LOCATED 30 miles north of the City of Los Angeles and 40 miles east of the Pacific Ocean the Santa Clarita Valley forms an inverted triangle with the San Gabriel and Santa Susanna mountain ranges separating it from the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles. The Santa Clarita valley is in the northwest corner of Los Angeles county. The Santa Clarita valley extends over approximately 400 square miles.

THE SANTA CLARITA VALLEY: During the last 10 years, Santa Clarita has been documented as one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. No wonder, this inland valley region features clean high-tech industries, master planned residential communities and major recreational facilities. More than 150,000 residents have chosen to live in the Santa Clarita Valley for one very key reason: safety. Santa Clarita Valley has been rated as having the 4th lowest crime rate among cities of 100,000 population or more. Quality of life also accounts for the areas popularity. Families find that urban amenities exist side by side with rural open spaces. The City of Santa Clarita was incorporated on December 15, 1987, by combining the four communities that include Valencia, Saugus, Canyon Country and historic Newhall. The social and economic growth of this area has been very positive and is projected to extend into the 21st century.

CLIMATE: With a year round prevailing breeze of 3-5 mph, Santa Clarita experiences a Mediterranean climate of sunny, warm, dry summers and semi-moist, mild winters. The average annual rainfall is 15-18 inches.

ALTITUDE: 1,200 to 1,400 feet in the valley. Whitaker Peak to the north at 4,148 feet. Mount Gleason to the east at 6,502 feet and Oat Mountain to the south at 3,747 feet.

TRANSPORTATION: Interstate 5 is the major artery for North and South traffic through the Santa Clarita Valley. Linking cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego to the south, and Bakersfield and San Francisco to the north. Highway 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway is used by traffic going to the Palmdale/ Lancaster area, other desert communities, and Las Vegas. The Metrolink commuter trains run on 35 miles of track weekdays and saturday between Santa Clarita and downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located 40 miles south via the Interstate 405 freeway. Burbank (BUR) regional airport is 25 miles south via Interstate 5 freeway. Both airports serve all of the major airlines.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES: Santa Clarita is home to College of the Canyons, Masters College and California Institute of the Arts. 5 award winning High Schools, 3 Junior High Schools, 21 Elementary Schools and over 50 child care centers.

HEALTH CARE: Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, a 227 bed comprehensive acute care facility with more than 300 physicians in varying specialties. Additionally Santa Clarita houses a primary care facility for both Kaiser Permenante and the Facey medical group.

RECREATION: Santa Clarita boasts 3 golf courses, horseback riding and stables, close to the Angeles National Forest for hiking and camping, a world class bass fishing lake for fishing, swimming and boating and Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. The City of Santa Clarita maintains 8 local parks and hiking trails throughout the city. Facilities are available for youth baseball, football, soccer and other youth activties.

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©Penny Bissinger, 1997