Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California

Canoga Park (formerly known as Owensmouth) is a section of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles.

For hundreds of years Canoga was home to Native Americans of both Fernandeno and Chumash tribes. It is believed to be named after Canoga, New York, which derived its name from the Native American village "Ganogeh".

In the 1860s, an Australian, Albert Workman, bought 13,000 acres (53 km²) in this area and became a major producer of wheat. Eventually, the area's zoning was rural/agricultural and its industry was small farms involved in production of fruits, vegetables, melons, some livestock, horses, movie/television studio and stunt location work.

The area was originally named "Owensmouth" by Los Angeles Suburban Home Company by general manager HJ Whitley due to its proximity to the Los Angeles Aqueduct that brought water from the Owens Valley. The town was founded on March 30, 1912, and the Suburban Home Company contracted with the Janss Corporation, to sell properties. The lack of an independent water supply made annexation to the City of Los Angeles inevitable, and on February 26, 1917 it joined with its larger neighbor. The name was changed to "Canoga Park" in 1930.

In 1955, the Rocketdyne corporation, then a spinoff of North American Aviation, moved into the area. It became a major employer and other aerospace companies followed, including North American Aviation, Hughes Aircraft (now Boeing), Atomics International, and Teledyne. Small machine shops and other ancillary businesses also sprang up to service the aerospace industry.

In 1964, the Topanga Plaza Shopping Mall became the first two-story indoor air-conditioned mall in the United States.

Canoga Park is home to a diverse community. Much of the western section of Canoga Park has been renamed West Hills and a portion of the eastern section has been renamed Winnetka, both cities with a higher social economic statuses. According to some scholars, this may be due to "White Flight" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight ). For example, many residents of Canoga Park would rather send their students to El Camino Real High School in neighboring Woodland Hills than the local Canoga Park Senior High School. Today, Canoga Park is at risk of losing territory with the merger of Topanga Plaza Shopping Mall with the Westfield Promenade in Woodland hills which would create the largest mall in the west coast. If the merger happens, it could be possible that the mall will be advertised and changed to be of Woodland Hills (for the sake of better reputation) rather than Canoga Park. Most of the area is now suburban communities with small industrial areas, however some of the area is still rural; film production, stunt, equine, and feed businesses still exist.

On June 25, 2005, Canoga Park was named an All-America City.

Canoga Park is mentioned on the Frank Zappa album Joe's Garage as the hometown of the main character. It is also mentioned in the songs "Can't Let Go" by Bryan Ferry and "Eat Fried Wheat (a Canoga Park jingle)" by Vycrol.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Canoga Park is zoned to Los Angeles Unified School District schools.

Public schools serving Canoga Park include:

Elementary schools:
*Canoga Park Elementary School
*Enadia Way Elementary School (opened 2008 [http://www.laschools.org/project-status/one-project?project_number=56.40038] )
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Hart_EL/ Hart Street Elementary School]
*Limerick Elementary School

Middle schools:
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Columbus_MS/ Columbus Middle School]

High schools:
*Canoga Park High School

Private schools

Private schools located in Canoga Park include:

K-12 schools:
*Faith Baptist Schools

High schools:
*AGBU High School

Public libraries

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Canoga Park Branch.

Businesses

*Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga Plaza
*Rocketdyne
*Follow Your Heart Natural Foods
*Pastries By Edie
*Henrí's Restaurant and Catering also Back Room Live Jazz
*Green Thumb Nursery and Growing Grounds
*Antique Row in Old Town
*The Madrid Theatre
*Cobalt Cafe
*India Sweets And Spices

Notable Residents

*Randy Wolf, starting pitcher for the Houston Astros
*Steve Smith, wide receiver for the New York Giants and formerly of USC.
*Jacqueline Obradors, actress Rita Ortiz on NYPD BLUE
* Dolph Sweet, actor.
*Chris Bailey, musician
*Bryan Cranston, actor
*Judith Barsi, actress
*Hobart Johnstone Whitley, Founder, Land Developer, Banker
*Billy Ray Cyrus, Actor & Singer
*Miley Ray Cyrus, Actress & Singer

External links