San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
region of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
In 1909, the Suburban Homes Company – a syndicate led by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, general manager of the board of control, along with Harry Chandler, H. G. Otis, M. H. Sherman and O. F. Brandt – purchased 48,000 acres of the Farming and Milling Company for $2.5 million. Henry E. Huntington extended his Pacific Electric Railway (Red Cars) through the Valley to Owensmouth (now Canoga Park). The Suburban Home Company laid out plans for roads and the towns of Van Nuys, Reseda (Marian) and Canoga Park (Owensmouth). The rural areas were annexed into the city of Los Angeles in 1915.
The town was founded in 1911 and named for one of its developers, Isaac Newton Van Nuys, a rancher and entrepreneur of Dutch ancestry. It was annexed by
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on May 22, 1915, after completion of the
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Owens Valley ...
, providing it with the water required for further growth. Van Nuys was the first new stop on the San Fernando Line of the Pacific Electric Railway red cars system, which boosted its early land sales and commercial success. From as far as Alhambra, in 1917, day trips were organized for potential buyers of five-acre farms.
Van Nuys became the Valley's satellite Los Angeles municipal civic center with the 1932
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
Valley Municipal Building (Van Nuys City Hall), a visual landmark and Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, starting the present-day Government Center complex of government services buildings.
In 1991, Marvin Braude, a member of the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...
, redesignated a 45-block area of Van Nuys as a part of Sherman Oaks. This redesignated area included the community of Magnolia Woods. Some area residents had presented a petition and several original deeds that stated "Sherman Oaks" to Braude. They argued that the area was a part of Sherman Oaks until the 1960s, when ZIP Codes labeling the area as Van Nuys were established.
In October 2005, the Metro Orange Line opened with two stations, Van Nuys station (Los Angeles Metro) and Sepulveda station.
In 2014, a "Great Streets" project was introduced by Mayor Eric Garcetti with Van Nuys Blvd. to be redesigned between Victory Blvd. and Oxnard Street. Also, Sepulveda Blvd. was resurfaced between Victory Blvd and Oxnard Street in May 2014. A new Los Angeles County family services building was built on the southwest corner of Van Nuys Blvd. and Saticoy Street in 2016.
Lake Balboa
Lake Balboa is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. The area was previously part of Van Nuys.Northridge.Colored map, Mapping L.A. ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' Its street and other boundaries are Roscoe Boulevard on the north, Sepulveda Boulevard, the Tujunga Wash, Woodman Avenue and Hazeltine Avenue on the east, Oxnard Street on the south, the Sepulveda Basin on the southwest and Odessa and Hayvenhurst avenues and Balboa Boulevard on the west.
Boundary changes
Some former Van Nuys neighborhoods won approval in 2009 by the Los Angeles City Council to break off from Van Nuys and join the neighboring communities of
Lake Balboa
Lake Balboa is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. The area was previously part of Van Nuys.Valley Glen, and Sherman Oaks in an effort to raise their property values. City Council member Tony Cardenas "suggested the change was motivated by racism."
Climate
Population
The 2000 U.S. census counted 136,443 residents in the 8.99-square-mile Van Nuys neighborhood—or 11,542 people per square mile. In 2000, the median age for residents was 28, considered young for city and county neighborhoods, and the percentages of residents aged 10 or younger and 19 to 34 were among the highest in Los Angeles County."Van Nuys," Mapping L.A. ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''
The neighborhood was considered "moderately diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles. The breakdown was
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
s, 60.5%;
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
s, 6%; and others, 4%. Mexico (41.5%) and El Salvador (17.3%) were the most common places of birth for the 49.8% of the residents who were born abroad—a high percentage for Los Angeles. There were 4,917 families headed by single parents or 21.3%, considered high for both the city and the county.
The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $41,134, considered average for the city, but low for the county. The percentages of households that earned $40,000 or less were high for the county. Renters occupied 73.9% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 26.1%.
Economy
Van Nuys Boulevard has a long and diverse commercial district along it, as do other major streets crossing through Van Nuys.
From December 1947 until August 1992,
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
operated an automobile factory called Van Nuys Assembly at Van Nuys Boulevard and Arminta Street to augment production efforts at their South Gate Assembly factory, which opened in 1936. The Van Nuys plant manufactured 6.3 million vehicles, including the Chevrolet Impala, Corvair, and later was the primary location for the Nova, Camaro, and
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months a ...
. Other models built were the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Chevelle, the Oldsmobile Omega, and the Pontiac Ventura.Badge engineered versions of the Impala, Nova and Camaro were also manufactured at this location. In October 1989, GM announced that Camaro and Firebird production would be moved to a facility in Sainte-Thérèse. Due to air quality remediation efforts and decreasing market share of GM products, the factory was closed.
