Neighborhoods of Agoura Hills, California

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The city of Agoura Hills, California is unofficially divided into a number of varied districts centered around the modern Downtown area of the city. The most notable of these districts include:

Downtown: This is the commercial heart of Agoura Hills, a district built mainly in the 1970's to replace the city's old heart in what is now the Historic Quarter. Downtown features a number of shopping centers, focused on Thousand Oaks Blvd. and Kanan Rd., the area's two main thoroughfares. Although in the past few decades much of the city's entertainment life had moved south to Whizin's Row, leaving a great deal of urban decay behind, there is a current renaissance of entertainment in downtown, fueled by the opening and redesign of a number of restaurants and cafes, as well as the construction boom in the South End.

Midtown: This residential neighborhood of modern detached homes built in the 1970's is located immediately west and south of Downtown, cutting it off from the South End. The neighborhood's character has created a rather bohemian culture, and the area is considered one of the most eclectic neighborhoods in Agoura Hills.

South End: This neighborhood is generally considered the southern edge of Downtown, and in recent years has been experiencing a construction boom, arguably in part due to its fortuitous location between Downtown and Whizin's Row. Historically, the area was pastoral land and a strawberry stand on Chesebro Rd. was the main attraction. In the 1990's, however, the area was built up at a rapid rate and today all that remains of the pastoral land is the hill separating Midtown from the Agoura Medical Plaza. The redevelopment of the Kanan Rd. interchange as of November 2006 is expected to improve the are'as aesthetic quality.

Upper Downtown: A residential district located just north of downtown, this area is famous for its parks and Crafstman-style homes.

Old Agoura: This district is commonly referred to just as "Agoura" in colloquial speech. The area's mix of spacious estates and Western style houses has made it a magnet for equestrian enthusiasts, A network of horse trails connects much of the area to the centrally located Agoura Horse Track.

East Agoura: East Agoura is arguably the most dense of Agoura Hills' districts, as the area contains a mix of apartment buildings and large offices as a result of frenzied construction in the 1990's. This district is located immediately south of Old Agoura, and the only major distinction between the two areas is the density levels in East Agoura. The exception to the density factor is found in the area surrounding Chumash Park near Agoura High School, a large, quiet suburban park walking distance from Downtown.

Whizin's Row: This district is considered Agoura's entertainment center, owing in large part to the construction of many hip restaurants and clubs in the last decade. Originally centered around the Whizin's Center and the accompanying movie theater, the area has in recent years expanded south towards the Santa Monica Mountains. A recent plan to redevelop the large segment of Agoura Rd. from west of Kanan Rd. to Roadside Dr. into a community based on the principles of New Urbanism has in recent years gained steam; however, planning is still in the prelimary stages.

Historic Quarter: Agoura Hills' historic quarter is made up of two sections- the buildings along and just south of Agoura Rd. that are akin to a town's Main Street, as well the development from Cornell Rd. on the north side to Agoura Rd. on the south which was built in a style similar to the other section, but is much more modern. This district's buildings are constructed in a style mixture of small-town Americana and another wood-based style reminiscent of Lake Tahoe architecture. The hills in this area's southern half offer stunning views of Agoura Hills, and the opening of a club and some restaurants in the area, as well as the historic Stage Door Theater, have given this once-forgotten district a taste of the liveliness it once had.

Forest Cove: This residential district is composed of relatively compact detached homes, some reminiscent of the French Colonial style of architecture, with the large Forest Cove Park as the community's center. On the southern edge of Forest Cove, in a subdistrict called Strawberry Hill, there are a number of medium density apartments with interesting architecture and Agoura Hills' fire station. For years, a large Hawaiian flag has flown over Strawberry Hill, leading some to christen the district "Little Hawai'i".

Morrison Ranch: This residential district of upper-middle class detached homes along Agoura Hills' north side is tranquil and relatively removed from the hubbub of Downtown. This area has some of the more recent housing developments Agoura Hills has seen, though most of the area was built in the 1980's.

Lake Lindero: This district of mostly middle-class detached homes is relatively dense, and covers both a large hill and the area surrounding the manmade Lake Lindero. The district, besides being famous for the beauty of the Lake, has in recent years become infamous for the existence of what is locally called "The Projects", an apartment complex on the district's south side.

Reyes Adobe: This district of detached homes centered around the historic Rancho Reyes Adobe complex (including a farmhouse and a museum), is relatively tranquil and isolated from the rest of the city, except through the arterial Reyes Adobe Rd.

North Village: This district of townhomes and detached houses is famous for its multitude of parks and its accesibility to Downtown. It borders Oak Park to the north.

Morrison Estates: This area was developed in the mountains north of Agoura Hills as a continuation of Morrison Ranch but with larger, less tasteful homes.