56-571: Topanga ( Tongva : Topaa'nga ) is an unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California , United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains , the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow southern portion of Topanga at the coast is between the city of Malibu and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades . As of the 2020 census
112-609: A city. The word Topanga is an old Shoshonean language word meaning 'above' and referring to the canyon settlement being above the flood waters of Topanga Creek. The Tongva and Chumash peoples inhabited the area for thousands of years. The land of Topanga Canyon was originally inhabited by Native American groups collectively referred to as the Topanga Culture, including the Chumash and Tongva. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first claimed California for Spain in 1542. The Topanga region
168-555: A majority of it is undeveloped. Topanga is the name given to the area by the Native American indigenous Tongva tribe, and may mean "where the mountain meets the sea" or "a place above." The name in the Tongva language , Topaa'nga , has a root topaa'- that likely comes from the Chumash language . It was the western border of their territory, abutting the Chumash tribe that occupied
224-450: A sacred, economic, and cultural meeting place for tribes all along the coast. One of the main neighborhoods, the "Rodeo Grounds", takes its name from an actual rodeo arena that existed there on a Mexican ranch in the 1800s. In the early 1900s, Lower Topanga was a Japanese fishing village. William Randolph Hearst owned the property for a time and turned it into a weekend getaway spot with beach shacks for his and Marion Davies ' guests. In
280-571: A short walk from the Trippet Ranch parking lot, and is currently open on Sunday afternoons only. Points of interest in the park include: Eagle Rock, Eagle Spring Trail, and Hub Junction. Three historical attractions of the park are Trippet Ranch buildings, Will Roger's cabin, and the Josepho Barn. Many trails exist within the park, which are accessible to hikers , mountain bikers , and horseback riders , as posted. The primary trailheads are at
336-719: A variety of food from Cajun to Mexican to vegan. A parade is held on Memorial Day. Topanga Canyon also hosts an annual reggae festival titled Reggae on the Mountain that has grown to be one of the largest events in the area. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Topanga Community Club in a similar fashion as Topanga Days. The Topanga Film Institute presents the annual Topanga Film Festival each July. The festival endeavors to bridge cultures, create and expand community, provide cultural exchange and networking opportunities. Two outdoor shopping centers featuring local businesses form
392-489: A wide variety of native plants . This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Topanga has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate , abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. The 2010 United States Census reported that Topanga had a population of 8,289. The population density
448-413: Is a significant area of California oak woodland . The smaller habitats include bay laurel woodland ( Umbellularia californica ), walnut woodland ( Juglans californica ), and grassland savannah . The various types of plants and habitats are due to microclimate differences across the park. There are over eighty mammal species and more than sixty reptile and amphibian species. Snakes present include
504-614: Is also being used in language revitalization classes and in some public discussion regarding religious and environmental issues. Tongva is closely related to Serrano . The names of several cities and neighborhoods in Southern California are of Tongva origin, and include Pacoima , Tujunga , Topanga , Azusa , Cahuenga in Cahuenga Pass and Cucamonga in Rancho Cucamonga . The last fluent native speakers of Tongva lived in
560-411: Is an extinct Uto-Aztecan language formerly spoken by the Tongva , a Native American people who have lived in and around modern day Los Angeles for centuries. It has not been a language of everyday conversation since the 1940s. The Gabrielino people now speak English but a few are attempting to revive their language by using it in everyday conversation and ceremonial contexts. Presently, Gabrielino
616-488: Is named for Topanga Canyon. Her daughter, Riley, learns Topanga's grandmother, Rosie, was told about Topanga Canyon in a chance meeting with a stranger who was headed there. Rosie then wrote in her journal: "Topanga: What a beautiful name for something that you want to love." The Tongva Valley, which appears in the 2013 videogame Grand Theft Auto V , is based on the Topanga Canyon. Tongva language The Tongva language (also known as Gabrielino or Gabrieleño )
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#1732851329631672-512: The City of Los Angeles . Covering 11,000 acres (45 km ), with thirty-six miles of trails and unimproved roads, the park's boundaries stretch from Topanga Canyon to Pacific Palisades and Mulholland Drive . There are more than 60 trail entrances. Topanga State Park is not only the largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains, but it is also considered the largest park located in the limits of
