Santa Clarita Woodlands Park is a 4,000 acre (1,619 hectare) open space preserve located in the northeastern foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clarita , California .
68-635: The park borders the city of Santa Clarita to the northeast, Newhall Ranch Open Space to the northwest, Michael D. Antonovich Open Space to the southeast, and an open space preserve managed by the Bureau of Land Management to the southwest. The park includes four recreation areas: The park preserves a mountainous expanse of coastal sage and chaparral habitat. Resident mammal species include bobcat , coyote , red-tailed hawk , and desert cottontail . [REDACTED] Media related to Santa Clarita Woodlands Park at Wikimedia Commons This article related to
136-690: A 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populous in California , and the 103rd-most populous city in the United States . It is located about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies 70.75 square miles (183.2 km ) of land in the Santa Clarita Valley , along the Santa Clara River . It is
204-660: A 996-acre site (403 ha) south of Soledad Canyon Road, east of Railroad Avenue, northeast of the Circle J Ranch community, southwest of Centre Pointe Parkway, and west of Golden Valley Road. The first housing tract in the area consisted of company homes along Walnut Street in Newhall. In modern times, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has made efforts to clean the area of perchlorate and other toxic chemicals left behind by decades of munitions testing. The site
272-625: A Christian liberal arts university; and College of the Canyons , a community college. Companies headquartered in or near the city include Princess Cruises , Sunkist , Remo , and the Newhall Land and Farming Company. The unincorporated communities of Castaic and Stevenson Ranch , located to the north and west of the Santa Clarita city limits, respectively, are closely associated with the city. Six Flags Magic Mountain , though commonly thought to be in
340-511: A Standard Gas Station in present-day Valencia. The shootout was the deadliest attack on law enforcement in California history. As Valencia had barely been developed, it came to be known as the Newhall incident . One of the perpetrators was sentenced to life in prison; the other committed suicide. In the aftermath of the incident, policing was transformed nationwide – police training and weaponry were improved and bullet proof vests became widespread. In
408-790: A classic example of a U.S. edge city , satellite city , or boomburb . Human settlement of the Santa Clarita Valley dates back to the arrival of the Chumash people , who were displaced by the Tataviam circa 450 AD. After Spanish colonists arrived in Alta California , the Rancho San Francisco was established, covering much of the Santa Clarita Valley. Henry Mayo Newhall purchased the Rancho San Francisco in 1875 and established
476-562: A hilltop in Rice Canyon which is near Newhall, killing all twelve people on board. In 1945, the Santa Clarita Union High School District was created. The following year it was renamed William S. Hart Union High School District after William S. Hart. The district's first high school was William S. Hart High School in Newhall. The first official use of the name "Santa Clarita" in a housing development appeared in
544-583: A margin of two to one in that year's general election. Other proposed names for the city were "City of the Canyons" and "La Mancha"; "Santa Clarita" narrowly defeated "City of the Canyons." The city's first mayor was future Congressman Buck McKeon . In 1990, the federal government awarded Cemex a contract to mine millions of tons of sand and gravel in Soledad Canyon, just east of the city. The proposed mine caused controversy due to its potential for air pollution, traffic congestion, and environmental damage to
612-430: A number of the former Spanish and Mexican land grants in the state, amassing a total of 143,000 acres (58,000 ha) between Monterey and Los Angeles counties. The most significant portion was the Rancho San Francisco, which he purchased for $ 2/acre. It became known as Newhall Ranch after Newhall's death. Within this territory, Newhall granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific through what is now Newhall Pass. He also sold
680-419: A protected area in California is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Los Angeles County, California –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Santa Clarita Santa Clarita ( / ˌ s æ n t ə k l ə ˈ r iː t ə / ; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California . With
748-599: A wide age range, from older developments dating from the 1960s or earlier to new developments built in the 21st century. Newhall, the oldest area of the city, has also experienced new commercial and industrial development. Throughout the city, single-family suburban tract housing predominates, with apartment and condominium complexes along major thoroughfares. Many communities in Santa Clarita, especially in newer areas, have homeowner associations , and some are gated. Placerita Canyon and Sand Canyon are equestrian communities with large custom ranch homes. Communities just outside
