Tarzana, Los Angeles

Tarzana
Neighborhood of Los Angeles

Boundaries of Tarzana as drawn by the Los Angeles Times
Tarzana

Location within Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley

Coordinates: 34°10′24″N 118°33′11″W / 34.17333°N 118.55306°W
Country United States
State California
County Los Angeles
City Los Angeles
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 91356, 91357
Area code(s) 818
Website Tarzana Neighborhood Council

Tarzana /tɑrˈzænə/ is an affluent, highly educated neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is a mostly residential community on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' storybook jungle character hero, Tarzan.

History

The area now known as Tarzana was occupied in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries who established the San Fernando Mission. Later absorbed by Mexico, the land was ceded to the United States in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War. Under US rule it evolved into a series of large cattle ranches owned by local elites. Investors took over in the 1870s, turning grazing into large-scale wheat farm operation.

The area was purchased in 1909 by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. LA Times founder and publisher General Harrison Gray Otis invested in the company and also personally acquired 550 acres (2.2 km2) in the center of modern-day Tarzana.[1]

In February 1919, Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the popular Tarzan novels, arrived in California with his family, relocating from Oak Park, Illinois. He and his family had wintered in Southern California twice before, and he found the climate ideal. On March 1, Burroughs purchased Otis’s tract and established Tarzana Ranch.[2] Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development with neighboring small farms following suit.

Geography

Providence Tarzana Medical Center

Boundaries

Tarzana, which measures 8.79 square miles, is bounded on the south by Topanga State Park, on the east by Encino, on the north by Reseda and on the west by Woodland Hills.[3][4][5]

Victory Boulevard marks the northern edge of the neighborhood, Lindley Avenue the eastern, Corbin Avenue, with a jog to Oakdale Avenue, the western, and Topanga State Park the southern.[4][6]

Population

The U.S. census counted 35,502 people living in Tarzana in 2000, and Los Angeles estimated the neighborhood's population at 37,778 in 2008. There were 4,038 people per square mile, among the lowest population densities in the city.[4]

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial composition was predominantly white (70.7%), followed by Asian (5%), and black or African American (3.6%). The Los Angeles Times considered the area as "moderately diverse". Thirty-five percent of the population was foreign-born. Iran (24.2%) and Mexico (12.1%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[4]

The percentage of divorced men and women was among the county's highest. Some 9% of the residents were military veterans, considered high for the city of Los Angeles. The percentages of residents aged 50 and older were among the county's highest. The median age, 38, was old when compared to the rest of the city and the county. The median household income in 2008 dollars was considered high, at $73,195.[4]

Notable people

Education

Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies

A total of 40.3% of Tarzana residents aged 25 and older have earned a four-year degree. Percentages of those residents with a bachelor's degree or with a master's degree are also high for the county.[4]

Elementary and secondary schools

Schools within Tarzana are:[6][17]

Postsecondary schools

Public libraries

Encino-Tarzana Branch

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Encino-Tarzana Branch on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana.[19]

Parks and recreation

The Tarzana Recreation Center has a gymnasium that also is used as an auditorium; the building's capacity is 600. The park also has barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, an indoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, and lighted volleyball courts.[20]

Filming location

See also

References

  1. ↑ Laura Pulido; Laura Barraclough; Wendy Cheng (24 March 2012). A People's Guide to Los Angeles. University of California Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-520-95334-5. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Griffin, Scott Tracy (2012). Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration. Titan Books. pp. 276–278. ISBN 978-1781161692.
  3. ↑ "San Fernando Valley", Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times website
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Tarzana" Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times website
  5. ↑ Bing maps
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Thomas Guide, 2006, pages 530 and 560]
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Trulia (November 2014). "Iggy Azalea And Nick Young Buy Selena Gomez's Mansion". Forbes. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Cieply, Michael (18 April 2012). "Paul Thomas Anderson Film May Be About Scientology". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ http://robhasawebsite.com/
  10. ↑ Celebrity Home Database
  11. ↑ according to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at
  12. ↑ http://www.biography.com/people/jon-lovitz-23018
  13. ↑ FUENTES, GABE (August 23, 1987). "Missing Man Is Accused of Murdering Wife". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  14. ↑ NetworkA (15 January 2013). "Paul Rodriguez Life: The Other Half Ep. 5, Part 2" (VIDEO UPLOAD). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  15. ↑ McAlevey, Peter (1997-11-23). "King of 'The Jungle'; Jim Rome Turned Sports Talk Radio Into a Howard Stern-ish Free-for-All. Not Everyone Is Glad He Did.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-20{{inconsistent citations}}
  16. ↑ Strauss, Bob (December 18, 2010). "Thousand Oaks teen Hailee Steinfeld earns nods for big role in 'True Grit'". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Tarzana Schools", Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  18. ↑ GreatSchools.com
  19. ↑ "Encino - Tarzana Branch Library". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Tarzana Recreation Center". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.
  21. ↑ http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3510668

External links

 Winnetka Reseda, Los Angeles Sepulveda Basin & Van Nuys
Woodland Hills Encino, Los Angeles
   Tarzana  
Topanga Canyon Topanga State Park Brentwood

Coordinates: 34°10′24″N 118°33′11″W / 34.17333°N 118.55306°W