728-540: The Las Virgenes Unified School District . Private schools: The County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Topanga Library. The popular television series, Boy Meets World , and its sister series, Girl Meets World , both prominently feature a character named Topanga Matthews (nee Lawrence). In Season One, Episode Nine of Girl Meets World, titled Girl Meets 1961 , it is revealed she
784-576: The Manson Family began their campaign of murder on July 31, 1969, with the murder of Topanga resident Gary Hinman, a music teacher who had opened his home to anyone needing shelter. On Monday January 10, 2005, a 25-foot, 300-ton boulder rolled down a hillside and landed in Topanga Canyon Blvd, in Topanga, CA. It occurred after heavy rains the day before. Pictures of the boulder were in the news around
840-495: The Southern Pacific rattlesnake ( Crotalus oreganus helleri ). Topanga State Park is home to many species of migratory and resident bird species. The Topanga Nature Center houses a collection of mounted native animals and birds, as well as hands-on displays of natural artifacts. It is dedicated to the flora, fauna and geography of the area. The center is located in the lodge formerly used by Trippet Ranch for skeet shooting ,
896-476: The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum . It has grown into an Equity theater, and occupies a natural outdoor amphitheater. It features Shakespearean plays, modern classics, and original productions, as well as musical concerts. Performers have included Pete Seeger , Arlo Guthrie , Della Reese , and Burl Ives . Odetta was part of the early music scene in the 1960s. A famous venue in the canyon
952-484: The '60s, a lively community of artists and surfers sprang up in Lower Topanga. They maintained their houses without assistance, sometimes digging them out of the mud after floods or setting backfires to prevent a spreading wildfire from burning down their neighborhood. The roads remained unpaved. In 2001, Lower Topanga was sold to California State Parks . Even though the Lower Topanga community occupied less than 2% of
1008-524: The 1920s, the canyon became a popular weekend get-away destination for residents of growing Los Angeles. Summer cabins were built along Topanga Creek and throughout the area in subdivisions in the surrounding hills. In this same trend, in 1917, Oscar A. Trippet, Sr. bought half of the McAtee homestead, which he and his family used as a get-away from the city. When Trippet died in 1923, his son, Oscar Jr., commissioned Los Angeles architect Summer Spaulding to build
1064-524: The 1960s, Topanga Canyon became a magnet to many new artists. In 1965, Wallace Berman settled in the area. For a time, Neil Young lived in Topanga, first living with producer David Briggs then later buying his own house. He recorded most of his After the Gold Rush album in his basement studio in 1970. Charles Manson had previously been living in Topanga, where he had briefly befriended both Neil Young and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys . Members of
1120-502: The 1970s have not been verified as having been fluent speakers. The minor planet 50000 Quaoar was named after the Tongva creator god . The Gabrielino language is a subgroup of Takic , a subfamily of Uto-Aztecan, which is usually divided into three subgoups: Serrano-Kitanemuk, Gabrielino (including the Fernandeño dialect) and Cupan. As of 2012, members of the contemporary Tongva (Gabrieleño) tribal council are attempting to revive
1176-583: The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival. Since then, she has taught monthly Tongva language classes in which adults and children practice pronunciation, master the use of grammatical particles , sing songs and play word games. She calls her work "a reclamation effort" for the language. Munro has compiled a Tongva dictionary of over 1,000 words, and also maintains a Tongva language Facebook page to which she posts Tongva words, phrases and songs. Munro says there are no audio recordings of people speaking
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#17328513296311232-575: The Malibu/Lost Hills Station in Calabasas , serving Topanga. The United States Postal Service Topanga Post Office is located at 101 South Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The California Highway Patrol, West Valley Area, handles the traffic on the State Route and in the unincorporated areas. The Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (T-CEP) operates an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) near
1288-554: The Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica Mexican land grant was confirmed by the U.S. Land Claims Commission. The land was made available under the Homestead Act . Among the many homestead patents filed in the Santa Monica Mountains, the one filed by a beekeeper named McAtee was for the western edge of the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica, and area along what became Entrada Road, the current main entrance to Topanga State Park. In
