Calabasas (, ; corruption of calabazas, Spanish for "squashes") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is adjacent to the southwestern San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Situated within the foothills of the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Calabasas has a population of 22,491 (as of July 1, 2022).
History
The name Calabasas is an archaic Californio variant spelling of the Spanish word calabazas, meaning "winter squashes" (the area abounds in wild squashes). The Spanish botanist Jose Longinos Martinez recorded Las Calabazas as a place name in 1792.
The San Fernando Valley has been inhabited by the Chumash and Tongva for thousands of years. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to set foot on the land. In 1770, an expedition headed by Gaspar de Portolá crossed the area while returning to Mexico from Northern California. In 1776, a northbound party of explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped there on its way from Mexico.
Calabasas was the name given to a ranchería in the Los Angeles area in 1795. The Leonis Adobe, in Old Town Calabasas, dates back to 1844 and is one of the oldest existing buildings in greater Los Angeles. The city was incorporated on April 5, 1991, making it the newest city in Los Angeles County.
Geography
Calabasas is situated in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, between the foothills of the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains.
One of the oldest neighborhoods in Calabasas is Park Moderne, or the "Bird Streets". A former artists' colony, remnants remain of the clubhouse, pool, and cabins scattered across streets with bird names, such as Meadow Lark, Blackbird, Bluebird, and Hummingbird located directly behind Calabasas High School.
Climate
Calabasas has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Communities
Below is a list of residential communities within Calabasas, organized by the streets to which they are connected.
- From Parkway Calabasas:
- Calabasas Hills, Calabasas Park Estates, Westridge, Vista Point, The Oaks.
- From Valley Circle Boulevard/Mulholland Highway:
- Mulholland Heights, Mulwood, Las Villas, Bellagio, The Ridge, Creekside, Clairidge, Calabasas Country Estates, Calabasas Highlands, Mountain Park, Abercrombie Ranch Estates, Cold Creek, and Park Moderne.
- From Las Virgenes Road:
- Mountain View Estates, Monte Nido, Deer Springs, Stone Creek, El Encanto, Mont Calabasas, Malibu Canyon Park, The Colony at Calabasas, and Avalon Calabasas (formerly Archstone Calabasas).
- From Lost Hills Road:
- Calabasas View, Saratoga Hills, Saratoga Ranch, Deer Springs, and Steeplechase.
Mont Calabasas, a community on Las Virgenes Road, was annexed into the city of Calabasas in 2011. Prior to annexation, the neighborhood was located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.