avenue

Charter schools

• El Camino Real High School
• William Howard Taft Charter High School
• Ingenium Charter School – Kindergarten through Sixth Grade
• George Ellery Hale Charter Academy 6–8 grade
• Chime Charter School K-8
• Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies – K-5
• Calvert School for Enriched Studies – K-5

Private schools

• The Alexandria Academy – secular school serving First through Twelfth Grade
• Halsey Schools – 6 weeks – 6 years.
• Louisville High School – All-female Catholic High School
• St. Bernardine of Siena – preschool through Eighth Grade
• St. Mel – preschool through Eighth Grade
• Woodland Hills Private School – serving Preschool (starting at 2 years old) through Fifth Grade.

Lycée International de Los Angeles had a Woodland Hills campus, which had over 140 students as of 2001. This was in a public school building, rented from the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2001 LAUSD announced that it would not renew the lease.

Lycée Français de Los Angeles operated a San Fernando Valley campus in Woodland Hills, on the site of Platt Elementary School.

Colleges and universities

Colleges and universities in Woodland Hills include:

• Los Angeles Pierce College (part of the Los Angeles Community College District)

Infrastructure

Los Angeles Fire Department Station 84 (Woodland Hills) and Station 105 (Woodland Hills) serve the community.

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the Topanga Division station in Canoga Park which provides service to the Woodland Hills area.

Notable people

The Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, a private retirement, nursing care and acute-care hospital facility is reserved for industry professionals. The section includes some people who lived and/or died there, among other residents.

• Sara Paxton, actress
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse, actor
• Bud Abbott, actor
• Jacques Aubuchon, actor, lived in Woodland Hills at the time of his death
• Rick Auerbach, Major League Baseball player
• Orr Barouch, Israeli professional soccer player
• Justine Bateman, actress (Originally from Rye, New York)
• Roy Campanella, Major League Baseball player
• Helena Carroll, actress
• Mary Carver, actress
• Ted Cassidy, actor; his cremated remains are buried in an unmarked location at his former Woodland Hills residence
• Mary Dodson, art director
• Dr. Dre, rapper, producer, entrepreneur
• John Feldmann, musician, songwriter, and producer
• Jeff Fisher, NFL head coach, attended high school in Woodland Hills
• Andy Gibb, singer
• Raymond Greenleaf, actor
• Ryan Hurst, actor, producer, and director
• Buster Keaton, actor and director
• Chief Keef, rapper
• Jack Klugman, actor
• Cooper Koch, actor
• Ryan Lavarnway, Major League Baseball catcher
• Geoffrey Lewis, actor
• Mikey Madison, Academy Award winning actress
• Austin Matelson (aka Luchasaurus), professional wrestler, grew up in Woodland Hills
• Charles McPhee, author, talk-show host, "The Dream Doctor Show", Dream Researcher, 1962–2011
• Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, actress
• Janel Moloney, actress
• Angelo Moore, lead singer and saxophonist of the band Fishbone, was raised in Woodland Hills
• Dolores Moran, actress
• Nichelle Nichols, actress on Star Trek: The Original Series, recruiter for NASA
• Joy Picus, City Council member, 1977–91; Ms. magazine Woman of the Year
• Stephen Roberts, actor
• Rafa Sardina, 4-time Grammy Award and 10-time Latin Grammy Award winner recording and mixing engineer resides in Woodland Hills
• Tupac Shakur, rapper, writer, and actor
• Thomas D. Shepard, City Council member, 1961–67
• Tyler Skaggs, Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Dean Smith, Olympic sprinter, John Wayne's stuntman, and actor
• Jan Smithers, actress
• Russell Thacher (1919-1990), author and film producer who co-produced the films Soylent Green and The Last Hard Men together with Walter Seltzer
• Laurence Trimble, actor, writer, film director
• Troy Van Leeuwen, musician and record producer
• Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), musician, singer and composer. Captain Beefheart's definitive album Trout Mask Replica was composed and rehearsed in a communal house in Woodland Hills in 1968–1969
• Robin Yount, Hall of Fame baseball player

