Los Angeles is a sprawling city, with 88 cities and 140 unincorporated areas. Within the City of Angels are some truly fantastic places to live — cities with high-quality schools, developing businesses, community events, and more! In this recurring blog series, I aim to explore the latest happenings in cities across the southland. First up, Valencia.
History of the Area
Valencia is nestled in the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV), 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The SCV came to be in December 1987 as the union of four unincorporated communities: Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia.
Before that, however, Saugus served as the station that helped connect San Francisco and Los Angeles via train. Henry Mayo Newhall was born in Saugus, Massachusetts in 1825. As an accomplished auctioneer and businessman, he purchased the Rancho San Francisco and granted a right-of-way to the Southern Pacific Company. The first tracks for the SF-LA railroad were laid across his ranch and the railroad named the townsite had granted: Newhall.
In 1887 the Saugus Cafe opened its doors, and the restaurant still operates today — maintaining its place as the oldest-operating restaurant in Los Angeles County.
Magic Mountain
Nearly every California resident has heard of Valencia because it is home to the famous Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. But with the Coronavirus pandemic, the majestic park has been closed since March 13th, and there is no set date for reopening. But that hasn’t stopped the Magic Mountain staff from establishing a series of safety protocols for guests once they do open again.
The guidelines they have chosen are similar to what other businesses have determined is best:
- Mandatory masks
- Temperature checks
- Limited attendance to promote social distancing
- Online reservation system for tickets
- 6+ feet of separation while in line for food/attractions
- Increased cleaning and hand sanitizer
Dining News
Recently, in Newhall, diners had the opportunity to eat outside, akin to other cities in the southland like Pasadena. Restaurants in Newhall expanded their outdoor dining footprints into the street.
The new adaptations appeared to excite the residents of the region, a sentiment echoed by Santa Clarita Councilwoman Laurene Weste, “I’m joyful to see people able to be outdoors with friends and family. Even if they’re 100 feet apart, they can wave, say ‘Hello’, eat something good, and know that they’re helping our local economy and that they’re doing something fun, which is really important for all of our mental health.” (Learn more by reading the full story here)
The outdoor dining is made possible with water-filled K-rails, allowing restaurants to provide outdoor dining in parking spaces all week long.
Drive-in Movie Theaters
As Californians continue to manage Governor Newsom’s guidelines, drive-in movie theaters are experiencing a renaissance across the Golden State. Since the outbreak, these outdoor movie theaters have experienced a huge uptick in attendance, and more seem to open every week! In fact, an Australian company, Floating Cinema, is bringing outdoor movie watching on boats to Los Angeles (Floating Cinema).
Closer to Valencia, every weekend at the Drive-In at the Park, movie lovers can enjoy double features each weekend through August. For more info, visit Drive-In at the Park.
Contributor, designer & admin for JohnHart Gazette.
