La Cañada Flintridge, commonly known simply as La Cañada (Spanish for ‘The Canyon’), is a city in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, California. Take a look below for 15 awesome and fun facts about La Canada Flintridge, California, United States.
1. Located in the Crescenta Valley, in the western edge of Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley, it is the home of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
2. During the Spanish and Mexican eras, the area was known as Rancho La Cañada.
3. Before the city’s incorporation in 1976, it consisted of two distinct communities, La Cañada and Flintridge.
4. La Cañada comes from the Spanish word cañada, meaning ‘canyon’, ‘gorge’, or ‘ravine’; Flintridge was named after its developer, United States Senator Frank P. Flint.
5. Flintridge comprises the southern part of the city, covering the northern flank of the San Rafael Hills, but more generally including most areas south of Foothill Blvd. The eastern part, even north of Foothill Blvd, was also originally considered Flintridge and is still home to the Flintridge Riding Club and Flintridge Preparatory School.
6. Reference to the entire city is often shortened to just “La Cañada” or seldom to just “Flintridge”. The full city name specifically does not have a hyphen in it, to illustrate unity between the two communities that became one.
7. In a 2015 issue of Forbes, La Cañada Flintridge ranked as the 121st most expensive U.S. city.
8. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is located on the eastern end of La Cañada Flintridge (though its mailing address is in Pasadena). It is the primary United States research and development center for the robotic exploration of the Solar System.
9. The first Frisbee golf course is located in the Hahamongna Watershed Park (formerly Oak Grove Park), outside of La Cañada Flintridge and across the street from La Cañada High School.
10. Descanso Gardens hosts the largest collection of camellia species in North America.
11. The La Cañada Town Center opened on August 21, 2008. The $60 million shopping center development at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest Highway includes a remodeled Taylor’s Steakhouse, a Panera Bread, a HomeGoods store, a Habit Burger Grill, a Blaze Pizza, and other retailers and eateries. The former Sports Chalet flagship store and corporate headquarters were the anchor tenants until their bankruptcy and subsequent closure in April 2016. The Sport Chalet store was replaced by a small-format Target store as a “test-in-concept”, and the former corporate offices for Sports Chalet next door is now the new city hall, replacing the original built in 1975.
12. La Cañada Congregational Church, formerly Church of the Lighted Window, is the city’s oldest church.
13. Lanterman House, museum and local historical archives is one of the early (1915) homes of the area.
14. La Cañada Flintridge is the southern terminus of the Angeles Crest Highway. It begins at the intersection with Foothill Boulevard and follows a two-mile, 5% grade before entering the San Gabriel Mountains.
15. On September 5, 2008, a big rig carrying 78,000 pounds of onions lost its brakes on the Angeles Crest Highway. To avoid a collision with the Hill Street Café at the intersection with Foothill Boulevard, the rig turned towards a small driveway, sideswiped the Café, crashed into a wall, a garbage bin, a tree and six vehicles before coming to rest in the parking lot. James Bines, 43, of Florida, and his passenger, Willy Robinson, had been hauling a full load of onions through the high desert area in the 18-wheeler. They traveled over the Angeles Crest Highway because, Bines said, he had received directions from his global positioning system that the highway, State Route 2, was the most direct route from there to Los Angeles.
