History
West Hills, California is a well-known district in the northern Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The said district of northern Los Angeles forms a fairly small city located on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley. It is part of Los Angeles County. The San Fernando Valley is North West of the city of Los Angeles.

The city of West Hills, California is surrounded by the Chatsworth Reservoir in its immediate north, and Canoga Park due to its east. Woodland Hills can be found to the south of West Hills, and Hidden Hills to the city’s southwestern side. The Simi Hills, named by the Tongva Native American Indians, can be seen looming in the west.

A great percentage of the land area of West Hills, California was called Canoga Park before circa 1990. The postal codes of West Hills, California are 91307 and 91304.

Every calendar year, Canoga Park makes it a point to set aside one day of jovial celebration in an annual Memorial Parade, Job and Street Fair. All of these are presented by the Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce, together with many other community activities.

History of West Hills, California (formerly part of Canoga Park)
The tract of land that is to be West Hills was originally inhabited by Native Americans of the Tongva tribe that lived close to the Los Angeles River, which originates in West Hills, California from El Escorpion and Bell Creeks. It is believed that a meeting point for the Tongva and Chumash tribes was located at the base of Castle Peak.

The Tongva are a Native American people who inhabited the area in and around Los Angeles, California before the arrival of Europeans. Tongva means "people of the earth" in the Tongva language, a language in the Uto-Aztecan family. The Tongva are also sometimes referred to as the Gabrieleno/Tongva or Gabrielino/Tongva tribe. Following the Spanish custom of naming local tribes after nearby missions, they were called the Gabrieleño, Gabrielino, or San Gabrieleño in reference to Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. Likewise, the nearby Tataviam people were known as "Fernandeño" after Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

The Chumash Indians, a Native American tribe, mainly inhabited the southern coastal regions of California, in the vicinity of what is now Santa Barbara and Ventura, extending as far south as Malibu. They also occupied the three northern islands of the Santa Barbara group, a part of the Channel Islands. Modern place names with Chumash origins include: Malibu, Ojai, Point Mugu, Piru, Lake Castaic, and Simi Valley. The Chumash were hunter-gatherers, who were adept at fishing. They are one of only two New World people who regularly navigated the ocean (the other was the Tongva, a neighboring tribe located to the South). Some settlements built plank canoes called tomols, which facilitated the distribution of goods, and could even be used for whaling. Remains of a developed Chumash culture, including rock paintings (petroglyphs) apparently depicting the Chumash cosmology, can still be seen.

Anthropologists eagerly sought Chumash baskets as prime examples of the great skill exhibited by the Chumash Indians in this craft, and two of the finest collections are at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and the Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Mankind) in Paris, France.

The area that was to become West Hills, California as pre-stated above was originally populated by the Chumash, Tataviam (also Fernandenos) and the Tongva people (also alternately known as the Gabrielinos). These Native American tribes resided in what is now known as West Hills, California for hundreds of years.

West Hills, California was part of Canoga Park which was originally called “Owensmouth” by Harrison Gray Otis, the Los Angeles Times publisher, because it is close to the Los Angeles Aqueduct which brought water from the Owens Valley.

Owensmouth was then known as the “baby” town of San Fernando Valley in 1912. This was mainly because of its booming population and the relatively recent founding of the town. Canoga Park’s developers then used the image of a baby-delivering stork in their promotional materials. They also presented The Stork Plaque, symbolizing the birth of Owensmouth, to prospective buyers on the opening day of land sales in the new town. On March 30, 1912, the town was founded by the major developer, Janss Corporations. Eventually the town was incorporated to the city of Los Angeles. This was mainly because the town’s water supply had been severely compromised when Owensmouth Water Tower was lost due to fire. The Town was annexed by Los Angeles on February 26, 1917.

The Original Madrid Theatre was built on Sherman Way, Canoga Park in 1926 and opened with Silent Films, but was soon to be replaced by the Talkies. The theater was also the site for many community events, even a High School Graduation. Owensmouth became Canoga Park on March 1, 1930 because some of the citizens did not favor the former name. Canoga Park continued to grow as the new Telephone building, Fire Station #72, Library, and Pierce College (then known as Pierce School of Agriculture) were established one after the other.

