"I'm proud to live in Canoga Park. What's wrong with it? Perhaps it's not as elegant as Woodland Hills or Sherman Oaks, but I've produced two wonderful children from Canoga Park. The markets have fed my family. The shops have clothed my children. It will always be Canoga Park to me."
"You really had to be careful on your way home at night that it was your door you entered. I think there must be 4,000 homes like this. They all looked alike. The tract homes still stand, although by now their owners have individualized them with decorative touches of brick, stone, paint and landscaping."
"Aging, fading, proud Canoga Park ushered in its 75th birthday this year by absorbing a kick in the teeth. What was once a pastoral West San Fernando Valley farming community called Owensmouth now finds itself at a crossroads, forced to face the future minus a chunk of its newest, most affluent neighborhoods."
Canoga Park, a 75-year-old San Fernando Valley community originally called Owensmouth, faces an identity crisis after losing its western neighborhoods to the newly created West Hills district. Long-time residents like Barbara Hopfinger, who moved to the area 26 years ago when tract homes cost $19,800, remain proud of their community despite its modest reputation compared to neighboring areas like Woodland Hills. The neighborhood has evolved as residents personalized identical homes with distinctive landscaping and improvements. Despite losing nearly a third of its territory and its newest, most affluent areas, Canoga Park residents continue defending their hometown as a pleasant community that has served diverse populations, from young families to established Latino families with deep roots.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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