Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia : G : GR : GRA : Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California
Granada Hills is a district of the City of Los Angeles, USA located in the San Fernando Valley. It is located just north of the North Hills district, west of the Mission Hills and Sylmar districts, and just east of the Northridge and Porter Ranch districts. It is accessible by the Ronald Reagan (CA-118) and San Diego (Interstate 405) Freeways. Major thoroughfares include Balboa Boulevard, Woodley, Hayvenhurst, and Haskell Avenues, as well as Rinaldi Street, San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Chatsworth Street, and Devonshire Street.
Granada Hills is a thriving suburban community, having evolved from a farming and ranching community. Vestiges of former citrus groves can still be seen as small groups of orange, lemon or grapefruit trees in some residential yards. O'Melveny Park, immediately adjacent to the more rustic Limekiln Canyon Park, has several dozen citrus trees, a small intermittent stream, and a grassy promontory from which a view of the northeastern portion of the San Fernando Valley may be seen.
Limekiln Canyon Park has wild areas, canyon trails, and trail access to nearby Mission Point. Mission Point, known locally by the misnomer, 'Mission Peak' is the highest point in Granada Hills. The area around the peak is home to quails, bobcats, mule deer, mountain lions and rattlesnakes. 'Mission Peak' and its environs are popular mountain biking and hiking areas. The view from the top of Mission Point is striking, taking in most of the San Fernando Valley. In clear weather, one can see the Pacific Ocean and Downtown Los Angeles.
Schools
Granada Hills Charter High School, also known as "Granada Hills High School" or simply "Granada," is located at 10535 Zelzah Ave, Granada Hills, California 91344. Founded in 1960. In 2003, Granada became a "charter" high school, allowing it to sovereignly govern themselves and develop outside from the LAUSD bureaucracy. In 2005, their Science Bowl teams took fourth and fifth place at the regional competition, and their Academic Decathlon team ranked third in the nation. Currently, Granada, is the 379th best high school in the nation, according to Newsweek. Notable alumni of the school include football quarterback John Elway, actor Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger, Nightmare on Elm Street), and singer Joan Jett. In 2006 the school's sports stadium, the John Elway Stadium (named after the aforementioned quarterback) will be the home of the San Fernando Valley Quakes, the new soccer team in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League, the only sports franchise to be located in the San Fernando Valley area. For Quakes games the stadium will be known as the Re/Max Epicenter.
John F. Kennedy High School, teaching 9th grade through 12th grade, is located at 11254 Gothic Avenue, Granada Hills, California 91344, within the city of Los Angeles. "Kennedy", as it is called by its students and faculty, is part of District A of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Religion
Granada Hills contains numerous notable churches including St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church, [First Baptist Church of Granada Hills], [St. Andrews & St. Charles Episcopal Church], St. Eurphrasia, and [Our Savior's First Lutheran Church].Famous people from Granada Hills
- Ashley Judd, an actress, was born in Granada Hills.
- Jeff Suppan, a pitcher for the Cardinals
- Cuba Gooding, Jr, an actor, attended Kennedy High School
- Garret Anderson, a star for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball, graduated from Kennedy High School.
- Jon Garland, a star pitcher for MLB's Chicago White Sox, is also a Kennedy alumnus.
- John Elway, Superbowl winner and MVP, Quarterback for the Denver Broncos, went to Granada Hills High School
- Ryan Braun, 5th overall pick in 2005 MLB Draft, Granada Hills High School alumnus
External links
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
- [Granada Hills Chamber of Commerce]
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