Granada Hills Homes For Sale


	Granada Hills Houses for Sale

Granada Hills

The community was named for a city in Spain and the area that now makes up the city was acquired in about 1881 by George K. Porter, a pioneer of the north San Fernando Valley and one of the founders of the City of San Fernando. The land was used principally for farming, with beans and wheat among the usual crops in those early days.

In 1917, the land between Balboa and Zelzah Avenues, north from San Jose Street into the hills was bought by J.H. Moshier, a wealthy oil man from Oklahoma. Mr. Moshier built a large house, dairy barns, silos and other buildings at the foot of the hills and named his property the Sunshine Ranch. Most of the ranch buildings still remain, and several have been converted into residences. Between 1917 and 1924, over 2,000 acres of the ranch were planted with citrus of various kinds. In 1925 however, that ranch went up for sale and the subdivision trend that had already hit nearby Glendale and Eagle Rock, came to Granada Hills.

The first house in Granada Hills was built by Captain and Mrs. J.L. Miller on the corner of Kingsbury St. and White Oak Ave. Prior to coming to Granada, Capt. Butler was chief of Police in Los Angeles under Mayor Woodman. Having already built a service station at the corner of Chatsworth and Shoshone, they launched the Granada Business District in 1927. To start the ball rolling, they built a two-story Spanish style store building on the corner of Chatsworth and White Oak in the hope that others would soon follow.

In 1927, the Los Angeles Board of Education bought a five-and-one-half acre school site for $11,000. Three bungalows were built, and the school opened in the fall of 1928. On March 4, 1928 the Granada Chamber of Commerce was organized. One of the first successful projects of the Chamber of Commerce was the securing of street lights for the community.

In 1933, eucalyptus trees were planted on the south side of each east and west street to serve as a windbreak for the orange trees. Today these trees, towering above the orange orchard, are one of the most distinctive features of Granada Hills. Like much of the surrounding area, the post-war era finally lead to rapid growth that had been envisioned since the 1920s. Access to transportation increased, and more and more people moved west to pursue the California dream. Today, Granada Hills stands as one of the great communities in the area where all the best of those post-war dreams are still in evidence.

Granada Hills offers the beautiful Knowlwood Country Club Golf Course and the Porter Valley Country Club Golf Course is just a jump away in neighboring Northridge. The Granada Hills Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art park facility that was renovated in 1999. It offers four baseball diamonds, picnic areas and a new multi purpose center/gym with complete kitchen facilities as well as a swimming pool.

If nature is more your style, Granada Hills also offers the second largest park in the City of Los Angeles, O'Melveny Park. Granada Hills is close to California State University – Northridge, which is the premier educational facility in the San Fernando Valley. For education in Granada Hills, also noteworthy is the Granada Hills Charter High School, which is the largest comprehensive independent conversion charter school in the nation. This change in 2003 was supported throughout the community to address the instructional flexibility and resources needed to continue a tradition of excellence.

The community not only works together for the betterment of every neighbor through several grass-roots community organizations, but also loves to come together to celebrate as well. The whole family will definitely want to participate in the annual Granada Hills Street Faire, featuring arts, crafts, merchants and live music. More than 200 local business and non-profit groups participate with many businesses handing out discount coupons and free merchandise from their booths. The Granada Hills Street Faire is an excellent way to enjoy outstanding dishes from local restaurants and free entertainment including classic cars, dance troupes and Blue Grass music.