Location

It is surrounded by Reseda to the north, Woodland Hills to the west, Encino to the east, and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south. Major thoroughfares include Reseda Boulevard, Tampa Avenue, Wilbur Avenue, Burbank Boulevard and the commercial backbone of the south San Fernando Valley, Ventura Boulevard.

Most of Tarzana's inhabitants live in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains south of Ventura Blvd. North of Ventura, there is a uniquely designed area meant to emulate a more rural setting called Melody Acres. Tarzana contains two country clubs (with golf courses) nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains: El Caballero Country Club and Braemar Country Club. At the remote southern end of Reseda Blvd., there are a number of luxurious gated communities, including Mulholland Park, Silverhawk Ridge, Monte Verde and Braemar Estates.

North of the Boulevard, where a smaller portion of the population lives, there are fewer houses and more apartment buildings. Tarzana extends to Victory Boulevard, though only a small percentage of the population lives in the area.

Residents

There are approximately 28,484 residents. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial composition was predominantly White (78.9%), followed by Asian (5.6%), and Black or African American (3.8%).

American Indian or Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander each constituted less than one percent (0.3% and 0.1% respectively) of the population. 13.1% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. About 35.2% of the population in 2000 was foreign-born, including 21.9% that were born in Iran and 10.6% in Mexico.

Tarzana features a burgeoning Iranian-American population, and the community is well known for its Persian restaurants, booksellers, and language training institutes.

A thriving and long-established Jewish community attends four synagogues and provides the customer base for the first and only branch of the Hebrew language bookseller Steimatzky constructed outside of Israel. A number of popular and well-regarded delicatessens can be found in Tarzana, such as the Tarzana Armenian Grocery and Mort's Deli.

Notable residents include comedian Jeremy Hotz, actor Jamie Foxx, actor Chuck Norris, filmmaker John-Erik Jordan, KROQ's Kevin, Bon Jovi gutairist Richie Sambora his wife, actress Heather Locklear and frequent Star Trek guest star Hana Hatae.

Early History

The area now known as Tarzana was originally part of the San Fernando Mission, which was established in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries, who eventually displaced the indigenous population. Later on the area was seized by Mexico and then sometime afterwards, the United States, at which point the area came to be part of a sequential order of large cattle ranches owned by the wealthy and powerful local elites. Beginning in the 1870s, the area was purchased by investors who transformed it into a large-scale wheat farm operation.

In 1909 the surrounding area was purchased by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. General Harrison Gray Otis, founder and publisher of the Los Angeles Times, had invested in the company, while also purchasing 550 acres in the center of modern-day Tarzana. Another investor established a small town called Runnymede in the general vicinity and allocated the surrounding land for small poultry ranches and berry farms.

In 1915 Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the author of the Tarzan stories, purchased Otis? land upon which he built a large home, and renamed the property, Tarzana Ranch. Burroughs subdivided and sold the land for residential development, while the neighboring small farms were also converted to residential areas. In 1927, local residents renamed the town Tarzana in honor of Burroughs and his famous literary character.

Trivia

Portola Middle School in Tarzana was used as a location for the movie Thirteen.

In the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia , Tom Cruise's character, Frank T.J. Mackey, was born and raised in Tarzana. The climactic scene from that same movie occurs on the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way, a locus for many P.T. Anderson scenes.

The information herein was complied using sources deemed reliable (as noted throughout this book under ?source?), including the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and Wikipedia. However, the information in this book is not guaranteed, and all users are advised to research any questions or concerns independently. Michael Trust Realty, its employees, assigns, Broker, or any others, assume no responsibility nor any liability for any inaccuracies contained herein.

Posted by Cathy Forsythe on December 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM

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