Westlake Village, California | |
---|---|
![]() Aerial view of the Westlake subdivision | |
![]() Location of Westlake Village in Los Angeles County | |
Coordinates: 34°8′31″N118°49′10″W / 34.14194°N 118.81944°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles |
Region | Conejo Valley |
Incorporated (city) | December 11, 1981 [1] |
Government | |
• Type | Council-Manager |
• Mayor | Brad Halpern |
• Mayor Pro Tem | Ray Pearl |
• City Council | Kelly Honig Ned E Davis Susan McSweeney |
• City Manager | Rob de Geus |
• Deputy City Manager | Philippe Eskandar |
Area | |
• Total | 5.51 sq mi (14.26 km2) |
• Land | 5.19 sq mi (13.43 km2) |
• Water | 0.32 sq mi (0.83 km2) 5.80% |
Elevation | 880 ft (268 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 8,029 |
• Density | 1,500/sq mi (560/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
ZIP Code | 91359, 91361, 91362 [4] |
Area code | 747/818 |
FIPS code | 06-84438 |
Website | www |
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California on its western border with Ventura County. It incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County. [5] [6] The population of the city was 8,029 at the 2020 census, down from 8,270 at the 2010 census. [3]
The city is named after the master-planned community of Westlake to avoid confusion with the Los Angeles neighborhood of the same name. [7] With a lake at the center, the community straddles the line between Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Roughly two-thirds of the community was previously annexed into the city of Thousand Oaks.
About 3,000 years ago, the Chumash moved into the region and lived by hunting rabbits and other game, and gathering grains and acorns. Excavations, archaeological sites, and polychrome rock paintings in the area provide a glimpse into the social and economic complexity of the ancient Chumash world. [8] [9] [10]
A Chumash village was settled here in 500 BCE, known as Hipuc. [11] The Chumash Indians gathered and prepared acorns and other seeds. These were collected in the fall. The Chumash also hunted wild animals, fish and gathered plants. Their diet consisted of acorns, gophers, cottontail rabbits, skunks, jack rabbits, rats, mice, and seeds. They made their clothing from the skins of animals such as rabbits, deer, and sea otters. Women wore long skirts woven from grass or soft bark, while men wore pieces of deerskin tied around their waists. Both men and women painted designs on their bodies and wore shell beads. [12]
On a return trip from Northern California in January 1770, a group of men led by Gaspar de Portolá are believed to be the first Europeans to encounter the Chumash Indians in the Conejo Valley. Father Juan Crespí, chaplain and diarist of the expedition, wrote about El Triumfo, a Chumash village. He wrote that there was plenty of water and firewood in the village, and that the land was covered with pastures. He wrote: "We are on a plain of considerable extent and much beauty, forested on all parts by live oaks and oak trees, with much pasturage and water." Crespí named the place El triunfo del Dulcísimo Nombre de Jesús (in English: The Triumph of the Sweetest Name of Jesus) to a camping place by a creek.
Other villages were found throughout the valley, including Satwiwa and two villages near Ventu Park Road in Newbury Park. These Chumash villages are believed by archeologists to have first been settled over 2,000 years ago. Another village was located by Lake Sherwood. [13]
In 1795, the area became part of one of the first Spanish land grants, Rancho Simi, given to the Pico family of California. When Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, Alta California became Mexican territory, and the Rancho Simi grant was confirmed in 1842.
At the time California was admitted to the union in 1850, most of the land that later became Ventura County was divided among only 19 families. Rising knolls, arroyos, barrancas and ancient oaks were found on two Mexican land grants: Rancho El Conejo and Rancho Las Virgenes.[ citation needed ]
In 1881, the Russell brothers purchased a large portion of the land for cattle ranching. According to Patricia Allen, historian and family descendant, Andrew Russell beat the competition in buying the land by racing across 6,000 acres (24 km2) on a fifteen-minute trip in a buckboard and sealed the deal with a $20 gold piece. The price per acre was $2.50. The area continued to be known as the Russell Ranch although it was sold in 1925 to William Randolph Hearst and again in 1943 to Fred Albertson. The Russell family leased back part of the land to continue its successful cattle ranch operation while the Albertson Company used the vast area as a movie ranch. Many movies and television shows were filmed in the Conejo Valley, including Robin Hood , King Rat, Laredo, and various episodes of Tarzan , Buck Rogers, Gunsmoke and Bonanza . The 1940 film Danger Ahead was filmed on Westlake Boulevard. [14]
In 1963, Daniel K. Ludwig's American-Hawaiian Steamship Company bought the 12,000 acre (49 km2) ranch for $32 million and, in partnership with Prudential Insurance Company, commissioned the preparation of a master plan by architectural and planning firm A. C. Martin and Associates. [7] This new "city in the country" planned to have a firm economic base including commercial areas, residential neighborhoods, and ample green space with the lake as a focal point. Prominent architects, engineers, and land planners participated in designing the new community, a distinctive example of planned 1960s-style suburbanism. [15] [16] [17] [18]
The original tract was divided by the Los Angeles/Ventura county line. In 1968 and 1972, two portions of the Westlake development consisting of 8,544 acres (35 km2) on the Ventura County side were annexed into the city of Thousand Oaks. [19] In 1981, the Los Angeles County portion (3,456 acres (13.99 km2) or roughly 1/3) of the Westlake master-planned community was incorporated as the City of Westlake Village. California state law prevents a city from existing in two separate counties. [20]
In addition to being a bedroom community for Los Angeles via the Ventura (101) Freeway, it is also home to many large commercial offices and the headquarters of the Dole Food Company, K-Swiss and J.D. Power and Associates. The western region office (Region 5) of Anheuser-Busch Inc. is also located in the community. Pacific Coast Highway, and the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway also run nearby. It is a short drive to the mall in Thousand Oaks.
