Sun Valley, Los Angeles

Sun Valley
Neighborhood of Los Angeles

Stonehurst Recreation Center building

Sun Valley. as delineated by the Los Angeles Times
Sun Valley

Location within Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley

Coordinates: 34°13′03″N 118°22′10″W / 34.2175°N 118.36944°W / 34.2175; -118.36944

Sun Valley is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood is known for its overall youthful population and moderate racial diversity.

The neighborhood was first known as Roberts, in the 1880s, and in 1896 it became known as Roscoe.

There are three recreation centers in Sun Valley, one of which is a historic site. The neighborhood has thirteen public schools — including John H. Francis Polytechnic High School and Sun Valley High School — and four private schools.

Population

The 2000 U.S. census counted 75,848 residents in the 9.42-square-mile Sun Valley neighborhood—or 8,048 people per square mile, about an average population density for the city. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 81,788. In 2000 the median age for residents was 28, considered young for city and county neighborhoods; the percentage of residents aged 10 or younger was among the county's highest.[1]

The neighborhood was considered "moderately diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a high percentage of Latinos. The breakdown was Latinos, 69.4%; whites, 17.9%; Asians, 8.1%; blacks, 1.9%; and others, 2.7%. Mexico (54.5%) and El Salvador (11.9%) were the most common places of birth for the 51.9% of the residents who were born abroad—a high percentage for Los Angeles.[1]

The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $51,290, considered average for the city but low for the county. The percentages of households that earned $20,000 to $60,000 were high for the county. Renters occupied 46.1% of the housing stock, and house or apartment-owners held 53.9%.[1]

Geography

Sun Valley is bordered on the northeast by Shadow Hills, on the southeast by Burbank, on the south by North Hollywood and Valley Glen, on the west by Panorama City and on the northwest by Pacoima, Hansen Dam and Lake View Terrace.[2]

Situated at the base of the Verdugo Mountains, Sun Valley is prone to flash floods, and one such flood on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 2237 (10:37 PM PST) destroyed a portion of the 8000 block of Tujunga Avenue and killed a Los Angeles City civil engineer when a sinkhole 30 feet deep opened.[3]

Nearby places

Relation of Sun Valley to nearby places, not necessarily contiguous:[2]

 Pacoima & Arleta Hansen Dam & Lake View Terrace, Shadow Hills & Sunland-Tujunga
Panorama City Verdugo Hills
   Sun Valley  
Van Nuys North Hollywood & Valley Glen Burbank

History

In 1874, California State Senator Charles Maclay (for whom Maclay Street in San Fernando is named) acquired 56,000 acres (230 km2) of land across the San Fernando Valley. The area extended from Sunland Blvd. all the way west to the Chatsworth Hills. East of Sunland was Rancho San Rafael, a large land grant to Jose Maria Verdugo by the Spanish Crown. By 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad was constructed through the eastern San Fernando Valley, linking Southern and Northern California.

Around the 1880s, Sun Valley was originally known as Roberts, which was the name of a general store—and the only business in the area. At that time, the area was classified as one of the five healthiest places in the United States to live (before smog), and, with the increased accessibility of the railroad, parcels of land in the area were being sold off to families coming to the area. The population of the Greater Los Angeles area at the time was about 200,000.

In 1896, Roberts changed its name to Roscoe. There is speculation that the name for the community came from a railroad employee by the name of Roscoe, who was killed in a train wreck during a train robbery near Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road. There are some spurious reports in later years that it was named after famous actor, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, after he had made movies on location in the area. However, Roscoe was already the name of the community before motion pictures were in widespread use. By 1905, there were seven families living in Roscoe. In (or around) 1915, the first gas pump on Route 99 (San Fernando Road/the main route between Glendale and Bakersfield) was installed at Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road by Alex Ratner. The Ratners were a new family in town and have remained active and supportive members of the community ever since. Ratner Street is named for this family. Adom Ratner-Stauber, involved in real estate development and property management in the area,[4] is the great-grandson of Alex. The change to the current name of Sun Valley was made in 1948 by residents in a movement spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce. Vestiges of the former name remain in the name of Roscoe Elementary School and the telephone exchange 76x-xxxx (RO[scoe]x-xxx). Note: The 76 prefix followed by a 7 was ROgers 7 -XXXX in Sun Valley. The prefix 76 followed by a 5 or 6 in North Hollywood was Poplar as in PO 5-xxxx and PO 6-XXXX.

Notable businesses

Economy

The Consulate-General of the Dominican Republic in the County of Los Angeles is located in Suite 204 at 9001 Laurel Canyon Boulevard.[6]

Government and infrastructure

LAFD Fire Station # 77

Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Station 77[7] is located in the Sun Valley area. The station is in the Battalion 12 district.

The United States Postal Service Sun Valley Post Office is located at 10946 Ratner Street.[8]

Education

One of every ten of Sun Valley residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a low percentage for both the city and the county. The percentage of the same-age residents with less than a high school diploma was high for the county.[1][9]

Schools within the Sun Valley boundaries are:[10]

Public

Private

Public libraries

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Sun Valley Branch.[12]

Parks and recreation

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sun Valley," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  2. 1 2 Map, Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  3. ↑ LAFD Blogspot, "City Civil Engineer Fatality in North Hollywood"
  4. ↑ Yelp listing for Ratner Property Management
  5. ↑ Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants
  6. ↑ "Dominican Consulates in the United States of America". Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the United States. Retrieved on January 31, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Los Angeles Fire Department — Fire Station 77".
  8. ↑ "Post Office Location - SUN VALLEY". United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Less Than High School," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  10. ↑ Sun Valley: Schools. Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  11. ↑ North Valley Service Area- East Valley Skill Center
  12. ↑ "Sun Valley Branch Library". Los Angeles Public Library.
  13. ↑ LA Parks - Sun Valley Swimming Pool & Slide http://laparks.org/dos/aquatic/facility/sunValleyPool.htm
  14. ↑ "Sun Valley Recreation Center." City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.
  15. ↑ LA Parks - Fernangeles Pool
  16. ↑ "Fernangeles Recreation Center". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Stonehurst Recreation Center". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sun Valley, Los Angeles.

Coordinates: 34°13′03″N 118°22′10″W / 34.2175°N 118.36944°W / 34.2175; -118.36944

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