Other communities within the Santa Clarita Valley but beyond the borders of the City of Santa Clarita include Agua Dulce, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch and Val Verde.

The area is an ideal location for companies that are uncompromising in their search for the best possible economy, quality of life and workforce. Families find it to be a healthy environment for nurturing children because of the community’s strong commitment to youth and its much-admired public safety record. In particular, the City of Santa Clarita’s successes are clearly evident in its neighborhoods and recreational amenities, in its business and industrial parks, and in its wealth of cultural, commercial, educational and health care opportunities. In fact, more and more corporate executives are taking a closer look at how the city has accomplished so much since its incorporation in 1987. California Business magazine named the City of Santa Clarita the second best mid-sized city in the state in which to do business, and City and State magazine named the city as one of the Top 5 “up and coming” cities in the country. USA Today picked Santa Clarita as one of its 100 Best Communities in the country in 2007.

The City of Santa Clarita encompasses 46.7 square miles of the approximately 200-square mile Santa Clarita Valley, making it the largest in geographic size within the Los Angeles County.

The “60 Mile” Circle
Located 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the Santa Clarita Valley is within the “60-mile” circle of accessibility to Southern California’s major attractions. Since the valley’s earliest recorded history, it has been a crossroads between ocean and desert, mountains and farmland. A network of roads connects drivers traveling through the valley; included are Interstate 5 (Golden State Freeway), State Route 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) and Highway 126, which leads west along the Santa Clara River and through the farmlands of Ventura County to Ventura, Oxnard and other coastal towns. Spanning approximately 150 square miles, the valley forms a sort of inverted triangle surrounded by the San Gabriel, Sierra Pelona and Santa Susanna mountain ranges. The Santa Clara River, which originates in the San Gabriel Mountains, flows through the valley on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Highways and Roads
Major roadways that bisect the Santa Clarita Valley are Interstate 5, the Antelope Valley Freeway (State Route 14) and Highway 126 (State Route 126).

Interstate 5 is California’s major north-south freeway, running all the way from the Mexican border to Seattle and, ultimately, the Canadian border. It’s the main artery south to the Los Angeles area and north to San Francisco.

Parts of this freeway corridor are currently undergoing major expansion, although steps have been taken to ensure that traffic continues to flow. Over the past six years the Valencia Boulevard bridge over I-5 was widened, and the interchange was updated and expanded. Magic Mountain Parkway has been widened from two to six lanes from Tourney Road to just west of McBean Parkway. Other work includes replacement of the freeway’s Santa Clara River Bridge, a bridge replacement at the junction of I-5 and Highway, improvement of the I-5/Highway 126 interchange, widening Highway 126 from four lanes to eight, construction of a new interchange at Highway 126 and Commerce Center Drive, and a bridge replacement and interchange improvement at I-5 and Hasley Canyon Road, as well as the widening of Hasley and The Old Road. Although Caltrans is the lead agency on these projects, other entities such as the City of Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County and Newhall Land, which plans to develop the community of Newhall Ranch west of I-5. As of early 2007, The Old Road near Magic Mountain was undergoing major renovations and expansion, so much so that a service station at Magic Mountain Parkway and The Old Road was relocated several hundred feet to the west to accommodate the new roadway. For additional information and pending construction and any necessary detours, contact Caltrans Public Affairs at 213/897-3656.

State Route 14 diverges from Interstate 5 before it makes its way into the Santa Clarita Valley. This state highway runs northeast through Palmdale, Lancaster and Mojave before ending in Ridgecrest. It merges with State Route 395 on the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert, leading to the Sierra Mountains and the world-class ski resorts near Mammoth Mountain.

State Route 99, which begins north of the Santa Clarita Valley, runs through Bakersfield and north to Sacramento.

State Route 126 is accessed in the northern part of the valley from Interstate 5. It is the main connector to Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ventura, Oxnard, Ojai, Santa Barbara and other coastal towns.

The Cross Valley Connector is a long-awaited series of roads and bridges that will connect Interstate 5 and State Route 14. As of early 2007, most of this project’s key components had been completed, including a bridge spanning Soledad Canyon Road and a section that connects the eastern end of State Route 126 with Newhall Ranch Road. The project is expected to be completed over the next several years

Climate
Residents of the Santa Clarita Valley enjoy a mild Mediterranean climate. Summers are dry and warm, with daytime temperatures ranging from 70 to 100 degrees. Winters are temperate, semi-moist and sunny, with daytime temperatures ranging from 40 to 65 degrees. Rainfall averages 15 to 18 inches a year, with the rainy season running primarily from November to March.

