Calabasas
Calabasas (Spanish for "Squash") is a city in the northwest Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California. The Leonis Adobe, an adobe structure in Old Town Calabasas, dates from 1844 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in greater Los Angeles. The city was incorporated in 1991, prior to which it was an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,058, up from 20,033 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the southwest corner of the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County, and comprises a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is 31 miles (50 km) away from downtown Los Angeles. It is bordered by the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles to the northeast, Topanga to the east, Malibu to the south, Agoura Hills to the west, and Hidden Hills to the north. And it is also within distance to the city of Arleta. The historic El Camino Real runs east–west through Calabasas as the Ventura Freeway.
The name Calabasas is derived from the Spanish calabaza, meaning "pumpkin", "squash", or "gourd" (compare: calabash). Some historians hold the theory that Calabasas is derived from the Chumash word calahoosa, which is said to mean "where the wild geese fly." Owing to the vast presence of wild squash plants in the area the squash theory is more prevalent among residents. At the top of the Calabasas grade, which is east of Las Virgenes Road, legend has it that in 1824 a Basque rancher from Oxnard spilled a wagonload of pumpkins on the road to Los Angeles. The following spring hundreds of pumpkins sprouted alongside the road. The area was named Las Calabasas—the place where the pumpkins fell.
In honor of its namesake the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce hold a Pumpkin Festival in October, including carnival games, exhibits, demonstrations and live entertainment. The festival has evolved from a small-town fair to a significant annual event. Though the current Pumpkin Festival is held at Juan Bautista de Anza Park in Calabasas, the original festival is believed to have taken place at the site where the wagon carrying pumpkins overturned and produced the area's first pumpkin patch. The city's official logo depicts a red-tailed hawk flying over the Santa Monica Mountains.Centuries ago, Chumash Native Americans lived in the area that is now Calabasas. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the area. In 1770, an expedition headed by Gaspar de Portolá crossed through the area on their return southward to Mexico after venturing into Northern California. In 1776, another party of explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped there on their way northward from Mexico.
The city is located in the southwest corner of the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County, and comprises a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is 31 miles (50 km) away from downtown Los Angeles. It is bordered by the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles to the northeast, Topanga to the east, Malibu to the south, Agoura Hills to the west, and Hidden Hills to the north. The historic El Camino Real runs east–west through Calabasas as the Ventura Freeway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.0 square miles (34 km2)—12.9 square miles (33 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.38%) is covered by water. One of the oldest neighborhoods in Calabasas is Park Moderne, or the "Bird Streets." A former artists' colony, remnants remain of the club house, pool, and cabins scattered across streets with bird names, such as Meadow Lark, Blackbird, Bluebird, and Hummingbird located right behind Calabasas High School.