In 1999, The Plant shopping center opened on the former factory site, anchored by big box retailers and a 16-screen movie theater multiplex. Through the following years there were additions to The Plant shopping center.
Sound City Studios is a well-respected recording studio in Van Nuys. Van Nuys, along with Chatsworth, is home to numerous pornographic film studios, distributors, and manufacturers.Grupo TACA operates a Van Nuys-area TACA Center at 6710 Van Nuys Boulevard.
Various parts of the 1984 film ''
The Terminator
''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in t ...
'' were filmed in Van Nuys.
Government services
The
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...
Los Angeles Police Department
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
operates the nearby Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6420 Sylmar Avenue, 91401, serving the neighborhood.
The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Civic Center Van Nuys Post Office at 6200 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys (closed and moved outside the Van Nuys civic center to 6531 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401) and the Van Nuys Post Office at 15701
Sherman Way
Sherman Way, nicknamed "The Way", is a major east–west arterial road that runs for across the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and Burbank, California, Burbank, California.
Name
Sherman Way was named after Moses Sherman, a major developer ...
Sherman Way
Sherman Way, nicknamed "The Way", is a major east–west arterial road that runs for across the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and Burbank, California, Burbank, California.
Name
Sherman Way was named after Moses Sherman, a major developer ...
west of Sepulveda Boulevard, but they closed that location and moved to a new location on Oakhurst and Plummer in Chatsworth in 2016. The agency serves a large population of developmentally disabled people living in the San Fernando Valley.
The
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...
once operated a branch office on Van Nuys Boulevard north of Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys. This location was closed in 2011, and moved to Panorama City on Roscoe Blvd and Van Nuys Blvd.
Parks
The Van Nuys Recreation Area is in Van Nuys. The area has an auditorium and gymnasium with a capacity of 420 people, and a multipurpose/community room with a capacity of 20–25 people. The area has barbecue pits, lighted baseball diamonds, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, lighted handball courts, an indoor gymnasium with no weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and lighted tennis courts.
Delano Park in Van Nuys has an auditorium, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, a children's play area, a lighted football field, an indoor gymnasium with no weights, picnic tables, and a lighted soccer field.
The Van Nuys adjacent Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area to the west is a large open space park behind Sepulveda Dam. The Metro Orange Line bicycle path connects Van Nuys to it and other valley destinations. It has numerous recreation facilities and natural areas, including a wildlife preserve, cricket complex, and archery range at Woodley Park.
The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park is in Sherman Oaks, near Van Nuys. The park has an auditorium, two lighted baseball diamonds, six unlighted baseball diamonds, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a 60-person community room, a lighted football field, an indoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and lighted tennis courts. Located in the same place as the park, the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool is a seasonal outdoor heated swimming pool.
The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Senior Citizen Center (a.k.a. Bernardi Center), also on the park grounds, has an auditorium and multi-purpose room. The senior community hall also has two community/meeting rooms, two kitchens, a play area, a shuffle board area, a stage, and two storage rooms.
The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Tennis Courts facility in the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park has eight courts.
Education
Fifteen percent of Van Nuys residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, an average figure for both the city and the county, but the percentage of the same-age residents who had less than a
high school diploma
A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...
(43.1%) was high for Los Angeles.
Schools within the Van Nuys boundaries are:
Public
The
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...
operates neighborhood public schools:
* Kittridge Street Elementary School, 13619 Kittridge Street
* Van Nuys Senior High School, 6535 Cedros Avenue
* Cohasset Street Elementary School, 15810 Saticoy Street
* Robert Fulton College Preparatory School, 7477 Kester Avenue
* Valerio Street Elementary School, 15035 Valerio Street
* Hazeltine Avenue Elementary School, 7150 Hazeltine Avenue
* Columbus Avenue Elementary School, 6700 Columbus Avenue
* Van Nuys Elementary School, 6464 Sylmar Avenue
*
Will Rogers
William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
Continuation School, 14711 Gilmore Street
* Sylvan Park Elementary School, 6238 Noble Avenue
* Van Nuys Adult School, 6535 Cedros Avenue
* NVOC- Aviation Center, 16550 Saticoy Street
Charter schools include:
* Charter High School of Arts — Multimedia and Performing, 6952 Van Nuys Boulevard
Van Nuys Middle School was moved into Sherman Oaks in 1991. The school continues to use the name "Van Nuys" despite the move.
Private
* Pacific Ridge School, 15339 Saticoy Street
* Crossroads School, 6843 Lennox Avenue
* St. Elisabeth School, elementary, 6635 Tobias Avenue
* Grace Christian Academy, 6510 Peach Avenue
* The Crawford Academy, 14530 Sylvan Street
* Children's Community School, 14702 Sylvan Street
* Montclair College Prep, 8071 Sepulveda Boulevard, has closed.
