Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Sun Valley is a district in the San Fernando Valley
region of the city of Los Angeles, California
, about 15 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles.
It is bordered by Burbank
in the east, Shadow Hills
and the city of Glendale
in the north, Panorama City
in the west, Pacoima
to the northwest, and North Hollywood
in the south. The district is served by the Golden State and Hollywood
freeways. Major thoroughfares include San Fernando Road
, Laurel Canyon Boulevard
, Roscoe Boulevard, Vineland Avenue
, Sheldon Street, Glenoaks Boulevard
and Sunland Boulevard
.
Most of the stone, gravel, and sand used in construction in Los Angeles County between the 1920s and the 1970s came from quarries in Sun Valley.
Located at the base of the Verdugo Mountains
, Sun Valley is notably prone to flash flood
s, and one such flood on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 2237 (10:37 PM PST) destroyed a portion of the 8000 block of Tujunga Avenue and killed a Los Angeles City Civil Engineer when a sinkhole 30 feet deep opened up.
(for whom Maclay Street in San Fernando
is named) acquired 56,000 acres (230 km2) of land across the San Fernando Valley. The area extended from Sunland Blvd., all the way west to the Chatsworth Hills. East of Sunland was Rancho San Rafael
, a large land grant to Jose Maria Verdugo
by the Spanish Crown. By 1876 the Southern Pacific Railroad was constructed through the eastern San Fernando Valley, linking Southern and Northern California.
Around the 1880s, Sun Valley was originally known as Roberts, which was the name of a general store - and the only business in the area. At that time the area was classified as one of the five healthiest places in the United States to live (before smog) and with the increased accessibility of the railroad, parcels of land in the area were being sold off to families coming to the area. The population of the Greater Los Angeles area
at the time was about 200,000.
In 1896 Roberts changed its name to Roscoe. There is speculation that the name for the community came from a railroad employee by the name of Roscoe, who was killed in a train wreck during a train robbery near Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road. There are some spurious reports in later years that is was named after famous actor, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
, after he had made movies on location in the area, however Roscoe was already the name of the community before motion pictures were in widespread use. By 1905 there were seven families living in Roscoe. In (or around) 1915 the first gas pump on Route 99 (San Fernando Road/the main route between Glendale
and Bakersfield
) was installed at Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road by Alex Ratner. The Ratners were a new family in town and have remained active and supportive members of the community ever since. Ratner Street is named for this family. Adom Ratner-Stauber, involved in real estate development and property management in the area, is the great-grandson of Alex.
The change to the current name of Sun Valley was made in 1948 by residents in a movement spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce. Vestiges of the former name remain in the name of Roscoe Elementary School and the telephone exchange
76x-xxxx (ROscoe x-xxx).
The A. Louis Forsch family, relatives of Mrs. Alex Ratner, arrived soon after the Ratners and within a short time were the owners/operators of Roscoe Hardware. Being run by son Jack, and grandsons Gary and Glenn, this was probably one of the longest continuously running businesses in Sun Valley until its closure around 2003.
Grace Coummunity Church
is a non-denominational
, evangelical
megachurch
located in Sun Valley. John MacArthur
is the pastor-teacher of the congregation, founded in 1956.
is located in Suite 204 at 9001 Laurel Canyon Boulevard.
Fire Station 77 is located in the Sun Valley area. The station is in the Battalion 12 district.
The United States Postal Service
Sun Valley Post Office is located at 10946 Ratner Street.
.
Elementary schools serving the Sun Valley area include:
Two middle schools, Sun Valley Middle School and Byrd Middle School, both in Sun Valley, serve the area.
John H. Francis Polytechnic High School
in Sun Valley serves much of Sun Valley, although in 2009 much of the 9th, 10th and some of the 11th grade students were moved to the recently renovated Sun Valley High School
, while East Valley High School
in North Hollywood serves other portions of Sun Valley.
Robert H. Lewis Continuation High School is located on the campus of Francis Polytechnic.
and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic School are located in Sun Valley.,
The Stonehurst Recreation Center in Sun Valley is a historic site. The center has an indoor gymnasium and auditorium with a capacity of 400 people, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, a lighted American football field, an indoor gymnasium with weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and volleyball courts.
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
region of the city of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, about 15 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles.
