Canoga Park, early developers boasted, had the...

Canoga Park, early developers boasted, had the richest agricultural land in the state. A rancher brought the region its first eucalyptus trees, and a dedicated resident led the effort to change the area’s name from Owensmouth, a moniker chosen by developers.

As the years passed, the orange groves vanished and sugar beets were no longer planted. Instead, technology flourished. The rockets for the Mercury space program and parts for other aerospace projects were built in the community.

Then came the shopping malls--indoor and outdoor, large and small.

CURRENT ISSUES

IMPROVEMENT:

The area will receive $3 million over the next three years from the city of Los Angeles’ Targeted Neighborhoods Initiative for projects such as streetscape improvements along Sherman Way, loans to upgrade business facades throughout the Canoga Park business district, and a major renovation to the Guadalupe Center, which provides services for youths and seniors.

RECOVERY:

Canoga Park was hit hard by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, but recovery is almost complete. About 20 multifamily units were destroyed along the Saticoy Street apartment corridor, which includes Alabama Avenue. Now, nearly four years later, all but one of the buildings have reopened, and residents say they are much improved.

RENEWAL:

The decline in well-paying aerospace jobs, coupled with the recession, has taken its toll on Canoga Park. Now the West Valley Community Development Corp. is striving to create affordable housing in the area, which has experienced a rise in the number of poverty stricken residents.

AREA HIGHLIGHTS

ARTS: Residents are awaiting the spring opening of the $3.55-million, 499-seat Madrid Theatre. The site, in the 21600 block of Sherman Way, was home to a popular cinema for decades, beginning in the 1920s, before subsequent owners converted it into an X-rated theater.

Once opened, the Madrid will host drama and dance performances, musicals and symphony concerts, and will be one of the largest live theaters in the Valley.

A former shampoo factory was opened in 1996 for use as a film production facility, marking the first significant presence of the film industry in the West Valley. A major studio is using the site to film two of its series on the site.

SHOPPING: The community is rich in shopping opportunities, including Topanga Plaza, the first enclosed air-conditioned mall built west of the Mississippi. Topanga Plaza was built in 1964.

A $27-million, 157,000-square-foot shopping center is proposed at the northeast corner of Victory Boulevard and Canoga Avenue on land once used for aerospace work.

The area’s antiques row, centered on Sherman Way, is described as the “oldest and largest group of individual antique shops in the Valley.” Nearly 20 shops have reopened since being closed because of damage from the quake.

HISTORY

In the late 1800s, the area was owned by the Los Angeles Farm and Milling Co. and was known as Workman Ranch, for the 9,000-acre ranch’s superintendent, Albert Workman.

Workman later bought the ranch and planted a few small eucalyptus trees he had purchased from an Australian shipper. These trees are thought to be the forebears of nearly all other eucalyptus trees in Southern California.

The original Workman ranch house--renamed Shadow Ranch for the extensive shadows cast on the main house by the towering eucalyptus trees--and the nine acres surrounding it are among several historic sites in the community.

Other landmarks include the 24-acre Orcutt Ranch Park and the Canoga Mission Gallery and Community Arts Center, built in the 1930s of stones from nearby hills for motion picture star Francis Lederer. The gallery and arts center suffered extensive damage in the 1994 Northridge quake but has reopened as an antiques store.

Canoga Park became the official name for the area on March 1, 1931, after two decades during which it was known as Owensmouth.

Opened in 1916, Canoga Park High School is one of the oldest in the Valley.

Sources: Howard Shirley, Canoga-Owensmouth Historical Society president; Jean Jauck, historical society past president; Ken Bernstein, planning deputy for Councilwoman Laura Chick; “The San Fernando Valley Then and Now” by Charles A. Bearchell and Larry D. Fried. (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

COMMUNITY PROFILE (Includes parts of Winnetka and Woodland Hills)

Population: 153,467

Median Age: 34.4

Number of households: 56,786

Persons per household: 2.7

Owner-occupied housing units: 62%

Population below poverty level: 6.8%

Population over 18 with bachelor’s degree or higher: 28%

*

Income

Average household income is higher than the citywide average.

Canoga Park: $59,746

Citywide average: $45,701

Northeast Valley: $44,444

Southeast Valley: $48,182

Northwest Valley: $56,427

Southwest Valley: $61,722

*

Ethnicity

White: 72%

Latino: 17%

Asian: 8%

African American: 2%

Other: 1%

* Source: 1990 U.S. Census

*

Sources: Howard Shirley, Canoga Owensmouth Historical Society president; Jean Jauck, historical society past president; Ken Bernstein, planning deputy for Councilwoman Laura Chick; “The San Fernando Valley Then and Now” by Charles A. Bearchell and Larry D. Fried. Researched by SHARON MOESER/Special to The Times