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#1732856019005816-507: A young John Wayne . Many movie ranches (see section below ) were developed in the Santa Clarita Valley. Hart and Carey made their homes in the valley; today both their former estates are operated as county parks. One major contributor to the valley's early development was the Whittaker-Bermite Corporation. From 1934 to 1987, the corporation manufactured, stored, and tested explosives, including bombs and bottle rockets , on
884-645: Is being considered for development. The Santa Clarita Valley was the scene of the second deadliest disaster in California's history, known as the "worst civil engineering failure of the 20th century." Shortly before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed. Water from the St. Francis Reservoir coursed through San Francisquito Canyon and the Santa Clara River in a wave up to 140 feet (43 m) high and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, destroying buildings in its path. By
952-516: Is bounded on the west by the Golden State Freeway (I-5). The Antelope Valley Freeway (CA-14) runs northeast–southwest forming part of the city's irregular east boundary. The two freeways meet at Newhall Pass , near the city's southernmost point. Santa Clarita is home to three institutions of higher education: California Institute of the Arts , a private art university; The Master's University ,
1020-471: Is characterized by a mixture of single-family homes, townhomes, apartment buildings, condominiums, and commercial and industrial areas. Valencia, a master-planned community , contains the city's largest shopping center ( Valencia Town Center ) and most of the city's corporate headquarters, government buildings, hotels, and tallest buildings. The neighborhoods in Canyon Country and Saugus are characterized by
1088-546: Is in the San Gabriel Mountains south of Placerita and Sand Canyon Roads ( 34°21′36″N 118°24′22″W / 34.3599°N 118.4062°W / 34.3599; -118.4062 ) at an elevation of 3,048 feet (929 m). Most populated areas in the city are 1,100–1,700 feet (340–520 m) above sea level. The highest residential areas of Canyon Country, north of Skyline Ranch Road and east of Shadow Pines Boulevard, exceed 2,000 feet (610 m). Santa Clarita
1156-459: Is located along the boundary between the WWF -designated California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion to the southwest, and California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion to the northeast. Although generally considered a large suburb of Greater Los Angeles , the city of Santa Clarita consists of four distinct communities: Canyon Country , Newhall , Saugus , and Valencia . Each community
1224-592: Is near the San Fernando fault zone and has been affected by the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and 1994 Northridge earthquake (see above ), both of which had epicenters in the San Fernando Valley. Santa Clarita experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) with hot, dry, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters. Due to its close proximity to the Mojave Desert ( High Desert ) and Pacific Ocean , and
1292-576: Is now far eastern Canyon Country, marking the completion of the San Joaquin Valley line of the Southern Pacific Railroad , connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco and the rest of the nation for the first time. In the 1850s and 1860s, businessmen and political leaders such as Andrés Pico , Sanford Lyon, Henry Clay Wiley, Darius Towsley, and Christopher Leaming came to the Santa Clarita Valley for its oil reserves. On September 26, 1876,
1360-560: Is susceptible to wildfires. Although wildfires are most common in summer and fall, they can occur throughout the year during drought conditions, such as in December 2017 . Wildfire risk is highest when Santa Ana winds blow through the area from the Mojave Desert. Notable wildfires in the Santa Clarita Valley include the Rye Fire , Buckweed Fire , Sand Fire , and Tick Fire . Santa Clarita
1428-662: The Angeles National Forest and Santa Clara River. The city of Santa Clarita fought for decades to prevent mining in the canyon. In 2019, the Interior Board of Land Appeals (part of the United States Department of the Interior ) upheld a 2015 decision by the Bureau of Land Management , permanently preventing Cemex from mining in Soledad Canyon. Cemex had never mined any sand or gravel in the canyon. Santa Clarita
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#17328560190051496-524: The Honor Rancho Oil Field . The Saugus Cafe was established in 1886 near the present-day intersection of Railroad Avenue and Magic Mountain Parkway. It is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles studios began filming in Santa Clarita shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Actors in these early films included William S. Hart , Tom Mix , Harry Carey , and
1564-502: The National Register of Historic Places within the city limits of Santa Clarita.) By the early 1900s, most of Pico Canyon's richest oil reserves had been depleted, although Pico Number 4 continued to operate until 1990. Many of the aforementioned oil pioneers have lent their names to streets in the valley, such as Pico Canyon Road, Lyons Avenue, Wiley Canyon Road, and Towsley Canyon Road. Drilling continues to occur in Santa Clarita at
