San Fernando Valley’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the San Fernando Valley Community
The San Fernando Valley was originally home to the Tataviam and Tongva peoples, who established villages near rivers and seasonal wetlands. In 1769 the Portolá expedition traversed the valley, noting fertile plains and native settlements. Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded in 1797, bringing agriculture, vineyards and ranching to the region.
During the Mexican era, much of the valley became Rancho San Fernando, a huge cattle rancho owned by the Pico family. After California joined the United States, wheat and barley farms replaced cattle, and in the 1870s developers attempted to promote settlement by subdividing land. The valley remained semi‑rural until the early 20th century.
Everything changed when William Mulholland’s Los Angeles Aqueduct delivered water from the Owens Valley in 1913. The valley’s farmland could now support urban growth, and in 1915 residents voted to annex the San Fernando Valley to the City of Los Angeles. The area boomed after World War II as aircraft factories, film studios and defense industries located there; suburban tracts sprouted, linked by the Hollywood Freeway and Ventura Freeway.
Today the San Fernando Valley, home to about 1.8 million people, forms a vital part of Los Angeles with neighborhoods like Burbank, Van Nuys and Northridge. It hosts major studios, aerospace and tech firms alongside parks, hiking trails and the 1,184‑mile Sepulveda Basin. We’re proud to serve the valley’s households and businesses, keeping this historic basin thriving.