1344-664: The Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica land grant. Additional acreage has been added in the form of 1,500 acres from the Palisades Highlands and another 1,600 acres added in 2002, near the mouth of the Topanga Creek. Geologically, the park has many sedimentary sandstone rock formations, marine fossils , exposed faults , and volcanic intrusions. The primary habitats in the park are of the Coastal sage scrub and montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregions . In Trippet Ranch there
1400-518: The Tongva language, but that there are a few scratched wax cylinder recordings of Tongva songs. The following is a list of the consonants and vowels of the Tongva language as used by the Tongva Language Committee, based on linguist Pamela Munro 's interpretation of the fieldnotes of J. P. Harrington. In parentheses is the spelling of the specific sound. There are multiple orthographies for
1456-837: The Tongva language. Consonants /b d f ɡ/ are used in loanwords. Tongva is an agglutinative language, where words use suffixes and multiple morphemes for a variety of purposes. (Merriam refers to them as the Tongvā) Taylor claims "they do not count farther than ten" The Lord's Prayer is called ʼEyoonak in Tongva. The following text was derived from old Mission records. ʼEyoonak ʼEyoonak, ʼeyooken tokuupangaʼe xaa; hoyuuykoy motwaanyan; moxariin mokiimen tokuupra; maay moʼwiishme meyii ʼooxor ʼeyaa tokuupar. Hamaare, ʼeyooneʼ maxaareʼ ʼwee taamet, koy ʼoovonreʼ ʼeyoomamaayntar momoohaysh, miyii ʼeyaare 'oovonax 'eyoohiino 'eyooyha'; koy xaareʼ maayn ʼiitam momoohaysh, koy xaa mohuuʼesh. ʼWee meneeʼ xaaʼe. The table below gives
1512-750: The Topanga Town Center. Most Topanga residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District . LAUSD schools which have attendance boundaries including the majority of Topanga include: The area is within Board District 4. As of 2010 Steve Zimmer represents the district. Some portions are in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD). Those portions are zoned to Webster Elementary School and Malibu High School . Some are in
1568-542: The Trippet Ranch area, including for the Musch Trail, passing prominent Eagle Rock . Many trails also are wider dirt fire roads. Unpaved portions of Mulholland Drive are accessible through the Temescal Fire Road and Mulholland Drive . The Backbone Trail System , a multi-use long-distance trail spanning nearly 70 miles across the Santa Monica Mountains , passes through Topanga State Park. It can be accessed via
1624-465: The Trippet Ranch trailhead. The Santa Inez Trail is accessible from Trippet Ranch on the west, or the Palisades Highlands neighborhood on the east. The trail's lower section follows Santa Inez Creek through riparian habitats , and then climbs through unique and massive sandstone formations to the Topanga Fire Road and Trippet Ranch. While never actually closed to the public, Topanga State Park
1680-456: The annual Topanga Film Festival. In the 1950s, blacklisted actor Will Geer had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to a small plot in the canyon where they could grow their own produce. Geer's friend Woody Guthrie had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists' colony . Since its founding in 1973, the Geer family has continued to operate
1736-539: The boulder, then low-yield explosives were used to partially blow up the boulder. A previous attempt with dynamite failed due to heavy saturation from rain. Topanga Creek drains Topanga Canyon and is the third largest watershed entering the Santa Monica Bay . The creek is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the area, and is a spawning ground for steelhead trout. The area typically receives about 22 inches (560 mm) of rain annually. Topanga Beach lies on
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1792-573: The coast at the outlet of Topanga Creek. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, State Route 27 , is the principal thoroughfare, connecting the Ventura Freeway (US 101) to the north with Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1) on the south. The southern portion of the boulevard largely follows Topanga Creek. North of the Old Topanga Canyon Road intersection, the boulevard traverses the Santa Monica Mountains. Topanga Canyon contains lands of Topanga State Park ,
1848-414: The coast from Malibu northwards. Bedrock mortars can be found carved into rock outcroppings in many locations. Topanga was then colonized by Mexicans in 1839. In the 1920s, Topanga Canyon became a weekend getaway for Hollywood stars with several cottages built for that purpose. The rolling hills and ample vegetation served to provide both privacy and attractive surroundings for the rich and famous. During
1904-467: The early 20th century. The language is primarily documented in the unpublished field notes of John Peabody Harrington made during that time. The "J.P. Harrington Project", developed by The Smithsonian through University of California, Davis , approximately 6,000 pages of his notes on the Tongva language, were coded for documentation by a Tongva member, who took three years to accomplish the task. Alleged native speakers of Tongva who have died as late as in
