Neighborhood Spotlight: Lake View Terrace’s vistas, equestrian lifestyle are a whinnying combination
Lake View Terrace, like much of northeastern San Fernando Valley, was once part of the great Rancho Tujunga, 6,600 acres of foothills and mountains through which the Tujunga Wash meanders until its waters join the Los Angeles River.
Although the Spanish had removed the native Tongva people from their lands along the stream, where they had dwelt for thousands of years, ownership of the rancho briefly returned to one of their own in 1845. It was traded that year to Miguel Triunfo, a Gabrielino worker at Mission San Fernando, in exchange for his stake in the nearby Rancho Cahuenga.
By 1850, Triunfo had sold the Tujunga rancho to Los Angeles investors for $400, and the land was opened to development in earnest. The first settlers were miners who came looking for gold in the area’s rugged mountains and seasonal streams, but soon enough, farmers discovered that the rich alluvial soil was well suited for growing everything from fruit orchards to vegetable patches.
An early pioneer by the name of Dr. Homer Hansen surveyed and platted the land surrounding his horse ranch in the early 1900s. Small farming communities began to grow into well-established towns, which dotted the foothills and valley floor; what would become Lake View Terrace was one of these settlements.
The devastating flood of 1938 — which killed more than 100 people and destroyed more than 5,000 structures when runoff from a week of torrential rains raged down through the Tujunga Wash and into the Los Angeles River — spurred authorities to make plans for a dam on the wash to prevent a repeat disaster. The U.S. Engineering Department would go on to build what was at the time the largest earthen dam in the world.
In 1949, city engineers created a lake below the dam, which they dubbed Holiday Lake. The popular lake was stocked with trout and played host to kid-friendly attractions including a petting zoo and pony rides.
Developers building homes in the hills overlooking the lake began to refer to the neighborhood as Lake View Terrace, although by the 1980s Holiday Lake had become silted over with debris deposited by decades of storm runoff.
A revitalization effort completed in the 1990s brought a new lake and new recreational amenities to the Hansen Dam Recreation Center, which is one of the Valley’s most popular outdoor attractions.
This week the Creek Fire, a rapidly growing wildfire in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, prompted evacuations in parts of Lake View Terrace and neighboring areas.
Neighborhood highlights
Take a dip: On hot summer days in the Valley, taking a dip in Hansen Dam’s pool or swimming lake is one of the most popular ways to cool off.
Mosey along: The Hansen horse ranch may be gone, but as one of the city’s equestrian neighborhoods, Lake View Terrace keeps the tradition of riding trails alive.
Forest-adjacent: Those riding trails connect directly to the Angeles National Forest and all of its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities.
Neighborhood challenges
Inventory issues: Lake View Terrace is comparably affordable to other hillside communities, but its small footprint means choices are limited.
Expert insight
Fred Calloway, who has been selling homes in Lake View Terrace for a decade, sees the neighborhood as an escape from the bustle of the city.
“Since it’s at the foot of the mountains, you have a beautiful view from almost any property,” Calloway said. “That, paired with the quietness of the area, has brought in plenty of new homeowners.”
Architecturally, Lake View Terrace has a healthy mix of 1960s ranch-style homes and pockets of new constructions.
Calloway said that because of the recent surge in popularity, some of the more modern developments are selling for record prices for the area.
Market snapshot
In the 91342 ZIP Code, based on 36 sales, the median sales price for single-family homes in September was $505,000, up 6.3% year over year, according to CoreLogic.
Report card
The one public school in the Lake View Terrace boundaries, Brainard Elementary, scored 751 in the 2013 Academic Performance index.
Other schools in the area include Sunland Elementary, which scored 843, and Hillery T. Broadous Elementary, which scored 752.
Times staff writer Jack Flemming contributed to this report.
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