Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California

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"Van Nuys" redirects here. For other uses, see Van Nuys (disambiguation).

Van Nuys, California
Coordinates: 34°11′0″N, 118°26′00″W
County	Los Angeles
Area
- City	km²
Population
- City ()
Time zone	PST (UTC)
- Summer (DST)	PST (UTC)

Van Nuys is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The TV show Beverly Hills 90210 was filmed on a set in Van Nuys.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Notable locations 3 Education 4 Timeline 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Geography

Van Nuys is located at 34°11′00″N, 118°26′00″W (34.1833, -118.4333)^GR1.

== Lot sales begin at the new town of Van Nuys, California on February 22, 1911.^[1] The area is named after Isaac Van Nuys, who founded the San Fernando Homestead Association in 1869, a group which purchased much of land that now makes up the community. He also built the first wood frame house in the San Fernando Valley in 1872.

Van Nuys is in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and home to about 100,000 people; the main thoroughfare, Van Nuys Boulevard, is noted for its car dealerships. It also functions similar to a "county seat" for the Valley, with its Government Center (Erwin Street Mall) containing a branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys police station, the Van Nuys offices for Los Angeles City Hall, Van Nuys State Office Building and a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Van Nuys used to be the home for a major manufacturing plant for Chevrolet. When the plant was dismantled the site was converted into a shopping mall called The Plant.

Like many central Valley neighborhoods, Van Nuys was a white, middle-class neighborhood as late as the 1970s, but the demographics of the area changed considerably due to white flight. It is now a predominantly Latino neighborhood.

In late 2004, the San Fernando Valley's first historic district was proposed for an area of early 20th Century bungalows north of Victory between Van Nuys Boulevard and Kester. According to the November 23, 2004 Los Angeles Times, "The neighborhood has become a melting pot of ethnic groups and home styles. Many of the surviving prewar gems are fronted by Old Glory and valued at more than $400,000. Nearby stand such historic buildings as Van Nuys High School (1914), St. Elizabeth Catholic Church (1920) and the 12th Church of Christ Scientist (1932)."

[edit] Notable locations

• Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the world, the 5th busiest airport in the United States, and among the 20 busiest airports in the world by aircraft movements.
• The Japanese Garden
• Sepulveda Dam
• Busch Gardens Theme Park (1964-1979)
• Van Nuys FlyAway Bus service

[edit] Education

Van Nuys is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

• Van Nuys High School
• Birmingham High School
• Van Nuys Community Adult School (on the same campus as Van Nuys High School)

Beginnings

[edit] Timeline

See timeline.

1872 — Eugene Garnier buys Rancho Encino and erects house of limestone beside de Osa adobe. Isaac Van Nuys builds first wood-frame house in Valley.

1911 — Van Nuys settled. Pacific Electric Red Cars reach Valley from Los Angeles. Burbank and San Fernando officially incorporate.

1914 — Universal City opens as a studio-cum-town. Floods inundate Van Nuys and cut off Valley from Los Angeles.

1928 — St. Francis Dam break kills more than 400 people and ends career of William Mulholland. Metropolitan Field, the future Van Nuys Airport, opens. Stop signs posted at major intersections.

1932 —Van Nuys city hall built.

1942 — President Franklin Roosevelt orders all West Coast residents of Japanese heritage — including 3,100 in Valley, many of them Americans — relocated to inland camps. National Guard squadron at Griffith Park moves to new Van Nuys Army Airfield.

1943 — Birmingham Army Hospital built for paraplegic wounded at Balboa Blvd. and Vanowen St. in Van Nuys

1949 — Standard Airlines crash in Santa Susana Pass kills 35 people. Bethlehem Star Parade tradition begins in Van Nuys. Valley College opens.

1960 — Ventura Freeway completed across the Valley. National Guard jets leave Van Nuys Airport over noise complaints. Population of Valley hits 840,000.

1965 — Passenger helicopter service begins between Van Nuys and Los Angeles International Airport. Journalist Tom Wolfe writes of Valley car culture in The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Baby.

1966 — Busch Gardens amusement park opens in Van Nuys.

1970 —Women join assembly line at Van Nuys GM plant. Bethlehem Star Parade ends due to waning interest.

1992 —General Motors plant in Van Nuys closes.

[edit] References

1. ^ The Valley Observed. (Nov. 24, 2005). San Fernando Valley history and sense of place. Obtained Nov. 22, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Van Nuys (neighborhood)
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 34.1833° -118.4333°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA