Calabasas is a city of 24,681 that charmingly combines the spirit of the Old West with the 21st Century. This upscale yet affordable community enjoys a progressive economy, blue ribbon schools, safe neighborhoods, a quiet lifestyle and fantastic weather all year round. You can escape the hustle and bustle of the big city, while enjoying first class amenities, superlative shopping and fine dining. Surrounded by scenic open spaces and beautiful parks, yet conveniently located near employment opportunities and all of Southern California’s finest attractions, Calabasas is an ideal place to enjoy life.
Location
Calabasas is located in northwest Los Angeles County, in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metro area in southern California. Situated at the southwestern edge of the San Fernando Valley, it is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Calabasas is bordered by Topanga on the southeast, the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles on the northeast, Malibu on the south, Agoura Hills on the west, and Hidden Hills on the north. U.S Route 101 (the historic El Camino Real) runs east-west through Calabasas.
Geography/Terrain
Calabasas has a terrain of rolling hills and waterfalls. It is considered a "Tree City U.S.A.," and contains some of the most scenic and protected topography of Southern California. The area includes Heritage oak trees, Santa Monica Mountain peaks, ridgelines, canyons, creeks and woodlands. Many mountainous parts of the city have spectacular views of the San Fernando Valley.
Calabasas has a total area of 13.1 square miles, 13.0 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of it is water. The city’s elevation ranges from 500 to 2800 feet, with a median elevation of 796 feet.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Calabasas is located 24 miles northwest of Los Angeles, 31 miles southwest of Oxnard, 77 miles northwest of San Bernardino, and 128 miles northwest of San Diego.
Jobs
Calabasas provides an innovative and ideal business environment. The city offers the advantages of strong housing, retail, and service markets as well as the technological corridor extending along the Ventura Freeway. The entertainment industry is important in both the residential and business sectors. Calabasas is also one of the most economical cities for business.
Some of the major employers in the area are: Aerospace Corp.; American Honda Motor Co. Inc.; Fox Films; Kaiser Permanente; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; Los Angeles Medical Center and Xerox. Educational, health and social services provide 21.9% of the employment in Calabasas, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide 19.7%, and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing provide 11.5%. The median household income in the city is $101,720, and the average income per capita is $58,619. There has been 3.08% recent job growth and the unemployment level is 5.7%. The average time to travel to work in Calabasas is 32.1 minutes.
Housing
Calabasas has 55 neighborhood communities featuring a variety of living preferences ranging from apartment complexes and affordable townhomes to multi-million dollar estates. The city is known for its gated communities, but also has many traditional neighborhoods, custom homes, older communities as well as a beautiful mobile home park.
Homes are on the market for an average of 48 days here, and currently there is a greater balance between buyers and sellers. Single-family home prices range from $700,000 to five million. Condominiums begin in the neighborhood of $450,000 to $750,000. The median price for a single-family home is $1,250,000, and the average rent is $1,189 per month.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Outdoor recreational opportunities abound in and around Calabasas. The city has 7 community parks, 2 neighborhood parks as well as Malibu Creek State Park. Malibu Creek encompasses 4,000 acres and is one of the most scenic parks in the California State Park system. It has a waterfall, a 15-mile stream, as well as hiking, fishing, horse trails, mountain bike trails and a campground. Calabasas is also home to Headwaters Corner Interpretive Center, which includes a regional and interpretive trail, a house dating back to homesteading times and a year round stream. The nearby Santa Monica Mountains offer 7,000 acres of trails for walking, biking, or horseback riding.
Calabasas is one of the westernmost points of the San Fernando Valley, gateway to the Conejo Valley and Malibu Canyon. Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road and Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains are designated scenic highways, where deer, coyotes and a variety of birds are often spotted. Malibu Pier and Beach located just northwest of the Malibu pier, is a bird sanctuary, protected wetlands and a great place to soak up some sun. You can enjoy its hiking trails and picnicking areas, swimming or bird watching.
The Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center is a community recreation facility with a fitness center, rock climbing wall, gymnasium and a variety of instructional, recreational, social and cultural programs. The local parks and institutions in Calabasas offer lecture tours, Native American history, bird watching, day and night nature walks, and ecology studies. The Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center provides a swimming pool, 15 hard courts and 1 clay tennis court, a weight room, an aerobics room, and saunas. Some of the local sports leagues available include basketball, T-ball, and flag football.
For golf enthusiasts, there is the exclusive Calabasas golf and Country Club, a private 18-hole course. This course can be very demanding because of the rolling hills and narrow fairways. Los Angeles County has 19 golf courses and what is considered to be the world's largest public golf course system.
Special Attractions/Events
Calabasas has a number of annual special events, including: the Art and Crafts Festival in May, Our Community Celebrates Youth, the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, the Fine Arts Festival, and the Method Film Festival. The Calabasas Orchestra brings beautiful music to the community, with a variety of styles of orchestral music, ranging from Bach and baroque era to Gershwin and the contemporary. The Calabasas Arts Council creates a year round calendar of events in the visual arts, music and dance, and is working towards creating a community art gallery/performance space at the new civic center site.
Calabasas has a unique mix of stylish shopping centers, custom architecture, attractive business offices, and an active art in public places program. The city’s past and present blend well, creating an exciting and interesting environment. You can enjoy a variety of quality shopping or walk the main street of quaint Old Town Calabasas while enjoying a hot espresso drink, or browse at the outdoors Farmers’ Market.
Calabasas’ Old Town offers a scenic setting for dining and shopping and is also the location of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Local vendors bring their fresh and exotic produce, flowers, baked goods and prepared food to the weekly Farmers' Market, replacing the old general store. On the modern side, you can check out Gelson’s Village, or the Commons of Calabasas, which have shops and trendy boutiques, top-notch restaurants, live music, movies and entertainment for the kids.
Calabasas is the home of the Leonis Adobe Museum, the Leonis family's preserved ranch, including original buildings with livestock and artifacts. You can visit this museum, which includes an 1875-vintage Victorian home and park, rose and topiary gardens and year round stream. You can visit the Calabasas Junction, which was once Cooper’s General Store with the El Camino Real bell under the Oak, or the spectacular Hindu Sanctuary built by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The city’s name is derived from the Spanish "calabaza". Some believe that the name originates from a Basque farmer’s pumpkin cart that overturned en route to Los Angeles, spilling seeds that became the region’s first official pumpkin patch.
Calabasas was part of the El Camino Real, which was the original Mission Highway serving the California Missions. Chumash Native Americans originally settled the area, along the banks in Calabasas Creek Park.
During the 19th century, Calabasas had a reputation of being a wild and lawless territory. "Espiritu, daughter of Chumash Chief Odin, married Miguel Leonis, who became the legendary “King of Calabasas” and ruled the region. His home is now the Leonis Adobe Museum located in the heart of Old Town Calabasas.
Calabasas attracted Hollywood artists in the late 1920’s who established the bohemian colony of Park Moderne. These artists created a Zigzag Moderne fountain on a Native American footpath, which has been preserved by the Calabasas Historical Society.
Calabasas was the filming location for the 1939 movie, "Gone With the Wind" and the 1948 movie, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". Malibu Creek State Park was the filming site of the M*A*S*H television series and the “Planet of the Apes” movie.
Calabasas was formally incorporated in 1991.
The city is the birthplace of Gregg Guenther, NFL player for the Tennessee Titans, and Gregg Guenther Jr., college basketball player for the USC Trojans.