Encino
The name means “place of the oaks,” first in indigenous Tongva, then in Spanish. But in the two and a half centuries since the first Europeans travelled north through the Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley, Encino has emerged as a prosperous community epitomizing the American Dream and the coveted Southern California lifestyle.
The boundaries of Encino are Victory Boulevard to the north, Mulholland Drive to the south, Lindley Avenue to the west, and the 405 San Diego Freeway to the east. An abbreviated commute “over the hill” to business centers including Century City and Santa Monica, and nearby highways leading to Burbank and Downtown Los Angeles make this suburban enclave the choice of homeowners who require access to offices as well as a safe, spacious place of residence.
Part of what makes Encino’s motor hum is Ventura Boulevard, an 18-mile, east-west stretch of premium commerce originating in Calabasas, then crossing east through Tarzana, Encino and Sherman Oaks, bisecting Lankershim Boulevard in Studio City where its name changes to Cahuenga Boulevard. The route is notable in that the Ventura Business District is often cited by world economists as generating as much or more revenue in the form of mercantile transactions as many small countries.
As with all things Encino, the roots of the trade route run deep. Archeologists and anthropologists identify the present-day location of Ventura Boulevard as the latest incarnation of a 4,000-year-old trade trail that served the Tataviam and Tongva village of Siutcanga, originally part of the Camino Real or “Kings Road” established by Spanish colonials. Today, the former bridle path’s legacy lives on in Encino’s dynamic concentration of business parks and professional suites.
And yet, the appeal of Encino outstrips its commercial affluence. Essential to its magic: space, the most premium of all modern assets. Many of the lots here are extraordinary in terms of their sheer size. And among those, many are made even more remarkable by their spectacular views. This desirability quotient computes to many homes now commanding prices in the $20M range. As the area continues to increase in value, many older, smaller structures are being replaced by new homes in the Modern Farmhouse style. More classic residences in mid-century and Spanish stylings remain plentiful.
Although the acid-witted Frank Zappa hilariously scourged the area in his 1982 hit “Valley Girl,” Encino continues to draw the rich and famous, as well as the simply successful, as a safe, desirable, comfortable place to restore, recharge, and raise a family. Notable names in the 91316 and 91436 have included rockers Tom Petty, Dave Grohl and Machine Gun Kelly, pop royalty including Selena Gomez and Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, as well as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, actor/producer Michael B. Jordan, Tori Spelling, and the always-iconic Shirley MacLaine.
Excellent public schools including Lanai Elementary, as well as several outstanding private schools, many on Mulholland adjacent to Bel Air, further enrich Encino’s standing in the realm of “quality of life.” Private schools include: Milken Community School, one of the largest Jewish day-schools in the United States; Curtis School, which devotes its curriculum to the three principles of “Sound Mind, Sound Body, Compassionate Heart”; Wise School, an independent school celebrating Jewish heritage; Crespi Carmelite High School, a private, Catholic, all-boys four-year college preparatory high school; and Mirman School, a co-ed, K-8 school for highly gifted students.
Encino is abundant in parks and smaller green spaces, including Encino Park, Los Encinos Historic Park, Libbit Park (beloved by locals for its amazing dog-park, with its ready supply of tennis balls!), the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Zone offering walking trails, kayaking, fishing and bird watching, and nearby Woodley Park featuring barbeque pits and picnic tables, archery range and cricket fields. The Encino Velodrome is every serious cyclist’s dream, and Lake Balboa offers an array of outdoor options for active families including kayaking, pedal-boats, bicycle rentals and golfing. Watched by redtail hawks circling on thermals overhead, cyclists and hikers stretch their legs around Caballero Canyon, Canyonback, San Vicente Mountains, Farmer Ridge Trail, and the Encino Reservoir, all offering the surprise of rustic refreshment in the heart of thriving cityhood.
Many of Encino’s streets are sidewalk-lined, and the eponymous oaks, though replaced in some cases by rows of stately palms, continue to lend protective greenery and graceful shade to the sun-drenched community. Prime areas, including the gated Royal Oaks Colony, along with Encino Woods, Amestoy Estates, Encino Hills, and Lake Encino, offer residents a relaxing respite from the relentless grind of professional life.
While Manhattanites may boast about the sophistication of their Gotham digs, and off-gridders take pride in their DIY isolation, Encino offers an engaging hybrid of what many of us need and want most today. Technology with its supply of all its conveniences are present here in a state of constant updating and upgrading. And yet, much of Encino feels the way Southern California must have felt a century ago, brilliant with the year-round flame-palette of bougainvillea and blooming aloes, where on certain mornings, mockingbird-calls and the sound of horse-hooves can still be heard through the dappled canopy of oak-leaves.
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