Everything Santa Clarita is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Santa Clarita.
Valencia, California might seem like any other planned community, all neat lawns and stucco homes baking under the Santa Clarita sun. But beneath the surface of this suburban idyll runs a current of unexpected fame. The streets here have been walked by people who’ve shaped culture and commanded attention far beyond the valley's borders.
What is now a quiet section of Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, in the hills above Chatsworth, was for decades a working movie ranch. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and dozens of Westerns were filmed among its rock outcrops and dusty trails. In the summer of 1968, Charles Manson and his followers moved into the ranch's abandoned outbuildings, trading chores for shelter with the aging owner George Spahn. They were still living there in August 1969 when several members left one night and drove into the city. The ranch structures burned in a 1970 brush fire and were never rebuilt. The trails are public now, shaded in places, and the stones themselves are the only things left that remember what happened here.
Chatsworth, tucked into the northwestern corner of the San Fernando Valley, holds a unique place in California's cultural landscape. Named in 1888 for an English estate, its slightly elevated position gives it a different feel from the basin below. It's a place where suburban tranquility meets a touch of the wild, and where figures from entertainment, sports, and even more controversial realms have left their mark. The rocky hills surrounding Chatsworth provided the backdrop for countless episodes of the original 'Star Trek,' their alien landscapes portraying distant planets. While the area is known for its blend of tech and healthcare jobs, its influence stretches far beyond.
Hollywood's oldest restaurant since 1919. Faulkner and Fitzgerald drank here. Bukowski had a booth. The martinis are perfect.
45-foot-tall white letters on Mount Lee. Originally said Hollywoodland and was an ad for real estate.
Free admission observatory with the best view of LA and the Hollywood sign. Rebel Without a Cause filmed here.
37 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Santa Clarita wasn't always the sprawling suburb it is today. For centuries, the Tataviam people called this valley home, their lives intertwined with the Santa Clara River that carved its path through the landscape.…
Valencia, California might seem like any other planned community, all neat lawns and stucco homes baking under the Santa Clarita sun. But beneath the surface of this suburban idyll runs a current of unexpected fame. The…
You're passing by the remnants of California's very first oil refinery, a place that helped kickstart the state's petroleum boom. In 1876, the Pioneer Oil Refinery was built right here in Newhall. It was the first…
Right here, in this seemingly quiet canyon, you're standing near the birthplace of California's oil industry. In 1876, a crew drilling in Pico Canyon struck black gold. It was Well No. 4, and it became the first…
The ground in Sylmar still remembers the quake. In 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake ripped through the San Fernando Valley, with Sylmar at its epicenter. It wasn't the beginning of Sylmar's story, but it was a violent…
Granada Hills wasn't always the tranquil suburb it is today. Its identity is deeply tied to the agricultural boom that swept through the San Fernando Valley in the early 20th century. Named in 1927 for Granada, Spain,…
Imagine a sea of shimmering silver-green leaves, stretching as far as the eye could see. This was Sylmar in the late 19th century, a burgeoning landscape defined by its sprawling olive orchards. The name itself, coined…
What is now a quiet section of Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, in the hills above Chatsworth, was for decades a working movie ranch. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and dozens of Westerns were filmed among its rock outcrops…
Chatsworth, tucked into the northwestern corner of the San Fernando Valley, holds a unique place in California's cultural landscape. Named in 1888 for an English estate, its slightly elevated position gives it a…
Check out that long, arched portico! That's the Convento Building, and it's the only original structure left standing at Mission San Fernando Rey de España. Built between 1808 and 1822, the Convento served as housing…
Right here, where you're driving, stood a vital link in California's chain of missions, connecting communities across vast distances. Founded in 1797 by the Spanish, Mission San Fernando Rey de España served as a center…
The air in San Fernando is noticeably cleaner, crisper than in downtown Los Angeles – a subtle reminder that you’re a thousand feet closer to the sky. It’s a place where Friday night lights matter, the annual football…
Get ready to step back in time! This isn't just another pretty valley; it's Rancho Camulos, the inspiration for Helen Hunt Jackson's famous novel, 'Ramona.' In the mid- 1800s, this was the heart of Ygnacio del Valle's…
