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Neighborhood in California, US

Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named Zelzah by settlers in 1908, the community was renamed North Los Angeles in 1929 but the appellation sometimes caused confusion between North Hollywood and Los Angeles. In 1938, civic leader Carl S. Dentzel decided to rename the community to Northridge Village, which morphed into modern day Northridge. The Northridge area can trace its history back to the Tongva people and later to Spanish explorers. It was sold by the Mexican governor Pío Pico to Eulogio de Celis, whose heirs divided it for resale.

The 2000 U. S. census counted 57,561 residents in the 9.47 square miles (25 km2) Northridge neighborhood—or , among the lowest population densities for the city. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 61,993. In 2000 the median age for residents was 32, about average for city and county neighborhoods; the percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest. The neighborhood was considered "highly diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a high percentage of Asian people for the county. The breakdown was whites, 49.5%; Latinos, 26.1%; Asians, 14.5%; blacks, 5.4%; and others, 4.6%. Mexico (24.7%) and the Philippines (9.8%) were the most common places of birth for the 31.8% of the residents who were born abroad—an average figure for Los Angeles.

The Northridge area was first inhabited over 2,000 years ago by the Tongva. The village of Totonga was located in the Northridge area. The Tongva lived in dome shaped houses and are sometimes referred to as the "people of the earth". They spoke a Takic Uto Aztecan (Shoshonean) language. Many of their pictographs were destroyed by the development of Greater Los Angeles.

In the late 1840s, Mexican Governor Pio Pico broke with the tradition of "granting" land and, instead, sold it, without the usual area limitations, to Eulogio de Celis, a native of Spain. By 1850, de Celis was in the Los Angeles census as an agriculturist, 42 years old, and the owner of real estate worth $20,000.

A few years later, the land was split up. The heirs of Eulogio de Celis sold the northerly half – – to Senator George K. Porter, who had called it the "Valley of the Cumberland" and Senator Charles Maclay, who exclaimed: "This is the Garden of Eden." Porter was interested in ranching; Maclay in subdivision and colonization. Francis Marion ("Bud") Wright, an Iowa farm boy who migrated to California as a young man, became a ranch hand for Senator Porter and later co developer of the Hawk Ranch, which is now Northridge land.

California State University, Northridge, or CSUN, part of the California State University system, offers bachelor's and master's degrees in a number of disciplines. The school is a major producer of K 12 teachers in the region and the nation as a whole. CSUN also has engineering, business, and film programs. CSUN had its beginnings as a college on Nordhoff Street and Etiwanda Avenue and officially opened in 1956 as San Fernando Valley Campus of Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences. Two years later it separated from its parent and became San Fernando Valley State College. By the early 1970s, however, this institution became known as California State University, Northridge. By fall of 2016, CSUN had reached enrollment of almost 40,000 students. A 2004 study revealed that CSUN is a major contributor to the local economy: between $663 million and $686 million annually. Additionally, CSUN employs 5,800 people directly through the university and adds another 5,700 to 6,000 jobs into the local economy.

Silent star Janet Gaynor and her costume designer husband Adrian were the first owners of a spacious estate in Northridge, which was later sold to Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor. Later, actor Jack Oakie owned the property and lived on it. The Oakie house was set for the wrecking ball, but in 2010 the city agreed to buy the Tudor style stone landmark and its ranch estate. Marion Marx, wife of Zeppo Marx, and Barbara Stanwyck started Marwyck Ranch as a horse breeding farm. The original house and a small portion of the ranch still exist, and is managed by the city as Oakridge Estate Park. Northridge was known as the "Horse Capital of the West," with regular Sunday horse shows, annual stampedes, and country fairs. The better known but confusingly named 1969 Newport Pop Festival was a massive three day event that featured Jimi Hendrix and many other top acts. It took place in June and was briefly the largest music festival ever held before losing that distinction to Woodstock the following August. Like its famous successor, it had problems with large numbers of gate crashers, and some young attendees far from home camped out nearby in sleeping bags. Unlike Woodstock, "nearby" included parts of suburban Northridge, where most of the local residents were horrified to find their neighborhoods invaded by "hippies". A ban on rock music festivals soon followed.

The 1994 Northridge earthquake was named for Northridge based on early estimates of the location of the quake's epicenter; however, further refinements showed it to be technically in neighboring Reseda. The earthquake, which occurred on a blind thrust fault, was one of the strongest ground motions ever recorded in North America. Freeways collapsed, and many buildings suffered irreparable damages. Vertical and horizontal accelerations lifted structures off their foundations. During the 1994 quake, the Northridge Hospital Medical Center remained open and treated more than 1,000 patients who came to the facility during the first few days after the magnitude 6.7 quake.

Northridge Hospital Medical Center consists of a 411 bed hospital and serves 2 million residents of the Valley. The hospital is one of only two facilities in the Valley certified as a trauma center for treating life threatening injuries.

The Northridge Recreation Center, located at 18300 Lemarsh St., has an indoor gymnasium, without weights, which may also be used as an auditorium. Its capacity is 400. The park also has barbecue pits, a lighted baseball diamond, lighted indoor basketball courts, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, picnic tables, a lighted soccer field, and lighted tennis courts. The Northridge Pool, on the recreation center grounds, is an outdoor heated seasonal pool. Dearborn Park, located at 17141 Nordhoff St., is an unstaffed, unlocked park has lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, picnic tables, and lighted tennis courts. Vanalden Park, located at 8956 Vanalden Ave., is an unstaffed pocket park, has a horseshoe pit, a jogging path, and picnic tables.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Pacoima Health Center in Pacoima, serving Northridge. The United States Postal Service Northridge Post Office is located at 9534 Reseda Boulevard. Northridge is represented in the United States Senate by California's Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla. In the United States House of Representatives, Northridge is located within California's 30th congressional district represented by Democrat Brad Sherman. In the State Assembly, Northridge is located within California's 45th State Assembly district represented by Democrat Jesse Gabriel. In the California State Senate, Northridge is split between California's 18th State Senate district represented by Democrat Robert Hertzberg, and California's 27th State Senate district represented by Democrat Henry Stern. Northridge is located within the City of Los Angeles' 12th City Council District represented by Councilmember Mitchell Englander.