In an earlier entry, I spoke about the simple, rugged and peaceful life of the early ranchers of the Conejo Valley. I also talked about the area looking somewhat the same and unchanged for decades.
In the 1920's, change and growth began. Just 50 miles to the Southeast, Los Angeles was evolving into a major city in the United States due to the new growth industries of oil and entertainment. Other growth sectors such as shipping, aerospace and electronics were just around the corner. L.A. was exploding and the entire Southern California region felt the effect.
The Conejo and Triunfo Valleys started to change. A town along Ventura Blvd. (Thousand Oaks Blvd.) developed. The first grocery store and a few other businesses began. A church and a few saloons opened. Newbury's old land was sold in three parts and real estate developers divided the parcels and marketed the properties. One of the developers had a contest to name the city and a fourteen year old boy won with the name Thousand Oaks.
Hollywood came to town. The rugged, sunny and wide open Conejo Valley was an ideal backdrop for many movie sets. Louis Goebel bought five lots near where the civic center is today and used it to store animals used for movies. Goebel's Lion Farm opened in 1926 and remained a popular tourist stop as Jungleland until the 1960's.
A new elementary school was built on Conejo School Road but high school students needed to travel to get their education. Oxnard High School was the closest school into the 1950's.
William Randolph Hearst bought most of the Russell Ranch in 1925 hoping to find oil but sold the 30,000 acres at a loss in 1943. Many more large chunks of land were for sale with the actor, Joel McCrea, buying 3000 acres in the northern end of the valley.
The Janss family owned a large ranch in the area and had been very successful in developing the Westwood Village and Leimert Park areas of Los Angeles. In 1955, Edwin Janss, Jr. began to build four homes for ranch hands and couldn't get over the number of people that stopped and asked how much they wanted for a deposit. In 1956, the first tracts were planned and the community began to grow. In five years time, the population went from 1,500 to 12,000.
During the next five decades, the homes I sell every day were constructed. In the next few entries, I will talk about the different styles and features of homes, the ever-changing demands of the consumers and have some typical home improvement projects for the different eras. I welcome comments and participation especially from long time residents of the Conejo Valley who would like to share their early experiences.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Busy Time of Year:
The holiday season is always a hectic time for many people. I was pleased to begin the holiday season with sponsoring the Turkey Day Dash 5K race for the fifth year in a row. It benefits the Y.M.C.A. My wife, Eileen, and I were able run and have missed the race only once out of the last five years. It was held at the Oaks Mall for the first time and over 1,500 people entered the race. It was a great success and a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving.
I also made a guest appearance on the reality T.V. show "Million Dollar Listing". I had never seen the show before but stumbled onto a filming when I was previewing homes in the Country Club Estates area of North Ranch. I was invited to walk the multi-million dollar estate lot with one of the stars, Josh, and was challenged to try hitting a golf ball off the property. I happened to connect and sent the ball soaring over the fence much to Josh's dismay. I had no idea it was going to be aired but several months after it was filmed, I began receiving emails from around the country. I can't believe how many people watch that show. Once someone let me know it was on the air, I watched it for the first time. I am grateful the agents I work with in the Conejo Valley have a little different style than Josh and and his cohorts on the show.
Finally, during the past few weeks, I have been delivering Poinsettias and warm holiday wishes to my past clients. Dropping in on the wonderful people I have helped is always a lot of fun. It is always a great reminder that I help people with their family home and it is much more than just a real estate transaction. While visiting, I get caught up on the various celebrations, struggles, illnesses, promotions and milestones. My favorite is when I meet a young teenager who doesn't recognize me and I get to explain that I helped their family buy the home they grew up in and kept him or her busy so their parents could look at the home . I usually get a big smile and they always know exactly how old they were when the family moved into their home. It is rewarding.
Have a great holiday season and don't forget to relax and enjoy family, friends and all the wonderful gifts of each other. I look forward to continuing to write about the development and growth of the Conejo Valley.
