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Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Intersection of Victory Boulevard and Sylmar Avenue
Coordinates: 34°11′0″N 118°26′00″W / 34.183333°N 118.4333333°W / 34.183333; -118.4333333
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Los Angeles
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	136,443
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	91401, 91405, 91411
Area code(s)	818

Van Nuys (pronounced /vænˈnaɪz/) is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.

[edit] Geography

Van Nuys is located at 34°11′00″N 118°26′00″W / 34.1833333°N 118.4333333°W / 34.1833333; -118.4333333 (34.1833, -118.4333).^{[1][page needed]}

[edit] Description

Two photos depicting the boom of growth in Van Nuys between February and December, 1911.

Lot sales began at the new town of Van Nuys on February 22, 1911.^[2] The area is named after Isaac Van Nuys, who was of Dutch descent and who founded the San Fernando Homestead Association in 1869, a group that purchased much of the land that now makes up the community. He also built the first wood frame house in the San Fernando Valley in 1872.

Van Nuys is in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and home to about 100,000 people; the main thoroughfare, Van Nuys Boulevard, is noted for its car dealerships. It also functions similar to a "county seat" for the Valley, with its Government Center (Erwin Street Mall) containing a branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys police station, the Van Nuys offices for Los Angeles City Hall, Van Nuys State Office Building and a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Van Nuys used to be the home for Van Nuys Assembly Plant, a major manufacturing facility for General Motors' Chevrolet division. When the plant was dismantled in 1998, the site was converted into a shopping mall called The Plant.

Like many central San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, Van Nuys was a middle-class neighborhood as late as the 1970s, but the demographics of the area have changed considerably since then.

In late 2004, the San Fernando Valley's first historic district was proposed for an area of early 20th Century bungalows north of Victory between Van Nuys Boulevard and Kester. According to the November 23, 2004, Los Angeles Times, "The neighborhood has become a melting pot of ethnic groups and home styles. Nearby stand such historic buildings as Van Nuys High School (1914), St. Elisabeth Catholic Church (1920) and the 12th Church of Christ Scientist (1932)."

[edit] Demographics

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Van Nuys neighborhood statistics: population: 103,770; median household income: $41,134.^[3]

[edit] Notable locations

Van Nuys Boulevard

• The Japanese Garden
• Sepulveda Dam
• Busch Gardens Theme Park (1964–1979)
• The Leo Magnus Cricket Complex
• Van Nuys FlyAway Bus service
• Van Nuys Boulevard

[edit] Economy

Grupo TACA operates a Van Nuys-area TACA Center at 6710 Van Nuys Boulevard.^[4]

[edit] Government and infrastructure

Valley Municipal Building in Van Nuys

Los Angeles Fire Department operates Station 39 (Van Nuys), Station 90 (Van Nuys Airport Area), Station 100 (West Van Nuys/Lake Balboa), and Station 102 (South Van Nuys/Valley Glen), serving the community.

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6420 Sylmar Avenue, 91401, serving the neighborhood [1].

[edit] County, state, and federal representation

The United States Postal Service operates the Civic Center Van Nuys Post Office at 6200 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys and the Van Nuys Post Office at 15701 Sherman Way in the Lake Balboa neighborhood in Los Angeles, west of Van Nuys.^[5][6][7]

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

[edit] Public schools

Van Nuys High School

Van Nuys is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

LAUSD-operated schools within the Van Nuys community area include:

Adult schools:

• Van Nuys Community Adult School (on the same campus as Van Nuys High School)

6-12 schools:

• Robert Fulton College Preparatory (Van Nuys)

K–12 school:

• Valley Alternative Magnet School (on the same block as Birmingham High School)

High schools:

• Van Nuys High School

Middle schools:

• Van Nuys Middle School (Sherman Oaks)

Elementary schools:

• Columbus Avenue Elementary School
• Hazeltine Avenue Elementary School
• Sylvan Park Elementary School
• Van Nuys Elementary School
• Valerio Street Elementary School
  • Valerio Street Primary Center

In addition Charter High School for the Arts is located in Van Nuys.

[edit] Private schools

• Children's Community School - an independent, progressive elementary school.
• St. Elisabeth's School - Preschool through 8th - Home of the Learning Academies and the Junior High Information Technology Preparatory Academy - Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Montclair College Preparatory School

[edit] Public libraries

Van Nuys Branch Library

The Van Nuys Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library serves the community.

