City, Los Angeles County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 91376, 91301
Upper-middle class bedroom community located off Highway 101 on the west side, near Ventura County. School rankings high, crime low. Population 23,337. www.mccormacks.com
Until the 1960s, Agoura Hills rounded up cows and horses. Then its mini-boom came — 858 residential units that decade, 2,800 in the 1970s and about 3,000 units in the 1980s. In the 1980s, fed up with development, the town incorporated as city.
Median age of residents is 38. Under 18 years, 30 percent. Over 55 years, 16 percent. Mature parents, a fair number of kids but school enrollments suggest that many may soon be moving out of the nest.
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By the 1970s, L.A. was outgrowing the three-bedroom home. In Agoura Hills, among owner-occupied homes, the four-bedroom home leads all, followed by the three-bedroom, then the five-or-more-bedroom, census data shows.
For a description of an average home: two-story, sandy-colored stucco sides, red-tile roof, walk-in closets, plenty of windows, 2.5 to 3 bathrooms. Some lawns professionally landscaped, especially on west side, which has the newest homes (and generally the largest). Front lawns small; many homes are oriented to back yard.
Off Grey Rock Road and Fountainwood Street, Agoura Hills rises into executive homes, large with custom touches (stone facing, columns, brick driveways) and views of countryside. But much of the city was built on flat or gently sloping land. www.mccormacks.com
Utility lines buried. Some streets have planted median strips. In appearance, clean and well-maintained.
Mountains in the background. Enough open space to give a country feeling. Big development that upset many got shot down in 2003; land to be conserved. Agoura Hills and its neighboring towns have a reputation of being touchy about development.
For horse lovers, “Old Agoura,” east of Kanan Road, still has ranches and the city goes out of its way to keep horses and riders happy. Miles of horse and hiking trails into Chesbro Canyon and regional parks. The east side of town comes across as much more “country” than the other sections.
Apartments clustered near Kanan Road, the main north-south street and one of four egress roads to Highway 101.
Most the housing is built north of Highway 101. Small neighborhood of three- and four-bedroom homes to the south of the freeway, on the east corner, off Liberty Canyon Road. Kind of sits off there by itself. www.mccormacks.com
Country-club homes and golf course on west side, along with a small lake and some waterfront duplexes and single homes.
Stores, supermarkets, small shopping centers along Kanan Road. Office and research complexes, civic center and large hotel south of the freeway, removed from the residential neighborhoods.
The state in 2008 counted 7,584 housing units: 5,292 single homes, 979 single attached, 1,313 multiples and no mobiles.
Served by Las Virgenes School District, which in late 1990s passed $93 million bond to renovate and build schools. In 2004, voters approved a parcel tax, $98 a year for four years, to retain programs. These taxes require a two-thirds vote and rarely win approval in Southern California. When one passes, it indicates the community strongly supports education. Three elementaries, one middle, one high school.
Elementary academic rankings generally in the top 10 percent of state; the middle school and high school, the top 5 percent. About 31 percent of adults have college degree; high number. See Schools.
Zero homicides in 2005, one in 2004, zero between 2003 and 1996. Counts for previous years are 1, 0, 0, 1, 2, 0. Agoura Hills contracts with the sheriff for protection. www.mccormacks.com
Half-dozen city parks. Regional parks to south and north. New library and civic center. Schools provide playing fields. Recreation center. Many sports and activities, including, getting ready for kindergarten, cooking with mommy, sports with daddy, fencing, Mandarin, Italian and Spanish, ballet, fencing, how to play rock and roll (teens), adult softball and basketball, yoga and tai chi, summer camps. Summer buses to ocean, about half-hour to the west. Summer concerts. Thousand Oaks, which borders Agoura Hills, has a performing center that stages musicals and plays.
About 40 miles from downtown L.A., a long haul, but clean industry and office parks are discovering this side of the county, which makes for a shorter commute. Ten miles to San Fernando Valley, which has many high tech-entertainment jobs. Several park-and-ride lots. See Commute.
Money secured to overhaul freeway interchange at Kanan Road, which attracts extra traffic because it leads to a popular road to Malibu and the ocean.
Occasional big brush fires in the hills, one of the inevitables of life in this region. www.mccormacks.com
For orientation on cities, towns and neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, see County Overview.
Chamber of commerce: (818) 889-3150.
City web site: www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us
