CENSUS SHOWS PROSPERITY SANTA CLARITA YOUTHFUL AND COMFORTABLE.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Young and prosperous, that's Santa Clarita where the average resident is 33 and the average household earns $73,588 a year.

New 2000 U.S. Census data released Tuesday reveal an upwardly mobile community of traditional families with a healthy disposable income.

Santa Clarita city officials say the numbers prove what they've been saying. Residents are more prosperous, better educated and more family oriented than their counterparts statewide, where the average income in 2000 measured $53,025. The city's poverty rate of 4.7 percent of its families was less than half California's average.

The census figures justify the city's shop-local efforts, which steer sales tax money to Santa Clarita's treasury, said Gail Ortiz, city public information officer.

``There's always been high discretionary income here and our goal is to capture that sales tax market,'' Ortiz said. ``You do that by providing venues for tourism, not just bringing people in, but keeping people here to spend their money.''

From a planned performing arts center at College of the Canyons to getaway nights at the Valencia Hyatt, residents with extra cash have opportunities to spend, spend, spend, Ortiz said.

``These are people who want operas, ballet. They can afford to pamper themselves,'' she said. In a city where people line up to buy new $400,000 houses, the average monthly mortgage is a surprisingly manageable $1,598. Monthly rents average $943, with 42 percent of renters paying more than $1,000 a month.

Twenty percent of the city's households said their mortgage and other homeowner-related fees amount to less than 15 percent of their income. Moreover, more than three-quarters of households spend less than one-third of their income on such expenses, indicating comfortable lifestyles with money available for luxuries.

The dealerships along Valencia's Auto Row - a measure of a community's success - now count among them Hummer, the pricey sport vehicle, while Mercedes-Benz and possibly Land Rover and Infiniti are anticipated.

``I think we're a good barometer,'' said Don Fleming, president of the Valencia Auto Dealerships Association. ``And I am convinced as businessmen in this community that our best days are ahead of us. I don't believe we've scratched the surface. New people keep moving in, new money keeps coming in.''

Half of all households drive two cars, while nearly 11,000 have three. The bulk of workers - 57,699 out of 73,975 - drive alone to work, while 13,000 relied on car pools or public transportation.

What Santa Clarita still needs, Fleming said, is higher-end retail shopping.

``We need a Nordstrom,'' he said.

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Source: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU