San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley looking northeast; from the top of Topanga Overlook Park above Woodland Hills in foreground
San Fernando Valley
Area	260 square miles (670 km2)
Naming
Native name	El Valle de Santa Catalina de Bononia de los Encinos (Spanish)
Geography
Location	California
Population centers	Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, San Fernando
Borders on	Santa Susana Mountains (northwest), Simi Hills (west), Santa Monica Mountains and Chalk Hills (south), Verdugo Mountains (east), San Gabriel Mountains (northeast)
Coordinates	34°15′N 118°27′W / 34.25°N 118.45°W / 34.25; -118.45

The San Fernando Valley,^[1] known locally as the Valley,^[2][3] is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the city of Los Angeles, several unincorporated areas, and the incorporated cities of Burbank, Calabasas, Glendale, Hidden Hills and San Fernando.^[4] The valley is well known as home of Warner Bros. Studios, Walt Disney Studios, and the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

Geography

The San Fernando Valley is about 260 square miles (670 km²)^[5] bound by the Santa Susana Mountains to the northwest, the Simi Hills to the west, the Santa Monica Mountains and Chalk Hills to the south, the Verdugo Mountains to the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the northeast. The northern Sierra Pelona Mountains, northwestern Topatopa Mountains, southern Santa Ana Mountains, and Downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers can be seen from higher neighborhoods, passes, roads, and parks in the San Fernando Valley.

The Los Angeles River begins at the confluence of Calabasas Creek (Arroyo Calabasas) and Bell Creek (Escorpión Creek), between Canoga Park High School and Owensmouth Avenue (just north of Vanowen Street) in Canoga Park. These creeks' headwaters are in the Santa Monica Calabasas foothills, the Simi Hills' Hidden Hills, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, and Santa Susana Pass Park lands. The river flows eastward along the southern regions of the Valley. One of the river's two unpaved sections can be found at the Sepulveda Basin. A seasonal river, the Tujunga Wash, drains much of the western facing San Gabriel Mountains and passes into and then through the Hansen Dam Recreation Center in Lake View Terrace. It flows south along the Verdugo Mountains through the eastern communities of the valley to join the Los Angeles River in Studio City. Other notable tributaries of the river include Dayton Creek, Caballero Creek, Bull Creek, Pacoima Wash, and Verdugo Wash. The elevation of the floor of the valley varies from about 600 ft (180 m) to 1,200 ft (370 m) above sea level.

Most of the San Fernando Valley is within the jurisdiction of the City of Los Angeles,^[3] although a few other incorporated cities are located within the valley as well: Burbank is in the southeastern corner of the valley, and San Fernando, which is completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, is near the northern end of the valley. Universal City, an enclave in the southern part of the valley, is an unincorporated area housing the Universal Studios filming lot and theme park. Mulholland Drive, which runs along the ridgeline of the Santa Monica Mountains, marks the boundary between the valley and the communities of Hollywood and the Los Angeles Westside. The San Fernando Valley has connection to other regions: The Santa Clarita Valley via Newhall Pass, the Westside via Sepulveda Pass, Hollywood via Cahuenga Pass, Simi Valley via Santa Susana Pass, and the Crescenta Valley via Interstate 210.

Habitat

The valley's natural habitat is a "temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome" of grassland, oak savanna, and chaparral shrub types of plant community habitats, along with lush riparian plants along the river, creeks, and springs. In this Mediterranean climate, post-1790s European agriculture for the mission's support consisted of grapes, figs, olives, and general garden crops.^[6]

Climate

The San Fernando Valley has a subtropical/hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with long, hot, dry summers, and short, warm winters, with chilly nights and sporadic rainfall. Due to its relatively inland location and other factors, summer days are typically hotter and winter nights typically colder than in the Los Angeles basin. More recently, statewide droughts in California have further strained the San Fernando Valley’s and Los Angeles County’s water security.^[7]