The holiday season is always a hectic time for many people. I was pleased to begin the holiday season with sponsoring the Turkey Day Dash 5K race for the fifth year in a row. It benefits the Y.M.C.A. My wife, Eileen, and I were able run and have missed the race only once out of the last five years. It was held at the Oaks Mall for the first time and over 1,500 people entered the race. It was a great success and a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving.
I also made a guest appearance on the reality T.V. show "Million Dollar Listing". I had never seen the show before but stumbled onto a filming when I was previewing homes in the Country Club Estates area of North Ranch. I was invited to walk the multi-million dollar estate lot with one of the stars, Josh, and was challenged to try hitting a golf ball off the property. I happened to connect and sent the ball soaring over the fence much to Josh's dismay. I had no idea it was going to be aired but several months after it was filmed, I began receiving emails from around the country. I can't believe how many people watch that show. Once someone let me know it was on the air, I watched it for the first time. I am grateful the agents I work with in the Conejo Valley have a little different style than Josh and and his cohorts on the show.
Finally, during the past few weeks, I have been delivering Poinsettias and warm holiday wishes to my past clients. Dropping in on the wonderful people I have helped is always a lot of fun. It is always a great reminder that I help people with their family home and it is much more than just a real estate transaction. While visiting, I get caught up on the various celebrations, struggles, illnesses, promotions and milestones. My favorite is when I meet a young teenager who doesn't recognize me and I get to explain that I helped their family buy the home they grew up in and kept him or her busy so their parents could look at the home . I usually get a big smile and they always know exactly how old they were when the family moved into their home. It is rewarding.
Have a great holiday season and don't forget to relax and enjoy family, friends and all the wonderful gifts of each other. I look forward to continuing to write about the development and growth of the Conejo Valley.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Strong and Fertile Roots
In my last post, I spoke about the broken dreams of some of the earliest pioneers in the Conejo Valley. The late 1870's were tough on some of the ranchers. In 1881, optimism about real estate was on the rebound. Andrew Russell was on a stagecoach from Santa Barbara headed for the Conejo to investigate some land for sale. On the stagecoach, he met a land developer who was after the same land. In Ventura, Mr. Russell got off the stage, rented a horse and sped to the Conejo Valley. He was able to tour the property and strike a deal just as the stage was pulling into the area. The land he purchased was the majority of Westlake Village today. I guess that's an 1880 version of camping out in front of a new tract of homes the night before it opens.
The Russell's were just one of the early ranchers in the area. There were many other families and all were very important in developing the great foundation, character and culture of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake and Agoura. We see the names of these families throughout the city and many of the families have ancestors still active and generous to the community today. Some of the names we see on street signs, parks, community buildings and schools are Russell, Borchard, Kelley, Edwards, Haigh, Hays, Olsen, Pederson, Nilson, Crowley and Janss to name a few.
Since I have read some of the stories and books about these pioneer families, I have tried to block out the community I know so well today and do my best to imagine what the area was like over 100 years ago. It must have been a very peaceful place to be and the beauty and richness was not lost on the founding families. They loved the weather and rugged beauty then just as much as we do today. With the few facts I know; even as late as the 1920's, I picture a very quiet community. There was a small congregation of tiny cottages and hunting lodges in the Ventu Park area. These cottages, many of them on tiny lots that were free, were used by people from Los Angeles to get away. There was a small community of homes for the wealthy of L.A. near Lake Matheissen soon to be renamed Lake Sherwood and there was a small town mostly along Newbury's original land that runs along what is now Thousand Oaks Blvd. I knew there was a reason everyone calls it Old Town. The rest of the Conejo was dotted with large ranches tending to the business of raising cattle, sheep, hay and grain.
Soon, there would be some changes and development coming to the area but it's fun to imagine the simple, difficult and beautiful lifestyle of the Conejo residents back then. And to think I had school age parents just fifty miles down the road who were completely unaware of the golden opportunities up the road.
