Calabasas
Living in Calabasas always feels like the first day of summer, year-round. Families are out and about, dogs and horses in tow, celebrating the endless sunshine in this community-minded region that actively cultivates a friendly, small-town vibe, with a population that’s small by Southern California standards (about 25,000).
The City of Calabasas was among the nation’s first communities to adopt a strict ordinance to limit public exposure to secondhand smoke (2006), and to ban disposable, single-use plastic bags in retail settings (2011) – both indications of the municipality’s dedication to protecting quality-of-life for its residents.
Here’s a place where you can still get a taste of the wild, in a luxurious yet utterly unpretentious setting in the Santa Monica Mountains with inspiring views and vast expanses of open country. With scenic rose-pink canyons and high desert flora and fauna, Calabasas looks like the setting for a movie western. Indeed, its land-feuding past was colorful with rollicking misfits, rough-and-tumble outlaws, and ruthless rancheros.
The Leonis Adobe Museum restores and preserves the two-fisted history of the Wild West in the stately 1844 residence of Miguel Leonis, the notorious Basque robber-baron who settled the area. The property was literally saved from the wrecking-ball in 1962, when the adobe structure was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1. Kids may not care about the history, but will delight in reports that the Monterey Colonial-style mansion is haunted: some visitors tell of seeing shadowy figures in hallways, and hearing voices and digging sounds coming from the adobe, where Leonis hid his fortune in gold.
Although it’s still very much horse country – four- and five-star stables, riding schools, and equine healing centers abound– today’s Calabasas residents, including the Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith family, among other entertainment notables- are considerably better-mannered. A highlight for horse-lovers: Calabasas Saddlery, Southern California’s family-owned and operated go-to for all high-end equestrian apparel, boots and half chaps, tack and accessories, as well as horse-care musts and stable supplies.
The area’s unspoiled, summer-camp aura is maintained by many community standards, including the presence of more than 20 privately gated communities, with the Oaks and uber-luxe Estates at the Oaks crowning the list. More than 10 of these exclusive enclaves maintain 24-hour gate guards. Public and private schools in three different school districts are rated as some of the best in the state. Las Virgenes in particular is considered a “Destination School District”, and the award-winning Blue Ribbon School District, Las Virgenes Unified School District, services the guard-gated community of Calabasas Hills. Private firefighters keep the community safe year-round.
In terms of lifestyle, Lake Calabasas (you’ll need a badge for access) offers idyllic biking, equestrian, walking and hiking trails not far from the mythic blue views of PCH and Malibu. Southern California’s most legendary beaches are a scenic, 20-minute drive over one of the area’s several canyon roads: Las Virgenes, Malibu Canyon, and Kanan Canyon.
Sorry we are experiencing system issues. Please try again.