Northridge, California, a place defined by its position and people, rests just north of the Santa Susana Mountains. That elevation, over a thousand feet, gives the air a certain crispness, a clarity often missing closer…
Ever wonder what you'd do with thousands of discarded bottles? Grandma Prisbrey knew! From the 1950s to the 1970s, Tressa Prisbrey, affectionately known as Grandma Prisbrey, used bottles and other recycled materials to…
North Hills, California, a warm and family-oriented community in the San Fernando Valley, carries echoes of its past within its suburban present. Originally established as Sepulveda in 1927, the area's story stretches…
Pacoima sits nestled in the northeastern reaches of the San Fernando Valley, a landscape sculpted by millennia of geological forces. To stand there is to feel the presence of the San Gabriel Mountains, a constant,…
These jagged rocks aren't just a pretty backdrop; they once sheltered a notorious outlaw. In 1874, Tiburcio Vasquez, a Californio bandit, used these rocks as a hideout. He and his gang evaded authorities here after a…
Panorama City's story is inextricably linked to the post-World War II boom and the rise of the automobile. While not exactly "making" or "growing" something tangible in the traditional sense, Panorama City was…
Reseda’s story is one of calculated expansion colliding with the realities of suburban life. Its very existence owes itself to the Pacific Electric Railway, the “Red Cars” that snaked their way across the San Fernando…
Canoga Park wasn't always the sprawling suburb it is today. Long before the freeways sliced through the San Fernando Valley, this area was known by another name, a name echoing its Native American roots: Ka-nuga,…
The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, a sprawling green lung in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, owes its existence, in part, to tragedy. The 1934 St. Francis Dam failure, which unleashed a catastrophic flood,…
Simi Valley wasn't always the suburban expanse it is today. Long before tract homes and shopping centers, the area belonged to the Chumash people, who thrived on the oak-studded hills and fertile valley floor. They…
Imagine a valley landscape, once choked by chaparral, suddenly ablaze in 1934. The Tarzana brush fire swept through, reshaping the land and its future. But even before the flames, this place was already being forged in…
The roaring Tujunga Wash might seem like a natural feature, but its concrete banks tell a story of devastation and resilience. Before it was called Sun Valley, this place was Roscoe, a small agricultural community…
Ever wonder who owned all this land back in the day? This spot was the heart of Rancho Simi, a massive Spanish land grant. In the early 1840s, Rancho Simi was a sprawling estate, granted by the Spanish government. It…
The city lights twinkle, a subtle reward for climbing to Valley Glen's modest 700-foot elevation. It’s a quiet vista, belying the creative energy that has flowed through these streets. This unassuming neighborhood,…
Encino, a pocket of the San Fernando Valley, breathes a relaxed kind of affluence. Its streets, climbing to 719 feet above sea level, offer cleaner air and valley views that stretch toward the horizon. Though now known…
Pull over here and you're stepping back in time to when California was a *very* different place. Rancho Los Encinos was a vital stop on the El Camino Real, the old road connecting the California missions. In 1845, the…
Prepare to be blown away by a half-mile-long history lesson painted right onto a concrete riverbed! This is the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a mural depicting California history from a perspective you might not have…
Hidden Hills, despite its modern sheen of celebrity and manicured lawns, carries whispers of an earlier California. Before Drake and gated estates, this land belonged to the Tongva people, who lived in villages…
Pull over here for a glimpse into old California – the Leonis Adobe! This is one of the oldest surviving homes in Los Angeles County. It was built around 1844 by a wealthy rancher named Miguel Leonis. He lived here…
Beneath the manicured lawns and sprawling ranch homes of Sherman Oaks lies a hidden legacy: a direct line to some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. General Moses Hazeltine Sherman might have envisioned neat rows…
You're passing a monument that isn't just beautiful, it's a tribute to the pioneers who dared to take to the skies. The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation was dedicated in 1953. It was designed by architect…
The Weddington Golf and Tennis club, now a green expanse humming with weekend activity, was once a celery field. That simple fact speaks volumes about the transformation of Valley Village, but it doesn't quite capture…
Calabasas wasn't always the meticulously planned community it is today. The name, derived from the Spanish word for pumpkin, hints at its agricultural past, a history largely erased by the explosive growth fueled by the…
North Hollywood is a place defined by its name, a constant reminder of its relationship to the glittering dream factory just over the Cahuenga Pass. Originally, it was called Toluca, a name evoking something perhaps…