PORTER RANCH
MEMBER BENEFITS
By the late 1880s most latecomers found it more difficult to find good farmland in the valley . Most were consigned to seek out marginal land in the surrounding hills for ranches and homesteads .
So Benjamin sold the western end of his land to the San Fernando Valley Improvement Company , which created the Chatsworth Park subdivision and then he farmed his remaining acreage . George Porter and Senator Maclay also subdivided their lands . In the late 1930 ’ s the author W . W . Robinson described the ranch lands as containing large ranch estates on 10,000 acres of rolling hills with magnificent vistas . It must have been a sight to see , for sure .
Benjamin Porter ’ s descendants decided to hold onto the ranch until the early 1960s . But this area was definitely still thought of as ranch land . During the late 1960 ’ s and early 1970 ’ s the unofficial entrance to Porter Ranch was even marked with two horse and rider statues . One was at the northwest corner of Tampa and Devonshire and the other was located at the northeast corner on Devonshire and Tunney . Rumor has it that many years later , one of the statues was found in a local trash dumpster .
This area eventually garnered the reputation of housing horse ranches for numerous celebrities and also served as a filming location for several major movie studios . In cinema history , Porter Ranch was most notable as the location of large portions of the famous film , E . T . the Extra-terrestrial , in 1982 . There were a number of shots from the Steven Spielberg blockbuster where they featured views looking down on the Porter Ranch neighborhood that sits beneath the ridge in Palisades Park . Porter Ridge Park is also the sight of the park scene at the end of the movie .
But eventually suburban development found its way to this remote community . Believe it or not , Porter Ranch was also the last community in the San Fernando Valley to join the City of Los Angeles .
It ’ s almost hard to imagine it being so remote as now it ’ s filled with upscale homes in gated communities and has gone from horse country to suburbia , full of upscale , single-family homes . The district , one of the higher median incomes in the San Fernando Valley , has a population that is almost 60 % White and almost 30 % Asian . Most of the residents commute to nearby cities such as Simi Valley and Downtown Los Angeles for work . With the strong public transportation access , via the Chatsworth and Northridge stations from the Metrolink commuter rail system , it ’ s no wonder .
While it is just minutes from hiking trails and spectacular scenic views that may be reminiscent of it ’ s more rural days that are long gone , it ’ s also home to the Porter Valley Country Club , the Porter Ranch Town Center , the North Valley YMCA , parks , public library and several high-performing schools .
Yet even today , the community of Porter Ranch is still growing . Newly gated communities are being built and businesses are moving into commercial space . The community remains vibrant , offering residents , businesses and visitors a ‘ small-town ’ feel with big city advantages . It ’ s an exciting time for this tiny city that ’ s still growing , and no telling what great things are in store
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