1632-560: The Santa Clara Valley in Northern California. The region was not widely referred to as Santa Clarita until the 1950s; before this, it was unofficially referred to as the "Newhall–Saugus area" and the "Bonelli tract," after a family that owned land in the valley. The Santa Clarita Valley has been settled for millennia before European arrival. The oldest archaeological site in the area dates back to roughly 3000 BC. About AD 450,
1700-665: The Sierra Pelona Mountains to the north, all part of the Transverse Ranges . The broad Santa Clara River passes through the city from east to west. Though usually dry, the river exhibits significant surface flow during seasonal episodes of heavy rainfall. The river's numerous tributaries incise the hilly terrain of the valley to form steep canyons after which many of the city's major streets are named. The largest of these canyons are Bouquet Canyon , San Francisquito Canyon , Sand Canyon , and Soledad Canyon . Currently,
1768-399: The Tataviam arrived, displacing the Chumash people who previously inhabited the area. The Tataviam lived in approximately 20 villages in the valley and surrounding areas including Piru , Agua Dulce , Elizabeth Lake , and Tochonanga . In the 18th century, Spanish colonists arrived in southern California including Santa Clarita, founding mission settlements . The Mission San Fernando
1836-598: The "Golden Oak" name, including Golden Oak Road in Saugus; Golden Oak Lane, Golden Oak Ranch, and Golden Oak Adult School in Newhall; and Golden Oak Community School in Canyon Country. The United States acquired California in 1848, after winning the Mexican–American War . The community of Newhall is named after Henry Newhall , an American businessman who made his fortune during the California Gold Rush . He founded
1904-574: The Canyons, a middle college high school operated by the William S. Hart Union High School District , opened on the College of the Canyons campus in 2002 allowing promising high school students to attend high school and college concurrently. The college also oversees the University Center, a collection of public and private universities that offer advanced degree programs on the college's campus, eliminating
1972-572: The Carl A. Rasmussen Amphitheater. In 2021, the college opened a 55,000 square foot science and laboratory facility at the Canyon Country campus. The facility is called the Don Takeda Science Center after a retired biology professor. With 319 full-time faculty members (as of fall 2022), the college offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees in 103 academic programs, as well as credentials in 199 certificate programs. Academy of
2040-473: The H.M. Newhall & Company, a successful auction house in San Francisco . Newhall had also invested in rail companies that would connect San Francisco to other cities and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad . In 1870, he and his partners sold the company to Southern Pacific Railroad , and he served on Southern Pacific's board of directors. From 1858 to 1861, the Santa Clarita Valley
2108-627: The Rancho Santa Clarita housing tract in Saugus, built in 1947. On September 17, 1966, William V. Fowler, Grand Cyclops (leader) of the California Knights of the Ku Klux Klan , organized a reactivation rally in Soledad Canyon, on Capra Road around 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the present-day Soledad Canyon Road exit on State Route 14. Fowler sought to reactivate the KKK in California, where it
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2176-622: The Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus locations in Valencia and Canyon Country . Local voters approved the formation of the college in 1967. It officially opened in 1969, operating in temporary quarters on the campus of William S. Hart High School in Newhall. In 1970, the college purchased a permanent campus site along
2244-725: The United States. On November 14, 2019, a mass shooting occurred at Saugus High School . That morning, Nathaniel Berhow, a 16-year-old junior at the school, used a semi-automatic pistol to shoot five other students, killing two of them, before turning his gun on himself. The shooting lasted 16 seconds. Survivors were reunited with their parents at nearby Central Park , and injured students were sent to Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills . The shooter succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries
2312-613: The Valencia part of Santa Clarita, is also west of Interstate 5 and outside of the Santa Clarita city limits. The Santa Clara River was named by Spanish explorers for Saint Clare of Assisi . The valley and the settlement later became known as "little Santa Clara" ("Santa Clarita" in the Spanish diminutive) to distinguish it from the Northern Californian city of Santa Clara and its accompanying Mission Santa Clara de Asís . The Santa Clarita Valley similarly differentiates itself from
2380-689: The Whitney Canyon, Elsmere Canyon, Golden Valley Ranch, Walker Ranch, and East Walker Ranch open spaces. Santa Clarita extends as far east as the eastern end of Shenandoah Lane, east of Shadow Pines Boulevard in Canyon Country. The city limits also include a small exclave west of Interstate 5 in Towsley Canyon Park. The Angeles National Forest forms part of the city's northern and eastern boundaries, although parts of northern Saugus (north of Copper Hill Drive and Haskell Canyon Road) and Canyon Country (south of Placerita and Sand Canyon Roads) extend into
