Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita, California | |
|---|---|
 Santa Clarita as seen from the Santa Susana foothills. | |
| Location of Santa Clarita in California and Los Angeles County Location of Santa Clarita in California and Los Angeles County | |
| Country State County | United States California Los Angeles |
| Incorporated | 1987 |
| Government | |
| • City Council | Laurene Weste (mayor) Marsha McLean Frank Ferry Bob Kellar Cameron Smith |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 151,088 |
| U.S. Census, 2000 | |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Website | www.santa-clarita.com |
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2005 California Department of Finance estimate, the city population was 167,954. It is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies most of the Santa Clarita Valley. It is a notable example of a U.S. edge city or boomburb. The FBI rates it as the sixth safest city in the United States with at least 100,000 inhabitants. (Nearby Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, traditionally alternate between the first and second spots on the list.)
Santa Clarita was incorporated in 1987 as the union of several previously existing communities, including Saugus, Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, and portions of Castaic. Its principal boundaries are the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways; their merger in Newhall Pass at the city's southernmost point gives Santa Clarita its distinctive triangular appearance on the map. Unlike many other hybrid cities' districts, communities in Santa Clarita retain a considerable degree of autonomy, to the extent that some of them--Valencia, most notably--are often mistaken for completely separate cities.
Santa Clarita's most notable attractions are the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park on the western edge of the city, and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), located in Valencia.
As the city is hemmed in by mountains on all sides (the Tehachapis on the north, the San Gabriels on the east, and the Santa Susanas on the south and west) and is primarily reliant on the automobile for transportation, it suffers from chronic smog. It is also prone to wildfires, as demonstrated by the destruction of large undeveloped areas around the city during blazes in 2003 and 2004.
Geography
Santa Clarita is located at 34°24′60″N 118°30′23″W / 34.41667°N 118.50639°W Coordinates: latitude seconds >= 60
Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (34.416561, -118.506443)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²). 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.04%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 151,088 people, 50,787 households, and 38,242 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,219.6/km² (3,159.1/mi²). There were 52,442 housing units at an average density of 423.3/km² (1,096.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.53% White, 2.07% African American, 0.59% Native American, 5.24% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 8.54% from other races, and 3.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.50% of the population.
Even though it is still a predominantly middle-class white community, it has seen a substantial increase in residents of varying ethnicities. The growth in diversity in the city is not without problems. According to a Los Angeles Times report [1], racial crimes are increasing in the region. Most of the recent allegations pertain to the nearby Valencia High School.
There were 50,787 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $66,717, and the median income for a family was $73,588. Males had a median income of $53,769 versus $36,835 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,841. About 4.7% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
Youth involvement
Santa Clarita is also known for its extensive youth-involvement programs, including Visions in Progress (VIP), a youth advisory group to the City Council, the SCV Youth Project, which strives to increase teen involvement in the city, and the Volunteen program, which provides teens with the chance to perform community service in the city, such as the annual River Rally (a river cleanup project of the Santa Clara River). (VIP) seeks to better the communtity and also provide a safe and very exciting environment for the local teens and new residents. The Santa Clarita Valley Safe Rides program, established in 1986, is a Teen Volunteer group which helps to prevent drunk driving in teens.
Television and movie production
Because of Santa Clarita's proximity to Hollywood countless TV shows and movies have been filmed in Santa Clarita. From 'Pump Up the Volume' that was filmed exclusively in Saugus, to popular TV shows '24' and 'CSI'.
Problems
There have been many recent issues regarding Mining interests who wish to create mines in the Santa Clarita and Unincorperated Los Angeles County areas. These are widely opposed by city politicians and residents. There is a disproportionate amount of teen drinking and drug abuse. Also, recent issues with Racism at Valencia High School and other high schools in the William S. Hart High School District have led to fights, lockdowns, and media involvement.
School districts
- Castaic Union School District [1]
- Newhall School District [2]
- Saugus Union School District [3]
- Sulphur Springs Elementary School District [4]
- William S. Hart High School District [5]
External links
- Santa Clarita homepage
- Santa Clarita Valley Resources Page
- SCVTalk.com - Santa Clarita Neighborhood News/Community Journalism Site
- AM-1220 KHTS - Santa Clarita's Hometown Radio Station
