SFV question (San Fernando: movies, live, agricultural)

[ArizonaBear]

Do any of the Van Nuys, etc. old timers have any idea which parts of the USA sent the most residents to the San Fernando Valley? I am referring to the ca. 1920-80 era in particular.

I lived there from ca. 1980-85 and I had a lot of good times there.

[Charles]

If I were to guess, I'd start with the largest cities: new yawk, chicago - simply due to statistical probability. In the 1930s Oakie types migrated to the SFV for some agricultural work but probably not in the numbers that the aerospace and entertainment (movies) industries did.

Dry farming changed once the owens river made it into the Chatsworth Reservoir - hence the original name for Canoga Park: Owensmouth, the Mouth of the Owens River. The street Vanowen is a contraction of Van Nuys and Owensmouth - the road that connected those two towns.

Some cool old maps here, pretty hi-res too.

San Fernando Valley map 1930's

In 1920, 21,000 people lived in the SFV, and 400,000 by 1950. Lots of good info here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/pop_print.shtml?content_type=article&content_type_ id=65448 (broken link)

[Lifeshadower]

Originally Posted by Charles

If I were to guess, I'd start with the largest cities: new yawk, chicago - simply due to statistical probability. In the 1930s Oakie types migrated to the SFV for some agricultural work but probably not in the numbers that the aerospace and entertainment (movies) industries did.

Dry farming changed once the owens river made it into the Chatsworth Reservoir - hence the original name for Canoga Park: Owensmouth, the Mouth of the Owens River. The street Vanowen is a contraction of Van Nuys and Owensmouth - the road that connected those two towns.

Some cool old maps here, pretty hi-res too.

San Fernando Valley map 1930's

In 1920, 21,000 people lived in the SFV, and 400,000 by 1950. Lots of good info here: The History of the San Fernando Valley - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com (http://www.associatedcontent.com/pop_print.shtml?content_type=article&content_type_ id=65448 - broken link)

I'd agree with this. Many of the long time residents in the Valley (including some neighbors of mine who haven't left North Hollywood since the days of yore) were from the Midwest or Northeast, usually from other big cities (especially Chicago). Also, I'd suspect that many of the Valley's former black residents in Pacoima and Lake View Terrace were from the South, especially Texas and Mississippi, to work in the aerospace plants along San Fernando Road. However, these people have since left as the factories shut down and have become derelict.

In short, everyone came from everywhere.

After 1980..well, the Valley started looking a lot more like the rest of the City of LA.

[ArizonaBear]

Thank you everyone; you folks confirmed what I suspected. Read that most 'indigenous' SFV people came from either the Midwest or Northeast whereas relatively few were from the Deep South.

As for Lifeshadower's comment that the tipping point of the Valley was after 1980-------------that I do believe. When I first arrived in the Valley; I was literally enchanted, it felt as if I finally arrived 'home'------------the feeling of deja vu was that strong (I am from the Wash DC area [no comment]). Fast forward to 1983/84 and the psychic deterioration was evident; that stereotypical laid back SoCal vibe was fading fast.