References

References

1. "Population and Race of Neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles, California".
2. (March 4, 2006). "Prehistoric milling site found in California". [[USA Today]].
3. (March 3, 2006). "Prehistoric milling site found in Azusa". [[The Mercury News]].
4. Roderick, Kevin. (2001). "The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb". Los Angeles Times Books.
5. (1997). "Los Angeles A to Z". University of California Press.
6. (September 19, 2011). "Thompson v. Los Angeles Farming & Milling Co., U.S. Supreme Court, 180 U.S. 72 (1901)".
7. Roderick (2001), p. 48.
8. "History (Woodland Hills)".
9. "Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments".
10. "Know Los Angeles county, by Wm. J. Dunkerley, under the direction of Leonard E. Read.".
11. "Woodland Hills".
12. NWS Los Angeles. (September 6, 2020). "All-Time Record High at Woodland Hills (Pierce College) today at 121° breaks the old record of 119° set on 7/22/2006".
13. (March 2024). "A History of Significant Weather Events in Southern California".
14. "World Maps of Köppen-Geiger climate classification".
15. "State of California: Precipitation".
16. "Climate: Los Angeles, CA". [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]].
17. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
18. "Woodland Hills".
19. "Woodland Hills Branch Library".
20. "Platt Branch Library".
21. "Woodland Hills Recreation Center".
22. "Woodland Hills Swimming Pool".
23. "Warner Center Park".
24. "Warner Ranch Park".
25. "Serrania Park".
26. "Alizondo Drive Park".
27. "Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch)".
28. "Top of Topanga Overlook".
29. "Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council".
30. "City of Los Angeles Council Districts".
31. "District 46 Map".
32. "2013–2014 Senate Districts".
33. "Find Your California Representative".
34. "States in the Senate: California".
35. "California's 32nd Congressional District – CA-32 Representatives & District Map".
36. "Board District 4 Map".
37. "Calabash Elementary School- Woodland Hills".
38. "Serrania Avenue Elementary School – Welcome to Serrania Avenue".
39. (September 16, 2017). "Best mini drone – Mini drones for sale".
40. "You are about to leave the LAUSD network".
41. "Ivy Academia PreK-12 Grade".
42. "Home".
43. "School History".
44. "West Valley Occupational Center".
45. "Infant Center & Preschool in Woodland Hills a.k.a. daycare & childcare".
46. "Home".
47. "Woodland Hills".
48. Ritsch, Massie. (January 9, 2002). "6 Private Campuses in Valley Face Eviction". [[Los Angeles Times]].
49. Lingre, Michele. (April 28, 1988). "Early Linguists : Private Foreign-Language Schools Give Bilingual Education a New Twist". [[Los Angeles Times]].
50. (September 24, 2002). "Special Closed Session Minutes 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 10, 2002".
51. "Fire Station 84".
52. "Station 105".
53. "Topanga Community Police Station".
54. (March 17, 2006). "All is going swimmingly for Aquamarine star Paxton". [[Kalamazoo Gazette]].
55. Strauss, Bob. (June 2009). "Christopher Mintz-Plasse's big sacrifice". Cineplex.com.
56. (April 25, 1974). "Bud Abbott, Straight Man To Lou Costello, Is Dead". The New York Times.
57. (January 3, 1992). "Jacques Aubuchon, 67, an Actor In Movies, Plays and TV Dramas". [[The New York Times]].
58. "Rick Auerbach Stats".
59. (December 2, 2011). "Fire Sign Orr Barouch".
60. LaPorte, Nicole. (November 5, 2014). "Justine Bateman On Pulling Off A Major Midlife Career Pivot".
61. Fox, Margalit. (April 10, 2013). "Helena Carroll, 84, Actress of Stage and Screen, Dies". The New York Times.
62. (October 27, 2013). "Mary Carver".