1960-505: The eastern portion of the City of Santa Monica , Santa Monica Canyon, and the mountains to the ridgeline on the west bank of Topanga Creek. The land remained relatively unused, except for flat portions used for crops and grazing. The steeper sections were deemed unusable, even for sheep and cattle. California became part of the United States in 1848, and a state in 1850. Eventually ownership of
2016-585: The hub of local commerce. There are no hotels, motels or gas stations in Topanga, nor are there any chain or big box stores. The location of Topanga in the Santa Monica Mountains also makes the natural surroundings an important part of the culture. Streams, waterfalls, cliffs of exposed bedrock, landmark rock outcroppings, and overlooks with panoramic views of the mountains, Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles are common attractions. There are many trails for short walks, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and rock climbing, all of which are important parts of
2072-555: The language , by making use of written vocabularies, by comparison to better attested members of the Takic group to which Tongva belonged, and by offering classes. In 2004, Pamela Munro, now UCLA emeritus professor of linguistics, was asked to serve as a linguistic mentor to Tongva people who wanted to learn about their language at the Breath of Life Workshop, a biennial event in Berkeley staged by
2128-616: The largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains and one of the largest open space preserves surrounded by a city in the world, as well as the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy . It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . It primarily represents a California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion , with large areas of the California oak woodland plant community , and
2184-580: The last holdouts were forced off the land in March 2006. Currently there are active efforts by TreePeople and Mountains Restoration Trust to restore the area to its pristine condition as it was prior to development. Topanga is known as a bohemian enclave attracting artists, musicians, filmmakers, and others. Numerous music festivals have been organized in the canyon, including the Topanga Days Festival and Topanga Earth Day. The Topanga Film Institute hosts
2240-419: The local community. The County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Topanga Library located on 122 N Topanga Canyon Blvd. The Los Angeles County Fire Department operates Fire Station No. 69 in Topanga as a part of Battalion 5. During the 1960s and 1970s, "problematic firefighters" were placed here under the supervision of James O. Page . The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates
2296-466: The names of various missions in the Tongva language. Topanga State Park Topanga State Park ( / t ə ˈ p æ ŋ ɡ ə / ) is a California state park located in the Santa Monica Mountains , within Los Angeles County , California . It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . The park is located adjacent to the community of Topanga , within
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2352-532: The ocean, was owned for many years by the Los Angeles Athletic Club , a wealthy private club in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,659-acre (6.71 km) parcel was rented out to a variety of businesses and residents for decades at remarkably low rents, considering that it borders the city of Malibu. Thus Lower Topanga became unique as one of the last outposts of the classic Topanga Canyon bohemian hippie lifestyle. The Chumash people considered Lower Topanga
2408-590: The population of the Topanga CDP was 8,560. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Topanga as a census-designated place (CDP). The ZIP code is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310 , with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district. Topanga is the largest unincorporated area in Los Angeles County by area, although
2464-630: The population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 3,442 households, out of which 996 (28.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,772 (51.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 262 (7.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 140 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 239 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 49 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 903 households (26.2%) were made up of individuals, and 256 (7.4%) had someone living alone who
2520-631: The secret assets. Later, the $ 54 million figure was reported to be misrepresented, with the actual hidden surplus amounting to $ 20 million, still enough to cover the alleged shortfall that had prompted the plans to close as many as 70 California state parks. In February 2013 it was revealed that the approximately $ 20 million had been hidden for as long as 20 years by the California Department of Parks and Recreation . In August 2012, Congressman Brad Sherman announced that he secured federal funds to help improve parks and public areas. His first project
2576-462: The superintendent's house, horse stables, and a skeet lodge. A stock pond was also built which is still located inside the park at the northeast corner of the parking lot. The Trippet family owned of the land until 1963, when it was sold to a developer. The next year, 1964, a park bond was approved by voters to purchase Trippet Ranch and some adjoined land. Topanga State Park was opened to the public in 1974. Its land includes more than 7,500 acres from