A considerable portion of Canoga Park’s western section, then separated from Canoga Park proper and was then renamed West Hills, California in 1988. From then on, the city of West Hill, California began to bud on its own – apart from the Canoga Park from which it came from. A very obvious legacy of West Hills’ origination is the name of its chamber of commerce – Canoga Park / West Hills Chamber of Commerce. Canoga Park was named an All-American City on June 25, 2005. Canoga Park worked hard to achieve this honor as proven by the fact that only 10 cities are chosen annually to receive this award.

The post office for West Hills is located near the West Hills Hospital complex on Sherman Way. An impressive sight and good hiking in West Hills can be found in Castle Peak Park. The library serving West Hills is the Platt Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (although the library is technically located in Woodland Hills).

El Pollo Amigo (Spanish for the friendly chicken) is a popular place to eat for many residents located on the corner of Vanowen and Platt.

Demographics for West Hills, California
The following demographics are as of the 2000 census:
The air quality in West Hills is one of the lowest in the entire world with a score of 1 out of a possible 100. Water quality is at 52 out of 100. This is probably why West Hills’ physicians per capita is almost twice that of the national figure (242.7 and 169.7, respectively) as they need the doctors more because of the relatively low quality of air and water in the area.

West Hills, California’s rainfall averages at 17.9 inches, snowfall is always at 0 inches, as the city doesn’t receive any snowfall. The city enjoys about a month of rain with 35 precipitation days and 275 days that are swelteringly sunny. Temperatures range from 39.8° F in the cold month of January up to 95.3° F in the warm month of July. UV index is 6.2 (higher than the nation’s average of 4.3) and elevation in feet is generally 910 feet above sea level.

0.2% of businesses in the area are Utilities (such as electricity, water, gas, etc.), 11.7% are construction companies, 12% are manufacturing in nature, 13.8% are into wholesale trade, 13.1% are in the retail industry, and 1.6% are into transportation, logistics and warehousing. 2.4% of the businesses in the area are into information technology. Financing institutions make up 2.9% of the total businesses. 5.2% are part of the real estate business.

Unemployment rate is a mere 5.7%, with households earning an average income of $52,345.00. The good news is that the jobs generated by West Hills, California are slated to increase by 8.49% in the near future.

The average amount of time that a person takes to travel from his or her place of residence to work is a mere 29.8 minutes. Most people of West Hills, California travel to work alone (72.09%), carpools (or people who share their vehicles alternately with the rest of the carpool) take up 15.63% of the actual methods people of West Hills, California are likely to use. The remaining population chose to either take Mass Transit (4.84% - accounting for usage of bus, taxis, trains, etc.) or Work at Home (4.06% - and have no need to travel at all).

There are currently 51,988 people who have chosen to take up residence in West Hills, California - this takes population density to approximately 5501.6 people per square mile of land area. These numbers are a 4.46% increase over the previous years. The median age is 33.7 and the average size of your normal family is 2.97.

Of the total population of West Hills, California, above half or 58.08% are religious or affiliate themselves with a certain sect or belief system. Of these, 39.99% look to the Vatican for leadership and are Roman Catholic, 6.75% are Protestant (Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutheran, Charismatic, Full-gospel, Ecumenical, etc.), 1.04% are Mormons or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints devotees, and 3.33% are Christian with no affiliation with the aforementioned sects. 5.93% of the total people in West Hills, California are Jewish. 0.07% affiliate themselves with an Eastern religion such as Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Shinto, Ancestor Worship, etc. Lastly, 0.98% of the West Hills, California residents are Islamic and follow the tenets of its prophet Mohammed and worship Allah solely.

The West Hills, California area is predominantly white with 64.4% of the population of Caucasian lineage. African Americans make up 5.03% of the population, Asian Americans take up 12.39% while the Native American Indians are a mere 0.34% - the rest of the population are chunked together with the rest of the 17.84% remaining. Of the total population, 35.93% are Hispanic in origin (regardless of whether their families come directly from Spain, Portugal, Latin America or one of the many colonies of Spain during the era of colonization). Almost a third of all people living in West Hills, California or about 28.85% are married with children. Less than a fourth (23.77%) are married with no young ones. 10.75% accounts for the number of single parents, and the truly single are at 36.98%. About 8.83% of the population have been divorced, 7.47% are separated, and 4.5% have been widowed. The violent crime index is quite high at 7 (lowest is 1, and national average is 3). Same goes for property crimes at index 6. Politically, West Hills, California has somewhat Democratic leanings. 63.10% of its total population is Democrat. 35.60% are Republican. The remaining lot are divided into Independent Liberals, Independent Conservatives, Independent Other, who make up 0.41%, 0.61% and 0.28% of the population respectively.

