Is West Hills, California A Good Place To Live?

Spanish families in the region had created the city of Los Angeles when they settled here. Los Pobladores was the name of this group. Their lives mainly remained unchanged when California officially joined the United States in 1848. Transcontinental railroads linking Chicago and St. Louis arrived there in 1885, causing the community to experience rapid growth.

One suburb of Los Angeles is West Hills, a great place to live, especially if you want to steer clear of living in downtown Los Angeles. West Hills has a diverse population, an excellent food scene, and great weather year-round. However, owning a house may be difficult, and traffic is terrible.

Whether a place is good to live in depends on what the individual or family is looking for. What may be great for a retired couple with no kids may not be great for a family of five who thrives on their careers. Therefore, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of living in West Hills so you can decide for yourself if it’s genuinely a good place for you to live.

At the 2010 census, the Los Angeles Almanac reported 38,814 people living in West Hills. There were 78% White residents, 11.97% Asians, 0.05% Pacific Islanders, 2.11% African Americans, 0.36% Native Americans, 2.80% of other races, and 3.82% of people from two or more races in the neighborhood. The Hispanic population of any race was 9.26%.

The neighborhood was once home to many Native American tribes, and during the early Spanish and Mexican periods, it was a part of the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espa. Canoga Park was renamed West Hills in 1930 when Owensmouth was renamed Canoga Park. Canoga Park’s West Hills neighborhood was incorporated in 1987 with its current name.

West Hills offers trails, beaches, and consistently good weather. The outdoors is constantly available for your enjoyment. Furthermore, you have the events in Los Angeles, which is just 40 minutes away from West Hills.

Take a day trip to Los Angeles so that you can attend California Strawberry Festivals, enjoy free museum days, or enjoy Santa Monica Pier at night, even if you aren’t fond of spending a day in the sun. Several parks are also available to you, such as Griffith Park, which has over 4,300 acres.

Growing up in the 1980s, you might still think twice about living in West Hills if you still remember the stories of smog in the nearby cities. This issue has greatly improved over the past couple of decades. Most days in the winter reach 60F on average, even though the weather is generally pleasant.

It will be nice to have this change of pace if you are used to the cold and snowy January months. On the beach, it tends to feel a lot cooler since it’s generally cooler at 90F. In West Hills, even on hot days, the weather remains pleasant.

Once you move to the Los Angeles area, you’ll be able to enjoy over 30 miles of beaches. This area is not as cold or windy as the Pacific Northwest or upper East Coast. You will not find the same level of humidity as you would find in the South.

When you start living here, you can spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying the sun and sand. If you’re looking for some outdoor entertainment, you can also enjoy the sunrises and sunsets from the Santa Monica Pier.

You can take a ferry to Catalina Island and experience quieter beaches on a day trip. You could even take a drive down Historic Highway 1, where the Pacific Ocean can be seen, making the journey one of the most famous road trips in the world today.

The city of Los Angeles is among the few in the United States without a majority ethnicity. Los Angeles’ Hispanic/Latino population is 48% (and Caucasians are another 28%). However, its diverse residents’ culture, perspectives, and individual perspectives give the city a strength that cannot be found in other cities around the country.

The people here work differently, with most careers not requiring a standard 9-5 schedule. In addition to having more freedom to work outside the office, you’ll also have more opportunities to wander around after you start living here.

You can enjoy Los Angeles’ world-class shopping scene anytime you want. Every day, $1.2 billion worth of goods passes through the Port of Los Angeles. One hundred blocks of wholesale and retail businesses are independently owned and operated within the downtown fashion district.

It is possible to find designer brands at boutiques, designer showrooms, and campus locations. The city is home to over 100 museums and the Disney Concert Hall and Pantages Theater, where you can see a show. Even the city’s 16 different art walks will keep you entertained while you satisfy your need for retail therapy during the same time.

Suppose you don’t know where to start. In that case, it can be tricky to find employment opportunities in West Hills and the surrounding areas, despite the fact that the market is booming relative to the rest of California and the United States. West Hills is less than an hour away from Los Angeles; the city is considered a tourist destination and a center for entertainment careers; it is also the country’s largest manufacturing center.

If you move here, you can find work in steel, automotive, apparel, and electronics. Similarly, technology-related positions are also in high demand, as are jobs in the public sector for people who want to become police officers, firefighters, or paramedics. You will most likely have a long commute to work.

Those who decide to live in West Hills have to accept a cost of living that is 50% higher in some neighborhoods than the national average. Still, renting here is cheaper than in New York City. When it comes to the relocation process, houses tend to be the largest obstacle. Even if you have no other choice but to rent, the cost might be much higher than you expect.

For a West Hills home, the average price was $570,000 in 2015. That means for you to afford the mortgage, you would need almost $100,000 a year. Forbes reports that fierce bidding wars in the area have increased the cost more than twice since then.

Don’t think that moving to LA would solve the issue. Renting an apartment in the city is expensive, too! LA apartment rent has increased by 10% since 2018, reaching $2,800 on average.

Los Angeles and the surrounding area, including West Hills, is home to some of the most densely populated areas of the San Andreas fault line that stretches up the West Coast.

An earthquake that would cause a full eruption could lead to a serious emergency. Across the Ring of Fire, all cities are aware of what is often called “The Big One” and something they are trying to overcome. They expect this earthquake to be off the richer scale, over a 10.0 earthquake which will cause mass devastation and a tsunami. No one knows when it will hit.

Related Questions

Is West Hills California Safe?

West Hills is safer versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall populations in the city’s boundaries. Considering only the crime rate, West Hills is safer than the California state average and safer than the national average.

What celebrities live in West Hills?

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West live in Hidden Hills, as does the rapper Drake. Actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith keep a 150-acre Calabasas compound, while Justin Bieber sold his $7.2 million Spanish-style retreats in the city to Khloe Kardashian.

Does it cost a lot to live in West Hills?

West Hills has a 50% higher cost of living, the same as Los Angeles. If you are a struggling actor or actress who comes to the area to get into filming, you most likely will need a roommate or have to live a few hours further out of the area to afford living there.