[edit] Transportation

This section is incomplete and may require expansion or cleanup. Please help to improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the world, the 25th busiest airport in the United States, and among the 20 busiest airports in the world by aircraft movements, is located in Van Nuys.

The closest airport with commercial airline service is Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

[edit] Timeline

This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2008)

See timeline.

• 1872 — Eugene Garnier buys Rancho Encino and erects house of limestone beside de Osa adobe. Isaac Van Nuys builds first wood-frame house in Valley.
• 1911 — Van Nuys was settled by the Los Angeles Suburban Home Company. HJ Whitleythe Father Of Hollywood was the General Manager of the Syndicate. Pacific Electric Red Cars reach Valley from Los Angeles. Burbank and San Fernando officially incorporate.
• 1914 — Universal City opens as a studio-cum-town. Floods inundate Van Nuys and cut off Valley from Los Angeles. Van Nuys High School opens.
• 1920 - St. Elisabeth's Roman Catholic Church is established.
• 1928 — St. Francis Dam break kills more than 400 people and ends career of William Mulholland. Metropolitan Field, the future Van Nuys Airport, opens. Stop signs posted at major intersections.
• 1932 —Van Nuys city hall built.
• 1942 — President Franklin Roosevelt orders all West Coast residents of Japanese heritage — including 3,100 in Valley, many of them Americans — relocated to inland camps. National Guard squadron at Griffith Park moves to new Van Nuys Army Airfield.
• 1943 — Birmingham Army Hospital built for paraplegic wounded at Balboa Blvd. and Vanowen St. in Van Nuys
• 1949 — Standard Airlines crash in Santa Susana Pass kills 35 people. Bethlehem Star Parade tradition begins in Van Nuys. Valley College opens.
• 1953- Birmingham Army Hospital becomes Birmingham Jr. & Sr. High School, the third Jr. & Sr. High School in Van Nuys.
• 1960 — Ventura Freeway completed across the Valley. National Guard jets leave Van Nuys Airport over noise complaints. Population of Valley hits 840,000.
• 1965 — Passenger helicopter service begins between Van Nuys and Los Angeles International Airport. Journalist Tom Wolfe writes of Valley car culture in \The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.
• 1966 — Busch Gardens amusement park opens in Van Nuys.
• 1970 —Women join assembly line at Van Nuys GM plant. Bethlehem Star Parade ends due to waning interest.
• 1992 —General Motors plant in Van Nuys closes.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Van Nuys Neighborhood Council Map
• Van Nuys (neighborhood)

• Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California is at coordinates 34°11′00″N 118°26′00″W / 34.1833°N 118.4333°W / 34.1833; -118.4333 (Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California)Coordinates: 34°11′00″N 118°26′00″W / 34.1833°N 118.4333°W / 34.1833; -118.4333 (Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California)

v • d • e City of Los Angeles Topics History · Transportation · Culture · Landmarks · Historic Places · Skyscrapers · Demographics · Crime · Sports · Media · Music · Notable people Government Mayors · City Council · Other elected officials · Fire Department · Police · Public schools Regions Downtown · Eastside · Harbor Area · Greater Hollywood · Westlake & Silver Lake/Los Feliz · San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys · South Los Angeles · Westside · Wilshire

v • d • e Los Angeles city areas within the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys Districts and neighborhoods Arleta · Canoga Park · Chatsworth · Encino · Granada Hills · Lake View Terrace · Lake Balboa · Mission Hills · NoHo Arts District · North Hills · North Hollywood · Northridge · Pacoima · Panorama City · Porter Ranch · Reseda · Shadow Hills · Sherman Oaks · Studio City · Sun Valley · Sunland · Sylmar · Tarzana · Toluca Lake · Tujunga · Valley Village · Van Nuys · Ventura Business District · Warner Center · West Hills · Winnetka · Woodland Hills Points of interest CSUN · Campo de Cahuenga · San Fernando Mission · Universal Studios Hollywood See also Burbank · Calabasas · Glendale · Hidden Hills · La Crescenta · City of San Fernando · Universal City Downtown · Eastside/Northeast · Harbor Area · Greater Hollywood · Westlake & Silver Lake/Los Feliz · San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys · South Los Angeles · Westside · Wilshire

[edit] Further reading

• Gaelyn Whitley Keith, The Father of Hollywood: The True Story, ISBN 1419641948