Much of Westlake Village is surrounded by open space, including hiking and horse trails, as well as the vast Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. [21] The town is in the northwestern Santa Monica Mountains area, and is 9 miles (14 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean. The area is within a wildlife corridor linking the Santa Monica Mountains with other undeveloped habitat. Mountain lions have been seen roaming the neighborhoods. [22] The lake lies within the watershed of Malibu Creek. Water from the lake must be released into the creek in compliance with an agreement between the California State Water Resources Control Board and the Westlake Lake Management Association, a private entity that oversees the operation of the lake. [23]
The area has several golf courses: the Westlake Golf Course, Sherwood Country Club, and North Ranch Country Club.
Over one half of the original "Westlake" development lies west across the county line, wholly within the city limits of Thousand Oaks. This boundary which divides the Incorporated City of Westlake Village, and Thousand Oaks portion of Westlake Village, crosses over the Westlake Golf Course, halfway between Lakeview Canyon and Lindero Canyon roads, and half of the Lake itself. Lake Sherwood is nearby.
The City of Westlake Village is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) West of downtown Los Angeles in the Conejo Valley. Other communities in the surrounding area include Thousand Oaks, Oak Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Newbury Park, and Malibu.
Coastal breezes sweep through canyons to allow Westlake to sometimes be up to 10 degrees cooler and considerably less hazy than nearby San Fernando Valley during the summer months. However, it generally remains 10 degrees hotter than the coastal plains below the Conejo Grade, in the communities of Santa Rosa Valley, Camarillo, and Ventura among others.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | 7,455 | — | |
2000 | 8,368 | 12.2% | |
2010 | 8,270 | −1.2% | |
2020 | 8,029 | −2.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [24] |
The 2010 United States Census [25] reported that the self-incorporated portion of Westlake Village, on the Los Angeles County side, had a population of 8,270. The population density was 1,502.4 inhabitants per square mile (580.1/km2). The racial makeup of Westlake Village was 7,326 (88.6%) white (83.9% non-Hispanic white), [26] 98 (1.2%) African American, 12 (0.1%) Native American, 490 (5.9%) Asian, 13 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 114 (1.4%) from other races, and 217 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 533 persons (6.4%).
The Census reported that 8,142 people (98.5% of the population) lived in households, 121 (1.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 7 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,262 households, out of which 971 (29.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,985 (60.9%) were married couples living together, 292 (9.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 119 (3.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 103 (3.2%) unmarried partnerships. 712 households (21.8%) were made up of individuals, and 376 (11.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50. There were 2,396 families (73.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.