The Russell's were just one of the early ranchers in the area. There were many other families and all were very important in developing the great foundation, character and culture of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake and Agoura. We see the names of these families throughout the city and many of the families have ancestors still active and generous to the community today. Some of the names we see on street signs, parks, community buildings and schools are Russell, Borchard, Kelley, Edwards, Haigh, Hays, Olsen, Pederson, Nilson, Crowley and Janss to name a few.
Since I have read some of the stories and books about these pioneer families, I have tried to block out the community I know so well today and do my best to imagine what the area was like over 100 years ago. It must have been a very peaceful place to be and the beauty and richness was not lost on the founding families. They loved the weather and rugged beauty then just as much as we do today. With the few facts I know; even as late as the 1920's, I picture a very quiet community. There was a small congregation of tiny cottages and hunting lodges in the Ventu Park area. These cottages, many of them on tiny lots that were free, were used by people from Los Angeles to get away. There was a small community of homes for the wealthy of L.A. near Lake Matheissen soon to be renamed Lake Sherwood and there was a small town mostly along Newbury's original land that runs along what is now Thousand Oaks Blvd. I knew there was a reason everyone calls it Old Town. The rest of the Conejo was dotted with large ranches tending to the business of raising cattle, sheep, hay and grain.
Soon, there would be some changes and development coming to the area but it's fun to imagine the simple, difficult and beautiful lifestyle of the Conejo residents back then. And to think I had school age parents just fifty miles down the road who were completely unaware of the golden opportunities up the road.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Difficult Economic Times Aren't New.
Difficult economic times aren't new to the Conejo Valley. If you are disappointed that your home isn't worth as much as it use to be or worse yet, you can't afford to keep your real estate investment because of a difficult economic situation; don't feel alone. Many people, including some of our earliest settlers, have gone through the same ordeal.
According to the book, " The Newbury's of Newbury Park" by Miriam Spankling and Ruthann Begun; the Mills, Edwards and Newbury Families were some of the first investors in the Conejo Valley. In the early 1870's,they bought 22,240 acres, 20,790 acres and 3,259 acres respectively. All of them were very excited about the awesome possibilities in the area and marveled at the beauty around them. They all had big dreams.
In 1873, Egbert Newbury moved 1,600 sheep from Santa Barbara to the Conejo and moved his family from Santa Barbara a year later. In that same year, the stage coach line switched from Simi to the Conejo creating the need for a post office. Newbury applied to the federal government and the Newbury Park Post Office was opened on July 16, 1875. Newbury's land is what is now near Old Town Thousand Oaks. It went from Hodencamp to Duesenberg and from Falmouth Street to the ridge between Thousand Oaks and Hidden Valley. Newbury's home and post office were located about where the Thousand Oaks Civic Center is today.
1876 appears to have been a year of optimism. A school was built on 2 acres of land Mills donated. There were 72 adults and 54 children living in the valley. In May, James Hammell announced that a large hotel was to be built near the western end of the Conejo Valley. He expected the Coast Line Stagecoach to supply customers for his enterprise. Construction began.
Like today, change can come quickly. Even before the hotel was completed, the stagecoach line switched from the Conejo Valley to Newhall due to the newly completed Southern Pacific Rail line. 1876 was also the first year of a three year drought. Six inches of rain fell between 1876 and 1878 devastating the ranchers in the area. Mills was forced to leave the valley, the Newbury's packed up and moved in with family in Michigan in 1877 and James Hammell filed bankruptcy and lost the Grand Union Hotel and his land.
Although the Newbury's left town, the name of the post office stayed. The location of the post office changed many times and finally got a permanent home on Newbury Road in 1968.
According to the book, " The Newbury's of Newbury Park" by Miriam Spankling and Ruthann Begun; the Mills, Edwards and Newbury Families were some of the first investors in the Conejo Valley. In the early 1870's,they bought 22,240 acres, 20,790 acres and 3,259 acres respectively. All of them were very excited about the awesome possibilities in the area and marveled at the beauty around them. They all had big dreams.
