Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita (/ˌsæntə kləˈriːtə/; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populous in California, and the 103rd-most populous city in the United States.[12][10] It is located about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies 70.75 square miles (183.2 km2)[7] of land in the Santa Clarita Valley, along the Santa Clara River. It is a classic example of a U.S. edge city,[13] satellite city,[14] or boomburb.[15]
"Santa Clarita" redirects here. For other uses, see Santa Clarita (disambiguation).
Santa Clarita, California
December 15, 1987[3]
Cameron Smyth[4]
Bill Miranda
Laurene Weste
Marsha McLean
Jason Gibbs
Ken Striplin[5]
62.16 sq mi (161 km2)
62.10 sq mi (160.84 km2)
0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2) 0.099%
1,270 ft (390 m)
228,673
3,232/sq mi (1,250/km2)
3,571.6/sq mi (1,379.0/km2)
Santa Claritan
UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Human settlement of the Santa Clarita Valley dates back to the arrival of the Chumash people, who were displaced by the Tataviam circa 450 AD. After Spanish colonists arrived in Alta California, the Rancho San Francisco was established, covering much of the Santa Clarita Valley. Henry Mayo Newhall purchased the Rancho San Francisco in 1875 and established the towns of Saugus and Newhall. The Newhall Land and Farming Company played a major role in the city's development. In December 1987, the city of Santa Clarita was incorporated, encompassing the communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia.[16] The four communities retain separate identities, and residents commonly refer to one of them when asked where they are from. Santa Clarita is bounded on the west by the Golden State Freeway (I-5). The Antelope Valley Freeway (CA-14) runs northeast–southwest forming part of the city's irregular east boundary. The two freeways meet at Newhall Pass, near the city's southernmost point.
Santa Clarita is home to three institutions of higher education: California Institute of the Arts, an internationally renowned art university; The Master's University, a Christian liberal arts university; and College of the Canyons, a community college. Companies headquartered in or near the city include Princess Cruises, Sunkist, Remo, and the Newhall Land and Farming Company. The unincorporated communities of Castaic and Stevenson Ranch, located to the north and west of the Santa Clarita city limits, respectively, are closely associated with the city. Six Flags Magic Mountain, though commonly thought to be in the Valencia part of Santa Clarita, is also west of Interstate 5 and outside of the Santa Clarita city limits.
Name[edit]
The Santa Clara River was named by Spanish explorers for Saint Clare of Assisi. The valley and the settlement later became known as "little Santa Clara" ("Santa Clarita" in the Spanish diminutive) to distinguish it from the Northern Californian city of Santa Clara[17] and its accompanying Mission Santa Clara de Asís. The Santa Clarita Valley similarly differentiates itself from the Santa Clara Valley in Northern California. The region was not widely referred to as Santa Clarita until the 1950s; before this, it was unofficially referred to as the "Newhall–Saugus area" and the "Bonelli tract," after a family that owned land in the valley.[18]
Sports[edit]
Santa Clarita does not have any sports teams in the NBA, MLB, NFL, or NHL. The professional teams in Los Angeles and Anaheim (specifically, the Clippers and Lakers of the NBA, the Angels and Dodgers of MLB, the Chargers and Rams of the NFL, and Ducks and Kings of the NHL) are popular among Santa Clarita residents. The college sports teams of The Master's University and College of the Canyons, as well as the sports teams in the valley's seven high schools, have some following among the people of Santa Clarita.
The Santa Clarita Blue Heat is a women's soccer team in the United Women's Soccer league. It was founded as the Ventura County Fusion in 2008 and played in the city of Ventura before relocating to Santa Clarita. Their home games are played at The Master's University.[179] Santa Clarita also hosts FC Santa Clarita (also known as the Santa Clarita Storm) of the United Premier Soccer League, a development league. The team was founded in 2006 as the Lancaster Rattlers before moving to Santa Clarita. Like the Blue Heat, FC Santa Clarita plays its home games at The Master's University.[180]
The Canyons Aquatic Club is a competitive swim team based in Santa Clarita affiliated with USA Swimming. Its home pool is located at College of the Canyons, with practice locations at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, Santa Clarita Park, Castaic Aquatic Center, North Oaks Park, and Newhall Park.[181]
The Saugus Speedway, located along Soledad Canyon Road in Saugus, is a 0.33-mile (0.53 km) race track covering 35 acres (14 ha). It first opened in 1939 as Bonelli Stadium. The first stock car racing event on the speedway occurred in 1957. In 1995, the track was permanently closed.[182] The speedway continues to serve as the venue for the Santa Clarita Swap Meet every Sunday.
Central Park contains a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) cross country course used by high school and college athletes to train and race.[153]
The city includes four golf courses: Vista Valencia Golf Course and Valencia Country Club in Valencia, and Sand Canyon Country Club and Friendly Valley Golf Course in Canyon Country.[183] The Oaks Club at Valencia is located in the Westridge area of Stevenson Ranch, adjacent to the city.
The Canyon Country Little League baseball and softball teams play their games on a field along Sierra Highway in unincorporated Canyon Country.[184]
Services[edit]
Law enforcement[edit]
Santa Clarita is a contract city, meaning it does not have its own police department and instead relies on county services. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station at 26201 Golden Valley Road, just south of the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Centre Pointe Parkway. Prior to its October 2021 relocation, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station was located on Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia.[185][186]
The California Highway Patrol's Newhall office patrols the highways and streets of the Santa Clarita Valley. Despite being referred to as the Newhall office, its headquarters are actually located in unincorporated Valencia, along The Old Road just south of State Route 126. Its service area covers 772 square miles (2,000 km2), including most of northwestern Los Angeles County, containing 204 miles (328 km) of freeways and 296 miles (476 km) of unincorporated roadways.[187]
Crime[edit]
Santa Clarita has a relatively low crime rate. The city's violent crime rate is about one-third of the national average and 29% of the California statewide average.[201] In 2020, the home security site Safety ranked Santa Clarita the seventh-safest city in California, specifically mentioning the low property crime rate. Then-mayor Cameron Smyth credited this to the "diligence" of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.[202]
Nevertheless, some of the poorer neighborhoods of Santa Clarita have struggled with crime. The apartment and condominium complexes along Jakes Way in Canyon Country (south of the Santa Clara River, east of Sierra Highway, north of the Metrolink railroad line, and west of State Route 14) have seen some of the highest crime rates in the city.[203] Gangs such as Brown Familia[204] and Newhall 13[205] are active in parts of Canyon Country and Newhall.
Other past incidents have included a shootout in 1970 known as the Newhall incident, the Stevenson Ranch shootout in 2001, and the Saugus High School shooting in 2019.[50]
The city is a member of Sister Cities International.