Highs and Lows : From The Tallest to the Shortest, From the Hottest to the Coldest, The Valley Is A Varied Place.

The San Fernando Valley has had its ups and downs, but what are its highs and lows?

Just how high is its highest mountain, and how deep beneath its surface have we dug? What’s the highest temperature registered in the Valley in the last several decades, and the lowest?

What area has the highest median age among its residents, and which the lowest? Which part of the Valley is the richest, the poorest?

Even though the Valley is often thought, by outsiders, to be a homogenous place, it actually has tremendous diversity not only in its population, but also in its geography, architecture and even weather.

Here are some Valley highs and lows. *

Structures Highest: 10 Universal City Plaza (left). A 35 story office building-approximately 585 feet tall

Lowest: Steel-lined water wells in Sun Valley-800 feet below ground level

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Elevations:

Highest: Oat Mountain in northern San Fernando Valley-3,747 feet

Lowest: North Hollywood-590 feet

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Temperatures (since 1948):

Highest: 116 degrees on Aug. 24, 1985 in Canoga Park

Lowest: 20 degrees on Dec. 29, 1954 in Canoga Park

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Average Househould Incomes by Area:

Highest: $86,348-Encino-Tarzana

Lowest: $38,904-Arleta-Pacoima

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Homicides by Area:

(Jan. 1-Nov. 14, 1994)

Highest: 19 in Foothill Division Lowest: 5 in West Valley Division *

Auto Thefts by Area:

(Jan. 1-Nov. 14, 1994)

Highest: 3,722 in Van Nuys Division Lowest: 2,317 in Devonshire Division *

Median Ages:

Highest: 38.7 in Encino-Tarzana

Lowest: 26 in Arleta-Pacoima

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Housing Costs (as of Oct. 1994):

Highest: $276,800 average price in southwest Valley including Canoga Park and Woodland Hills

Lowest: $139,800 average price in northeast Valley including Van Nuys, Sun Valley and San Fernando

Sources: 1990 Census, U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps, WeatherData Inc., Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Police Department, San Fernando Valley Assn. of Realtors.; Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL / Los Angeles Times