9 REASONS TO LOVE GRANADA HILLS
There’s a lot to love about Granada Hills. Seemingly humbler than its competitive cousin, Northridge, the two are always compared. It’s a perfect blend of spacious suburban neighborhoods and light commercial areas. With a deep history and a complex future, Granada Hills is still one of the most desirable areas in the San Fernando Valley.
1. Easy Access to Freeways
Granada Hills is in an ideal position for freeway travel. Living here avoids much of the deathly traffic that Los Angeles is known for.
Granada Hills has entrances to the 210, the 118, the 5, and the 405, and with the 118 right up the 5. It would not be particularly good for getting into central LA or the West Side, but that is a given living on the north end of the Valley.
2. Schools
The first school that comes to mind is the nationally competitive Granada Hills Charter High School. In LAUSD it is ranked number five out of over 200 schools. At 4000 students it has plenty of room for all of Granada Hills and even some of the surrounding areas.
They are competitive not only in testing but also in sports and academic competitions like the academic decathlon. They have actually taken first in academic decathlon the last 5 years. Even their marching band regularly places high in their division.
3. Quiet Area Against the Hills
As its name implies, Granada Hills is not in the flat part of the valley. Hilly wooded areas, especially up into the Knollwood territories, are sparse and only really on the outside edges of the valley. Most of Granada Hills is houses with decent-sized yards keeping the noise levels down.
Aside from local school or sports events there aren’t many reasons for people who don’t live there to come. It does not have the bar or even commercial scene that is characteristic of other parts of the valley and most people in Granada Hills appreciate this. This goes along with the great schools that we mentioned to be a magnet for people looking for a nice place to raise their kids.
4. Less Expensive Than Similar Areas
Granada Hills is not by any stretch the cheapest part of the valley, but many people would say that it's your best bang for the buck. This is partly because of the schools, jobs, and recreation.
The other big reason is that it is projected to continue to grow in price and catch up with more expensive neighbors like Porter Ranch.
The Granada Hills name is still associated with wealth, but not in an unaffordable way like Encino or Tarzana. It's still affordable for the upper-middle class.
5. Safe
By not having a big nightlife or entertainment scene Granada Hills has avoided many of the crime-related issues that come along with these establishments. The crime rate is just under 7 crimes per 100,000 people daily. This is 11% lower than the national average. Most of the crimes that do happen are non violent crimes such as vehicle and property theft.
6. Food Trucks
Every single Friday, the community gathers on Chatsworth St., next to Zelzah Ave. With over 40 different trucks, you can feel the diversity of the city. Definitely spend your Friday nights here!
7. Less Pollution
The Bulk of the smog in L.A. is in L.A. proper, south of the Valley, a common reason people choose to work there. The Valley itself, however, is gaining more and more smog every year, with most of it concentrating towards the middle of the valley. Granada Hills and especially the northernmost part on the hill get significantly less smog than more central cities in the valley.
Aside from less smog, there is also less noise pollution, especially in the area north of the 118. It is the only highway in town and relative to others in LA it is not very busy. In the neighborhoods, the only traffic is people who live there or are visiting a home.
There aren’t any commuting routes that pass through the side streets of Granada Hills.
8. Parks
Granada Hills has many Parks beautiful parks throughout it. They are spaced out pretty well so any wherein the city has decent access to one.
The the farthest north there are O’Melveny Park and Bee Canyon Park. Both are up against the mountain connect to the various trail systems in the areas
To the west, there are Zelzah Park and Aliso Canyon. Zelzah Park is more developed, being flattened out and having a picnic area with a jungle gym. Aliso Canyon is right around the block and goes up from the 118 all the way up the mountain. It is not cleared aside from some hiking trails. There are a lot more trees and shade along the way, providing shade and a more natural aesthetic.
On the East Side of Granada Hills is the Van Norman Lakes Reservoir which has a nature park with trees and natural shrubbery as well as several sports fields. The park is just south of the reservoir.
To the South is the Petit Park Granada Hills Recreation Center. It is mainly used for its sports fields by local teams but is also open to the public. It serves most of the Granada Hills South residents as their primary park.
9. Recreation
Aside from the various parks, there are also two public recreation centers as well as a golf course.
Knollwood Country Club is located at the North East Corner of Granada Hills Which is already North East in the Valley. Nestled in between the Wan Norman Bypass Reservoir and quiet neighborhood of Granada Hills North, it provides the perfect calm and tranquil atmosphere to perfect your golf game.
The two recreation centers are on opposite sides of the city. The Granada Hills Youth Recreation Center to the North consists of a series of sports fields with a snack stand and bathrooms. It is used by many of the local youth sports leagues in the North East Valley.
The Petit Park Granada Hills Recreation Center is located at the southern end of Granada Hills in the neighborhood south of the 118. It has a large field with a baseball diamond in each corner and it is big enough to have games going in each one. In addition at has an indoor area with work out equipment and a gymnasium with basketball courts
