Saugus, Santa Clarita, California

Saugus is a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, California. It was one of four communities (with Valencia, Newhall and Canyon Country) that merged in 1987 to create the city of Santa Clarita. Saugus includes the central and north-central portions of the city. It is named after Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built.

Saugus
Neighborhood of Santa Clarita
Saugus High School
Saugus Position in Los Angeles County Show map of Santa Clarita Saugus Saugus (the Los Angeles metropolitan area) Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Saugus Saugus (California) Show map of California
Coordinates: 34.44°N 118.52°W / 34.44; -118.52
Country	United States of America
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Santa Clarita
Elevation [1]	1,266 ft (386 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	91350, 91390
Area code	661
GNIS feature ID	1661408
Website	https://santaclarita.gov
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Saugus, Santa Clarita, California

Baker Ranch Rodeo, Saugus, c. 1926

History

Saugus was first named Newhall by Henry Mayo Newhall, who bought the eastern half of the Del Valle family's Rancho San Francisco from a series of speculators. After he moved the town south in 1879, he renamed the original site for his birthplace, Saugus, Massachusetts.^[2][3]

The Saugus Cafe was established in 1886 on San Fernando Road (now Railroad Avenue). It is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles County.^[4]

The Saugus Speedway first opened in 1939, initially known as Bonelli Stadium. It was the venue for several NASCAR races before its closure in 1995. The Saugus Speedway continues to be the venue for the Santa Clarita Swap Meet.

The 1984 movie Meatballs Part II was filmed here. The movie starred Richard Mulligan, Paul Reubens, and Kim Richards.

In 1987, the city of Santa Clarita was incorporated, encompassing Saugus and the neighboring communities of Canyon Country, Newhall, and part of Valencia.^[5]

On November 14, 2019, a mass shooting took place at Saugus High School. That morning, Nathaniel Berhow, a 16-year-old junior at the school, used a semi-automatic pistol to shoot five other students, killing two of them, before turning his gun on himself. The shooting lasted 16 seconds. Survivors were reunited with their parents at nearby Central Park, and injured students were sent to Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. The shooter succumbed to his self-inflicted injuries the following day in the hospital. A vigil honoring the victims was held at Central Park the next day.^[6][7]

Education

Elementary school students in Saugus attend schools in the Saugus Union School District. Junior high and high school students attend schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District. Most junior high and high school students in Saugus attend Arroyo Seco Junior High School and Saugus High School; some attend nearby Golden Valley, Hart, and Valencia High Schools and the corresponding junior high schools.^[8][9]

Transportation

Saugus is located on the path of the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line. The line's Santa Clarita station is located in Saugus on the south side of Soledad Canyon Road. Bouquet Canyon Road is a major thoroughfare through Saugus, running northeast-southwest from the Angeles National Forest north of the city to Magic Mountain Parkway on the border with Valencia. Other major thoroughfares in Saugus include Seco Canyon Road, Haskell Canyon Road, Plum Canyon Road, Soledad Canyon Road, Newhall Ranch Road, Copper Hill Drive, and Golden Valley Road. All aforementioned streets except for Copper Hill Drive and Golden Valley Road intersect Bouquet Canyon Road; Copper Hill Drive is connected to Bouquet Canyon Road by David Way, a short residential street.^[10]

Demographics

As of 2019, the population of the 91350 zip code (which encompasses most of Saugus) was 36,173.^[11] The median household income in 91350 was $117,707.^[12] The part of Saugus north of Copper Hill Drive is in zip code 91390, shared with parts of unincorporated Canyon Country and all of Agua Dulce and Green Valley.^[13]

Notable people

• Red Callender, jazz musician^[14]
• Harry Carey, actor^[15]
• Harry Carey Jr., actor^[16]
• Frank Coghlan Jr., actor and naval aviator^[17]
• Mandy Gonzalez, actress and singer^[18]
• Ross Lonsberry, professional hockey player^[19]
• Nick Nickson, Los Angeles Kings announcer^[20]
• Ruby Rose Turner, actress^[21]
• Abbey Weitzeil, Olympic swimmer^[22]

See also

• Central Park - the largest city park in Santa Clarita, located in Saugus
• San Gabriel Fault
• Santa Clarita Valley
• Saugus Speedway
• Saugus station

References

1. elevation.maplogs.com (Saugus High School)
2. The name is Algonquian and translates to “outlet. ”Capace, Nancy (1999). Encyclopedia of California. North American Book Dist LLC. Page 428. ISBN 9780403093182.
3. Alvarenga, Emily (2019-05-26). "The history behind the names: SCV edition". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
4. "Original Saugus Cafe: LA's oldest restaurant struggling after recent outdoor dining ban". FOX11 Los Angeles. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
5. Boston, John; Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society (2009). Santa Clarita Valley. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7385-6938-3.
6. "Santa Clarita shooting: 2 teens killed; attack came on suspect's birthday, officials say". The Los Angeles Times. November 14, 2019. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
7. "2 Students Killed, 4 Wounded in Saugus High School Shooting". SCV History. 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
8. "Wm. S. Hart Union High SD". SchoolSite Locator. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
9. "Santa Clarita Neighborhoods". Google My Maps. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
10. Google Maps
11. "Total Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
12. "Selected Economic Characteristics". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
13. U.S. Census Bureau map of ZIP code tabulation areas (Retrieved April 24, 2021)
14. "Red Callender Dies; Jazz Bassist Was 76". The New York Times. 11 March 1992.
15. Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation: Tesoro Adobe Historic Park Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine.
16. Biography for Harry Carey Jr. at IMDb
17. McLellan, Dennis (September 17, 2009). "Frank Coghlan Jr. dies at 93; actor played Billy Batson in landmark Captain Marvel serial". Los Angeles Times.
18. Irwin, Kim (February 6, 1995). "Saugus Teen Dreams of Seeing Name in Lights". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
19. "The Champs of '75", Sports Illustrated, July 31, 2000.
20. Golden, Brain (November 22, 2019). "Kings to Help Raise Money for Saugus HS". Antelope Valley Press. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
21. "Saugus resident to star in new Disney Channel series". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
22. Gallegos, Danielle (August 15, 2020). "Saugus High alum sets sights on 2021 Olympic goals". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

External links

• Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society: History of Saugus website — photos, text, TV shows.