- We had 234,353 people visit our pools in 2016. They got to enjoy the 1,174,000 gallons of water in the three pools at the Aquatic Center.
- These days everyone seems to have a smart phone in hand, but did you know that the first telephone came to the Santa Clarita Valley on July 12, 1900? The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. established the Newhall telephone exchange on that day and the second phone was not installed until 1911.
- There are 1,968 trees in Central Park!
- He lives in a pineapple under the sea, but SpongeBob’s creator, Marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, was a CalArts student in 1989 right here in Santa Clarita. He developed the prototype for the cartoon character and now has an estimated net worth of $90 million.
- We have a herd of bison in Santa Clarita, which is a pretty cool fact in itself. To add to that, they were gifted to the county by none other than Walt Disney. In 1962, a herd of eight American bison were donated by Disney. They live at William S. Hart Park and you can see descendants from that original herd there today roaming throughout their 10-acre home.
- On January 29, 1945, local residents voted 1,184-7 to create Santa Clarita Union High School District, later named William S. Hart.
- Canyon Country resident Allyson Felix won a gold medal in the 200-meter sprint at the London Olympics in 2012.
- lf you haven’t been, make it a point to check out Mentryville. Established in 1876, the town was originally a haven for those hoping to find gold, but it was oil that put the area on the map. Discovered in Pico Canyon, Pico Number 4 was the first successful commercial oil well in the west.
- Old Town Newhall is undergoing a transformation…the historic charm remains, but find out what’s new at OldTownNewhall.com.
- The City of Santa Clarita’s sister cities are: Tena, Napo, Ecuador and Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines.
- Santa Clarita’s art bear family is about to grow from six to eight with the addition of the Amgen Tour of California bear and the Canyon Theater Guild bear.
- The original Newhall Elementary School was built at the northeast corner of 9th and Walnut streets. Judge John F. Powell financed the staggering $3,500 construction cost, but the school had a hard time keeping its doors open. It burned to the ground not once, not twice, but three times at three different locations.
- The City’s Youth Sports program hosted 102,743 youth sports participants in the last year.
- The Film Office recorded 548 film permits and 1,366 film days in 2016, which generated an estimated economic impact of $33.1 million to the local community.
- It is the brightest night in November. The City’s annual Light Up Main event illuminates Old Town Newhall with more than 100,000 lights!
- $1.75 million – that’s the value of the 63,455 volunteer hours completed last year in the City.
- The City of Santa Clarita has given away more than 25,000 trees and over 300 tons of tree mulch at the annual Earth Arbor Day Festival.
- Shane Vereen, a 2007 Valencia High graduate, had a game-leading 11 catches to help his team, the New England Patriots, defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
- Picture 422,000 pounds of trash. That is how much was removed from our Santa Clara River during the annual River Rally.
- More than 93% of construction and demolition debris in Santa Clarita has been recycled, totaling over 87,000 tons.
- The City’s Storm Drain team checks and clears 321 storm drains each year. Over the years, in addition to leaves and debris, the team has recovered items like keys, toys and cell phones, and rescued kittens and ducks!
- Animator and film directors Tim Burton and John Lasseter, and actors Don Cheadle and Paul Reubens aka “Pee-wee Herman” attended California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
- Despite its usually dry appearance, the Santa Clara River is a lively natural resource; home to 14 endangered bird species, six endangered plant species, 57 archaeological sites and 12 historic landmarks.
- The Santa Clarita Marathon, held in November, is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
- The City has been declared a federal disaster area 11 times. Santa Clarita is no stranger to earthquakes, wildfires and floods. Find out how to be prepared for emergencies at santa-clarita.com/Emergency.
- The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures visited Santa Clarita to investigate Heritage Junction, which is rich in history and allegedly a paranormal hot spot.
- In 2016 alone, more than 11,350 graffiti tags were removed.
- Santa Clarita Transit operates over 100 vehicles, providing 2.7 million local rides and 518,000 commuter rides annually.
- 615,000 patrons visited our three library branches which circulated over 1 million books and materials last year. Santa Clarita’s long history with oak trees dates back to the 1800s.
- Today, the City’s Urban Forestry team is maintaining over 50,000 oak trees and 75,000 other public trees within City limits. The City proactively prunes more than 25,000 trees each year.
