Chapter Three: Foundations of Human Activity

CANYON COUNTRY was the ancestral homeland of the Tataviam people for over five hundred years, and other tribes before then, such as the Tongva, Kitanemuk, and Serrano people.  After the Spanish invasion the valley first became grazing lands of the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana around 1790.  In 1834, after Mexican Independence, it became part of the Rancho San Francisco land grant centered on the merging of the Santa Clara River and Castaic Creek.

In the 1880’s the rancho became the Newhall Ranch empire of Henry Newhall, now the present day Newhall Land and Farming Company.  In 1928 the St. Francis Dam collapsed, suddenly flooding and washing away settlements and people along the Santa Clara River section of present day Canyon Country.  In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Newhall Land company’s suburban developments transformed Canyon Country and its surrounding towns into a focused residential and cultural city.

VALENCIA was first planned in the 1960s by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. Development began in the 1960s and continues to the present day. Valencia is notable for its landscaped boulevards connecting a mix of apartment buildings, single-family detached homes, shopping centers, office parks and industrial warehouses.

NEWHALL is named  after Henry Newhall, a businessman who made his original fortune during the California Gold Rush after opening up the H.M. Newhall & Company; an extremely successful auction house in San Francisco, CA. Newhall's next business interest was railroads. He invested in rail companies that would connect San Francisco to other cities and became president of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. In 1870, he and his partners sold the company to Southern Pacific Railroad, whose board of directors he then sat on. After railroads, Newhall turned his eye to real estate and ranching. He purchased a number of the old Spanish and Mexican land grants in the state for a total of 143,000 acres (579 km2) between Monterey and Los Angeles counties. The most significant portion was the 46,460-acre (188 km2) Rancho San Francisco in northern Los Angeles County, which he purchased for $2/acre, and which became known as Newhall Ranch after Newhall's death. Within this territory, he granted a right-of-way to Southern Pacific through what is now Newhall Pass, and he also sold them a portion of the land, upon which the company built a town they named after him: Newhall. The first station built on the line he named for his hometown, Saugus, Massachusetts. Following his death, Newhall's heirs incorporated the Newhall Land and Farming Company, which oversaw the development of the communities that now make up the city of Santa Clarita. On September 26, 1876, Charles Alexander Mentry brought in the state's first productive oil well at Mentryville, giving rise to the California oil industry. The oil was brought to a refinery at Newhall; today it is the oldest existing refinery in the world. (It was operational from 1874 to 1888.) 

SAUGUS is names after Saugus Massachusetts.  In 1987 Saugus and three other communities - Newhall, Canyon Country, and Valencia - were combined and incorporated, becoming the city of Santa Clarita.





DEMOGRAPHICS

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	%±
1990	110,642	—
2000	151,088	36.6%
2010(est)	177,641	17.6%
source:

As of the census of 2000, there were 151,088 people, 50,787 households, and 38,242 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,219.6/km² (3,159.1/mi²). There were 52,442 housing units at an average density of 423.3/km² (1,096.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.02% Non-Latino/Non-Hispanic White, 20.50% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 8.54% from other races 5.24% Asian, 3.89% from two or more races, 2.07% African America 0.59% Native American 0.15% Pacific Islander.


There were 50,787 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.38.


In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.


According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $79,004, and the median income for a family was $91,450 Males had a median income of $53,769 versus $36,835 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,841. 6.4% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

In 2000, the total population of Saugus was 41,743, and its population density was 218 persons per square mile. The median age is 32.8 years. Average number of people per household is 3.1. 66.7% of the population is married; 33.3% are single. Median Household income is $80,940; per capita income is $29,816. Median home value is $532,700. 82.4% of homes are owner-occupied; 14.8% are rentals.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clarita,_California
www.santa-clarita.com/
www.city-data.com/city/Santa-Clarita-California.html