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WELCOME
TO THE
SANTA CLARITA VALLEY!
SCV: A Great Place for All Ages and
Lifestyles
The first
discovery of gold in California did not occur at Sutter's Mill
but six years earlier in the Santa Clarita Valley. That
discovery was the beginning of a transformation of the area
where the once-ancient Alliklik Indians, wild horses, Spanish
explorers, and European colonists roamed the gently rolling
hills.
Farm and city folk
alike migrated west to Santa Clarita Valley to seek their
fortunes. Henry Mayo Newhall was among them and in 1870 he
started the valley on the road to modernization through his
auctioneering and railroad interests.
After purchasing
Rancho San Francisco (later known as Newhall Ranch) in 1875,
Newhall sold a right of way to the Southern Pacific Railroad for
$1 and a town site known as Newhall for another dollar. Not only
did it become the first rail center but the first commercially
producing oil well began operation in Pico Canyon in 1875,
followed by the state's first refinery in Railroad Canyon.
In the early
1900's Hollywood invaded the valley where rugged canyons
provided appropriate backdrops for western silent movies. Today
film making continues to be a daily occurrence in the area.
LOCATION:
The Santa Clarita Valley forms an inverted triangle with San
Gabriel and Santa Susanna mountain ranges separating it from the
San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles National Forest to the
north. The Santa Clara River and its tributaries drain over
490,000 acres of mountains and canyons forming the valley.
LAND AREA:
150+ square miles.
CLIMATE:
Sunny, warm, dry, summers; semi-moist, mild winters. Annual
rainfall of 15-18 inches occurring between November and March.
ALTITUDE: 1,200
to 1,400 ft. Whitaker Peak to the north at 4,148ft., Mt. Gleason
to the east at 6,502ft., Oat Mountain to the south at 3,747 ft.
TRANSPORTATION:
Interstate 5 is the major artery for north/south traffic through
the Santa Clarita Valley linking cities such as Los Angeles and
San Diego to the south, and Bakersfield and San Francisco to the
north.
Highway 14, the Antelope Valley freeway, emanates from the
northern San Fernando Valley and used by traffic going to the
Palmdale/Lancaster area, other desert communities, and Las
Vegas.
The Metrolink runs daily (except Sunday) on 35 miles of track
between Santa Clarita and Los Angeles. Each car has a seating
capacity of 148 people, standing capacity of another 155 and
room to store two bicycles. A round-trip ticket between Santa
Clarita and Los Angeles costs vary depending on distance.
The realignment of Highway 126 is still in the building stages
and eventually will become an expressway crossing the northern
portion of the valley, linking I-5 and Hwy 14.
MILEAGE TO KEY
CENTERS: Pacific Ocean
(Ventura) and ports via Hwy 126 (West) 40 miles. Los Angeles
Civic Center via I-5 (south) 35 miles, Burbank Airport via I-5
(south) 25 miles, Los Angeles International Airport via 405
Freeway (south) 40 miles.
COMMUNITIES:
In the incorporated area-within the City of Santa Clarita are
the communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus and Valencia.
The city consists of 40 square miles, Incorporated on December
15, 1987. Estimated population growth through 2010 is 270,000.
In the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County the communities
are: Castaic, Val Verde, Stevenson Ranch and Agua Dulce.
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