West Hills, Los Angeles, California

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West Hills is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California.

It is surrounded by the Chatsworth Reservoir in the north, Canoga Park in the east, Woodland Hills in the south, Hidden Hills in the southwest, and the Simi Hills in the west. Much of West Hills was called Canoga Park before c. 1990. The postal codes are 91307 and 91304.

1 Early history
2 Famous Residents
3 Locations
4 Geography
5 Restaurants
6 Schools
7 External links

[edit] Early history

The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans of the Tongva tribe that lived close to the Los Angeles River, which originates in West Hills from El Escorpion and Bell Creeks. It is believed that a meeting point for the Tongva and Chumash tribes was located at the base of Castle Peak [1].

[edit] Famous Residents

West Hills houses several famous faces. Celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Alyssa Milano, Sarah Silverman, the murderer Jesse James Hollywood, and athletes such as Jordan Farmar(Los Angeles Lakers).

[edit] Locations

The post office for West Hills is located near the West Hills Hospital complex on Sherman Way. An impressive sight and good hiking in West Hills can be found in Castle Peak Park. The library serving West Hills is the Platt Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (although the library is technically located in Woodland Hills).

Temple Judea (West Campus) is located on the corner of Valley Circle Boulevard and Kittridge Street. Shomrei Torah Synagogue is located near Stone Gate Drive and Valley Circle Boulevard.

Knapp Ranch Park located on Kittridge is a popular place to play pick-up basketball and tennis, as well as skateboard. Knapp Ranch also hosts numerous little league games.

West Hills Baseball is a very popular youth baseball park that has sent natives of West Hills to Major League Baseball.

[edit] Geography

There are several small tributaries of the Los Angeles River that originate in the Northwest San Fernando Valley. These small creeks supply runoff water to the Los Angeles River, and several are considered year round creeks. Although the creeks are now channeled and run within concrete walls, they do form a significant urban wildlife landscape and contribute to the population of indigenous wildlife left within the San Fernando Valley. Dayton Creek in particular has received attention due to its vicinity to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which is under field cleanup due to its fundamental use as a testing center for rocket and missile fuel, nuclear power research, and high technology defense systems. Contaminants include Chromium, Lead, Benzene, and many other components of rocket fuel.

[edit] Restaurants

While there are neigboring cites with finer eating establishments, West Hills is predominantely occupied by fast food eateries. In the 1980s there were even news stories on the number of fast food eateries adjacent to the intersection of Platt and Victory. To this day, there is a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Quiznos, Subway, Ameci Pizza, a donut shop (forget the name but will never forget the service...or the donuts), El Pollo Amigo (similar to El Pollo Loco) Starbucks, and Carls Jr are all within a short walking distance. Naugles, a restaurant similar to the regional chain Del Taco ceased to exist in the late 1980s, as did Rosie's, a barbecue restaurant in the late 90's.