South Valley

South Valley is an area of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is made up of the neighborhoods of the southwestern portion of the valley: Canoga Park, Encino, Reseda, Tarzana, West Hills, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

Understand
Reseda grew into a prominent town after World War II when many of the existing ranches and orange groves were converted to housing for the returning soldiers. Today the population hovers around 80,000. The town has been featured in several movies and songs, most notably 1984's Karate Kid as the home of the title character. Tom Petty's hit Free Fallin also features the town in the lyric "It's a long day livin' in Reseda. There's a freeway runnin' through the yard". Tarzana was named after the Tarzana Ranch, which was owned in the early 1900s by Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan stories. The land was later subdivided and sold, and in the late 1920s the residents named the town Tarzana.

Woodland Hills is an average middle class Los Angeles neighborhood, remarkable for the numerous Persian restaurants along Ventura Blvd in the south as well as the medium-density new city development known as Warner Center. Topanga Canyon Blvd provides the most scenic road from Los Angeles to the beach, with a small hippie community called Topanga along the way. However, Woodland Hills is not generally acknowledged as a tourist destination.

Get in
Encino is located along US-101 and I-405.

Tarzana is located along US-101 a few miles west of its intersection with I-405.

West Hills is accessible by car from either the 101 Freeway or the 118 Freeway.

Reseda is located a few miles northwest of the intersection of US-101 and I-405.

Woodland Hills is accessible by car from the 101 Freeway.

Get around
An automobile is essential for getting around the South Valley. Metro buses are also an option, and the Orange Line has a stop at Warner Center.

See

 * Movies at the Encino Town Center.

Do

 * Mountain Biking - There are plenty of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Hills and the various canyons. A great ride starts at the south end of Reseda, or stop part way up and begin at Caberello Canyon. Ride up to dirt Mulholland and go either north or south. If you go south you will see the Nike Site (missiles were stored there during the cold war) or north and ride over to Trippet Ranch, Will Rogers park, Eagle Rock or to the lookout point. Great riding - single track and fire roads.