Valencia, Santa Clarita, California

Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
Neighborhood of Santa Clarita

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Valencia, Santa Clarita, California

Position in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Coordinates: 34°27′16.1496″N 118°34′16.1934″W / 34.454486000°N 118.571164833°W / 34.454486000; -118.571164833Coordinates: 34°27′16.1496″N 118°34′16.1934″W / 34.454486000°N 118.571164833°W / 34.454486000; -118.571164833
Country  United States of America
State  California
County Los Angeles
City Santa Clarita
Elevation[1] 1,017 ft (310 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 32,605
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code 91355
Area code(s) 661
GNIS feature ID 2583151
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
A typical stretch of Newhall Ranch Road. The bridge carries a paseo over the roadway.

Valencia is a neighborhood of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County, California. It is located in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley adjacent to Interstate 5. A formerly independent planned community, it was one of the four unincorporated communities (along with Saugus, Newhall, and Canyon Country) that merged to create the city of Santa Clarita, California, in 1987. As of 2010, the population of the 91355 zip code was 32,605 and the estimated median household income was $88,744.[2] In 2006, Santa Clarita was ranked as one of the top 100 places to live by Money magazine.[3] Valencia is home to the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park and the adjacent Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park.

History

In 1769, the Spanish Portola expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, came up and over the pass from the San Fernando Valley and camped near the river on August 8–9. They found a large native village there and witnessed a wedding celebration. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary travelling with the expedition, named the river Santa Clara and noted in his diary that the place would be a good location for a mission. On the return trip, however, the party found a less strenuous trail through Conejo Valley. Later travelers also preferred that route, and Mission San Fernando Rey de España was established down in the valley.[4]

Valencia was first planned in the 1960s by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. Development began in the 1960s and continues to the present day. Valencia is notable for its landscaped boulevards connecting a mix of apartment buildings, single-family detached homes, shopping centers, office parks and industrial warehouses. Major schools in Valencia include California Institute of the Arts, College of the Canyons, West Ranch High School, and Valencia High School.

Community

Valencia's residential areas are separated into villages, each with its own lifestyle (see List of Valencia, California residential villages). Almost all of Valencia's villages are close to schools, shopping, etc. In many of the villages, homeowner associations oversee the quality and upkeep of housing developments ranging in size from a few dozen homes to over a thousand. Many villages also have a Neighborhood Watch program in force.

Valencia also has an extensive system of paved pathways with grade separations over and under the streets and boulevards. The pathways are called paseos. These paseos connect the entire community together, making it possible to travel throughout nearly all of Valencia on foot or by bicycle without ever crossing a street. The paseo network is connected to the Santa Clara River Trail which runs east along the Santa Clara River to Canyon Country. Landowners in the Valencia area pay special taxes to maintain landscaping and the paseo system.

Recently, Valencia has emphasized its history as a planned community with the catchphrase, "Built as promised". It has even gone as far as to unofficially brand itself as "Awesometown", using the tagline "Just Another Day in...Awesometown" on the website.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
  2. ↑ "Community Facts" American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau
  3. ↑ "MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2006: Top 100 1-25". CNNMoney. Cable News Network. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  4. ↑ Bolton, Herbert E. (1927). Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769-1774. HathiTrust Digital Library. pp. 152–155. Retrieved April 2014.
  5. ↑ Beach volleyball information page
  6. ↑ "Taylor Lautner Wants to Go Back to School". Extratv.warnerbros.com. June 29, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Naya Rivera Bio". UsMagazine.com.
  8. ↑ "Michael Trevino Biography". Mostbeautifulman.com.
  9. ↑ Berry, Zuri (April 29, 2011). "Patriots select RB Shane Vereen with the 56th pick". NY Times Co.
  10. ↑ "Playmate data".
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