Granada Hills is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The community has a sports program and a range of city recreation centers.

The community began as a dairy farm and orchard known as the Sunshine Ranch which grew apricots, oranges, walnuts and beans. Vestiges of former citrus groves can still be seen in orange, lemon or grapefruit trees in many residential yards. In 1916, the San Fernando Valley's first oil well was drilled in what is now Granada Hills. The oil well was located at the northern tip of Zelzah Avenue. Granada Hills was founded in 1926 as "Granada;" the "Hills" portion of the name was added 15 years later.


Architecture

‍One of the Eichler HomesGranada Hills is composed mostly of Mid-century modern architecture. Of note is the "Balboa Highlands" tract built by iconic developer Joseph Eichler as well as the Knollwood Country Club area and Knollwood Grove tract. Many of these homes, which are North of Rinaldi/West of Balboa, have been featured in movies, commercials, magazine pictorials and appear in books about Eichler or mid-century architecture.

Historical landmarks

‍Deodar trees on White Oak Ave.White Oak Avenue, between San Fernando Mission and San Jose Street, was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on August 3, 1966, for the 101 Deodar Cedar trees that line the street. The trees are native to the Himalayas and appreciated for their size, beauty and timber. White Oak Avenue trees were used as the back-drop in the flying bicycle scenes in the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Parks and recreation

‍O'Melveny Park, the second largest park in Los Angeles, consists of a large undeveloped area and a much smaller developed section with several dozen citrus trees, a small intermittent stream, and grass and picnic areas. This 672-acre (2.72 km²) park includes hiking trails and fire roads, including a grassy promontory from which a view of the northeastern portion of the San Fernando Valley may be seen. Mission Point and its environs are popular mountain biking and hiking areas. The view from the top of Mission Point (called "Mission Peak" by many residents), the highest point in Granada Hills, is striking, taking in most of the San Fernando Valley. In clear weather, one can see the Pacific Ocean and Downtown Los Angeles. The area around the peak is home to deer, golden eagle, bobcats, mountain lions, raccoons, and coyotes. The Granada Hills Recreation Center (also known as Petit Park) features an auditorium, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, children's play areas, a gym, picnic tables, tennis courts, classrooms, a dance room and a library. Programs are offered in sports, and arts and crafts.Zelzah Park, an unstaffed park, has a bridle path, a children's play area, and picnic tables.