Westlake Village

Settled snugly in the northern foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in western Los Angeles County, the City of Westlake Village is nine miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 38 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Occupying only 5.4 square miles, averaging 900 feet above sea level, the community is framed by the Simi Hills to the north and the Santa Monica Mountains to the south.

In 1963, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company bought the 12,000 acre ranch for $32 million and, in partnership with Prudential Insurance Company, commissioned the preparation of a master plan for a “City in the country.” 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 original master-planned community of Westlake Village is transected diagonally by the Los Angeles and Ventura County line. The Los Angeles County side, consisting of 3,456 acres, was incorporated as the City of Westlake Village in 1981 and became the 82nd municipality in Los Angeles County. The Ventura County side, comprised of the remaining 8,544 acres of the original Russell ranch, was annexed into the City of Thousand Oaks in two portions in 1968 and 1972.