Community Profile: Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks, close to two major freeways, serves as a gateway to the San Fernando Valley. The community is perhaps best known as the home of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, considered by many to be the undisputed residence of the Valley Girl, a cultural label popularized by the song and 1983 movie of the same name. Two large shopping malls, and numerous smaller boutiques and plazas that line Ventura Boulevard, provide residents and visitors with endless window-shopping opportunities.

Many members of the financial industry, including banks and brokerage houses, are located in the area. And Sunkist Growers, one of the country’s oldest and largest agricultural cooperatives, has been rooted in Sherman Oaks for almost 30 years.

This community was one of the hardest-hit by the 1994 Northridge earthquake and has had to put itself back together. As the last of the major earthquake repair projects nears completion, Sherman Oaks now turns its attention to improving what has always been its “Main Street”--Ventura Boulevard.

AREA HIGHLIGHTS

SHOPPING: Commonplace and unusual merchandise can be found here. The Fashion Square Sherman Oaks houses the Valley’s only Bloomingdale’s, along with 120 other stores and eateries. Ventura Boulevard is lined with upscale boutiques, resale shops, gift stores and furniture showrooms. La Reina Theatre, built in 1938, is the Valley’s first movie theater to be designated by the city as a historic monument. Its Art Deco facade now houses a modern shopping complex.

RECREATION: Spanning 67 acres, the Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park on Hazeltine Avenue and Huston Street offers indoor and outdoor recreation choices for all ages. It is one of the better-equipped parks in the Valley, with seven baseball diamonds, eight lighted tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, picnic areas, a playground and a community swimming pool. A senior citizen center provides free and low-cost services, and the indoor gymnasium offers a wide range of classes for adults and children.

LOCAL ISSUES

VENTURA BOULEVARD: Commercial property owners and others are working to create a Sherman Oaks Business Improvement District (BID) along Ventura Boulevard and a portion of Van Nuys Boulevard. If formed, affected property owners will be assessed fees that in turn will be used to improve the targeted areas by adding parking, more security and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. The hope is that the improvements will attract more visitors to Sherman Oaks and revive its once vital commercial core.

DEERVALE-STONE CANYON LAND: In June, the city purchased 80 acres of open land known as Deervale-Stone Canyon, situated in the rocky hills of Sherman Oaks south of Ventura Boulevard. For 20 years, residents had fought developers who wanted to build on the land. The city of Los Angeles is exploring an agreement with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to manage the property as a park. For now, the area is open to all who wish to enjoy the rugged beauty of the land.

SHERMAN OAKS GALLERIA: One of the most recognizable malls in Southern California, the Galleria is having an identity crisis that has led to a court battle. A suit filed by mall owner Douglas Emmett Realty Advisors will determine whether its largest tenant, Robinsons-May, will remain at the mall. If Douglas Emmett wins, the company will evict the retailer and continue with its plans to reshape the mall, convert some of the retail space into commercial office space and renovate the movie theater.

HISTORY

Sherman Oaks was one of the first Valley communities to experience intensive real estate development. Anticipating the development of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Co. purchased 47,500 acres of the southeast Valley in 1910. In 1911, a subdivision map called Tract 1000 was filed with the county. From that parcel, one of the partners in the company, Gen. Moses Hazeltine Sherman, bought 1,000 acres for himself and named the area Sherman Oaks.

In 1927, Sherman subdivided the property and sold the land for $780 an acre. Over the years, many celebrities have lived in Sherman Oaks, including Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Lou Costello, Liberace, Marsha Hunt and Burt Kennedy.

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Community Profile

Population: 47,201

Median age: 37.9

Number of households: 23,600

Persons per household: 2

Owner-occupied housing units: 10,442

Population below poverty level: 13.5%

Population over 18 with bachelor’s degree or higher: 32.15

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Income

Average household income is slightly above the Southwest Valley average.

Sherman Oaks: $65,868

Citywide average: $45,701

Northeast Valley: $44,444

Southeast Valley: $48,182

Northwest Valley: $56,427

Southwest Valley: $61,722

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Ethnicity

African-American: 2.4%

Other: 2.9%

Asian: 3.8%

Latino: 7.3%

White: 83.6%

Source: 1990 Census

Sources: Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.; Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce; “The San Fernando Valley, Then and Now” by Charles A. Bearchell and Larry D. Fried; “The San Fernando Valley Past and Present” by Lawrence C. Jorgensen; “Los Angeles A to Z” by Leonard Pitt and Dale Pitt; Researched by JAKE FINCH/Special to the Times