Westlake Village Homes For Sale

Westlake Village is an incorporated city situated on the western edge of Los Angeles, California. The city is located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, and encloses half of the area surrounding Westlake Lake, and the small neighborhoods south of U.S. Route 101 and east of La Venta Drive. It lies approximately 9 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 38 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Westlake Village is known for its abundance and is considered one of the richest communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

The original community, simply known as “Westlake,” was divided by the Los Angeles and Ventura County boundary. Two-thirds of the community was incorporated by the City of Thousand Oaks in two portions, in 1968 and 1972. Eventually, in 1981, the third part was incorporated as the City of Westlake Village.

Chumash Native Americans were the original residents of the area. In 1770, Captain Gaspar de Portola led a party of Spanish explorers and missionaries. They traveled north on the route that became known as El Camino Real and camped near a Chumash village which believed to be the site of present-day Westlake Village. Father Juan Crespi, chaplain of the expedition, described the area as a beautiful place, forested by live oak trees with bountiful pasturage and water.

When the Spanish finally settled the area, they were given huge land grants. The largest land tract known as Rancho Simi was given to the Pico family. In 1821, when Mexico won independence from Spain, California became Mexican territory and a few more land grants were given. In 1850, most of the land that later became Ventura county were divided among 19 families. The beautiful future Westlake Village site was then identified as the central part of two Mexican land grants: Rancho El Conejo and Rancho Las Virgenes.

In 1881, Russell brothers purchased a large portion of the land for cattle ranch operation. The area continued to be known as the Russell Ranch although it had been sold twice, in 1925 to William Randolph Hearst and in 1943 to Fred Albertson. The Russell family leased back part of the land to continue their successful business (cattle ranching) while the Albertson Company used the huge area as a movie ranch. Many television shows and movies were filmed here, including “King Rat,” “Laredo,” “Robin Hood,” and various episodes of “Tarzan,” “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza” and “Buck Rogers.”

In 1963, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company purchased the 12,000 acre (49 km²) ranch for $32 million and in partnership with Prudential Insurance Company, started the master plan for a “city in the country.” Well-known architects, land planners and engineers took part in designing the new community.
In 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd City in the County of Los Angeles as a result of an overwhelming vote from its residents.

Westlake Village has a large retail buying market area that is approaching $2.4 billion, evidenced by the continued strength of shopping centers such as The Oaks Shopping Center, Janss Marketplace, as well as the world’s largest auto mall, and other shopping venues in the area. The median income for a household in the city is $120,089, and the median income for a family is $148,885. At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Westlake Village was $49,596. Population in July 2008 shows there are 8,469 residing within the city.

Westlake Village is home to small businesses such as information technology, real estate, networking and security, manufacturing, retailing and customer service. Westlake Village is a unique, master-planned community where approximately 850 commercial, manufacturing and light industrial business firms operate. It is also home to many large commercial offices and the headquarters of Dole Food Company, J.D. Power and Associates, and K-Swiss, to name a few.

Westlake Village is serviced by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The Las Virgenes Unified School District and Conejo Valley School District both serve the City of Westlake Village, since Westlake is comprised of both Los Angeles County and Ventura County. In addition, the Daniel K. Ludwig Westlake Village Library, Westlake Village Civic Center, and JB Henderson Fireside Room serve as community centers and libraries. For transportation Westlake Village has Westlake Village Transit Bus, Senior Citizen/Disabled Dial-a-Ride, Teen Dial-a-Ride and Airport Shuttle.

The weather is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70′s and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50′s. The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 96.00 degrees Fahrenheit, and the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 38.30 degrees Fahrenheit.

POINTS OF INTEREST:
• Bernice Bennett Park
• Canyon Oaks
• Russell Ranch
• Three Springs
• Foxfield Park
• Residence Inn Los Angeles
• The Inn
• Four Seasons
• Residence Inn Marriott Westlake
• Hyatt Westlake Plaza