West Hills

West Hills is more of one giant ranch or park to me than an actual neighborhood. There is so much green everywhere, it's astounding. Escorpion Peak is a landmark of the area. It is, as properly named, a giant peak at the front of one of many of West Hills parks.
There are two historic ranches in West Hills: Orcutt Ranch and Shadow Ranch. Orcutt Ranch was a private residence in the 1920's to a millionaire and it is now a historical landmark and horitculture center. It is sprawling, tranquil and glorious. You can do a self-guided tour throughout the ranch and a lot of people get married here.
Shadow Ranch was bought and built by an Australian in the late 1800's. He built a modest home and the property and surrounded it by Eucalyptus trees. The screenwriting duo who wrote The Wizard of Oz bought the house in the early 1920's and the wife gave the land the name Shadow Ranch because of all of the trees. It's now open to the public and there are all kinds of outdoor sports that happen here. It's really beautiful and definitely worth a trip out to see.
Outside of the two famous ones, there are about a million other parks and ranches in West Hills. The community is about as rural as it gets for Los Angeles. The property is pretty expensive but if you consider how much land comes with it and how beautiful the homes are, it's worth it. The only problem is that West Hills is really far out. It's a huge pain to get into the city and there is no city vibe to the neighborhood. There are no restaurants, bars, stores . . nothing. Nothing but trees.

West Hills is one of the five areas that border the western end of the valley (the others being high end Calabasas and Hidden Hills, the upper middle class Woodland Hills, and the somewhat run-down Chatsworth). West Hills is a sort of middle ground between these other areas. It is neither hyper wealthy nor run down. It is actually a nice upper middle class neighborhood that is often overlooked for its better known neighbors. Houses here are modest but well kept. The neighborhood has its share of high end homes near the hills but it is not gaudy. You won’t see celebrities roaming the streets or see pictures of the latest starlet in Westhills—no paparazzi here. But you also won’t here about the latest gang activity here either.

West Hills has two main draws. One is the great hiking trails that you can find on its western end. Just like Chatsworth, West Hills is a great place for outdoor recreation. It also has a few historic sites dedicated to San Fernando Valley historic figures that not even people living here remember. In other words, you will not find anyone coming to West Hills to visit these sites.

The other main draw of West Hills is the Fallbrook Mall. Although it is much smaller than the Topanga and Promenade mall in Woodland Hills, the Fallbrook Mall is much less of a hassle. Less traffic, fewer teenagers. It isn’t quiet exactly, but locals much prefer it.

West Hills does not have its own high school, so locals end up either at Calabasas High or, in some cases Canoga Park High. If you intend on living here, try to live in the part that feeds into Calabasas and avoid Canoga Park High which is run down and gang-ridden.

Overall, however, this is a good, moderately priced place to live. The only truly middle class neighborhood of those that border the western end of the Valley. I real hidden treasure