Agoura Hills

Agoura Hills is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to                20,299 in 2020. The area was first settled by the Chumash Native Americans around 10,000 years ago. In the 1920s, the community was briefly known as Picture City, as Paramount Pictures owned a ranch known as Paramount Ranch used for filming Westerns. In 1982, the residents of the proposed city voted in favor of cityhood by a 68% majority. In 1995, the murder of Jimmy Farris (the infamous Brandon Hein case) awakened the city to a rising drug problem and petty theft by its young. As a result, the city began sponsoring live music competitions and concerts in local parks. The Canyon Club, a concert venue that hosts acts such as Linkin Park, Cyndi Lauper, Smash Mouth, REO Speedwagon, and The New Cars, is located in the city. The city is 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and less than 10 miles (16 km) west of the Los Angeles city limits at Woodland Hills. It has a total area of 82 square miles (21.2 square km), which is 0.04 square mile (0.37 square km) of which it is 1 mile (1.0 km) away from the city's downtown. It is known regionally for its live music scene and originality in the nu metal scene.

History

Agoura Hills is the primary city name, but also Agoura, Calabasas, Calabasas Hills, Calabasas Hls, Cornell, Malibu Lake, Oak Park, Saratoga Hills, Saratoga Hls are acceptable city names or spellings. The community was first settled by the Chumash Native Americans around 10,000 years ago. In the 1920s, the community was briefly known as Picture City, as Paramount Pictures owned a ranch known as Paramount Ranch used for filming Westerns. In 1982, the residents of the proposed city voted in favor of cityhood by a 68% majority. The Canyon Club is a concert venue that hosts touring acts such as Peter Frampton, Smash Mouth, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, REO Speedwagon, X, Steel Pulse, The New Cars, Asia, Boyz II Men, Foreigner, Bret Michaels and The Smithereens. Agoura Hills is known regionally for its live music scene and originality in the nu metal scene, a fame that has given rise to such acts as Linkin Park, Dub Thompson, Skye Aspen, Incubus, Hoobastank, and Fort Minor. In November 2018, the Woolsey Fire occurred during Santa Ana winds burning through the community. One victim was found on Tuesday November 13 in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road. The community is home to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, which is part of the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department. The museum is open to the public and features exhibits on the history of the area, including the "Reyes Adobe" ranch, which was founded in 1845. The city's name is a misspelling of the last name of Pierre Agoure, a local Basque man and French immigrant who settled in the area in 1871 to live the lifestyle of the Mexican rancher.

Geography

Agoura Hills has a mountain called Ballard Mountain named after pioneer settler and freed slave John Ballard. Ladyface Mountain is another prominent mountain on the west side of the Conejo Valley and stands at an elevation of 2,031 feet (619 m) The city is unofficially divided into a number of varied districts centered on the modern Downtown area of the city. The mountain lion population within the Santa Monica Mountains is severely depleted with only seven known living adult individuals. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a proposed vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road at Liberty Canyon on the east end of theCity. The city has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21 km²), of which 8.1 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) of it (0.37%) is water. The range is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from mountain lions to the endangered Southern California Distinct Population Segment of steelhead. Local species include the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (the only venomous species), Mountain Kingsnake, California Kingsnakes, Gopher snake, and Garter snake. The mountains are also home to the Western fence lizard. In 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that the New Zealand mud snail had infested watersheds in theSanta Monica Mountains, posing serious threats to native species and complicating efforts to improve stream-water quality for the endangered steelhead trout. According to the article, the snails have expanded "from the first confirmed sample in Medea Creek to nearly 30 other stream sites in four years".

Demographics

At the 2010 census Agoura Hills had a population of 20,330. The racial makeup of the city was 86.96% White, 1.32% Black or African American, 6.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.09% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races. The census reported that 20,242 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 15 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 73 (0.4%) were institutionalized. The median household income was $107,885, according to the 2010 United States Census. At the 2000 census there were 20,537 people in 6,874 households, including 5,588 families, in the city. The age distribution was 4,904 people under the age of 18, 1,582 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 4,465 people (22.0%) aged 25 to 44, 7,089 people (34.9%) aged 45 to 64 and 2,290 people (11.3%) who were 65 or older. There were 7,585 housing units at an average density of 969.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 5,715 were owner-occupied and 1,612 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 16,111 people (79.2% ofThe population) live in owner- occupied housing units and 4,131 people (20.3% ofthe population) living in rental housing units.

