Not just a bedroom community
A nod to the 120,000 trees planted by the town's founder, Woodland Hills is a lush, upscale Los Angeles suburb. Known for neat rows of perfectly preserved midcentury modern homes, this family-friendly community also has a thriving commercial base. Notable for its small cluster of mirrored glass skyscrapers, Warner Center is sometimes called “the downtown of the Valley.” Not just a bedroom community to LA, Woodland Hills is home to many of the region’s top employers, like Northrop Grumman, Kaiser Permanente and Farmers Insurance.
Mid-century modern masterpieces
Woodland Hills has a competitive real estate market, and the median single-family home price is about $1.4 million, significantly higher than the national median of about $420,000. Though development has remained steady for decades, more than half of the housing in the community was built between 1950 and 1980, with several neighborhoods of classic ranch-style homes. Corbin Palms is a pristine of-the-era midcentury modern neighborhood with homes featuring open beams and floor plans, deep overhangs, distinctive angular windows, parquet hardwood floors and a carport separated from the house by a breezeway. The Forest Hills neighborhood is a storybook 1950s development hidden under a heavy cover of 100-year-old trees. Once the site of a walnut orchard, homes in Walnut Acres are on 1- to 2-acre parcels, allowing residents to keep animals like chickens, goats and horses.
Solid schools in good financial health
An above-average district by all metrics, the Los Angeles Unified School District gets a B grade from Niche. LAUSD is No. 17 in the state for athletics, according to Niche. Valley International Preparatory High School is an academic standout charter school in the district. Graded A by Niche, VIP exposes students to a college-preparatory environment to excite them about future learning opportunities.
Retail mecca with a buzzy food hall
Woodland Hills is buzzing with commercial districts along Ventura and Topanga Canyon boulevards, which converge at the center of town. Known as a shopping mecca, Westfield Topanga is 1.5 million square feet of retail glory that underwent a $70 million renovation. Known as Topanga Social, the redeveloped old Sears is now a robust food market, which includes 27 different food and beverage concepts and seating for almost 800 people. Across the way is The Village, an open-air lifestyle shopping center bought by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who reportedly has big development plans for the area. The food scene in Woodland Hills is eclectic. Standouts include The Local Peasant, a new American gastropub in an industrial-chic venue that serves Prohibition-era cocktails alongside snacks, burgers and large plates.
Natural open space in every direction
Twenty miles north of Malibu Beach, Woodland Hills has easy access to the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by some of Southern California's most beautiful natural spaces. Set among the rolling hills and scenic canyons, Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a wildlife park with popular trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The challenging hill and rock climbs are not ideal for beginners, but the views are worth it for those who reach the peaks. Across town is Corbin Canyon Park, where 330 acres of trails lined with native grasses boast a 150-foot elevation change. Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park is a sizable tract of urban-wildland with a robust network of trails and stunning views that stretch to the ocean on a clear day.
Uniquely vulnerable to environmental risks
California is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events like earthquakes, but Woodland Hills faces more environmental risks than the average SoCal community. It sits at the basin of the San Fernando Valley, so residents may experience extreme heat waves. Though it’s close to the ocean, the mountains block the breeze from reaching the community and providing the natural air conditioning it does along the coast. Routine drought conditions in the summer exacerbate wildfire risk. Heavy precipitation events in the winter, which are increasing in frequency and duration, have led to serious flooding.
Local events organized by the Valley Cultural Foundation
The Valley Cultural Foundation plans seasonal events that bring the community together. The free Concerts at Warner Park series starts mid-June and runs weekly through the end of August. The VCF hosts the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza and, in conjunction with LA’s Department of Cultural Affairs, presents NoHo Summer Nights, a 10-week concert and movie series next to the Amelia Earhart Library at North Hollywood Park.
An area known for its traffic
The Woodland Hills community is about 25 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles via U.S. Route 101 and around 30 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport on Interstate 405. In a region known for soul-sucking traffic, each drive can take as long as 90 minutes during rush hours. The Van Nuys Airport is only 10 miles away for domestic travel. Southern California is known for its car culture, so most residents try to avoid the highway and travel locally via surface roads. However, multiple public transportation options are available, including rideshares and the LAX shuttle. The G-line bus route begins at North Hollywood – the far end of the B-line Metro Rail – and winds through town before terminating at the Chatsworth stop.
Crime statistics specific to Woodland Hills are not currently available. According to the FBI, LA County's reported rates of property and violent crime are above national figures.
