The Real Valley

Many times we live in an area and do not know anything about it. Take the time to learn about where you live. I may live in the Los Angeles area, but the truth I that it is really a collection of local communities that just happen to be located in the same area. They have said that this is a city that is looking for a center. In fact it is a city that has a variety of centers. It can offer many things to many people. If you want to see an area that has a variety of places that you will want to see then you have arrived. Many of the areas of the city are named after the people who have gathered in that area. The problem seems to be that these change over a period of time. It just takes time for the city government to catch up with the ethnic groups that are associated with an area. Of course there are areas that have groups that are not ethnic and it would not be politically correct to name areas after these groups. That does not mean that they do not exist. It also means that these areas are the ones that have the most interesting things to see and do, because they are inhabited by the most interesting people. Just think if we made everything the same as some people seem to say, then any city would be very dull.
The Valley is more than just the home of the "Valley Girl". You may not have the high rise buildings that are in some center cities, but you do have areas with concentrations of buildings that makes it an area that is continually growing. Looking at the past in the Valley you will see that it was always an important part of the history of the city. Just think of what the world would be without Tarzana and the history that is included in that area. If it wasn’t for this area our literary culture would not be the same. Studio City is important with CBS Studio Center, where such programs as the Mary Taylor More Show was done. It has Burbank and the Warner Brothers Studios, which is where Conan O'Brien tapes. Also, it still has a part of the NBC broadcast facility, which is the home of Jay Leno. Universal City is on the edge of the Valley and it is becoming a major facility, with more going on all the time. NBC will eventually just be at Universal City and the Amusement part of the lot, though not really a movie studio any longer, is still a fun place to visit. The real studio part is so different and they only share part of the back lot. To have a fun time and not need to spend more money than you want, just go to City Walk and watch the people.

We cannot forget that Lockheed was an important part of our aviation history, even if it is not building aircraft in the area as it did when it started. Without the original Skunk Works, we would not have some of the highly sophisticated aircraft that we have today. North Hollywood is infamous for that B of A bank robbery that shows up on so many cable programs about weapons. That area is more importantly known as the home of Amelia Earhart, an important pioneer is the history of flying.

When you visit the Valley you might not feel that you are in a big city, it is in fact, larger than many of the cities of the area. If you look at the population of the Los Angeles part of the Valley, you will see that it is a large city in itself. Burbank, San Fernando and Glendale, which are contained within the boundaries of the Valley, are very respectable cities and represent important areas that are ignored by most people.

I spent many years living in The Valley and I am glad I did.