• Average rainfall (inches) 15 to 18 inches
• Average winter temperature 40 to 65 degrees
• Average summer temperature 75 to 95 degrees

Population Profile
Although it’s constantly in flux, the population of the City of Santa Clarita is approximately 177,418, according to a 2006 estimate by the city’s Economic Development Department. That population makes it the fourth-largest city in Los Angeles County behind Los Angeles City, Long Beach and Glendale. It’s also the 25th largest in California in terms of population. At last count, the city was also the fifth-fastest growing city in the county and 14th in the state.

The valley-wide population was 235,303 in early 2007. Projections of future growth vary; after all, it’s impossible to predict the future. No matter which organization is collecting data and crunching numbers that will project what life will be like here five years or more down the road, they all agree this valley will experience growth like it has never seen before. The Southern California Association of Governments, for example, expects the population to reach 243,733 by 2010 and 352,382 people by 2025.

In the past, most residents moved to the area as a result of urban spillover from Los Angeles, but many new residents are relocating here because of jobs generated by the many new businesses that have opened, expanded or relocated here. The population is fairly young, with 33.4 being the average age. The largest age group is 30 to 39, representing 17.54 percent of the populace, according to city demographic statistics. The next largest segments of the population are 40 to 49 (17.48 percent), 10 to 20 (15.83 percent) and 21 to 29 (11.67 percent). Approximately 40 percent of Santa Clarita’s adult population has attained a degree beyond a high school diploma. Fifty-six percent of the residents are married, a 6 percent drop from the previous statistics. Twenty-six percent of the population has never married, 9 percent have been previously married, and 10 percent are widowed.

Transportation
The automobile remains the most popular form of transportation for most Southern Californians, and the Santa Clarita Valley is no exception. However, there are other ways to get around. A growing public transportation network provides many alternate choices – from regularly scheduled transit buses to commuter rail service.

Walking & Biking – The city’s South Fork Trail and Valencia’s paseo system of pedestrian and bicycle-oriented walkways encourage people to abandon their motor vehicles at least during weekends and free time. This network of pathways and pedestrian bridges does an admirable job of connecting neighborhoods with schools, jobs and shopping – without having to cross streets and encounter automobiles. And, the city’s trail network continues to grow and expand, taking in more of the valley, and more paseos are being built as more home developments are built in Valencia.

Santa Clarita Transit – Santa Clarita Transit buses now boast an annual ridership that numbers in the millions. The service features about a dozen local bus routes and additional connecting routes to downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley. Most operate seven days a week. Weekday bus service hours are approximately from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with weekend hours 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Times and routes are subject to change, so if you will depend on public transit, make sure you obtain a current schedule from the city. For more information on the transit service, call 294-1287.

Santa Clarita Transit has become an enormously popular way of getting around the valley. It experienced a 459% increase in the number of passengers utilizing public transportation from 1992 to 2001.

Ridership Growth
Fiscal Year Number of Riders
1991-1992 530,222
1992-1993 935,261
1993-1994 1,098,564
1994-1995 1,345,710
1995-1996 1,619,037
1996-1997 1,777,857
1997-1998 2,002,907
1998-1999 2,235,079
1999-2000 2,384,919
2000-2001 2,964,789
2009 4,000,000-plus

Dial-A-Ride – This service is available for seniors and the disabled by calling one to seven days in advance for pickup at home or other locations. For more information call 294-9327.

Metrolink – The Metrolink regional commuter network runs a commuter train route connecting the Santa Clarita Valley with the Antelope Valley to the north and the San Fernando Valley and downtown Los Angeles to the south. Metrolink stations are located on Soledad Canyon Road at Commuter Way and at Via Princessa and Weyerhauser Way. The new Jan Heidt Metrolink Station is located at Market Street and Railroad Avenue in downtown Newhall. For more information call Metrolink at 800/371-LINK.

Air Travel – Burbank Airport and Los Angeles International Airport are well within 40 miles of the valley, with Burbank the closest and most convenient. Other airports include Agua Dulce Airport, which serves private airplanes, Fox Air Field in Lancaster, which serves private, charter and corporate aircraft, and Palmdale Regional Airport, which, from time to time, has offered some commuter air routes. Service has not been consistent, so check first.

Freight – OK, we don’t recommend that you travel by freight, but you have many options should the need arise to ship freight. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are some of the busiest in the world. Freight moves easily from the Santa Clarita Valley by truck or Southern Pacific Railroad to many destinations.

Travel Time to Work
About 3 percent of Santa Clarita residents at least 16 years of age who are employed work at home. The remaining 97 percent of residents travel an average of 33 minutes to work each day. Slightly less than half of those who commute to work leave their homes between the hours of 5 and 7:30 a.m.