It is bordered by Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
in the east, Shadow Hills
Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, California
-History:Shadow Hills is located in the southern portion of the community of Sunland and extreme northeast portion of Sun Valley, California east of Glenoaks Boulevard.The City of Los Angeles first annexed Sunland in June 1926...
and the city of Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
in the north, Panorama City
Panorama City, Los Angeles, California
Panorama City is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is known as the San Fernando Valley's first planned community.-Description:...
in the west, Pacoima
Pacoima, Los Angeles, California
Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is bordered by the Los Angeles districts of Mission Hills on the west, Arleta on the south, Sun Valley on the southeast, Lake View Terrace on the northeast, and by the city of San Fernando on the north...
to the northwest, and North Hollywood
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
in the south. The district is served by the Golden State and Hollywood
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
freeways. Major thoroughfares include San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, whereupon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State and the Antelope Valley Freeways, it...
, Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego and the Golden State ) freeways. Laurel Canyon Boulevard bypasses the city of San Fernando to the west,...
, Roscoe Boulevard, Vineland Avenue
Vineland Avenue
Vineland Avenue is a major north-south thoroughfare in the San Fernando Valley.-Geography:Vineland Avenue begins as a continuation of Sunland Boulevard south of San Fernando Road in Sun Valley...
, Sheldon Street, Glenoaks Boulevard
Glenoaks Boulevard
Glenoaks Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles County.-Geography:Glenoaks Boulevard starts as a north-south thoroughfare in Sylmar at its intersection with Foothill Boulevard. It passes through much of the San Fernando Valley, including San Fernando, Pacoima, and Sun Valley...
and Sunland Boulevard
Sunland Boulevard
Sunland Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the Crescenta and San Fernando Valleys.-Geography:Sunland Boulevard splits off of Foothill Boulevard in the Sunland area of the Crescenta Valley. It runs for about 5 miles before changing to Vineland Avenue directly south of San Fernando Road in Sun...
.
Most of the stone, gravel, and sand used in construction in Los Angeles County between the 1920s and the 1970s came from quarries in Sun Valley.
Located at the base of the Verdugo Mountains
Verdugo Mountains
The Verdugo Mountains are a small, rugged mountain range of the Transverse Ranges system, located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California...
, Sun Valley is notably prone to flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
s, and one such flood on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 2237 (10:37 PM PST) destroyed a portion of the 8000 block of Tujunga Avenue and killed a Los Angeles City Civil Engineer when a sinkhole 30 feet deep opened up.
History
In 1874, California State Senator Charles MaclayCharles Maclay
Charles Maclay was a California State Senator and the funder of the city of San Fernando, California in the San Fernando Valley.-History:Charles Maclay's heritage was from Ireland and Scotland...
(for whom Maclay Street in San Fernando
San Fernando, California
San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...
is named) acquired 56,000 acres (230 km2) of land across the San Fernando Valley. The area extended from Sunland Blvd., all the way west to the Chatsworth Hills. East of Sunland was Rancho San Rafael
Rancho San Rafael
Rancho San Rafael was a Spanish land grant bordering the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco in present day Los Angeles County, California, given in 1784 to Jose Maria Verdugo. The rancho includes the present day cities of Glendale, Eagle Rock, La Cañada, Montrose, and Verdugo City...
, a large land grant to Jose Maria Verdugo
Jose Maria Verdugo
José María Verdugo was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784.-Spanish soldier:...
by the Spanish Crown. By 1876 the Southern Pacific Railroad was constructed through the eastern San Fernando Valley, linking Southern and Northern California.
Around the 1880s, Sun Valley was originally known as Roberts, which was the name of a general store - and the only business in the area. At that time the area was classified as one of the five healthiest places in the United States to live (before smog) and with the increased accessibility of the railroad, parcels of land in the area were being sold off to families coming to the area. The population of the Greater Los Angeles area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
at the time was about 200,000.
In 1896 Roberts changed its name to Roscoe. There is speculation that the name for the community came from a railroad employee by the name of Roscoe, who was killed in a train wreck during a train robbery near Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road. There are some spurious reports in later years that is was named after famous actor, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
Fatty Arbuckle
Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. Starting at the Selig Polyscope Company he eventually moved to Keystone Studios where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd...
, after he had made movies on location in the area, however Roscoe was already the name of the community before motion pictures were in widespread use. By 1905 there were seven families living in Roscoe. In (or around) 1915 the first gas pump on Route 99 (San Fernando Road/the main route between Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
and Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
) was installed at Sunland Blvd. and San Fernando Road by Alex Ratner. The Ratners were a new family in town and have remained active and supportive members of the community ever since. Ratner Street is named for this family. Adom Ratner-Stauber, involved in real estate development and property management in the area, is the great-grandson of Alex.
