Simi Valley, California

Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, California, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles in the Greater Los Angeles Area. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 119,987.

The city is located 40 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, 380 miles south of San Francisco, 160 miles north of San Diego, and 350 miles south of Sacramento. Commutes to Los Angeles are easy via the 118 Freeway and the Southern California Metrolink Commuter Train, which makes several daily trips from Simi Valley. Total area: 39.2 square km.

Known today as the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, it also regularly ranks first or second "safest city in America" in annual surveys (among all cities with populations above 100,000, alternating with Thousand Oaks, which is only a few miles away) and gained notoriety as the location of the infamous 1992 trial of Los Angeles Police Officers accused of beating Rodney King that sparked riots in Los Angeles on April 29, 1992.

Simi Valley is home to the curious California Historical Landmark Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village.

Simi Valley is also home to Strathearn Historical Park, where much of Simi Valley's rich history is displayed. Actors from the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center host a Simi Valley Ghost Tour there most years, with the actors playing characters from Simi's past.

Filmed in Simi Valley, the 1982 motion picture Poltergeist also addresses the issue of ghosts, with an oblique treatise on the rampant development and buried history of suburban Southern California. Simi's picturesque suburban neighborhoods were also used for the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The old MANN 6 Movie Theater formally located within the Sycamore Shopping Center was used for the movie theater scene in the 1984 film "Bachelor Party" staring Tom Hanks. Being located so near Hollywood, Simi Valley and the surrounding hills have been host to such television series as Little House on the Prairie and M*A*S*H. Also, the music video for Island In The Sun by the rockgroup weezer is thought to have been filmed in the hills surrounding Simi Valley.

The hills surrounding Simi Valley, because of their remote locations, have also been chosen as locations for religious and communal cults such as Pisgah Grande (1914-1920), the Blackburn Cult (1925-1929) and the WKFL Fountain of the World (1949-1958) led by Krishna Venta. Charles Manson and his 'family' lived at the Spahn Movie Ranch on the east side of the Santa Susana pass road near Chatsworth, an adjacent city.

Geography

Simi Valley is located at 34°16'16" North, 118°44'22" West (34.271078, -118.739428).

Simi Valley is located 700 - 1,000 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.1 km² (39.4 mi²). 101.5 km² (39.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.63% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 111,351 people, 36,421 households, and 28,954 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,097.3/km² (2,841.9/mi²). There are 37,272 housing units at an average density of 367.3/km² (951.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.33% White, 1.26% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 6.33% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 6.50% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. 16.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 36,421 households out of which 42.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% are married couples living together, 10.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% are non-families. 14.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.04 and the average family size is 3.33.

In the city the population is spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males.

Income

The median income for a household in the city is $70,370, and the median income for a family is $75,140. Males have a median income of $51,003 versus $35,237 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,586. 5.8% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.2% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

Pre-Colonial Period

Simi Valley was once inhabited by Chumash Indians. Along the coast they had an abundant supply of fish from the ocean. They ate seeds from sage, acorns from the oak trees, berries, and small animals. They were very skilled in making wooden bowls. Some writers think that the name of Simi Valley came from the Chumash word "Shimiji", meaning little white clouds.

Colonial Town

El Rancho Simi was the earliest Spanish colonial land grant within Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. It was one of the largest lands, but later when Mexico became independent from Spain, land was handed out much more freely.

For a brief time, its postal address was known as Simiopolis, though it was soon shortened again to Simi. The first public school was built in 1890 in the northeast but was torn down in 1926. There was also a great deal of destruction caused by a flood in 1952.

Rodney King Trial

On November 26, 1991 Judge Stanley Weisberg of the California Court of Appeals selected Simi Valley as the venue for the case against four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. The officers (Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, and Theodore Brisenio) were accused of using unnecessary force in a March 3, 1991 beating of an African-American motorist "Rodney" Glen King. The case known as the Rodney King Trial was based on footage recorded on home video recorded by a bystander (George Holliday). The now famous video was broadcast nationally and caused tremendous response because the beating was believed to be racially motivated.

On April 29, 1992 a Ventura County jury (made up of ten whites, one Hispanic, and one Filipino-American) acquitted three of the four officers (Koon, Wind, and Brisenio) and did not reach a verdict on one (Powell). The acquittal led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots and mass protest around the country.

2003 Fires

Southern California had a high fire risk (which broke out in several fires across Southern California) in October 2003. Unusually hot weather for the time of the year and high winds caused several fires to spread rapidly over a short period of time. The fire that burned in the hills of Simi Valley endangered the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Most of the city was surrounded by flames as homeowners packed up their bags, ready to evacuate.

2005 Fires

The 2005 fire started on September 28th at an estimated 7,000 acres. On September 29th, the fires were estimated to be 17,000 acres. More than 1,000 firefighters worked against the tricky combination of dry brush, low humidity and temperatures in the high 90s along the line that divides Los Angeles and Ventura counties. About 45 evacuees gathered at Canoga Park High School in the San Fernando Valley, where the Red Cross had set up cots and provided meals. One firefighter was struck on the head by a 40-pound boulder and was taken to a hospital, officials said.

The fires were later brought under control and extiguished, without serious injury. Three homes were lost in outlying areas. None within the city limits.

Infrastructure

Simi Valley Station is used by Amtrak and Metrolink and is located at 5000 Los Angeles Avenue, west of Stearns Street. Simi Valley Transit buses stop on Los Angeles Avenue in front of the station. There are connections from Simi Valley north to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and south to Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. These trains, as well as the buses, run 7 days a week and stop in Simi Valley several times each day. The Simi Valley station is unstaffed; however, tickets are available from automated ticket dispensers, conductors onboard the trains, travel agents, by telephone, or from the Amtrak and Metrolink websites.

Industry

In Simi Valley there are two main areas of industry--one in the eastern part of the city and the other one in the west. The primary industry is machinery and tools with 69 firms, and the secondary is the metal Industry with 51 firms, both situated in the eastern and western industrial areas. Other industries such as Lumber/Wood Products, Food, Plastic Products, Apparel/Textiles and Minerals, are also largely concentrated in these industrial areas.

The Volkswagen of America Design Center is in an industrial complex across from the Costco wholesale club near Madera and Cochran.

Simi Valley is home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which has been visited by more than 800,000 people since it opened. Reagan was buried there in June 2004.

Hazards

An unfortunate aspect of Simi Valley's location, situated beside the beautiful Simi Hills, is that it lies in a high-risk area for the wildfires that sweep through Southern California's mountain ranges every few years.

Simi Valley is one of the communities that some claim to be contaminated by the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory Contamination.

Simi Valley is also at risk for earthquakes. The valley is surrounded by earthquake faults; the closest ones being the Santa Rosa Fault to the Northwest, the Northridge Hills Fault to the Northeast, and the Chatsworth Fault to the South. In 1994, portions of Simi Valley received significant damage from the Northridge earthquake.

While most of Ventura County is known for its mild year-round climate, Simi Valley has a similar climate to that of the San Fernando Valley. This means extreme summer heat alternates with milder winters.