Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California

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Sherman Oaks is an 8.1-square-mile district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout. In addition, residential densities are highly mixed, with apartment and condominium neighborhoods alongside single-story residential ones. The area is a hub for regional transportation, business, and shopping.

Citibank and City National Bank Buildings, corner of Ventura & Sepulveda
Citibank and City National Bank Buildings, corner of Ventura & Sepulveda

Contents

[edit] Geography

Village of Sherman Oaks - Van Nuys Blvd. at Ventura
Village of Sherman Oaks - Van Nuys Blvd. at Ventura

The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Studio City to the east, Van Nuys to the north, Encino to the west, Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the south.

Sherman Oaks is situated along the Los Angeles River, Ventura Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Beverly Glen Boulevard, and Sepulveda Boulevard.

The southern boundary has always been Mulholland Drive. The western boundary is Firmament as it crosses Ventura Blvd. The current northern boundary is Burbank Blvd. and the eastern boundary is Coldwater Canyon Ave. from Burbank south to Magnolia where it jogs west so as to reach Fulton Ave. at Ventura Blvd. The line then follows Longridge south to Mulholland.

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2000 census, and according to the San Fernando Valley Almanac, Sherman Oaks has a population of 52,677 people and 25,255 households. The racial makeup of the neighborhood is 3% African American, 5% Asian American, 11% Latino, and 82% White. Other races make up less than 1%. The median single family housing value as of August 2007 is $975,000.

[edit] History

Sherman Oaks was one of the first Valley communities to experience intensive real estate development. Anticipating the development of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, Los Angeles Suburban Homes Co. purchased 47,500 acres (192 km²) of the southeast Valley in 1910. In 1911, a subdivision map called Tract 1000 was filed with Los Angeles County. From that parcel, one of the partners in the company, General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, bought 1,000 acres (4 km²) for himself. In 1927, Sherman subdivided the property and sold the land for $780 an acre ($0.19/m²).

[edit] Government

Sherman Oaks is part of the city of Los Angeles and is represented in the Los Angeles City Council by Second District City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and Fifth District City Councilman Jack Weiss. The local neighborhood council is the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council. For county, Sherman Oaks is represented by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Third District county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. For state, representatives of Sherman Oaks are California State Assembly 40th District state Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, 42nd District state Assemblyman Michael Feuer, 21st District state Senator Jack Scott, and 23rd District state Senator Sheila Kuehl. For the Federal level, Sherman Oaks is represented by United State House of Representatives 27th District U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman and United State House of Representatives 28th District U.S. Rep. Howard Berman.

[edit] Economy

Many financial corporations, including banks and brokerage houses, are located in the area. Sunkist Growers, one of the country's oldest and largest agricultural cooperatives, has been rooted in Sherman Oaks for almost 30 years.

[edit] Emergency services

[edit] Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department operates Station 88 (Sherman Oaks), Station 78 (Studio City), and Station 102 (South Van Nuys/Valley Glen), serving Sherman Oaks.

[edit] Police service

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6420 Sylmar Avenue, 91401, serving the neighborhood [1].

[edit] Education

Sherman Oaks Ventura Boulevard Shopping District
Sherman Oaks Ventura Boulevard Shopping District

Sherman Oaks' primary and secondary public schools are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District [2].

[edit] Public schools

Public elementary schools in the area are:

Public secondary schools in the area are:

[edit] Private schools

Private and parochial schools in the area are:

[edit] Colleges and universities

Also located in Sherman Oaks is a learning center campus for the National University. Devry University has a campus in the Sherman Oaks Galleria

[edit] Libraries

Los Angeles Public Library operates the Sherman Oaks Branch.

[edit] Culture

Sherman Oaks is an affluent neighborhood, with several high-end fashion boutiques, and features many upscale houses and restaurants. One of the city's main claims to fame is the presence of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, a shopping mall identified as a meet-up place for the Valley girls, a 1980s cultural label which became widely known because of the 1983 movie Valley Girl and a song of the same name by Frank Zappa. In addition, a portion of the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High was filmed there. After being damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Galleria eventually was torn down and replaced by an open-air retail and office complex that bears little resemblance to the original mall. Other local shopping options include the Westfield Fashion Square (formerly known as Sherman Oaks Fashion Square), and an assortment of boutiques and restaurants located along Ventura Boulevard. Aerobics and Fitness Association of America operates in Sherman Oaks.

Every April and October, the Chamber of Commerce produces a popular Street Fair, closing down a half-mile stretch of busy Ventura Boulevard for booths, food, and entertainment (including rides for the kids). Upwards of 100,000 visitors stop by each year. Grand Marshals have included Coach John Wooden and actor/child-safety advocate Bryan Cranston (KidSmartz).

[edit] Media

Sherman Oaks has significant references in television.

  • The short-lived 1990s sitcom, Sherman Oaks, centered around a wealthy plastic surgeon living with his family in Sherman Oaks.
  • Parts of the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
  • Scenes from the popular show Desperate Housewives are periodically filmed in Sherman Oaks, most often at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park and Maxson's Drug Store.
  • The final scenes of the film Escape from New York were filmed in Sherman Oaks.
  • The Internet website Comics101.com operates out of Sherman Oaks.
  • On several occasions Scrubs (TV series) has filmed throughout Sherman Oaks.
  • Video game developer Spark Unlimited is based in Sherman Oaks.
  • Premiere Radio is based out of Sherman Oaks.
  • Sherman Oaks is also the home of Fox Sports Radio.
  • A flower shop on Ventura Blvd. was filmed at frequently for the HBO hit Six Feet Under.
  • Sherman Oaks is where Alan Harper's ex-wife Judith and son Jake live in the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
  • Virtual Instruments Magazine is published and edited in Sherman Oaks.
  • The mall scenes from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
  • The short-lived Showtime softcore-porn series, "Sherman Oaks" was supposed to take place in Sherman Oaks.
  • Scenes from Crash were filmed in Sherman Oaks
  • Richard Pryor stayed at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks in 1980, after lighting himself on fire when he was freebasing cocaine

[edit] Notable residents

Over the years, many notable people have lived in Sherman Oaks, including:

Actress Lisa Rinna and her husband, actor Harry Hamlin, own a clothing boutique on Ventura Boulevard called Belle Gray and are also residents of the neighborhood.

Ken Davitian, who played Borat's producer Azamat Bagatov in the 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, owns and operates a sandwich shop called "The Dip" at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Beverly Glen Boulevard.

Martial artist and Tae Bo creator Billy Blanks's original fitness center "Billy Blanks World Training Center" was located Ventura Boulevard until it closed in 2007.

[edit] Trivia

  • Sherman Oaks is home to Fire Station #88, the first out of town Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to respond following the September 11, 2001 attacks
  • Marilyn Monroe's first home as a 16-year-old newly-wed was on Vista del Monte
  • Liberace lived on Valley Vista Boulevard and had a piano-shaped pool complete with black keys
  • One of the shortest streets in Los Angeles (Fiume Walk) is in Sherman Oaks
  • Britney Spears got a tattoo in Body and Soul, a Sherman Oaks Tattoo parlor, after shaving her head in Tarzana on February 17, 2007.
  • The FOX network is currently developing a serial drama entitled "The Sherm". It will be patterned after "The OC" in an attempt to reclaim viewers that were lost due to the show's early demise.

[edit] External links

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Downtown · Eastside · Harbor Area · Greater Hollywood · Westlake & Silver Lake/Los Feliz · San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys · South Los Angeles · Westside · Wilshire