Northridge

Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. The 2000 U.S. census counted 57,561 residents in the 9.47-square-mile (24.5 km²) Northridge neighborhoodor 6,080 people per square mile (2,350/km²) In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 61,993. In 2000 the median age for residents was 32, about average for city and county neighborhoods; the percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest. The neighborhood was considered "highly diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a high percentage of Asian people for the county. The breakdown was whites, 49.5%; Latinos, 26.1%; Asians, 14.5; blacks, 5.4%; and others, 4.6%. Mexico (24,7%) and the Philippines (9.8%) were the most common places of birth for the 31.8% of the residents who were born abroad. The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $67,906, considered high for the city. The average household size of 2.7 people was considered average for Los Angeles and 8.5% of residents were military veterans. The area now called Northridge was first inhabited about 2,000 years ago by the Native American Gabrielino (or Tongva) people. Among their tribal villages Totonga was nearby Northridge.

Population

Northridge is the primary city name, but also Sherwood Forest, Sherwood Frst are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Northridge. The 2000 U.S. census counted 57,561 residents in the 9.47-square-mile (24.5 km²) Northridge neighborhood. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 61,993. In 2000 the median age for residents was 32, about average for city and county neighborhoods. The percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest. The neighborhood was considered "highly diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a high percentage of Asian people for the county. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common places of birth for the 31.8% of the residents who were born abroad. The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $67,906, considered high for the city. The average household size of 2.7 people was considered average for Los Angeles. The breakdown was whites, 49.5%; Latinos, 26.1%; Asians, 14.5; blacks, 5.4%; and others, 4.6%. In 2000 there were 3,803 military veterans, or 8.5 per cent of the population, aHigh percentage compared to the rest of the city, compared to a low percentage for the country. Renters occupied 46.4% of. the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 53.6 per cent. There were 2,788 single-family homes in the neighborhood in 2000, an average figure for the area. The area had 6,080 people per square mile (2,350/km²), among the lowest population densities for theCity.

Geography

Northridge touches Porter Ranch and Granada Hills on the north. It also touches Van Nuys on the southeast, Lake Balboa and Reseda on the south and Winnetka and Chatsworth on the west. Northridge is a suburb of Los Angeles, California. It is located in the San Fernando Valley and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The city has a population of 1.2 million. It has been home to the U.S. Air Force since 1969. It was the site of the first air ambulance to land in the United States, in the late 1950s and 1960s. The town is located on the San Francisco Bay and the San Diego River, which flows through the city. It's also on the border of San Diego and Los Angeles counties, and is known as the "Gateway to the West" because of its proximity to the two major cities. The area is also known as "The City of the Hills" because it is home to many hills, including the Northridge Hills and the North Hills, which form the city's eastern border. The Northridge area was once the most densely populated in the state, with more than 100,000 people living in the area in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the number of residents rose to more than 1.5 million, and it is now home to about 2 million people. The community has a reputation for being a safe place to live and raise children.

History

The area now called Northridge was first inhabited about 2,000 years ago by the Native American Gabrielino (or Tongva) people. The Gabrielino-Tongva people, who lived in dome-shaped houses, are sometimes referred to as the "people of the earth" They spoke a Takic Uto-Aztecan (Shoshonean) language. Their pictographs are very hard to find nowadays, and those not public, nor protected, many destroyed by the development of Greater Los Angeles. A replica can be seen at The Southwest Museum and there are archeological exhibits at Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Rancho Los Alamitos, Louis Robidoux Nature Center and El Dorado Nature Center. There are no public rock art sites in L.A. County. Northridge is located in the northern part of the city, in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located on the northern edge of the Los Angeles River, which flows into the San Fernando Valley. The city's population is about 2.5 million, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. It has a population of 1.6 million, the highest rate of growth in the U.S. since the mid-20th century, and the second-highest rate of population growth after New York City. The area was once called the "Valley of the Cumberland" by Senator George K. Porter and Senator Charles Maclay, who called it the "Garden of Eden".

Education

Thirty-four percent of Northridge residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000. The percentages of the same-age residents with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree or higher were high for the county. California State University, Northridge offers bachelor's and master's degrees in a number of disciplines. CSUN employs 5,800 people directly through the university and adds another 5,700 to 6,000 jobs into the local economy. The school is a major producer of K12 teachers in the region and the nation as a whole. By fall of 2016, CSUN had reached enrollment of almost 40,000 students. In 1962, Nobel Junior High School in Northridge became the first air-conditioned school in the Los Angeles school district. In 1982, the board considered closing Prairie Street Elementary School. In 1984 the board voted to close the Prairie Street School. in 1985 some parents were trying to have Prairie Street school re-opened. In 1985, the school was shut down by the LAUSD Board of Trustees, but it was later reopened as a private school. In 1988, the LA Unified School District voted to shut down eight schools in the Northridge area, including Prairie Street. In 1989, the district voted to open a new elementary school, Prairie Street Middle School, on the CSUN campus. In 1991, the city voted to build a new middle and high school, the first of its kind in Los Angeles. The new middle school was completed in 1994.