In 1873, Egbert Newbury moved 1,600 sheep from Santa Barbara to the Conejo and moved his family from Santa Barbara a year later. In that same year, the stage coach line switched from Simi to the Conejo creating the need for a post office. Newbury applied to the federal government and the Newbury Park Post Office was opened on July 16, 1875. Newbury's land is what is now near Old Town Thousand Oaks. It went from Hodencamp to Duesenberg and from Falmouth Street to the ridge between Thousand Oaks and Hidden Valley. Newbury's home and post office were located about where the Thousand Oaks Civic Center is today.
1876 appears to have been a year of optimism. A school was built on 2 acres of land Mills donated. There were 72 adults and 54 children living in the valley. In May, James Hammell announced that a large hotel was to be built near the western end of the Conejo Valley. He expected the Coast Line Stagecoach to supply customers for his enterprise. Construction began.
Like today, change can come quickly. Even before the hotel was completed, the stagecoach line switched from the Conejo Valley to Newhall due to the newly completed Southern Pacific Rail line. 1876 was also the first year of a three year drought. Six inches of rain fell between 1876 and 1878 devastating the ranchers in the area. Mills was forced to leave the valley, the Newbury's packed up and moved in with family in Michigan in 1877 and James Hammell filed bankruptcy and lost the Grand Union Hotel and his land.
Although the Newbury's left town, the name of the post office stayed. The location of the post office changed many times and finally got a permanent home on Newbury Road in 1968.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Welcome!
I've been a real estate agent and resident of the beautiful Conejo Valley since 1985. I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and both my parents were born in L.A. in the early 1900's. I love Southern California and everything it has to offer and look forward to writing about various topics I find enjoyable.
I will leave the national real estate predictions, market trends and indicators to the experts. We have plenty of them. I will keep things a little closer to home and write about our local market and history. The way Southern California and our local area has grown is very interesting. I look forward to sharing some of our history and hope to hear from people who have interesting stories about the area; from just last year or decades ago.
The shape and size of homes have changed over the years. A new home built in 1965 looks quite different than a home built in the twenty-first century. I look forwward to discussions about architectural styles, possible home improvements and limitations of the different eras. My wife and I have lived in five homes, two brand new homes and three that needed work. Each project had its own advantages and disadvantages. One of these days, we might buy a home that's perfect but we haven't done it yet.
A few of the other topics that might slip into this blog are community events, golf and physical fitness. I am by no means an expert but I read a popular book last year that hit home. The book, "Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. is about living healthy and strong until you're 80 and beyond. I related to the book because both my parents lived long lives but neither of them had a great quality of life during their last few years. Medication kept them going but their fitness levels were poor. I hope to live a more full life and have begun taking better care of myself. I am also lucky to have a wife who is very knowledgeable about diet and exercise. She is a great example.
Have a great day!
I will leave the national real estate predictions, market trends and indicators to the experts. We have plenty of them. I will keep things a little closer to home and write about our local market and history. The way Southern California and our local area has grown is very interesting. I look forward to sharing some of our history and hope to hear from people who have interesting stories about the area; from just last year or decades ago.
The shape and size of homes have changed over the years. A new home built in 1965 looks quite different than a home built in the twenty-first century. I look forwward to discussions about architectural styles, possible home improvements and limitations of the different eras. My wife and I have lived in five homes, two brand new homes and three that needed work. Each project had its own advantages and disadvantages. One of these days, we might buy a home that's perfect but we haven't done it yet.
A few of the other topics that might slip into this blog are community events, golf and physical fitness. I am by no means an expert but I read a popular book last year that hit home. The book, "Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. is about living healthy and strong until you're 80 and beyond. I related to the book because both my parents lived long lives but neither of them had a great quality of life during their last few years. Medication kept them going but their fitness levels were poor. I hope to live a more full life and have begun taking better care of myself. I am also lucky to have a wife who is very knowledgeable about diet and exercise. She is a great example.
Have a great day!
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