Woodland Hills History

Posted on 01/01/17

Remind Me

It was in this area, now named Woodland Hills, that the treaty was signed to end the Mexican War. This cleared the way for California to be admitted to the union in 1850 as the 31st state.

Girard Kleinberger a visionary and entrepreneur, foresaw a large population and a thriving economy in the town he named Girard, as he later came to call himself.

Girard was an ambitious man who had a penchant for deceit. In 1922, Girard and Boulevard Land Company purchased 2,886 acres, which was subdivided into 6,000 lots. Girard sold thousands of small lots. To expedite land sales in his new town in 1923, Girard erected gates, a mosque tower, and a business district with rows of stones with false fronts to convey the impression of a flourishing economy. Girard planted trees by the thousands throughout the area. The depression proved disastrous to the ambitions of the Girard Real Estate Company.

Later, in an attempt to hold off bankruptcy and his creditors, Girard attached liens to all the property he sold without informing the buyers! In spite of his unscrupulous methods, Girard believed in the town and the land, and his plan worked. His advertisements in the newspaper did, in fact, attract new residents and businesses, and a great deal of new construction was initiated. 

In 1941, residents of the community banded together to improve the community's image and renamed it Woodland Hills. This was the origin of the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce

During the 30’s Harry Warner, the motion picture pioneer started amassing what was to become known as the Warner Ranch and eventually acquired 1,200 acres where he raised thoroughbred racing horses.

When Warner liquidated much of his real estate holdings in the 1980s, a number of large corporations bought and developed portions of the master planned business development. Some 630 acres of Warner's vast ranch was acquired by Kaiser Aetna and assured the name's continued prominence into the area now known as Warner Center.

With Warner Center still at the core of the business district, Woodland Hills enjoys a strong financial establishment, an upscale residential base, the finest health care, outstanding retail and dining facilities, excellent educational institutions, and recreational opportunities without equal - all in beautiful Southern California.