Tarzana, Los Angeles, California

Tarzana (IPA|/tɑɹˈzænə/) is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.

Location

Tarzana, a district of Los Angeles, is surrounded by Reseda to the north, Woodland Hills to the west, Encino to the east, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. Major thoroughfares include Reseda Boulevard, Tampa Avenue, Wilbur Avenue, Burbank Boulevard and the commercial backbone of the south San Fernando Valley, Ventura Boulevard.

Most of Tarzana's inhabitants live in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains south of Ventura Boulevard. North of the Ventura Freeway, there is a uniquely designed area meant to emulate a more rural setting called Melody Acres. Tarzana contains two country clubs (with golf courses) in the Santa Monica Mountains: El Caballero Country Club and Braemar Country Club. At the remote southern end of Reseda Blvd., there are a number of gated communities, including Mulholland Park, Silverhawk Ridge, Monte Verde and Braemar Estates.

North of the Boulevard, where a smaller portion of the population lives, there are fewer houses and more apartment buildings. Tarzana extends to Victory Boulevard, encompassing a wide swath of medium density housing.

Early history

The area now known as Tarzana was originally part of the San Fernando Mission, which was established in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries, who eventually displaced the indigenous population. Later on the area was seized by Mexico and then, following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States, at which point the area came to be part of a sequential order of large cattle ranches owned by local elites. Beginning in the 1870s, the area was purchased by investors who transformed it into a large-scale wheat farm operation.

In 1909 the surrounding area was purchased by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. General Harrison Gray Otis, founder and publisher of the "Los Angeles Times", had invested in the company, while also purchasing convert|550|acre|km2 in the center of modern-day Tarzana. Another investor established a small town called "Runnymede" in the general vicinity and allocated the surrounding land for small poultry ranches and berry farms.

In 1915 Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the author of the "Tarzan stories", purchased Otis’ land, upon which he built a large home, and renamed the property "Tarzana Ranch". Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development, while the neighboring small farms were also converted to residential areas. In 1927, local residents renamed the town "Tarzana" in honor of Burroughs and his famous literary character.

Residents

There are approximately 28,484 residents. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial composition was predominantly White(78.9%), followed by Asian (5.6%), and Black or African American (3.8%). Native American or Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander each constituted less than one percent (0.3% and 0.1% respectively) of the population. 13.1% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. About 35.2% of the population in 2000 was foreign-born, including 21.9% that were born in Iran and 10.6% in Mexico.

Tarzana features a burgeoning Iranian-American population, and the community is well known for its Persian restaurants, booksellers, and language training institutes. A thriving and long-established Jewish community attends four synagogues and provides the customer base for the second branch of the Hebrew language bookselling chain "Steimatzky" constructed outside of Israel. A number of popular and well-regarded delicatessens can be found in Tarzana, such as the "Tarzana Armenian Grocery" and "Mort's Deli". Historic recording studio , Can-Am Studios resides in Tarzana.

Notable residents include Canadian comedian Jeremy Hotz, actor Jamie Foxx, actor Wilmer Valderrama, actor Michael J. Fox, actress Lisa Kudrow, tennis player Meilen Tu, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, actress Maya Rudolph, jazz musician Abraham Laboriel, Kevin Federline, actor Ron Masak, KROQ's Kevin, Star Trek guest star Hana Hatae, Grammy Award winning producer David Kershenbaum, professional golfer Drew Piller, world famous singer Sophie Elizabeth Haimof ,pornstar Crystal Ray, magician David Elkin, comedian Carlos Mencia, actress Eva Longoria, and Persian singer Dariush Eghbali. Mountain bicycle pioneer Jacquie Phelan attended three Tarzana schools: Wilbur, Portola and Taft. Hall of Fame Radio Personality Charlie Tuna serves as honorary mayor of Tarzana.

World renowned Brazilian Jujitsu practitioner Jean Jacques Machado runs an academy in Tarzana, where his top student, Eddie Bravo, trained.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Tarzana residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-re-guide29feb29,1,2677957.story] .

Zoned elementary schools include:
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Wilbur_EL Wilbur Avenue Elementary School]
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Nestle_EL Nestle Avenue Elementary School]
* [http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Vanalden_EL Vanalden Elementary School]
* Tarzana Elementary School

Zoned middle schools include:
* [http://www.portolams.org/ Portola Middle School]

Zoned high schools serving Tarzana include:
*Birmingham High School in (Lake Balboa area)
*Reseda High School (in Reseda area)
*Taft High School (in Woodland Hills area)

Private schools

[http://www.woodcrestschool.com Woodcrest Elementary School] is a private preschool-5th grade school in Tarzana.

Public libraries

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Encino-Tarzana Branch as well.

Filming location

*Portola Middle School in Tarzana was used as a location for the films "Thirteen", "The Karate Kid" and "Akeelah and the Bee".
*In the Paul Thomas Anderson film "Magnolia", Tom Cruise's character, Frank T.J. Mackey, was born and raised in Tarzana. The climactic scene from that same movie occurs on the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way in nearby Reseda, a focus for many P.T. Anderson scenes.
*Tarzana Armenian Deli in Tarzana was used as a location for the HBO TV show "Six Feet Under". David and Keith have coffee, sandwiches and frank conversation at the eatery.
*Tarzana was the home of John Denver's character (Jerry Landers) in the 1977 film "Oh, God!"
*Danny DeVito's character in "Get Shorty" grew up in Tarzana.

External links

* [http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/sd/communityprofiles/California/Tarzana_CA.pdf Tarzana, California Community Profile]
* [http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/communities/2004/la-re-guide29feb29,0,6701991.story?coll=la-realestate-communities-2004 "Los Angeles Times", Real Estate section, Neighborly Advice column: " [Tarzana:] A hilly haven in the jungles of the Valley" (29 Feb 2004)]

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