Newhall is the southernmost and oldest community in the city of

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17 ...

. Prior to the 1987 consolidation of Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

into the city of Santa Clarita, it was an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

. It was the first permanent town in the

Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County, its main population center is th ...

History

The Tataviam village of Tochonanga was located at the area where Newhall stands today. Fifty villagers were brought to Mission San Fernando from 1797 to 1811. Descendants of the village continued to live in the Newhall area. Named after businessman

Henry Mayo Newhall Henry Mayo Newhall (May 13, 1825 – March 13, 1882) was an American businessman whose extensive land holdings became the Southern California communities of Newhall, Saugus and Valencia, and the city of Santa Clarita. Life Born in Saugus, ...

, Newhall is home to the William S. Hart County Park, featuring tours of the famous silent movie maker's

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

. Newhall is also home to the Pioneer Oil Refinery (

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

, No. 172), the oldest surviving oil refinery in the world and the first commercially successful refinery in California. Over the years, Newhall has been the location for many movies, including '' Suddenly'' (1954) and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's '' The World's Greatest Athlete'' (1973). The TV-series ''

The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay by William Roberts is a remake – in an Old West–style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film ''Seven Samurai'' (itself initially relea ...

'' was also for the most part filmed in Newhall. The Lyons Station Stagecoach Stop was located at what is now Eternal Valley Cemetery near the intersection of Newhall Avenue and Sierra Highway in east Newhall. On April 6, 1970, four

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...

officers were shot dead during a traffic stop of two heavily armed career criminals. The incident was known as the

Newhall incident The Newhall incident, also called the Newhall massacre, was a shootout on April 5–6, 1970, in Valencia, California, between two heavily armed criminals and four officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). In less than five minutes, the fo ...

, although it took place in present-day

. This led to increased emphasis on officer safety both within the CHP and nationwide.

Education

The Master's University, a non-denominational Christian liberal arts university, is located in Newhall. At the elementary school level, Newhall is almost entirely served by the

Newhall School District The Newhall School District is an elementary school district in the Santa Clarita Valley that serves the Valencia and Newhall communities within the city of Santa Clarita, California, as well as the Stevenson Ranch community in unincorporated L ...

, except for the far northeastern portion (bordering Canyon Country) which is served by the

Sulphur Springs School District The Sulphur Springs School District is an Primary school, elementary school district in Los Angeles County, California. It serves the east side of the Santa Clarita Valley, including most of Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, Canyon Coun ...

. At the middle and high school levels, Newhall is served by Placerita and La Mesa Junior High Schools, and Hart and Golden Valley High Schools, all part of the

William S. Hart Union High School District The William S. Hart Union High School District (commonly referred to simply as the Hart District) is a school district in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County, California. It serves all of the valley's high school students (grades 9– ...

Old Town Newhall

The historic district of Old Town Newhall (a.k.a. Downtown Newhall) is a major cultural and business center. It contains many independent restaurants, stores, and theaters, as well as a public library. Notable businesses in Old Town Newhall include Newhall Refinery (a

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves gourmet comfort food. The term was coined in the 1990s, though similar brewpubs existed during the 1980s. Etymology The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coined in 1991, when David E ...

), Newhall Press Room, The Old Town Junction, Brewery Draconum, Jazmin's Bakery, Commando Military Surplus, Pulchella Winery, National Glass, The Schiitr (a home audio store), Placerita Liquor, Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, and Hotel Lexen. The areas surrounding Old Town Newhall are predominantly Hispanic, and there are many Mexican restaurants including La Charrita, El Pueblo, El Taco Llama, and El Pariente. Theaters in Old Town Newhall include Canyon Theater Guild, The Main, and Laemmle. The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market is located on the grounds of the public library. Other notable sites in the area include the William S. Hart Park; Newhall DMV; Newhall Elementary School (part of the

); Newhall Metrolink station; Newhall Terrace, Newhall Crossings, and Californian apartment complexes; Veterans Historical Plaza; First Presbyterian Church of Newhall; Unity Center mosque; Newhall Community Center; and the historic Saugus Train Station (Heritage Junction). The official Old Town Newhall website describes it as "Santa Clarita's premier arts and entertainment district." The Hart and Main wedding and event venue is scheduled to open in spring 2022. Some of the recent developments in Old Town Newhall have been described as

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

Climate

This region experiences hot and dry summers, along with mild, rainy winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Newhall has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Notable people

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

, singing cowboy actor * Jake Bird (born 1995), Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

* Trevor Brown, Major League Baseball catcher * Tyler Glasnow, Major League Baseball pitcher * William S. Hart, silent film star *

Andrew Lorraine Andrew Jason Lorraine (born August 11, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1994 to 2002 for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chica ...

, Major League Baseball pitcherComplete Game: The Story of Andrew Lorraine, Part 1 of 3
/ref> *

Eddie Mekka Edward Rudolph Mekjian (June 14, 1952 – November 27, 2021), known professionally as Eddie Mekka, was an American actor, best known for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the hit television sitcom ''Laverne & Shirley''. Early life Mekka was born in ...

, actor * James Shields, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Brady White Brady White is an American football quarterback for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL). He began his college football career at Arizona State University, before becoming a graduate transfer to the University of Mem ...

, college football quarterback

References

Notes

External links

* (Photos, text, TV shows)
Newhall Information on SantaClarita.com

Hub for Newhall history and redevelopment info
{{authority control Neighborhoods in Santa Clarita, California