Economy

According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The city's top employers are: KPMG, Coca-Cola, KPMM, and KPMT. The city is home to more than 1,000 businesses, according to the report. The economy is the second-largest employer in the town, followed by the construction industry. The top employer is KPMC, which employs more than 2,000 people. The largest employers are KPMP, KMMM, K&G, and ExxonMobil, which has 1,400 employees. The number of people employed by the city is more than 4,000. The unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent. The average household income is $30,000, the report says. In the city, the average household salary is $28,000 and the average annual income is over $50,000; the average house price is $1,000 a year. The U.S. Census Bureau says the city has the highest rate of poverty in the country, with the lowest rate of unemployment at 0.7 per cent. The lowest rate is 0.8 per cent, the city says. The highest rate is 1.8 percent, the U.N. World Bank says. It says that the city ranks No. 1 in the world in terms of the number of foreign-born workers, with more than 3,000 in the state of New York.

Government

Agoura Hills is governed by a City Council/City Manager form of government. A five-member City Council is elected by the residents to oversee city operations and guide the development of the community. The role of Mayor rotates among the Councilmembers. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council to supervise the administrative personnel and contract services. The city attorney is contracted through RWG Law. In the California State Legislature, Agoua Hills is in the 27th Senate District, represented by Democrat Henry Stern.In the U.S. House of Representatives, the town is in California's 33rd congressional district,represented by Democrat Ted Lieu. As of April 2022 the Agour Hills City Council consists of Deborah Klein Lopez (Mayor), Chris Anstead (Mayor Pro Tem), Linda Northrup, Illece Buckley Weber and Denis Weber. The City Manager is Nathan Hamburger and the city attorney is contracted to the City of Rancho Cucamonga, California, for $1,000 per year. The mayor is chosen by the Council members to serve a one-year term. The councilmembers are elected to four-year terms. The terms are staggered so that a measure of continuity is maintained from one Council to the next. The Councilmembers are chosen by a majority vote of the residents, with the mayor serving a two-yearterm. The Mayor is appointed to the one year term by the councilmembers, and the City Manager serves a two year term.

Infrastructure

Las Virgenes Water District serves Agoura Hills along with Westlake Village and other parts of western Los Angeles County. State water provided by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the sole source used by the district. LASD operates the Malibu/Lost Hills Station in Calabasas, serving Agour Hills. The United States Postal Service Agoua Hills Post Office is located at 5158 Clareton Drive. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates a station in Malibu, serving the Agouro Hills area. The station is located on the edge of Malibu Beach. The Malibu and Lost Hills Station is the only station in the L.S.C. area that is not open to the general public. The post office is open from 7am to 7pm daily and has a post office box on the corner of Clareton and Malibu Avenues, with a ZIP code of 5158-5158. It is located in the community of Agouar Hills, which is in the western part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district is also home to the Aguar Hills High School, which was founded in the 1950s. The high school has a junior high and senior high school, which opened in the 1960s. It has a high school and a middle school, both of which are located in Agouer Hills. It also has a golf course, which has been built in the 1970s.

Education

The Las Virgenes Unified School District serves Agoura Hills. The district's schools are located in the town of Rancho Cucamonga. The school district also includes Lindero Canyon Middle School and Indian Hills High School.

Sports

Agoura Hills is the corporate headquarters of the Los Angeles Rams since 2016. It is home to the Great Race, an annual running event held at Chumash Park in March of every year. The Great Race was established in 1986 and features six races including Pacific Half (half-marathon), Chesebro Half, Old Agoura 10K, Deena Kastor (5 kilometers), Kids 1 Mile, and the Family Fun Run (1 mile) The CheseBro Half was voted best half-mar marathon in the U.S. in 2011. The town is also the home of the L.A. Raiders, who moved to the area in 2010. The L.S.-based team has been in the NFL since the 1960s and is currently one of the most successful teams in the history of the league. The Rams also have a stadium in Inglewood, California, where they play the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers. The team also has a training base in the Santa Catalina Mountains, where it has been based since the 1970s. The Los Angeles Football Club is based in the town and has been there since the 1980s. It has been home to several NFL teams, including the Rams, the Raiders, the 49ers, the Chargers and the Chargers' arch-rivals the Raiders. It also hosts the NFL All-Star Game, which is held every year at the end of February. The city also hosts a number of other sports events, such as the World Series of Poker and the Winter Olympics.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles County, California = 1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 52. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Agoura Hills = 6.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 20,299 individuals with a median age of 39 age the population grows by 10.33% in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,603.77 residents per square mile of area (1,005.37/km²). There are average 3 people per household in the 7,536 households with an average household income of $107,871 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.70% of the available work force and has dropped -6.23% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.84%. The number of physicians in Agoura Hills per 100,000 population = 213.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Agoura Hills = 21.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 32. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 286. 98 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 30.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles County, California which are owned by the occupant = 81.81%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 27 years with median home cost = $509,750 and home appreciation of -4.54%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,809 per student. There are 22.6 students for each teacher in the school, 5098 students for each Librarian and 840 students for each Counselor. 8.01% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 30.04% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.51% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).