Santa Clarita - Hidden Gems

 

I moved to Santa Clarita 14 years ago without really knowing a whole lot about the area. I knew it was “way up there” from Los Angeles, and I knew it was where Magic Mountain was, but not much else. We moved here for the good schools, suburban location, and affordable houses. It wasn’t until I already had 3 kids in our local elementary school that I started realizing how really cool Santa Clarita was.

In 3rd grade, the kids all did a big Santa Clarita History project. Wow, my eyes were opened. There is some pretty neat stuff in my city. If you’ve never been here (or even if you live here and had no idea what you were right in the middle of), I want to share with you some amazing sites.

First some background. The city of Santa Clarita is the 3rd largest city in California and actually encompasses several communities: Valencia, Saugus, Newhall and Canyon Country. The city itself was incorporated only in 1987 although as you’ll see, Newhall has been around a pretty long time.

Remember learning all about the famous California Gold Rush? Well, I bet you didn’t know that a man by the name of Francisco Lopez was the first person to find gold in California… yep, right here in Placerita Canyon back in 1842… SIX YEARS before the famous San Francisco area discovery.

 

Photo courtesy of scvhistory.com

And… in 1876, a man by the name of Charles Mentry founded the state’s first oil well, starting off a huge oil industry in California. The oil refinery here is the oldest working one in the WORLD! Mentryville is still around for you to visit. Take the kids… it’s a blast.

But wait! There’s more.

Santa Clarita is home to the original Hollywood back lot. Back in the day, there were few houses and tons of land here. Most of those old western movies we’ve come to love (and our grandparents grew up on) were filmed here. Santa Clarita was also home to William S. Hart, the famous western actor. His house is now a museum, open for tours all year round. The famous Melody Ranch is here… an old movie studio that is STILL in use today. And to keep with Santa Clarita’s movie-making tradition, Disney Studios is currently building a HUGE studio out here, complete with sound stages, back lots and all kinds of super cool movie-making things.

Photo courtesy of MelodyRanchStudio.com

Know what is (as been) filmed here?

Big Love
CSI
Deadwood
Knight Rider
Melrose Place
Modern Family
The Dukes of Hazzard
Weeds
Wipeout
Zoey 101
National Lampoon’s Vacation (Yes, Magic Mountain stood in for Walley World)
The Gumball Ralley
Twilight (oh yes it was!)

On any given day, you can drive around the city and see movie trailers lined up at a part or a school or a neighborhood. And if you come visit, hang out at the Westfield Valencia Town Center for a while… you might just see some Disney stars walking around shopping. Yep… many of the Disney kids live here too.

And last, but not least, we are home to Six Flags Magic Mountain! Pretty sure not much more needs to be said on that topic. Living by an amusement park is kind of awesome, except that the kids are always begging you to go. I guess that would be my fault for buying them season passes.

Want more things to do here in Santa Clarita, leave me a comment or send me an email. And let me know if you’re passing through town… we can meet up at the Saugus Cafe (the restaurant, established in 1887, is one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles County.)