The population was spread out, with 1,737 people (21.0%) under the age of 18, 479 people (5.8%) aged 18 to 24, 1,380 people (16.7%) aged 25 to 44, 2,917 people (35.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,757 people (21.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
There were 3,384 housing units at an average density of 614.7 per square mile (237.3/km2), of which 2,745 (84.2%) were owner-occupied, and 517 (15.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 6,906 people (83.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,236 people (14.9%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Westlake Village had a median household income of $112,083, with 3.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line. [26]
As of the census [27] of 2000, there were 8,469 [28] people, 3,270 households, and 2,491 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,605.9 inhabitants per square mile (620.0 inhabitants/km2). There were 3,347 housing units at an average density of 642.3 per square mile (248.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.70% White, 6.08% Asian, 0.82% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races, plus one of California's largest communities for Russian American and American Jewish ancestral groups. [ citation needed ] Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population. Many locals (the Conejo Valley and Simi Valley region in general) were of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish ethnic origins. [ citation needed ]
The median income for a household in the city was $120,089, [28] and the median income for a family was $148,885. [29] The per-capita income for the city was $137,355 [30] in 2007, while the median home price was (as of 2007) $1,163,800. [30]
There were 3,270 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the age distribution of the population showed 23.8% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. About 2.5% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Dole Food Company is headquartered in Westlake Village. In 1994, Dole announced that it would finalize its plans to build its world headquarters on a 30-acre (120,000 m2) site owned by the company, located north of the Ventura Freeway in Westlake Village. The decision had been delayed by groundwater contamination tests and reviewing of possible site plan revisions. Dole was expected to submit its plans for final approval by the Westlake Village City Council on February 9, 1994. [31] K-Swiss, Guitar Center, PennyMac Loan Services and Ryland Homes also have their headquarters in Westlake Village. [32]
According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, [33] the top employers in the city are:
# | Employer | # of Employees |
---|---|---|
1 | Bank of America | 1,150 |
2 | Four Seasons Hotel | 500 |
3 | Move Inc. | 300 |
4 | iPayment | 300 |
5 | Costco | 275 |
6 | Oaks Christian School | 250 |
7 | Conversant | 225 |
8 | Target | 200 |
9 | Warner Pacific Insurance | 175 |
10 | Call Source | 150 |
Adjacent to Westlake Village is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which offers nature trails for hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, equestrians, picnickers, and campers. [34]
Parks include: [35]
In the state legislature Westlake Village is located in California's 27th State Senate district, represented by Democrat Henry Stern, and in California's 44th State Assembly district, represented by Democrat Jacqui Irwin. Federally, Westlake Village is located in California's 26th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +2 and is represented by Democrat Julia Brownley.
As of May 2009, 1,943 (33%) of the 5,876 registered voters in Westlake Village are registered as Democrats, 2,583 (44%) as Republicans, and 1,101 (19%) declined to state a party affiliation. [36]
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Malibu/Lost Hills Station in Calabasas, serving Westlake Village. [37] [38]
The community is in the Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD). Residents are zoned to White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village, Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills, and Agoura High School in Agoura Hills. [39]
An off-campus center of California Lutheran University is located nearby in Thousand Oaks. [40] [41]
The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District supplies potable, recycled and wastewater services to residents and businesses in Westlake Village. [23] [42] [43]
Westlake Village was home to Russell Ranch which was used to film Robin Hood (1922), Come On, Tarzan (1932), Buck Rogers (1939), King Rat (1965), Laredo (1965–67), Gunsmoke (1955–1975) and Bonanza (1959–1973). [81] [82] The Lash (1930) was also filmed at Russell Ranch, [83] while Danger Ahead (1940) was shot on Westlake Boulevard. [14] Baxter (GTE corporate headquarters at the time) was dubbed for a police station in the film Demolition Man (1993), while scenes from Gridiron Gang (2006) were shot at Westlake High School. [84] Other movies filmed here include The Karate Kid (1984), American Pie (1999) and Bridesmaids (2011). [85]
Two episodes of Charlie's Angels (1976–1981) were filmed in Westlake Village: "The Killing Kind" (1976) and "Angel in a Box" (1979). [86]
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) features scenes from Skelton Canyon Road (Westlake Boulevard), [87] while the TV series The FBI (1965–1974) was partly filmed at The Landing. [88]
Ventura County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.
Agoura Hills is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. The city is in western Los Angeles County and is bordered to the north by Bell Canyon and Ventura County. It is 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and less than 10 miles (16 km) west of the Los Angeles city limits at Woodland Hills. Agoura Hills and unincorporated Agoura sit next to Calabasas, Oak Park, and Westlake Village.
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan and Adolfo Camarillo, prominent Californios who owned Rancho Calleguas and founded the city. California State University, Channel Islands is housed on the former grounds of the Camarillo State Hospital.
Oak Park is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. When developed in the Simi Hills in the late 1960s, a single road provided the only access to the community from Agoura Hills, California, in neighboring Los Angeles County. As of the 2010 census, Oak Park had a population of 14,266, down from 14,625 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Oak Park as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name.
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees present in the area.
The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Newbury Park is a populated place and town in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while unincorporated areas include Casa Conejo and Ventu Park. The town is located in Southern California around 8 miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean and has a mild year-round climate, scenic mountains, and environmental preservation. About 28,000 residents of Thousand Oaks reside in Newbury Park.
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.
The Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, California, originally known as the Grand Union Hotel, was used as a resting area for people who traveled from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. Besides a hotel and stagecoach stop, it has also been used as a post office, church, restaurant and military school. It is California Historical Landmark No. 659 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It played a major role in the development of the stage line transportation network in California. The hotel was also the first business venture in the Conejo Valley.
The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts center and city hall for the city of Thousand Oaks, California. Across Thousand Oaks Boulevard from Gardens of the World, the site is considered the downtown core of the city. City hall includes Planning and Building Department, Public Works and other city departments. A park within the site is named for Richard Carpenter and his wife Mary.
Saticoy is an unincorporated community in Ventura County, California, United States. The site of one of the largest settlements of the Chumash region, a settlement was laid out in 1887 along the railroad line that was being built from Los Angeles through the Santa Clara River Valley to the town of San Buenaventura. Although the town was 10 miles (16 km) distant at that time, the City of Ventura grew to a point where only a small residential and commercial community is left outside the city limits. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP).
The Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) is a school district in Ventura County, California. The district serves the Conejo Valley area, including the city of Thousand Oaks, the adjacent community of Newbury Park, and the Ventura County portion of Westlake Village.
The Oaks is a two-level indoor/outdoor, regional shopping mall located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is owned and managed by Macerich. Accessible from US Highway 101 midway between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, it is the largest shopping center in Ventura County. Over five million visit the mall each year. The mall features JCPenney, Macy's, Macy's Men's and Home Store, Nordstrom, in addition to a 14-screen dine-in AMC Theatres.
Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center is the largest hospital in eastern Ventura County. It is a hospital and medical center complex in the city of Thousand Oaks, California. It is a 382-bed acute care hospital with a level II trauma center. The facility is owned by HCA−Hospital Corporation of America, and operated by their HCA Far West Division. Los Robles means "The Oaks" in Spanish, and the name refers to the thousands of oak trees in surrounding Thousand Oaks. It had 1,720 employees in 2016.
Simi Valley is a city in the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is 40 miles (65 km) from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city borders Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, and the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 126,356, up from 124,243 in 2010. The city of Simi Valley is surrounded by the Santa Susana Mountains and the Simi Hills, west of the San Fernando Valley, and northeast of the Conejo Valley. It grew as a bedroom community for the cities in the Los Angeles area and the San Fernando Valley when a freeway was built over the Santa Susana Pass.
Rancho El Conejo was a 48,572-acre (196.56 km2) Spanish land grant in California given in 1803 to Jose Polanco and Ygnacio Rodriguez that encompassed the area now known as the Conejo Valley in southeastern Ventura and northwestern Los Angeles Counties. El Conejo is Spanish for "The Rabbit", and refers to the many rabbits common to the region. The east-west grant boundaries approximately went from the border of Westlake Village near Lindero Canyon Road in the east to the Conejo Grade in the west. The north-south borders extended from the top of the Simi Hills at the end of Moorpark Road in the north to Hidden Valley in the Santa Monica Mountains in the south. The rancho is the site of the communities of Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village.
Santa Rosa Valley is a rural unincorporated community, named after the eponymous valley in which it lies, located in Ventura County, California, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Santa Rosa Valley as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The 2010 United States census reported Santa Rosa Valley's population was 3,334. Santa Rosa Valley sits at an elevation of 433 feet (132 m).
Mount Clef Ridge is a 1,076 ft volcanic mountain in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a volcanic outcrop that resulted from lava eruptions 30 million years ago. The ridge was formerly under ownership by the Janss Corporation, but was acquired by the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) in 1967. Trails here are available from Santa Rosa Valley, Newbury Park and Wildwood Regional Park. Although being a major feature of Wildwood, it occupies its own open-space area bordering Wildwood's northern boundaries. Mount Clef Ridge Open Space Area occupies 212 acres. From the ridge are great panoramic views of Santa Rosa Valley, Conejo Valley, Hill Canyon, as well as the Santa Susana-, Santa Monica- and Topatopa Mountains. The open-space area is home to plants such as coastal sage scrub, chaparral, Lyon's pentachaeta and Conejo dudleya. The fauna includes mountain lions, deer, coyotes, gray foxes, and more.
Chumash Indian Museum is a Native American Interpretive Center in northeast Thousand Oaks, California. It is the site of a former Chumash village, known as Sap'wi. It is located in Oakbrook Regional Park, a 432-acre park which is home to a replica of a Chumash village and thousand year-old Chumash pictographs. The pictographs by nearby Birthing Cave are not open to the public, but can be observed on docent-led tours. Chumash people inhabited the village 10,000 years ago.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)