Entertainment

In the late 1960s, Devonshire Downs was the site of two major rock music festivals. The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish, The Grass Roots, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly and several other bands played there. The 1969 Newport Pop Festival was a massive three-day event that featured Jimi Hendrix and many other top acts. The original house and a small portion of the ranch still exist, and is managed by the city as Oakridge Estate Park. Northridge was known as the "Horse Capital of the West," with regular Sunday horse shows, annual stampedes, and country fairs. In 2010 the city agreed to buy the Tudor-style stone landmark and its 10-acre (40,000 m2) ranch estate. The Oakie house was set for the wrecking ball, but in 2010 the City of Northridge bought it for $2.5 million and will turn it into a public park. The city also owns the land surrounding the historic Marwyck Ranch, which was built in the early 1900s as a horse breeding farm. It was later sold to Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor, and later to Jack Oakie, who lived on it. It is now owned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has a museum dedicated to the history of the Northridge area and the California Golden Gate Bridge, which once ran through the city. The Northridge neighborhood of the same name was once home to the famous Northridge Country Club, which is still open today.

Earthquakes

The 1994 Northridge earthquake was one of the strongest ground motions ever recorded in North America. Freeways collapsed, and many buildings suffered irreparable damages. The Northridge Hospital Medical Center remained open and treated more than 1,000 patients who came to the facility during the first few days after the magnitude 6.7 quake. This was the second time in 23 years that the area had been affected by a strong earthquake. On February 9, 1971 the San Fernando earthquake (also known as the Sylmar earthquake) struck, having a magnitude of 6.5. The earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault and was centered in the city of Northridge. It was named for Northridge based on early estimates of the location of the quake's epicenter; however, further refinements showed it to be technically in neighboring Reseda. The quake was the deadliest earthquake to hit the U.S. since the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. that killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 100,000. The U.N. seismicity agency recorded the quake as the second-strongest in the history of the United States, after the 1964 Loma Prieta earthquake. The magnitude of the Northridge quake was 6.4, and it was followed by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area on September 14, 1967. The San Francisco earthquake was the third largest in the world at the time, with a magnitude of 6.6.

Points of interest

Northridge Hospital Medical Center consists of a 411-bed hospital and serves 2 million residents of the Valley. The hospital is one of only two facilities in the Valley certified as a trauma center for treating life-threatening injuries. Studio 606 West, the recording studio of rock band Foo Fighters, is based in Northridge. The U.S. Metric Association is based at the Northridge Botanic Garden. Northridge Fashion Center, a regional shopping mall, is located in the city. The Northridge Airport, a major airport in the Los Angeles area, is also based in the area. The city is home to the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL) The city also hosts the California Institute of the Arts, which was founded in 1883 and is located on the edge of the city's downtown area. It is the home of the Caltech College of Arts and Sciences, which opened its doors in 1887. The Caltech School of Medicine, founded in 1896, is a leading institution in the field of medicine. It was founded by Charles Calculus, who was the first professor of medicine in the United States. The University of Southern California (USC) opened in 1881 and became the first college in the state in 1882. The California State Medical School, which began in 1884, is the oldest medical school in the country. The university's medical center is the only one in the valley that is certified to treat serious injuries.

Parks, recreation and sports

The Northridge Recreation Center has an indoor gymnasium, without weights. Dearborn Park has lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, picnic tables, and lighted tennis courts. Vanalden Park is an unstaffed pocket park, has a horseshoe pit, a jogging path, and picnic tables. The Northridge Pool, on the recreation center grounds, is an outdoor heated seasonal pool, with a capacity of 400. The park also has barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted indoor basketball courts and a community room, and a lighting soccer field. The recreation center is located at 18300 Lemarsh St., and the park is at 17141 Nordhoff St., which is on the city's east side. The center is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open to the public. It is located on the east side of the city, on Lemarsh Street, and the west side of Nordhoff Street. The Recreation Center is open Monday through Friday, except for holidays, when the center is closed.

Government and infrastructure

The Los Angeles Police Department operates two police stations that serve Northridge. The United States Postal Service Northridge Post Office is located at 9534 Reseda Boulevard. Northridge is located within the City of Los Angeles 12th City Council District represented by Councilmember Mitchell Englander. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pacoima Health Center inPacoima, serving the community. The Northridge area is represented in the United States Senate by California's Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democrat Brad Sherman. In the California State Assembly, Northridge lies within the 45th State Assembly district represented by Democrat Jesse Gabriel, and the 18th and 27th State Senate districts represented by Democrats Robert Hertzberg and Henry Stern. The City of LA operates two neighborhood councils that cover Northridge: Northridge East and Northridge West. The city also operates two community police stations: Devonshire Community Police Station and West Valley Community police Station. The L.A. Fire Department operates Station 70 (Northridge) and Station 103 (Northridge/CSUN) and serves Northridge and the surrounding area. The community is served by two fire stations: Station 70 and station 103, both of which are located near Roscoe Boulevard. The town is also served by the Northridge Police Department, which serves residents north of Roscoe Blvd. and south of West Valley Blvd. It is located in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which covers Northridge, South, and West Los Angeles.