The change to the current name of Sun Valley was made in 1948 by residents in a movement spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce. Vestiges of the former name remain in the name of Roscoe Elementary School and the telephone exchange
Telephone exchange names
During the early years of telephone service, communities that required more than 10,000 telephone numbers, whether dial service was available or not, utilized exchange names to distinguish identical numerics for different customers....
76x-xxxx (ROscoe x-xxx).
The A. Louis Forsch family, relatives of Mrs. Alex Ratner, arrived soon after the Ratners and within a short time were the owners/operators of Roscoe Hardware. Being run by son Jack, and grandsons Gary and Glenn, this was probably one of the longest continuously running businesses in Sun Valley until its closure around 2003.
Grace Coummunity Church
Grace Community Church (California)
Grace Community Church is a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch located in Sun Valley, California. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of the congregation, founded in 1956...
is a non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
, evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
located in Sun Valley. John MacArthur
John F. MacArthur
John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. is a United States evangelical writer and minister noted for his internationally known and broadcast radio program titled Grace to You...
is the pastor-teacher of the congregation, founded in 1956.
Notable businesses
- The Theodore PayneTheodore PayneTheodore Payne was born in Northamptonshire, England on June 19, 1872 and served an apprenticeship in horticulture. He first saw California native plants at The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in England in 1891...
Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants is located in Sun Valley, and is dedicated to helping Californians and visitors discover the beauty of California native plantsCalifornia native plantsCalifornia native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
. The organization operates the only nursery in Los Angeles County devoted exclusively to California natives, offering more than 500 species. - Bob Hope AirportBob Hope AirportBob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
straddles Burbank and Sun Valley. - Lockheed AircraftLockheed CorporationThe Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
had many factories located in Sun Valley during WWII.
Economy
The Consulate-General of the Dominican Republic in the County of Los AngelesDiplomatic missions of the Dominican Republic
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Dominican Republic, excluding honorary consulates. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern half of the island of Hispaniola.-Europe:**Vienna ** Brussels ** Antwerp...
is located in Suite 204 at 9001 Laurel Canyon Boulevard.
Government and infrastructure
Los Angeles Fire DepartmentLos Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
Fire Station 77 is located in the Sun Valley area. The station is in the Battalion 12 district.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Sun Valley Post Office is located at 10946 Ratner Street.
Public schools
Sun Valley is zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
.
Elementary schools serving the Sun Valley area include:
- Fernangeles Elementary School (in Sun Valley)
- Glenwood Elementary School (in Sun Valley)
- Roscoe Elementary School (Sun Valley)
- Stonehurst Avenue Elementary School (Shadow Hills)
- Camellia Elementary School (in North Hollywood)
- Strathern Elementary School (in North Hollywood)
- Vinedale Elementary School (in Sun Valley)
Two middle schools, Sun Valley Middle School and Byrd Middle School, both in Sun Valley, serve the area.
John H. Francis Polytechnic High School
John H. Francis Polytechnic High School
John H. Francis Polytechnic High School is a secondary school located in the Sun Valley area of Los Angeles, California. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District...
in Sun Valley serves much of Sun Valley, although in 2009 much of the 9th, 10th and some of the 11th grade students were moved to the recently renovated Sun Valley High School
Sun Valley High School (California)
Sun Valley High School is a high school in Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The principal of the school is Paul Del Rosario.- History :...
, while East Valley High School
East Valley High School (Los Angeles)
East Valley High School is a secondary school located at 5525 Vineland Avenue in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
in North Hollywood serves other portions of Sun Valley.
Robert H. Lewis Continuation High School is located on the campus of Francis Polytechnic.
Private schools
Village Christian SchoolVillage Christian School
Village Christian School is a private, Evangelical Christian, K-12 school located in Sun Valley, California, a part of the City of Los Angeles. It was founded in 1949 by members of Village Church in nearby Burbank...
and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic School are located in Sun Valley.,
Parks and recreation
The Sun Valley Recreation Center in Sun Valley includes a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, and American football field, picnic tables, a lighted soccer (football) field, lighted tennis courts, and lighted volleyball courts. The Fernangeles Recreation Center in Sun Valley includes an auditorium, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a lighted football field, an indoor gymnasium with weights, picnic tables, and a lighted soccer field.The Stonehurst Recreation Center in Sun Valley is a historic site. The center has an indoor gymnasium and auditorium with a capacity of 400 people, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, a lighted American football field, an indoor gymnasium with weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and volleyball courts.