About The City of Simi Valley
The city of Simi Valley is the third largest city among the 10 cities of Ventura County, CA. Occupying a total of 42 square miles in area, the city has an estimated population of 126, 788 people, based on 2015 statistics.
Simi Valley is located in the South Eastern part of Ventura County and is just about 37 miles (60 km) northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. The most iconic landmark in the city is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where America’s former president, Ronald Reagan, was buried in 2004.
Simi Valley City can generally be described as an exurb or commuter town, which is largely dependent on Los Angeles metropolitan, the larger San Fernando Valley and other cities in West Ventura County. You can learn more about Simi Valley here when you finish reading this article.
History of the City at a Glance
The Simi Valley city was officially incorporated on October 10th 1969 under the general laws of California State and now operates under general law or council-manager form of local government.
Two Chumash settlements or villages namely Shimiji (of Shimiyi) and Ta’apu once existed in the now Simi Valley. And there was yet another third settlement named Kimishax which was located near the present day Moorpark. The name Simi is believed to have been derived from the Chumash or Native American village name of Shimiji’ which typically refers to stringy, thread-like clouds most experienced in the region.
Ta’apu is said to have inspired the names Tapo Canyon and Tapo Street. The city’s official tree and flower are the Coast Live Oak and the California Wild Roses respectively, both whose fruits were used as food by the Chumash Indians. In 1795, Rancho Simi, a Spanish land grant covering a staggering 113, 009 acres in Ventura and extending to west Los Angeles counties was given by Governor Diego De Borica to Francisco Javier Pico and his brothers.
Rancho Simi is the earliest Spanish colonial land grant recorded within Ventura region and the Santa Barbara Counties. And the name Simi´ in the records from the time of the land grants puts much emphasis on the 2nd syllable Simi´, which basically indicates the name should be pronounced as
Transportation To and From the City
Simi Valley
-Highway:
Highway 118 is the major highway, which runs through the city, connects with State Highways 23 and 101 and further extends to Interstates 5, 405 and 210.
-Rail:
Amtrak and Metrolink provide passenger rail service while Union Pacific Railroad offers freight services.
-Bus: The city boasts of a comprehensive local bus system that connects to
Ventura Inter-city Service Authority (VISTA) as well as the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). There’s also taxi service available within the city.
–Air:
Nearby airports include the Camarillo Airport, 25 miles; Burbank Airport, 26 miles and Los Angeles International Airport, 42 miles away from the city.
Recreation and Cultural Landmarks
The Simi City boasts of a range of recreational and cultural amenities including the following:
- 34 Parks
- 1 Performing Arts Centre
- 2 Theatres (with 26 screens in total)
- 4 Golf courses
- 2 swimming pools and
- 1 library
In terms of Hospitals and Public education, the city boasts of one modern hospital facility with a capacity of 144 beds and more than 30 registered schools providing education right from elementary to adult
learning levels.
Economy
The Eastern Western regions of the city are the most economically active with their primary industry being machinery and
tools boasting of 69 firms. The secondary industry is metal with approximately 51 firms. There are also other industries like lumber products, food, textile, plastic products and mineral, which are largely concentrated within the industrial areas.