Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California

Canyon Country
City
A neighborhood in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, in Canyon Country near the central Sand Canyon and Soledad Canyon Roads junction with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.
Canyon Country Position in Los Angeles County.
Coordinates: 34°25′24″N 118°28′17″W / 34.42333°N 118.47139°W / 34.42333; -118.47139Coordinates: 34°25′24″N 118°28′17″W / 34.42333°N 118.47139°W / 34.42333; -118.47139
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Santa Clarita
Elevation[1]	466 m (1,529 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	59,530
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	91351
Area code(s)	661
GNIS feature ID	2583151
Website	http://www.santa-clarita.com/
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California

Canyon Country is a community and district within the city of Santa Clarita, located in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Canyon Country is north of the San Fernando Valley via Newhall Pass through the Santa Susana and San Gabriel Mountains. Canyon Country is located in the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in the Santa Clarita Valley and Sierra Pelona Mountains foothills.

History

The area was the ancestral homeland of the Tataviam people for over five hundred years, and other tribes before then, such as the Tongva, Kitanemuk, and Serrano people. After the Spanish invasion, the valley first became grazing lands of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España around 1790. In 1834, after Mexican Independence, it became part of the Rancho San Francisco land grant centered on the confluence of the Santa Clara River and Castaic Creek.^[2]

In the 1880s the rancho become the Newhall Ranch empire of Henry Newhall, now the present day Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1928 the St. Francis Dam collapsed, suddenly flooding and washing away settlements and people along the Santa Clara River section of present-day Santa Clarita not including Canyon Country. Canyon Country was originally to be called Solemint. It later absorbed the community to the west called Honby. In the 1960s and 1970s the Newhall Land company's suburban developments transformed Canyon Country and the surrounding towns into a focused residential and cultural city.^[3]

The house of The Crandall family used in the movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is located in this town.^[4] The hit ABC shows Wipeout, Winter Wipeout, and Spring Wipeout are all filmed here.

The Canyon Country area was a mecca for show business personalities like Cliffe Stone of Home Town Jamboree, singer Gene Vincent, Hall of Fame Guitarist Bill Aken (aka Zane Ashton), actress Linda Gray, rock and roll legend Del Shannon, among others. The William S. Hart ranch was a well known tourist attraction along with Gene Autry's Melody Ranch.

Santa Clarita founding

In 1987, Canyon Country was one of four communities, with Valencia, Newhall, and Saugus, that merged to create the city of Santa Clarita, California. The latitude of Canyon Country is 34.423N and the longitude is -118.471W.^[5] Canyon Country has a population of 59,530 people.

Canyon Country is home to the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, which is also the site of California's original gold discovery at the historic "Oak of the Golden Dream" in 1842.^[6]

Services

The Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 104 (Quint) and Station 107 (Engine and Paramedic Squad) serve the community.

References