Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.
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 and intersects Valley Circle Boulevard.
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[edit] History
Little is known about the Chumash Indians, who were this community's earliest settlers. When the first white men rode in with the Portola Expedition in 1769 to explore the beautiful hills and valleys, they encountered the Indians and called the area the Valley of the Oaks.
Just east of Woodland Hills, in North Hollywood, the treaty was signed to end the Mexican War. This cleared the way for California to be admitted to the union in 1850 as the 31st state.
Victor Girard Kleinberger bought 2,886 acres (12 km²) in the area and founded the town of Girard in 1922.[1] He sought to attract residents and businesses by developing an infrastructure, advertising in newspapers, and planting 120,000 trees.[1] Although his early efforts were criticized as providing only dubious facade of economic activity (local lore has it that in order to attract development he erected false store fronts on Ventura Boulevard, 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 ultimately successful in attracting interest in the community.
In 1941, the community was renamed Woodland Hills, an appropriate name owing to all the trees that Girard had planted years earlier. Harry Warner bought 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) in the area in the 1940s for a horse ranch. The modern Warner Center commercial zone is named for Harry and features high-rise buildings, hotels, and shopping centers. A major transit hub — the western end of the Orange Line — opened here in October 2005.
The population of Woodland Hills is approximately 70,000. The area is known around "The Valley" and is known as having the warmest weather in the City of Los Angeles.
Woodland Hills is often very hot during the summer. In July 2006, Woodland Hills recorded the highest temperature ever in Los Angeles County, hitting 119 °F (48 °C) at Los Angeles Pierce College.
[edit] Emergency services
[edit] Fire service
Los Angeles Fire Department Station 84 (Woodland Hills) and Station 105 (Woodland Hills) serve the community.
[edit] Police service
Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby West Valley Community Police Station [1].
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary and secondary schools
[edit] 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.[2] As of 2008 Marlene Canter represents the district.[3] Canter announced that she will not seek re-election after her term expires in June 2009.[4]
Elementary schools include:
Middle schools include:
High schools include:
[edit] Private Schools
[edit] Colleges and universities
Colleges and universities near Woodland Hills include:
[edit] Public libraries
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Race
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.
[edit] Median age
Median age: 40.8
[edit] Household size
Average household size: 2.66
[edit] Household income
Median household income (1999): $70,411
[edit] Median home cost
Zip 91364 (2007): $944,500
[edit] Cost of living
Zip 91364 (2007): 76.26% higher than the U.S. average.
