Topanga, California
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Topanga, California is an unincorporated area in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains and occupies Topanga Canyon. Topanga is 12,748 acres (52 km²) in size, and is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean and a small strip of Malibu, which is the main community to the west. On the east is Pacific Palisades. Topanga has a population of 5,441 as of 2000. The ZIP Code is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310, with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.
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[edit] Topanga Canyon
Topanga Creek drains Topanga Canyon and is the third largest watershed entering the Santa Monica Bay. The creek is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the area, and is a spawning ground for steelhead trout. The area typically receives about 22" of rain annually. Topanga State Beach lies on the coast at the outlet of Topanga Creek. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, California State Route 27, is the principal thoroughfare, connecting the Ventura Freeway with Pacific Coast Highway. The road largely follows Topanga Creek.
Topanga Canyon contains lands of both Topanga State Park, which is the largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
[edit] History
Topanga is the name given to the area by the Tongva tribe, and may mean "a place above." It was the western border of their territory, abutting the Chumash tribe that occupied the coast from Malibu northwards. Bedrock mortars can be found carved into rock outcroppings in many locations.
Topanga was settled by Whites beginning in 1839. The first ranch was homesteaded in 1885.
In the 1920's, Topanga Canyon became a weekend getaway for Hollywood stars with several cottages built for that purpose.
In the 1950s blacklisted actor Will Geer had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to small plot in the canyon where they could grow their own produce. Geer's friend Woody Guthrie had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists' colony.
Today, the Geer family continues to operate Theatricum Botanicum http://www.theatricum.com , an outdoor summer theater with performances of Shakespearean classics and contemporary plays.
During the 1960's, Topanga Canyon became a magnet to many new artists. In 1965 Wallace Berman settled in the area.
A nudist colony, Ed Lange's "Elysium Fields Growth Center" continued to operate in Robinson Canyon off T.C. Bvd. up until this past decade. The swing clubs "Sandstone Ranch I, II, III", the subject of Gay Talese's chronicle of the sexual revolution, Thy Neighbor's Wife, operated on extensive grounds in other side canyons.
For a time, Neil Young lived in Topanga, first living with producer David Briggs then later buying his own house. He would record most of his "After the Gold Rush" album in his basement studio in 1970.
The Topanga Corral was a nightclub that featured an eclectic mix of performers, including then Topanga locals Canned Heat, Spirit, Little Feat, Spanky and Our Gang, Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Etta James, Neil Young and Crazy Horse and many others. It is rumored that Jim Morrison was inspired to write "Roadhouse Blues" about the drive up Topanga Canyon Blvd to The Corral.
Later in the 1970's, after being destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the club featured many up and coming bands from the L.A. punk scene. In 1986, the Corral again burned to the ground and was not rebuilt.
Today, many musicians, artists and actors continue to make Topanga their home, including members of Little Feat, Tool, the Foo Fighters, and actors Joshua Jackson, Barry Watson (7th Heaven), and Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty).
The local music scene centers on weekend performances at Abuelita's Mexican Restaurant near the center of town on Topanga Canyon Blvd. Current local favorites include the alt-country band "Old Bull", bluegrass band Topanga Mountain Tree-O, The Family Rock, singer-songwriters Tim O'Gara, Sondra Bacall, Jesca Hoop, as well as "No Name Band" featuring Richie Hayward (Little Feat), Joe Karnes (Imperial Drag), Eric Lynn, Nick Dias, Robin Moxie and occasionally Steve Mc Cormick.
Topanga Days is a three day music and arts festival held every Memorial Day weekend on the grounds of the Topanga Community House. Local and national acts perform and a slightly "off the wall' parade is held on Memorial Day. The parade is said to have inspired the more famous Doo-Dah Parade in Pasadena.
Members of Charles Manson's "family" began their campaign of murder on July 31, 1969 with the torture and murder of Topanga resident Gary Hinman, a music teacher who had opened his home to anyone needing shelter.
The Manson family at the time was living in Chatsworth, about 20 miles north of Topanga, but Manson had previously been living in Topanga where he had briefly befriended both Neil Young and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys.
Due to its location in the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga is a favorite spot for hikers, as well as bicycle, and motorcycle riders/racers. Many movie/TV car/bike chases were filmed on the winding road with the picturesque cliffs in the background.
Topanga State Park is one of the largest urban preserves in the world.
The thick vegetation, steep terrain and frequent (and dry) Santa Ana winds combine to make Topanga an extreme fire danger.
The Old Topanga Fire began on November 2, 1993. Within an hour it was already burning 1,000 acres (4 km²). It resulted in the largest mobilization of emergency resources in a twenty-four hour period in California history. By the time it was extinguished ten days later 16,516 acres (67nbsp;km²) of watershed and at least 388 structures were burned in Topanga and adjoining areas.
In 2005, a fire referred to as the "Topanga Fire" burned in Chatsworth and points south and west of Chatsworth. This fire did not burn any areas in Topanga Canyon, but was named due to its origin near Topanga Canyon Blvd. at CA-118 in Chatsworth.
