"Then the Los Angeles Aqueduct opened in 1913, bringing a vast network of irrigation channels, and the area became a center of agriculture in the San Fernando Valley. Newly planted citrus groves, interspersed with poultry farms and other livestock operations, soon carpeted the valley floor."
"But as the nation ramped up the war effort in earnest, aviation manufacturers rapidly expanded their operations in the Valley, with Lockheed in particular creating thousands of jobs in what was once a sleepy hinterland. To provide housing for the assembly-line workers who built P-38 fighters and B-17 bombers at the company's Burbank plant, developers began bulldozing the orange groves and chicken farms to make room for modest homes."
"In what would become Arleta, that development came in two waves. During the war, the first wave of housing tracts was mostly confined to the narrow strip of land between Sharp and Arleta avenues. In the 1950s, as the region struggled to house its booming population, a larger wave saw the neighborhood built out to its current western border at Woodman Avenue."
Arleta began as undeveloped land within Pacoima following 1880s railroad expansion and real estate speculation. After initial development stalled in the 1890s, the 1913 opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct enabled agricultural development, with citrus groves and livestock farms dominating the landscape. Following Los Angeles annexation in 1915, the area remained semirural through the 1930s. World War II catalyzed dramatic change as aviation manufacturers, particularly Lockheed, expanded operations in the San Fernando Valley. To house assembly-line workers producing P-38 fighters and B-17 bombers, developers demolished agricultural land and constructed modest residential tracts. Initial wartime development concentrated between Sharp and Arleta avenues, with extensive expansion occurring during the 1950s population boom, extending westward to Woodman Avenue.
#urban-development #world-war-ii-history #san-fernando-valley #residential-housing #agricultural-transformation
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