Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Intersection of Victory Boulevard and Sylmar Avenue
Coordinates: 34°11′0″N 118°26′00″W / 34.183333°N 118.4333333°W / 34.183333; -118.4333333
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Los Angeles
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	136,443
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	91401, 91405, 91406, 91409, 91411
Area code(s)	818

Lot sales began at the new town of Van Nuys on February 22, 1911.² The area is named after Isaac Van Nuys, who was of Dutch descent and who founded the San Fernando Homestead Association in 1869, a group that purchased much of the land that now makes up the community. He also built the first wood frame house in the San Fernando Valley in 1872.

Van Nuys is in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and home to about 100,000 people; the main thoroughfare, Van Nuys Boulevard, is noted for its car dealerships. It also functions similar to a "county seat" for the Valley, with its Government Center (Erwin Street Mall) containing a branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys police station, the Van Nuys offices for Los Angeles City Hall, Van Nuys State Office Building and a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Van Nuys used to be the home for Van Nuys Assembly Plant, a major manufacturing facility for General Motors' Chevrolet division. When the plant was dismantled in 1998, the site was converted into a shopping mall called The Plant.

Like many central San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, Van Nuys was a middle-class neighborhood as late as the 1970s, but the demographics of the area have changed considerably since then.

In late 2004, the San Fernando Valley's first historic district was proposed for an area of early 20th Century bungalows north of Victory between Van Nuys Boulevard and Kester. According to the November 23, 2004, Los Angeles Times, "The neighborhood has become a melting pot of ethnic groups and home styles. Nearby stand such historic buildings as Van Nuys High School (1914), St. Elisabeth Catholic Church (1920) and the 12th Church of Christ Scientist (1932)."

Demographics

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times's "Mapping L.A." project supplied these Van Nuys neighborhood statistics: population: 103,770; median household income: $41,134.³

Notable locations

Economy

Government and infrastructure

The Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6420 Sylmar Avenue, 91401, serving the neighborhood [1].

County, state, and federal representation

The United States Postal Service operates the Civic Center Van Nuys Post Office at 6200 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys and the Van Nuys Post Office at 15701 Sherman Way in the Lake Balboa neighborhood in Los Angeles, west of Van Nuys.⁵⁶⁷

Parks and recreation

The Van Nuys Recreation Area is in Van Nuys. The area has an auditorium and gymnasium with a capacity of 420 people. The area also has a multipurpose/community room with a capacity of 20-25 people. The area has barbecue pits, lighted baseball diamonds, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, lighted handball courts, an indoor gymnasium with no weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer (football) field, and lighted tennis courts.⁹ Delano Park in Van Nuys has an auditorium, barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a lighted American football field, lighted handball courts, an indoor gymnasium with no weights, picnic tables, and a lighted soccer (football) field.¹⁰

The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park is in Sherman Oaks, near Van Nuys. The park has an auditorium, two lighted baseball diamonds, six unlighted baseball diamonds, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a 60 person community room, a lighted American football field, an indoor gymnasium without weights, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and lighted tennis courts.¹¹ Located in the same place as the park, the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool is a seasonal outdoor heated swimming pool.¹² The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Senior Citizen Center (a.k.a. Bernardi Center), also on the park grounds, has an auditorium and multi-purpose room; its banquet capacity is 200 and its assembly capacity is 300. The senior center also has two community/meeting rooms; one can hold 50 people and one can hold 30 people. The senior center has two kitchens, a play area, a shuffle board place, a stage, and two storage rooms.¹³ The Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Tennis Courts facility in the Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park has eight courts.¹⁴

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

Transportation

Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation airport in the world, the 25th busiest airport in the United States, and among the 20 busiest airports in the world by aircraft movements, is located in Van Nuys.

Timeline

Contents

Geography

Description