Topanga Creek causes occasional flooding and extensive road erosion requiring the closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. In 1980, severe flooding washed out large sections of the road at the bottom of the "s" curves. Traffic was severely restricted during the six months of repairs. However, the heavy rains also produced beautiful waterfalls on the mountains east of the creek for a few months.
[edit] Culture
The most notable cultural attraction is the Theatricum Botanicum, founded by Will Geer in 1973. It has grown into an Equity theater, and occupies a natural outdoor amphitheater. It features Shakespearean plays, modern classics, and original productions, as well as musical concerts. Performers have included Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Della Reese, and Burl Ives.
The area is known as a bohemian enclave attracting artists, musicians, and others. Numerous music festivals have been organized in the canyon, including the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest that has been held annually since 1961.
A famous venue in the canyon was the Elysium Institute, also known as Elysium Fields, a nudist club for 30 years. After surviving extended battles with county officials the 9-acre property was sold in 2002 by its founder's heirs. [1]
Topanga has an annual fair and parade, called "Topanga Days Country Fair". Recently dubbed the Biggest Bohemian Bash in Southern California, Topanga Days Country Fair now features three stages of diverse nonstop music, belly dancing, fun and games for all ages, over 80 unique craft vendors and a variety of mouthwatering food from Cajun to hot tamales to comfort-loving sausages. Since 1973, Topanga Days is a three-day festival Fundraiser for the Topanga Community House in the heart of Topanga State Park.
[edit] Notable Residents
Woody Guthrie was one of the first musicians who found a home there. As nearby Los Angeles grew into a major music capital, Topanga became a preferred residence for many performers, including Neil Young, Billy Preston, Joni Mitchell, Steven Stills, Bernie Leadon of the Eagles, Jim Morrison and John Densmore of the Doors, Mick Fleetwood, Spanky Macfarlane, Lowell George, Julia Fordham, Richie Hayward and Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Amy Smart Taj Mahal, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe Turner, Alice Cooper, Van Morrison, and Mark Andes, Jay Ferguson and John Locke of Spirit (band) and Justin Chancellor of Tool (band). Children's musician residents include Hap Palmer and Peter Alsop. So many orchestral musicians live in the canyon that the Topanga Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1982.
Actors who have lived in Topanga include Will Geer, Dean Stockwell, Lisa Bonet, Wendie Malick, Eric Mabius, and Dennis Hopper. Russ Tamblyn raised his daughter, Amber Tamblyn in Topanga, Jennifer Holden from the movie "Jailhouse Rock" with Elvis Presley. Also, American Blues Musician Alan Wilson, vocalist of Blues band Canned Heat died in Topanga in 1970.
Biotech pioneer Gisela Hoschek (1939-2002) and German-American author Gero Hoschek lived there before they moved to San Diego county. Another famous German-American, Uschi Obermaier, former top-model, actress and icon of the polit-hippie movement in Europe, still lives there.
[edit] Demographics
As of the Census 2000 for the zip code 90290 the following Demographics are applicable.
[edit] Population
The population of the Topanga is 5441, of which 2,754 (50.6%) are male and 2,687 (49.4%) female.
- The median age is 41.2 years.
- 90.9% of the population is white.
- Average household size is 2.45 persons.
- Average family size is 2.90 persons.
[edit] Housing
There are 2332 housing units of which
- 1680 are occupied by the owners.
- 535 are occupied by renters.
- 117 are vacant.
[edit] Education
- 3952 (97.2%) of residents have a high school graduate degree.
- 2480 (61.0%) of residents have a Bachelor's degree or higher.
Topanga residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District [2].
- Topanga Elementary School
- A choice between Revere Charter Middle School and Woodland Hills Academy
- A choice between Palisades Charter High School and Taft High School
[edit] Economics
- Median household income in 1999 was $88,661.
- Median family income in 1999 was $118,489.
- Per capita income in 1999 was $46,834.
- Mean Travel Time to work is 39.3 minutes.
[edit] Lower Topanga Canyon
The bottom of Topanga Canyon, where it meets Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean, was owned for many years by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, a wealthy private club in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,659 acre (6.7 km²) parcel was rented out to a variety of businesses and residents for decades at very low rents. In 2001 the property was purchased by the State of California. The state is in the process of evicting tenants, and will subsequently rehabilitate the area and add it to Topanga State Park.
[edit] Disasters
- November 6, 1961, The Santa Ynez Fire began, the same day as the Bel-Air--Brentwood Fire further east. It burned nine structures and 9,720 acres (39 km²) of watershed.
- November 2, 1993, The Old Topanga Fire. Within an hour it was already burning 1,000 acres (4 km²). It resulted in the largest mobilization of emergency resources in a twenty-four hour period in California history. By the time it was extinguished ten days later 16,516 acres (67nbsp;km²) of watershed and at least 388 structures were burned in Topanga and adjoining areas.
- In 1997-1998 Topanga Canyon received over 58" of rainfall resulting in extensive flood damage.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Topanga Online
- Topanga Historical Society
- Topanga Messenger - the local newspaper
- Theatricum Botanicum
- Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest
- Official report Old Topanga Fire
- Project to save historic Los Angeles County Engine 69 which served Topanga area around 1955
- Topanga Days Country Fair
- Census 2000 Demographic Profile
