Snugly nestled in the northern foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, the City of Westlake Village is nine miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 38 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.
Roughly 3,000 years ago, Chumash Indians moved into the region and lived by hunting and gathering. In 1770, Captain Gaspar de Portola led a party of Spanish explorers and missionaries, traveling north on the route that became known as the El Camino Real. When the Spanish finally did settle the area, they were given huge land grants, the largest of which was Rancho Simi, given to the Pico family.
In 1881, the Russell brothers purchased a large portion of the land for cattle ranching. The area continued to be known as the Russell Ranch although it was sold in 1925 to William Randolph Hearst and again in 1943 to Fred Albertson.
In l963, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company bought the 12,000 acre ranch for $32 million. Prominent architects, engineers, and land planners participated in designing a unique, integrated community that has become a nationally acclaimed model for the planned community concept. “The city in the country” was named Westlake Village and soon became recognized as one of America’s most successful suburbs and finest areas to live, work and raise a family.
The Russell family leased back part of the land to continue its successful cattle ranch operation while the Albertson Company used the vast acreage as a movie ranch. Many movies and television shows were filmed here, including “Robin Hood,” “King Rat,” “Laredo,” and various episodes of “Tarzan,” “Buck Rogers,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Bonanza.”
Westlake Village itself is home to a number of corporate headquarters, including Dole Food Company, K-Swiss and Homestore.com to name a few. Continued business growth and vitality in Westlake Village is supported through “fast-tracking” the development review and entitlement process, the Citys’ “no business tax” commitment, a highly educated pool of workers, and the business-friendly orientation of the City Council and staff. Companies seeking to relocate or expand will find a wide range of commercial business parks available within the City. Two outstanding examples include the Spectrum business center and the Westlake North office parks.
