Simi Valley is an incorporated city located in the extreme southeast corner of Ventura County, California, bordering the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 111,351.

The city is located 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, 400 miles south of San Francisco, 150 miles north of San Diego, and 350 miles south of Sacramento. Commutes to Los Angeles are easy via the 118 Freeway and the Southern California Metrolink Commuter Train, which makes several daily trips from Simi Valley. Total area: 39.2 square km.

Known primarily as the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, it also holds title as "safest city in America" (among all cities with populations above 100,000) and gained brief notoriety as the location of the infamous Los Angeles Police Officers' (Rodney King Beating) Trials that sparked riots in Los Angeles on April 29, 1992.

Geography

Simi Valley is located at 34°16'16" North, 118°44'22" West (34.271078, -118.739428).

Simi Valley is located 700 - 1,000 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.1 km² (39.4 mi²). 101.5 km² (39.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.63% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 111,351 people, 36,421 households, and 28,954 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,097.3/km² (2,841.9/mi²). There are 37,272 housing units at an average density of 367.3/km² (951.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.33% White, 1.26% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 6.33% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 6.50% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. 16.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 36,421 households out of which 42.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% are married couples living together, 10.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% are non-families. 14.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.04 and the average family size is 3.33.

In the city the population is spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males.

Income

The median income for a household in the city is $70,370, and the median income for a family is $75,140. Males have a median income of $51,003 versus $35,237 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,586. 5.8% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.2% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

Simi Valley was once inhabited by Chumash Indians. Along the coast they had an abundant supply of fish from the ocean. They ate seeds from sage, acorns from the oak trees, and small animals. They were very skilled in making wooden bowls. Some writers think that the name of Simi Valley came from the Chumash word "Shimiji", meaning little white clouds.

El Rancho Simi was the earliest Spanish colonial land grant within Ventura and Santa Babara Counties. It was one of the largest lands, but later when Mexico became independent from Spain, land was handed out much more freely.

First was the Colony, or the town of Simi. For a brief time, its postal address was known as Simiopolis, though it was soon shortened again to Simi. The first public school was built in 1890 in the northeast but was torn down in 1926. There was also a great deal of destruction caused by a flood in 1952.

Southern California had a high fire risk (which broke out in several fires across Southern California) in October 2003. Unusually hot weather for the time of the year and high winds caused several fires to spread rapidly over a short period of time. The fire that burned in the hills of Simi Valley destroyed several schools, one park, and endangered the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Infrastructure

Simi Valley Station is used by Amtrak and Metrolink and is located at 5000 Los Angeles Avenue, west of Stearns Street. Simi Valley Transit buses stop on Los Angeles Avenue in front of the station. There are connections from Simi Valley north to San Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and south to Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. These trains, as well as the buses, run 7 days a week and stop in Simi Valley several times each day. The Simi Valley station is unstaffed; however, tickets are available from automated ticket dispensers, conductors onboard the trains, travel agents, by telephone, or from the Amtrak and Metrolink websites.

Industry

In Simi Valley there are two main areas of industry--one in the eastern part of the city and the other one in the west. The primary industry is machinery and tools with 69 firms, and the secondary is the metal Industry with 51 firms, both situated in the eastern and western industrial areas. Other industries such as Lumber/Wood Products, Food, Plastic Products, Apparel/Textiles and Minerals, are also largely concentrated in these industrial areas.

The Volkswagen of America Design Center is in an industrial complex across from the Costco wholesale club near Madera and Cochran.

Simi Valley is also home to Gills Onions, which claims to be the largest fresh onion processing facility in the world.

Dangers

An unfortunate aspect of Simi Valley's location, situated beside the beautiful Simi Hills, is that it lies in a high-risk area for the wildfires that sweep through Southern California's mountain ranges every few years.

Simi Valley is one of the communities that some claim to be contaminated by the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory Contamination.

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