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, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...

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

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

into the city of Santa Clarita, it was an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

. It was the first permanent town in the Santa Clarita Valley.

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, Newhall is home to the William S. Hart Regional 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 the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

, 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 referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's '' The World's Greatest Athlete'' (1973). The TV series '' The Magnificent Seven'' 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 the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

officers were shot dead during a traffic stop of two heavily armed career criminals. The incident was known as the Newhall incident, 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, except for the far northeastern portion (bordering Canyon Country) which is served by the Sulphur Springs School District. 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.

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. The areas surrounding Old Town Newhall are predominantly Hispanic, and there are many Mexican restaurants. 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 School District); Newhall Metrolink station; Veterans Historical Plaza; First Presbyterian Church of Newhall; Unity Center mosque; Newhall Community Center; and the historic Saugus Train Station (Heritage Junction). The Walk of Western Stars is also a popular attraction. 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 whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

Climate

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

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Newhall has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, 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 actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

* Trevor Brown, former Major League Baseball catcher * Tyler Glasnow, Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* William S. Hart, silent film star * Andrew Lorraine, former Major League Baseball pitcherComplete Game: The Story of Andrew Lorraine, Part 1 of 3
/ref> * Eddie Mekka, actor * James Shields, former Major League Baseball pitcher * Brady White, 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