2448-523: The area of Canyon County tried again to secede. Proposition K revealed greater support for the creation of a new county, in which fifty-nine percent of local voters voted in favor, but, again, most LA county voters rejected it. Despite the rejection of "home rule" through the creation of Canyon County, attention turned back to creating a new city. In the mid-1980s, Louis Garasi, president of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, chaired
2516-459: The city formation committee, with Connie Worden, a veteran of the Canyon County effort, as vice chair. As noted by Jerry Reynolds, "With strong support from the Santa Clarita Valley and Canyon Country chambers of commerce, the committee held lively, well-attended public meetings that revealed a growing interest in home rule and mounting dissatisfaction with inadequate roads." A petition campaign and
2584-456: The city is bounded by Interstate 5 to the west, extending east to include almost all developed areas of the Santa Clarita Valley east of the freeway. Part of the city's eastern boundary follows California State Route 14 , although the city limits extend beyond Route 14 to include the communities of Aliento, Fair Oaks Ranch, Vista Canyon, and Sand Canyon; the Plaza at Golden Valley shopping center; and
2652-530: The city limits include Agua Dulce , Castaic , Stevenson Ranch , unincorporated Valencia , and Val Verde . All residents of the Santa Clarita Valley, both inside and outside the city, may use either their neighborhood or "Santa Clarita" for their mailing addresses. College of the Canyons College of the Canyons ( COC ) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California . It comprises
2720-522: The city limits, a large development by the FivePoint company is in construction. Santa Clarita, according to the United States Census Bureau , covers an area of 70.82 square miles (183.4 km ), of which 70.75 square miles (183.2 km ) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km ) (0.10%) is water. Nearly half of the city's land area has been acquired via annexations; the city's area at
2788-478: The city's wide range of elevations, varying micro-climates are common. There is a large diurnal temperature variation , especially in the summer. During the summer (late June through mid-September) high temperatures average 90–95 °F (32–35 °C), commonly reaching 110 °F (43 °C) or higher during heat waves. Rain is very rare. Due to the aridity, summer temperatures cool down significantly at night. Summer and fall carry significant wildfire risk due to
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2856-627: The college opened its Canyon Country campus on a 70-acre (28 ha) site located at 17200 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, CA 91351. The campus had an enrollment of 3,845 in the fall of 2009. Its first permanent building, the Applied Technology Education Center, was scheduled to open in 2011 to provide education and training in a variety of high-demand "green" technology fields. The campus is composed primarily of modular buildings that are situated to accommodate planned permanent buildings as they are built. The campus has an outdoor venue,
2924-721: The conference titles, baseball holds 23, men's basketball holds 8, women's basketball holds 15, men's cross country holds 4, football holds 11, men's golf holds 23, women's golf holds 8, women's soccer holds 10, softball holds 14, men's swim holds 8 individual titles, women's swim holds 1 individual title, women's dive holds 2, men's track and field holds 2 team titles and 27 individual titles, women's track and field holds 1 team title and 17 individual titles, and women's volleyball holds 5. The 31 state titles are held by 7 teams: baseball (3), men's track and field (7), women's track and field (2), men's golf (10), woman's golf (4), football (1), and men's cross country (4). The one national championship
2992-500: The development of the communities that comprise present-day Santa Clarita, including the master-planned community of Valencia (in which it is headquartered), Canyon Country, Newhall, and Saugus. The company also manages farm land elsewhere in the state. On September 5, 1876, Charles Crocker , president of the Southern Pacific Company , hammered a ceremonial spike into a railroad tie at Lang Southern Pacific Station in what
3060-662: The early morning of July 23, 1982, a helicopter crash occurred at the Indian Dunes amusement park in Valencia during the making of Twilight Zone: The Movie , killing three people. As early as 1920, there were attempts to incorporate some of the communities of the Santa Clara River Valley. Four years later a chamber of commerce was formed in Newhall, with one of its goals being city formation. Starting in 1970s, residents, such as educator Carl Boyer III and retired businessman H. Gil Callowhill, began efforts to determine
3128-419: The east side of Interstate 5 , south of Valencia Boulevard and north of McBean Parkway. The college relocated to a collection of modular buildings on the site in 1970 as permanent facilities were being built. The college is located on 153.4 acres (62.1 ha) of rolling, tree-dotted hills in the neighborhood of Valencia in the city of Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County , California . In 2007,