63. Ellenberger, Allan R.. (2001). "Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory". McFarland.
64. Barnes, Mike. (February 21, 2016). "Mary Weaver Dodson, Art Director on 'Murder, She Wrote,' Dies at 83". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
65. Leitereg, Neal. (July 16, 2019). "Dr. Dre lists longtime Woodland Hills manor for $5.25 million". [[Los Angeles Times]].
66. (November 19, 2012). "Celebrity Real Estate: Music Producer and Musician John Feldmann Lists in Woodland Hills".
67. (September 7, 2016). "The Jeff Fisher Show Debuts on ESPNLA 710 on September 13".
68. "In Memory of Andy and Hugh Gibb".
69. "Raymond Greenleaf".
70. (July 18, 2013). "'Sons of Anarchy' Star Ryan Hurst – Drops $1.7 Million ... On Mansion To Die For".
71. Meade, Marion. (1997). "Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase". Da Capo.
72. Simpson, Isaac. (November 6, 2014). "Was Chief Keef Too Gangster for Interscope?". [[LA Weekly]].
73. (January 4, 2013). "Jack Klugman Died from Prostate Cancer".
74. Weber, Bruce. (December 24, 2012). "Jack Klugman, Actor of Everyman Integrity, Dies at 90". [[The New York Times]].
75. Murphy, Chris. (October 10, 2024). "Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch Don't Think the Menendez Brothers Are 'Monsters'".
76. (July 17, 2007). "Jewish Sports Review Tabs Adam Amar and Joey Lieberman 2007 All-Americans".
77. Kaplan, Ron. (August 18, 2011). "One man's ceiling is another man's floor".
78. (August 16, 2011). "Red Sox prospect Ryan Lavarnway gets call-up, will play tonight". Jewish Baseball News.
79. Reyes, Traciy. (April 8, 2015). "Geoffrey Lewis, Dead: Hollywood Actor Known For Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood Movies Dies At Woodland Hills Home".
80. Madievsky, Ruth. (March 2, 2025). "Anora Star Mikey Madison Is Having a Fairy-Tale Year".
81. Osborne, Cary. (June 17, 2019). "'Luchasaurus,' a Reptilian Antihero and CSUN Alum, Takes the Ring".
82. (March 14, 2011). "Charles McPhee, Host of 'Dream Doctor' on Radio, Dies at 49". [[The New York Times]].
83. Derrick, Lisa. (May 18, 2018). "Mapping Meghan Markle's Los Angeles Life Before the Royal Wedding". LA Weekly.
84. "Janel Moloney".
85. Fuoco-Karasinski, Christine. (January 12, 2023). "Angelo Moore: A dose of soul with Dr. Madd Vibe". [[Pasadena Weekly]].
86. "Nichelle Nichols Hollywood Star Walk of Fame". [[LA Times]].
87. (June 24, 1991). "Spotlight on . . . Third District Councilwoman Joy Picus".
88. "Producer Rafa Sardina".
89. (January 6, 2000). "Burning His 'Bridges' in Beverly Hills". Los Angeles Times.
90. (July 7, 2017). "Tupac Shakur's last home hits the market for $2.66M". Vox Media, Inc..
91. (July 5, 1957). "Shepard Appointed". Los Angeles Times.
92. (March 19, 1961). "City Council Candidates". Los Angeles Times.
93. (June 2, 1961). "Shepard Asks End of Public Works Group". Los Angeles Times.
94. (March 28, 1965). "Incumbent Councilman One of Three in 3rd District Race". Los Angeles Times.
95. Kassel, Michael B.. (June 15, 1993). "America's Favorite Radio Station: WKRP in Cincinnati". Popular Press.
96. . (October 4, 1990). ["Russell Thacher, 71, Producer and Writer"](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/04/obituaries/russell-thacher-71-producer-and-writer.html). *[[The New York Times]]*.
97. (February 10, 1954). "Laurence Trimble Dies". [[The New York Times]].
98. (December 24, 2019). "Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen lands a secluded spot in Woodland Hills".
99. O'Connor, Pauline. (September 10, 2010). "Captain Beefheart's Cabin in Woodland Hills".
100. (January 8, 2011). "Sunday Q&A: Scout's honor: Yount was one of the Valley's best". Los Angeles Daily News.