CENTURY HOLDS PROMISE FOR SANTA CLARITA VALLEY.Byline: Thomas L. Lee As 1999 comes to a close, we can reflect on the progress made in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. over the last century. Trains, old-fashioned trails and stagecoach stagecoach, heavy, closed vehicle on wheels, usually drawn by horses, formerly used to transport passengers and goods overland. Throughout the Middle Ages and until about the end of the 18th cent. passes gave way to Metrolink, the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. and local highways. Discoveries of oil and gas brought jobs to the valley in the early 1900s while bustling business parks brought even more employment in the latter half. The entertainment industry, always a part of our economy, expanded to include film studios and post-production companies. Our master-planned ``new town'' of Valencia emerged in 1965 as a balanced community of homes, employment, shopping and recreation and brought Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, California Institute of the Arts California Institute of the Arts known as CalArts U.S. private institution of higher learning in Valencia. Created in 1961 through the merger of two other art institutes, it was the first in the U.S. , College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. and Magic Mountain; retail and entertainment opportunities exploded with Town Center Drive and new shopping and theaters on the east side of town; local services were expanded through the creation of the city of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, ; and redevelopment began on the historic downtown of Newhall, founded in the 1870s. These are just a few of our valley's accomplishments. The next century is full of promise. 2000 and the years ahead will bring positive changes to our valley, some that are foreseeable and many beyond our imagination as technology advances. Just as the 20th century brought us new infrastructure, so will the 21st. Many new roads are planned throughout the valley, as well as freeway improvements to I-5 and the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. . New Metrolink stations and routes will be added. Several new schools are on the drawing boards with construction expected to start soon. A new Tournament Players Club Tournament Players Club (TPC) is a chain of American public and private golf clubs operated by the PGA Tour. Most of the courses either are or had been hosts for PGA Tour events, and even those that have never hosted an event on the main tour have frequently hosted events on the Golf Course in Valencia will complement the soon-to-open Robinson Ranch Golf Course in Canyon Country. The city of Santa Clarita's Central Park will begin operations in 2000 and additional parks are planned throughout the valley. River trails will expand and connect our increasingly abundant recreation choices. More than 6,000 acres of open space in the new community of Newhall Ranch will soon be available to the public. The last century brought convenient services to the valley; the next will expand those options. A performing arts center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. will be built at College of the Canyons while the Santa Clarita Valley Repertory and Canyon Theatre Guild Theatre Guild U.S. theatrical society. Founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner (1890–1962) and others, the group proposed to produce high-quality, noncommercial plays. will kick off the downtown Newhall revitalization. New stores will join the merchants at Valencia Town Center and the property surrounding Magic Mountain may see additional retail and restaurants. A university center concept of higher education may take root at College of the Canyons and our community will be ``connected'' via state-of-the-art technology. Commuting out of our valley - a common complaint of the late 1900s - may be a thing of the past as more Santa Clarita jobs are established. Valencia, home to about 35,000 jobs, is expected to add more than 65,000 jobs to the valley's base in the next 25 years. The 21st century will bring exciting changes to the Santa Clarita Valley. However, some things will stay the same. The community is blessed with caring, dedicated residents who volunteer with local organizations, support our schools, are vigilant against crime, raise strong families and contribute to our wonderful quality of life. There will be many changes, but our fundamental asset - the people of the Santa Clarita Valley - will stay constant. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Thomas L. Lee |
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