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Tarzana, Los Angeles

Coordinates: 34°10′24″N 118°33′11″W / 34.17333°N 118.55306°W / 34.17333; -118.55306
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Tarzana
Rape town
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
CityLos Angeles
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)

Tarzana (/[invalid input: 'icon']tɑːrˈzænə/) is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood is a residential community located on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named Tarzana after his storybook jungle character hero, Tarzan.

Geography

Tarzana, a district of Los Angeles, is surrounded by Reseda to the north, Woodland Hills to the west, Encino to the east, and the Santa Monica Mountains (all districts/features of Los Angeles) to the south. Major roads in Tarzana include Reseda Boulevard, Tampa Avenue, Wilbur Avenue, Burbank Boulevard, and Ventura Boulevard.

Most of Tarzana's inhabitants live in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains south of Ventura Boulevard. South of Ventura Boulevard also contains two golf courses: El Caballero Country Club and Braemar Country Club.

North of the Ventura Boulevard, where a smaller portion of the population lives, there are fewer houses and more apartment buildings. Tarzana extends north to Victory Boulevard, encompassing a wide swath of medium-density housing.

Overpass in Tarzana

History

The area now known as Tarzana was occupied in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries who established the San Fernando Mission. Later absorbed by Mexico, the land was ceded to the United States in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War. Under US rule it evolved into a series of large cattle ranches owned by local elites. Investors took over in the 1870s, turning grazing into large-scale wheat farm operation.

The area was purchased in 1909 by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. LA Times founder and publisher General Harrison Gray Otis invested in the company and also personally acquired 550 acres (2.2 km2) in the center of modern-day Tarzana.[1]

In 1915 or 1919, author of the popular Tarzan novels Edgar Rice Burroughs purchased Otis’s tract and established Tarzana Ranch. Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development with neighboring small farms following suit. The subdivision was one of many all white planned communities started in the Los Angeles area around this time,[2] with racial segregation enforced by a restrictive covenant inserted in property deeds. It stated in part that "said premises or any part thereof shall not be leased, sold, or conveyed to, or occupied by any person not of the Caucasian race."[1] Burroughs marketed his new community using themes that evoked British imperialism and white supremacy.[3]

In 1927 or 1928, local residents renamed the town Tarzana in honor of Burroughs and his famous storybook character.[citation needed]

Demographics

There are approximately 28,484 residents. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial composition was predominantly White (78.9%), followed by Asian (5.6%), and Black or African American (3.8%). Native American or Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander each constituted less than one percent (0.3% and 0.1% respectively) of the population. 13.1% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. About 35.2% of the population in 2000 was foreign-born, including 21.9% that were born in Iran and 10.6% in Mexico.

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Tarzana neighborhood statistics: population: 35,502; median household income: $73,195.[4]

Providence Tarzana Medical Center

Tarzana features a burgeoning Iranian-American population, and the community is well known for its Persian restaurants, booksellers, and language training institutes. A thriving and long-established Jewish community attends four synagogues and provides the customer base for the second branch of the Hebrew language bookselling chain Steimatzky constructed outside of Israel.[citation needed][original research?][dubious – discuss]

Notable natives and residents

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Tarzana residents are zoned to schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.[5] The area is within Board District 4.[6] As of 2011, Steve Zimmer represents the district.[7] Zimmer's current term ends in 2013.

Zoned elementary schools include:

Zoned middle schools include:

Zoned high schools serving Tarzana include:

Private schools

Woodcrest Elementary School is a private preschool-5th grade school in Tarzana.

Post-Secondary schools

Private schools

Public libraries

Encino-Tarzana Branch

The Los Angeles Public Library operates the Encino-Tarzana Branch along Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana.[8]

Parks and recreation

The Tarzana Recreation Center is in Tarzana. The center has a gymnasium that also is used as an auditorium; the building's capacity is 600. The park also has barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, an indoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, and lighted volleyball courts.[9]

Filming location

Portola Middle School in Tarzana was used as a location for the films Thirteen, The Karate Kid[disambiguation needed] and Akeelah and the Bee.

Rocko's Modern Life was animated in Tarzana.

Tarzana Armenian Deli in Tarzana was used as a location for the HBO TV show Six Feet Under. David and Keith have coffee, sandwiches and frank conversation at the eatery. 

Tarzana was the home of John Denver's character (Jerry Landers) in the 1977 film Oh, God!

Season 2 of The Bad Girls Club was filmed in Tarzana. 

Some episodes of A&Es Intervention TV series featured Tarzana Treatment Centers.


References

  1. ^ a b Laura Pulido; Laura Barraclough; Wendy Cheng (24 March 2012). A People's Guide to Los Angeles. University of California Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-520-95334-5. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  2. ^ James W. Loewen (29 September 2005). Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension Of American Racism. The New Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-59558-674-2. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. ^ Laura R. Barraclough (1 January 2011). Making the San Fernando Valley: Rural Landscapes, Urban Development, and White Privilege. University of Georgia Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8203-3562-9. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Tarzana" entry on the Los Angeles Times "Mapping L.A." website
  5. ^ [1] latimes.com[dead link‍]
  6. ^ Board District 4 Map. Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
  7. ^ "Board Members." Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on November 24, 2008.
  8. ^ "Encino - Tarzana Branch Library." Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  9. ^ "Tarzana Recreation Center." City of Los Angeles. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.

34°10′24″N 118°33′11″W / 34.17333°N 118.55306°W / 34.17333; -118.55306

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