2632-754: The total purchased land, State Parks had an aggressive policy to relocate everyone and bulldoze all of the houses. (State Parks had already evicted residents who lived directly on Topanga Beach in the late '70s.) A group of 10 Lower Topanga poets calling themselves the "Idlers of the Bamboo Grove" published a book of the same name in 2002, celebrating their community and lamenting the prospect of having to leave. Their publisher, Brass Tacks Press , continued publishing works about Lower Topanga, as well as maintaining an online Lower Topanga Photo Archive . Even though Lower Topanga residents were given money to leave, some fought bitterly against their relocation in court. However,
2688-609: The world. The huge boulder blocked traffic for most of that week illustrating the drama of torrential rains and mudslides in Southern California. On TopangaOnline.com people tried unsuccessfully to gather support to save the boulder. They argued that the boulder brought serenity back to the canyon by cutting off thru traffic between the San Fernando Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway. 6-foot holes were drilled into
2744-536: Was 433.2 inhabitants per square mile (167.3/km). Topanga had a median household income of $ 120,711, with only 5.9% of the population living below the poverty line. The racial makeup of Topanga was 7,313 (88.2%) White (84.5% Non-Hispanic White), 117 (1.4%) African American , 35 (0.4%) Native American , 353 (4.3%) Asian , 3 (0.0%) Pacific Islander , 125 (1.5%) from other races , and 343 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 534 persons (6.4%). The Census reported that 8,289 people (100% of
2800-579: Was 46.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males. There were 3,750 housing units at an average density of 196.0 per square mile (75.7/km), of which 2,589 (75.2%) were owner-occupied, and 853 (24.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 6,597 people (79.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,692 people (20.4%) lived in rental housing units. The bottom of Topanga Canyon, where it meets Pacific Coast Highway and
2856-400: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41. There were 2,174 families (63.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.87. The population was 1,682 people (20.3%) under the age of 18, 333 people (4.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,917 people (23.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,188 people (38.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,169 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
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#17328513296312912-461: Was credited with averting the proposed closure. In July 2012, it was reported that nearly $ 54 million in "hidden" funds was in the possession of California's state park system, creating widespread anger. The funds were more than enough to have covered any of the alleged state park budget shortfalls, and State Parks Director Ruth Coleman, in charge for a decade, resigned her position, with her second in command being fired. Coleman denied any knowledge of
2968-546: Was not invaded until after the establishment of the Pueblo de Los Angeles and Mission San Fernando Rey de España in the late 1700s. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, control of Alta California went to the new government. In 1828 the Mexican Governor of Alta California granted Francisco Sepulveda provisional title to the more than 30,000 acres called Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica . The rancho included
3024-468: Was on a list of 48 California state parks proposed in January 2008 for closure by California's then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a deficit reduction program. In protest, environmentalists and area residents collected more than 17,000 signatures asking that the closure idea be halted, with the petition delivered to the governor by a symbolic delegation of school children. This direct public action
3080-590: Was the Elysium Institute , also known as Elysium Fields, a nudist club started by Ed Lange in 1967. After surviving extended battles with county officials the 9-acre (3.6 ha) property was sold in 2002 by its founder's heirs. Every Memorial Day weekend on the grounds of the Topanga Community House, Topanga has an annual fair and parade, called Topanga Days. Topanga Days Country Fair features music, belly dancing, over 80 unique craft vendors and
3136-491: Was to help restore sections of the 65 mile Backbone Trail , one of the most popular trails in the park and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . The Congressman said, "The Backbone Trail provides thousands of hikers, bicyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts with an unparalleled recreational experience through the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. These improvements will enhance that experience and improve safety for everyone that uses this popular trail." The money
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