3196-422: The entire valley, and schools were closed. Shelters opened in Newhall, Saugus, and Canyon Country. The National Guard was sent to the area, and City Hall was temporarily relocated. Water distribution points were set up as residents lost access to running water. The city suffered an estimated $ 76.8 million in damages. Santa Clarita was ranked in 2006 by Money magazine as 18th of the 100 best places to live in
3264-441: The feasibility of incorporating Newhall, Saugus and Valencia into a city. In 1974, individuals, such as Signal co-editor Ruth Newhall, suggested that the Santa Clarita area should secede from Los Angeles County to form their own county. That December a new committee was formed to lead the fight to break Acton, Agua Dulce, Gorman, Castaic, Val Verde, Canyon Country, Saugus, Valencia and Newhall off from Los Angeles County. The new entity
3332-592: The filing of the official cityhood application with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) requested a ninety square-mile area for the proposed City of Santa Clarita. The LAFCO shrunk the proposed city to just over thirty-nine square miles, carving out most of the areas where development was pending. The city boundaries approved by LAFCO included most of the populated areas of Newhall, Saugus, Canyon Country and Valencia. Left out were Castaic, Agua Dulce, everything west of Interstate 5, and most of
3400-418: The following day in the hospital. A vigil honoring the victims was held at Central Park the next day. In the 21st century, the city's developed area has expanded significantly as Lennar , Tri Pointe Homes , and KB Home have constructed housing developments in the area, including the neighborhoods of West Creek, West Hills, Aliento, River Village, Skyline Ranch, Vista Canyon, and Five Knolls. Just outside
3468-468: The land south of State Route 14 except for Sand Canyon, whose inclusion was championed by three cityhood leaders who lived there – Lou Garasi, Jan Heidt and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon. After multiple failed attempts to form a city and at least two failed attempts to form a separate county, residents of the Santa Clarita Valley finally incorporated the City of Santa Clarita on December 15, 1987. The proposal passed by
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#17328560190053536-540: The most recent snow was a light dusting in February 2023. Santa Clarita lies within USDA plant hardiness zone 10a, except for the far eastern part of the city, which is in zone 9b. In Santa Clarita, the sun is above the horizon for 9 hours, 51 minutes on the winter solstice (December 20–22) and 14 hours, 28 minutes on the summer solstice (June 20–22). Characterized by dry hills covered in brush and chaparral , Santa Clarita
3604-532: The national forest. The official elevation of the city is 1,207 feet (368 m), the elevation of the historic Newhall Airport which was northwest of Via Princessa and Railroad Avenue from the 1930s through the 1950s. Elevation varies substantially throughout the city. The lowest point in Santa Clarita is near the junction of CA-126 and I-5 ( 34°26′32″N 118°36′10″W / 34.4422°N 118.6029°W / 34.4422; -118.6029 ), at an elevation of 1,024 feet (312 m). The highest point
3672-701: The need for residents to commute long distances to earn their degrees. Also operating at the college are the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, the Employee Training Institute, the Small Business Development Center and the i3 Advanced Technology Center. Since 1994, the COC Speech Team has been recognized nationally at six consecutive Phi Rho Pi National Tournaments for all three major areas of speech competition. Most recently,
3740-406: The presence of dry brush. The hottest temperature recorded in the city is 118 °F (48 °C) on July 5, 2024. During winter, temperatures are mild. In most winters, there are a few days with highs above 80 °F (27 °C) and a few days that stay below 50 °F (10 °C). Temperatures rarely fall below freezing. Rain falls primarily from December through March. Snowfall is very rare;
3808-507: The railroad part of the land, upon which the company built the town of Newhall , founded just north of the present-day intersection of Magic Mountain Parkway and Railroad Avenue. He moved the town south in 1879, and the original townsite was named Saugus , after Henry Newhall's hometown of Saugus, Massachusetts . After his death, Newhall's heirs incorporated the Newhall Land and Farming Company in 1883. Since its founding, it has overseen
3876-734: The state championship in fall of 2001,2007 and back to back championships in 2018 and 2019. This is the third time that the women's and men's team have won back to back state championships in the same academic year (Fall 2001, Spring 2002, Fall 2007, Spring 2008 and in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019) The men's football team won the national championship in 2004. The men's ice hockey club won the ACHA Division III National Title in 2011. The men's baseball team has also won three state championships 1981, 1983 and 1986. As of 2017, COC has won 179 conference titles, 31 state titles, and 1 national title. Of
