Calabasas, California

The City of Calabasas, California is a largely residential area near the west end of Los Angeles County, approximately 22 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and less than 12 miles from the Ventura County line. Calabasas occupies a portion of the San Fernando Valley, as well as a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills. The name of the City is generally considered to have been derived from the Spanish word “calabazas,” which refers to squash and similar vegetables. Calabasas has approximately 24,000 residents. Approximately 0.2 percent of the total population of the County of Los Angeles lives in Calabasas. Elevations range from 500 to 2800 feet within the 13.3 square mile municipality. The City was incorporated in 1991 and is the newest city in the County of Los Angeles. Calabasas is a general law city. The City Council serves as Calabasas’ primary governing body. Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serves the City of Calabasas.

Total jobs in the City of Calabasas exceed 20,000. Primary access to Calabasas is by U.S. Highway 101 (the Ventura Freeway) and Malibu Canyon Road. Calabasas is one of California’s wealthiest cities. More than 50 percent of households earn more than $100,000 annually.

The largest employers include Harbor Freight Tools, Las Virgenes Unified School District, and Cheesecake Factory.

The Commons at Calabasas offers shopping and dining in an open-area layout with Mediterranean architecture.

West Calabasas Road auto related district is dominated by automobile sales and service establishments. Establishments include Mercedes-Benz of Calabasas; Calabasas Luxury Motorcars; Bob Smith MINI Sales; and Audi Calabasas.

The median home price is over $1.5 million. More than two-thirds of household are homeowners as opposed to renters. About 75 percent of all residential buildings are single family homes.

Calabasas has an unusually high concentration of gated communities. Abercombie Ranch Estates has properties as large as 18 acres in size. Calabasas Park Estates has homes with over 5,000 square feet of living space.

Situated in Calabasas, the Motion Picture & Television Fund is a charitable organization that supports working and retired members of the entertainment industry who have limited resources with health and social services, including a retirement community. The Motion Picture & Television Fund was incorporated as the Motion Picture Relief Fund in 1921.

Calabasas is within the Las Virgenes Unified School District, which also serves students from Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, and the Los Angeles County portion of Westlake Village.

The Leonis Adobe was built in the 1870s and is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The Leonis Adobe was the Calabasas home of Miguel Leonis. Born in the Basque province in southwest France, Leonis came to Los Angeles in 1854, becoming foreman at Rancho El Escorpion in the west end of the San Fernando Valley. The home was constructed of adobe bricks, a once common area building material made from a clay type of soil and other materials.

The beaches of Malibu are located only about 10 miles from Calabasas. In addition, Calabasas borders large open space preserves.

Just outside of the City of Calabasas lies Malibu Creek State Park. Malibu Creek is a significant watercourse within the Santa Monica Mountains. Malibu Creek State Park features volcanic rock gorges, scenic pools, oak and sycamore woodlands, and chaparral slopes. Much of the land now included within the State Park was once owned by 20th Century Fox. In 1946, 20th Century Fox purchased the former Crags Country Club for on-location motion picture and television filming. Established by wealthy Angelenos in 1910, Crags Country Club was a hunting and fishing club. Crags Country Club closed in 1936. Malibu Creek State Park opened in 1976 and encompasses around 8,000 acres. Mountain biking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking in Century Lake, camping, bouldering, and rock climbing are popular recreational activities. The first film shot in the area was in around 1919. Since that time, more than 100 movies and television shows have made use of the picturesque countryside. Some of land for the park was donated by entertainer Bob Hope.

Adjacent to Calabasas, the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch) covers more than 5,600 acres in the Simi Hills. The rolling terrain, while mainly grassland, is punctuated by valley and live oaks, sycamores, and walnut trees. While the Ahmanson Land Company was formed to create a master-planned community on the site, ultimately the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy purchased the ranch and created the open space preserve. The property was first used as a site for on-location filming in 1914.

Another open space preserve adjacent to Calabasas is Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon, which covers about 4,000 acres. The gently rolling landscape features chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and riparian woodlands. The area was used for cattle grazing for at least 150 years.

Calabasas Stairs is a long, straight flight of 375 steps that climbs a slope. The elevation change is 330 feet. The stairs are accessed by the Anza Loop Trail.

Red Rock Canyon Park is located near Calabasas. The park is notable for its large red sandstone outcroppings. 

Calabasas has several city parks, including Wild Walnut Park, which covers more than 82 acres. These parks are operated by the Community Services, Parks and Recreation Department.

The Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center, built as a private club, was purchased by the City of Calabasas in 1994. The Center has 16 lighted hard tennis courts, an outdoor heated Jr. Olympic pool, a fitness center, and locker rooms.

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