Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
| Valencia | |
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 Valencia
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| Coordinates: 34°23′22″N 118°33′53″W / 34.38944°N 118.56472°WCoordinates: 34°23′22″N 118°33′53″W / 34.38944°N 118.56472°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| City | Santa Clarita |
| Elevation[1] | 310 m (1,017 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 148,456 |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP Code | 91354 |
| Area code(s) | 661 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2583151 |
| Website | www.newhall.com |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Valencia, Santa Clarita, California | |
Valencia is an affluent planned community located in the City of Santa Clarita, California and Los Angeles County, California, U.S. in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to Interstate 5. In 1987, it was one of the four unincorporated communities (along with Saugus, Newhall, and Canyon Country) that merged to create the city of Santa Clarita, California. As of 2008, the population of Valencia is 148,456[2] and the estimated median household income is $109,029.[3] Santa Clarita used to be ranked as one of the top 100 places to live by Money.[4] Valencia is home to the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park and the adjacent Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park.
Valencia was first planned in the 1960s by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. Development began in the 1960s and continues to the present day. Valencia is notable for its landscaped boulevards connecting a mix of apartment buildings, single-family detached homes, shopping centers, office parks and industrial warehouses. Major schools in Valencia include California Institute of the Arts, College of the Canyons, West Ranch High School, and Valencia High School.
Valencia's residential areas are separated into villages, each with its own lifestyle (see List of Valencia, California residential villages). Almost all of Valencia's villages are close to schools, shopping, etc. In many of the villages, homeowner associations oversee the quality and upkeep of housing developments ranging in size from a few dozen homes to over a thousand. Many villages also have a Neighborhood Watch program in force.
Valencia also has an extensive system of paved pathways with grade separations over and under the boulevards. The pathways are called paseos. These paseos connect the entire community together, making it possible to travel around nearly all of Valencia on foot or by bicycle without having to cross boulevards at grade. The paseo network is connected to the Santa Clara River Trail which runs east along the Santa Clara River to Canyon Country. Landowners in the Valencia area pay special taxes to maintain landscaping and the paseo system.
Recently, Valencia has emphasized its history as a planned community with the catchphrase, "Built as promised." It has even gone as far as to unofficially brand itself as "Awesometown", using the tagline "Just Another Day in...Awesometown" on the website.
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Notable people living in or born in Valencia [edit]
- Jon Garland (Major League Baseball pitcher)
- Kathy Coleman (actress from the Land of the Lost series)
- Marielle Jaffe (model/actress)
- David Leisure (actor)
- Kyle Reynish (Major League Soccer goalkeeper)
- Jessica D. Stone (actress)
- Ashley Tisdale (actress)
- Taylor Lautner (actor, starred as Jacob Black in Twilight)
- Mitchel Musso (actor)
- Luis Armand Garcia (actor, starred as Max Lopez in George Lopez)
- Tamara Witmer (model)
- Naya Rivera (actress, stars as Santana Lopez in Glee)
- Tyler Posey (actor, MTV's Teen Wolf)
- Michael Trevino (actor, Tyler Lockwood in The Vampire Diaries)
- Shane Vereen (New England Patriots running back)
- J. G. Quintel (TV writer)
- Tracey Gold (actress, starred on the TV show Growing Pains)
- Jon He (keyboardist and member of band Flawed Element)
- the Powerviolence band Infest
- Sasha Pieterse (actress, ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars)
- Alan S. Tofighi (Multi-media artist and Musician)
- Naya Rivera (actress,Glee)
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
- ^ "91354 Zip Code (California) Profile - homes, apartments, schools, population, income, averages, housing, demographics, location, statistics, sex offenders, residents and real estate info". City-data.com. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "91354 Zip Code (California) Profile - homes, apartments, schools, population, income, averages, housing, demographics, location, statistics, sex offenders, residents and real estate info". City-data.com. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2006: Top 100 1-25". CNNMoney. Cable News Network. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
External links [edit]
- Valencia at a Glance—Newhall Land's profile of the community
- Awesometown