3944-1202: The team left the 2013 Phi Rho Pi National Tournament with five medals including, one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. The college athletics teams are nicknamed the Cougars and competes as a member of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) in the Western State Conference (WSC) for all sports except football, which competes in Southern California Football Association (SCFA). The college currently fields eight men's and nine women's varsity teams; including baseball , men's and women's basketball , men's and women's cross country , football , men's and women's golf , men's and women's soccer , softball , men's and women's swimming , women's tennis , men's and women's track and field , and women's volleyball . The men's golf team has won nine state championships 1991 and 8 since 2000 (2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015,2017 and 2019) women's golf won
4012-588: The time of incorporation was just 39.09 square miles (101.2 km ). The Newhall Pass is located at the southern end of the city, south of Newhall and north of the San Fernando Valley communities of Granada Hills and Sylmar . Santa Clarita lies within the Santa Clarita Valley , bounded by the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, the Santa Susana Mountains to the south and west, and
4080-409: The time the floodwaters reached the Pacific Ocean near Ventura five hours later, 411 people had died. Some buildings in Newhall became makeshift morgues. After the disaster, engineer William Mulholland resigned from his position as superintendent of the Los Angeles Bureau of Water Works and Supply (now the Department of Water and Power ). On December 27, 1936, United Airlines Trip 34 crashed into
4148-399: The town of Mentryville was founded by French immigrant Charles Alexander Mentry near present-day Stevenson Ranch . Mentryville's Pico Number 4 oil well was the first commercially successful oil well in the western United States. Oil from Mentryville was refined at Pioneer Oil Refinery in Newhall, the first viable oil refinery in the state. (Pioneer Oil Refinery is currently the only site on
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#17328560190054216-407: The towns of Saugus and Newhall . The Newhall Land and Farming Company played a major role in the city's development. In December 1987, the city of Santa Clarita was incorporated, encompassing the communities of Canyon Country , Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia . The four communities retain separate identities, and residents commonly refer to one of them when asked where they are from. Santa Clarita
4284-418: Was an agricultural area serving the nearby Mission San Fernando. In 1842, Francisco Lopez discovered gold in Placerita Canyon —the first documented discovery of gold in California. The discovery is commemorated in an 1842 mining claim issued by Governor Alvarado. The Oak of the Golden Dream, which marks the site of the discovery, remains an attraction for tourists. Several places throughout Santa Clarita carry
4352-441: Was banned by law since 1946. Estimates of the rally's size range from 30 to 100 people, far fewer than the 5,000 to 10,000 Fowler expected. The rally took place on United States Forest Service property and included a fake cross burning . Just one person was arrested at the rally – for assaulting a police officer he mistook for a Klansman. On April 5, 1970, four CHP officers were shot dead by two heavily armed career criminals at
4420-416: Was devastated by the 1994 Northridge earthquake . The Newhall Pass interchange of I-5 and CA-14 collapsed, and Sierra Highway became the only route in and out of the valley; Sierra Highway was soon closed as well. Several surface streets throughout the city were closed due to structural damage. The Four Corners oil spill led to contamination of the Santa Clara River. Electricity was temporarily shut off for
4488-484: Was founded in 1797 in present-day Mission Hills , just 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of downtown Newhall. In 1822, Alta California , which included most of the present-day southwestern United States including all of California, became a territory of the newly independent country of Mexico. The 48,612-acre (196.73 km ) Rancho San Francisco land grant was issued by Juan Bautista Alvarado , governor of Alta California , to Mexican army officer Antonio del Valle. It
4556-430: Was to be called Canyon County. This effort eventually led to the creation of Proposition F on the 1976 November ballot. Under state law, the creation of the new county would have to be approved by all the voters in the existing county. This effort failed with sixty-eight to thirty-two percent of the county at large rejecting it. The proposed Canyon County voted fifty-five percent in favor of its creation. On November 7, 1978,
4624-476: Was used as a transportation corridor for the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach service as part of its first division, stretching from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Two Butterfield Overland Mail stations were located in the area: Lyons Station in Newhall, and King's Station in San Francisquito Canyon. Beale's Cut was constructed in 1859 through what is now known as the Newhall Pass . After railroads, Newhall turned to real estate and ranching. He purchased
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