* Lycée International de Los Angeles previously operated a campus in Van Nuys.
Burbank
Burbank may refer to:
Places Australia
* Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane
United States
* Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County
* Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place
* Burbank, Illinois, ...
. It can be accessed via
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
Amtrak Thruway
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
1C daily bus connections, from Van Nuys station.
The FlyAway bus service travels hourly from its terminal at Woodley and Saticoy Avenues to
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
, and other
Los Angeles Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the Transportation in Los Angeles, public transportation system in Los Ang ...
lines. The Metro Busway also uses the Van Nuys station. All stations, and the neighborhood's major streets, are served by
Metro Local
The Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Metro Bus operates in the Los Angeles Basin, the San Fernando Valley, and th ...
, Metro Rapid, and/or other bus lines and systems. The Metro G Line bicycle path and pedestrian walkway runs in a landscaped zone alongside the entire route, to Pierce College, Canoga Park, and the Chatsworth Station on the west, and North Hollywood on the east.
Van Nuys also has
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
Pacific Surfliner
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is Amtrak's third-busiest service (exceeded in ridership only ...
and
Coast Starlight
The ''Coast Starlight'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland, Oregon, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, ...
Amtrak Thruway
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
1C provides daily connections from Van Nuys station to Santa Monica and Westwood/
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
.
Healthcare
Valley Presbyterian Hospital is a 350-bed hospital at 15107 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA 91405. It was founded in 1958 and initially designed by noted architect
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his Futurist architecture#Post-modern futurism, futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamer ...
. It has 350 beds, as well as an emergency room which can handle pediatric patients. Also in Van Nuys is the Southern California Hospital, at 14433 Emelita St, which is a psychiatric facility that provides no emergency services. The nearest
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente (; KP) is an American integrated delivery system, integrated managed care consortium headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield, Sidney R. Garfield, the ...
hospital to Van Nuys is Kaiser Panorama City Medical Center.
Brandon Boyd
Brandon Charles Boyd (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Incubus, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.
In addition to his work with Incubus, Boyd has released two solo alb ...
Steve Daines
Steven David Daines ( ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and former corporate executive serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since ...
, U.S. senator from Montana
* Rose Marie, actress and comedian
*
Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in American frontier, Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers ...
Michael Landau
Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record-producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchel ...
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
Kevin Mitnick
Kevin David Mitnick (August 6, 1963 – July 16, 2023) was an American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker. In 1995, he was arrested for various computer and communications-related crimes, and spent five years in prison ...
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...
Herbert Ryman
Herbert Dickens Ryman Jr. (June 28, 1910 – February 10, 1989) was an American artist and Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Imagineer. Ryman worked in watercolor, oils, and pen & ink sketches. In 1953 Ryman drew the first illustrations of Walt Di ...
, artist and Disney imagineer
*
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and radio personality, best known as the co-founder, bassist, primary songwriter, and only constant member of the hea ...
, musician
* Brody King, professional wrestler and musician
* Camryn Grimes, actress
* Bob Walk, baseball player and broadcaster
*
Bob Waterfield
Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach. A skilled player, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily as a quarterback, but also as a ...
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress. She began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award f ...
, actress
* Todd Zeile, professional baseball player
Notable places
* Van Nuys Boulevard
* Van Nuys City Hall
* Galpin Auto Sports – ''Pimp My Ride'' (seasons 5 and 6)
* Busch Gardens theme park (1964–1979), demolished
* Sound City Studios
File:Van Nuys Post Office 05.16.10 pic.JPG, Van Nuys Post Office
File:Erwin St. Mall, Van Nuys.JPG, Erwin Street Pedestrian Mall in Government Center
File:Govt Center, Van Nuys Blvd. and Erwin.JPG, Government Center, Van Nuys Boulevard and Erwin Street
File:Marvin Braude SFV Constituent Svc Ctr.JPG, Marvin Braude San Fernando Valley Constituent Service Center, at Government Center
File:Van Nuys State Office Building.JPG, Van Nuys State Office Building at Government Center
File:LA Muni Court, Van Nuys Div.JPG, Los Angeles Superior Court, Van Nuys Division, at Government Center
File:Van Nuys Library (new).JPG, New Van Nuys Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, Sylmar Avenue Mall
File:Van Nuys Community Police Station, 6240 Sylmar Ave Mall.JPG, Van Nuys Community Police Station, 6240 Sylmar Avenue Mall
File:Van Nuys Civic Child Development Ctr.JPG, Van Nuys Civic Child Development Center
File:Van Nuys Blvd and Delano.JPG, Van Nuys Boulevard and Delano St.
File:Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Van Nuys, CA.JPG, Valley Presbyterian Hospital
See also
*
History of the San Fernando Valley
The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farm ...
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...