Van Nuys Portrait

L.A. Times Archives

April 7, 1996 12 AM PT

Once it was “The New Town”--a hopeful square mile of bean fields purchased by William Paul Whitsett for subdivision into 50-foot lots for the bargain price of $1,000.

Some 85 years later, Van Nuys--named for Southland pioneer Isaac Newton Van Nuys--is the geographic and governmental heart of the San Fernando Valley.

Even in 1911, the appeal of Van Nuys’ flat land was apparent: Within eight months of the town’s inception, the fields yielded to homes, stores and the emergence of automobiles.

It became one of the first planned communities, with Whitsett methodically plotting the locations of main, secondary and tertiary streets in what became the Valley’s signature grid pattern.

By the 1950s, Van Nuys was the Valley--quintessential suburbia, including the commercial strips of Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards. The addition, starting in the 1960s, of a governmental center, including a federal building, a police station and a public library, sealed Van Nuys’ place in Valley history.

Attractions

Japanese Gardens: Incongruous as it seems, a tranquil 6-acre Japanese Garden of bonsai trees, lotus, azaleas, weeping willows, delicate bridges and a ceremonial teahouse nestles in urban Van Nuys. Even more odd, the garden’s growth is attributable to a flow of recycled waste water processed by the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area.

Valley College: The largest community college in Los Angeles’ nine-campus district, it has more than 15,000 students. The 105-acre campus includes a planetarium, library, sports facilities, archery range, three stages for theatrical productions and a weather station.

Civic Center: The governmental nerve center of the Valley, Van Nuys’ Civic Center includes a public library, police station, two courthouses and a complex of city, state and federal government offices.

Land Use/Development

General Plan: Van Nuys is covered by Los Angeles’ General Plan, a long-term blueprint for growth that concentrates most development along major arteries such as Van Nuys Boulevard. Homeowner groups, though, fear that Van Nuys has already overdeveloped.

Airport: Planners are also plotting the course for Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the nation, with 500,000 takeoffs and landings annually. Four development options, mixing industrial, aviation and commercial uses, are under consideration for the 120 acres surrounding the 724-acre airport. Airport neighbors, weary of noise, advocate a fifth option: no more airport development.

Anheuser-Busch: One of the Valley’s biggest private employers, the Van Nuys Anheuser-Busch brewery ranks as the third largest brewery in the nation. More than 1,200 employees work on the 90-acre facility, which once included a theme park. The brewery is undergoing a $175-million expansion program.

Community Pride

Sports: Birmingham High School’s girls’ cross-country and boys’ swimming teams both captured the City Section 3-A titles in 1995. The boys’ track team won the City section 3-A title in 1992. Van Nuys High School’s boys’ basketball team won its first City Section 3-A title this year.

Academics: Not to be outdone by the sports teams, Van Nuys and Birmingham are also known for their academics. Birmingham is the home of a journalism magnet program. Van Nuys boasts three magnet programs, for performing arts, medicine and math and science. The school’s Science Bowl team captured the national title in 1995 and was runner-up in regionals this year.

Community Profile

(Includes north Sherman Oaks)

Population: 136,677

Median age: 31.5

Number of households: 53,822

Persons per household: 2.5

Owner-occupied housing units: 31%

Population below poverty level: 4.4%

Population over 18 with bachelor’s degree or higher: 21%

Income

Average household income is slightly less than the Los Angeles City average.

Van Nuys: $41,612