Overall cost of living at West Hills, California is 77% higher than that of the national average for the United States of America. This can be attributed to the fact that housing costs in West Hills, California are almost triple the national average – as West Hills, Californians pay up an average of 294.5 US dollars for mortgage payments, rental fees, and/or property tax. Food costs (including groceries but excluding restaurants) average at US$ 112.30. The average cost of heating or cooling a typical residence area, including electricity and natural gas cost around US$ 116.00. The average cost of health care at West Hills, California (calculated using the standard daily rate for a hospital room, and the costs of a doctor’s office visit and a dental checkup) can go for US$ 118.8. The average cost for gasoline, car insurance and maintenance expenses (or alternately, mass transit fare) for West Hills, California go for about US$ 109.00. The rest (clothing, restaurants, repairs, entertainment, and other services) will cost the average Joe a whopping US$ 106.80.

As far as education is concerned, there are 20.9 pupils per teacher, 10,185 students per librarian and 959 students per counselor.

The following are the schools that one can find in West Hills, California:

Colleges in West Hills, California
Devry Institute of Technology
22801 Roscoe Blvd
West Hills, California 91304

Keller Graduate School of Management
22801 Roscoe Blvd
West Hills, California 91304

Maric College
8399 Topanga Canyon Blvd Ste 200
West Hills, California 91304

Newberry School of Beauty
6633 Fallbrook Ave Ste 702
West Hills, California 91307

High Schools in West Hills, California
Chaminade College Preparatory
New Community Jewish High School

Elementary Schools in West Hills, California
BEGIN MONTESSORI CHILDRENS SCHOOL
24385 VANOWEN ST
West Hills, California

HAMLIN STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
22627 HAMLIN ST
West Hills, California

HAYNES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6624 LOCKHURST DR
West Hills, California

PARK HILL SCHOOL
7401 SHOUP AVE
West Hills, California

SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTH SCHOOL
23838 KITTRIDGE ST
West Hills, California

WELBY WAY ELEMENTARY - MAGNET SCHOOL
23456 WELBY WAY
West Hills, California

Community Organizations
West Hills, California has a local chapter of the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Rotary Club. The American Red Cross (chartered as the American National Red Cross) is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States, as part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Meanwhile, the organization known as the Habitat for Humanity International (also "Habitat for Humanity", or just "Habitat") is an international, ecumenical Christian, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing. Homes are built using volunteer labor and are sold at no profit, with no interest charged on the mortgage. The organization was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller, whose vision grew out of their experiences at Koinonia Farm. The international headquarters located in Americus serves to support and promote the activities of local, independent affiliate chapters, who initiate and manage all construction, mortgages, and homeowner selection.

Also in West Hills, California is the Rotary International. The Rotary International is an organization whose members comprise Rotary Clubs (service clubs) located all over the world (more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas). The members of Rotary Clubs are known as Rotarians and are business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Their most-known motto is "Service above Self." Another motto is "They profit most who serve best".

Trivia on West Hills, California
A few notable personalities have at one time or another taken up residence in the city of West Hills, California. Among them are:

John Longenecker (1965) - cinematographer and Academy Award winner
Tracey Gold (1987) - actor
Missy Gold (1988) - actor
Melissa Francis (1991) - CNBC reporter
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (2000) - actor
Beverley Mitchell (1999) - actor
David Gallagher (2003) – actor
Ken Thorne - Composer

The Pom Pom Girls, (1976) an R-rated teenage sexploitation comedy starring Robert Carradine, was filmed at Chaminade's West Hills campus in West Hills, California.

DR. JOHN CHAVES
5312 Comercio Lane, Suite A
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Phone 818-999-2707
Fax 818-703-1998
appointment@cosmeticdentalservices.com