Calabasas, CA Local Area Information

Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,058, up from 20,033 at the 2000 census, according to the U.S. Census Bureau website, factfinder.census.gov. The city was formally incorporated in 1991. Prior to that the area was an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County.

The Leonis Adobe, an adobe structure in Old Town Calabasas, dates from 1844 and is one of the oldest buildings in the greater Los Angeles area.

It is generally accepted that Calabasa as the city name is derived from the Spanish calabaza meaning "pumpkin," "squash," or "gourd." Some historians hold the theory that Calabasas is a translation of the Chumash word calahoosa.

In honor of its namesake, the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce hold an annual Pumpkin Festival in October, including carnival games, exhibits, demonstrations, and live entertainment. The festival has evolved from a small town fair to an annual event. Though the current Pumpkin Festival is held at Juan Bautista de Anza Park in Calabasas, the original festival was meant to have taken place where, according to legend, a traveling wagon carrying pumpkins overturned and started the area's first pumpkin patch.

The City's official logo, depicting the red-tailed hawk flying over the Santa Monica Mountains, symbolizes a commitment to preserving the community's natural beauty and semi-rural quality of life. The City logo is featured on the Calabasas City flag which is flown in front of City Hall and hangs in the City Council Chambers.

Calabasas Communities Vista Pointe is located along the transverse ranges that run parallel to, and in between, the Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101) and Parkway Calabasas Road.

From Parkway Calabasas: Westridge, Calabasas Hills, Calabasas Park Estates, Calabasas Country Estates, and The Oaks.

From Park Granada or Mulholland Drive: Mulholland Heights, Mulwood, Las Villas, Bellagio, The Ridge, Creekside, Clairidge, Calabasas Highlands, Mountain Park, Cold Creek, and Park Moderne.

From Las Virgenes: Monte Nido, Deer Springs, Stone Creek, El Encanto, Archstone, Mont Calabasas, Malibu Canyon Park, The Colony at Calabasas, and Calabasas View.

From Lost Hills Road: Saratoga Hills, Saratoga Ranch, Deer Springs, Steeplechase, and Mira Monte.

Safeguarding the environment and the protection of open space has been a longstanding priority for the residents of Calabasas. Calabasas played a vital role in the 10-year battle to save Ahmanson Ranch, a 2,983 acres (12.07 km2) property in the Simi Hills in Ventura County nestled at the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, from development. The land was sold by Seattle-based Washington Mutual to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in late 2003 for $150 million. Ahmanson Ranch is now known as the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and is protected from further development.

Calabasas voters overwhelmingly passed Measure D in 2005. The ordinance protects and preserves the existing areas of Open Space in Calabasas by requiring two-thirds voter approval before any land in the City designated as Open Space may be redesignated for another use.

In 2007, the Calabasas City Council adopted Ordinance 2007-233] banning retail food establishments, nonprofit food providers and City facilities from using food packaging materials made of expanded polystyrene, known popularly by the trademark name Styrofoam.The ordinance requires food service establishments in Calabasas to start using environmentally acceptable packaging by March 31, 2008, and report on-going compliance with this ordinance on the first business day of each calendar year.

In February 2006, Calabasas enacted the Comprehensive Second-Hand Smoke Control Ordinance that prohibits smoking in all public places in the City of Calabasas where other persons can be exposed to second-hand smoke.These places include indoor and outdoor businesses, hotels, parks, apartment common areas, restaurants and bars where people can be reasonably expected to congregate or meet. Under the law, smoking outside in public areas within the city is restricted to select "Designated Smoking Areas." The law went into effect on March 16, 2006, garnering much local and national media attention. The full text of the ordinance may be found at Calabasas' official website.

The Comprehensive Second-Hand Smoke Control Ordinance has been expanded in the beginning of 2008 requiring 80% of rental apartment buildings to be permanently designated as non-smoking units by January 1, 2012.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Calabasas had a population of 23,058. The population density was 1,780.4 people per square mile (687.4/km).

The Census reported that 23,049 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,543 households, out of which 3,320 (38.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,124 (60.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 942 (11.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 315 (3.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 310 (3.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 31 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,624 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals and 525 (6.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 6,381 families (74.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.

The population was spread out with 5,841 people (25.3%) under the age of 18, 1,875 people (8.1%) aged 18 to 24, 5,025 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 7,414 people (32.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,903 people (12.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

There were 8,878 housing units at an average density of 685.5 per square mile (264.7/km), of which 6,287 (73.6%) were owner-occupied, and 2,256 (26.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. 17,769 people (77.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,280 people (22.9%) lived in rental housing units.