Calabasas (, ; corruption of calabazas, Spanish for "squashes") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is adjacent to the southwestern San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles.City of Calabasas Official website Situated within the foothills of the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Calabasas has a population of 22,491 (as of July 1, 2022).QuickFacts : Calabasas city, California United States Census Bureau
History The name Calabasas is an archaic Californio variant spelling of the Spanish word calabazas, meaning "winter squashes" (the area abounds in wild squashes). The Spanish botanist Jose Longinos Martinez recorded Las Calabazas as a place name in 1792.
The San Fernando Valley has been inhabited by the Chumash and Tongva for thousands of years. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to set foot on the land. In 1770, an expedition headed by Gaspar de Portolá crossed the area while returning to Mexico from Northern California. In 1776, a northbound party of explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped there on its way from Mexico.
Calabasas was the name given to a ranchería in the Los Angeles area in 1795. The Leonis Adobe, in Old Town Calabasas, dates back to 1844 and is one of the oldest existing buildings in greater Los Angeles. The city was incorporated on April 5, 1991, making it the newest city in Los Angeles County.
Geography Calabasas is situated in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, between the foothills of the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains. It is northwest of downtown Los Angeles (via US 101). The city is bordered by the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles to the northeast, Topanga to the east, Malibu to the south, Agoura Hills to the west, and Hidden Hills to the north. The commemorative El Camino Real runs east–west through Calabasas as the Ventura Freeway (US 101).
By 2015, several annexations had increased the city's total land area to .Cimberly Castellon and the Calabasas/Las Virgenes Historical Society. Calabasas Arcadia Publishing, 2015, p. 7
One of the oldest neighborhoods in Calabasas is Park Moderne, or the "Bird Streets". A former artists' colony, remnants remain of the clubhouse, pool, and cabins scattered across streets with bird names, such as Meadow Lark, Blackbird, Bluebird, and Hummingbird located directly behind Calabasas High School.
Climate Calabasas has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Communities Below is a list of residential communities within Calabasas, organized by the streets to which they are connected. From Parkway Calabasas: Calabasas Hills, Calabasas Park Estates, Westridge, Vista Point, The Oaks. From Valley Circle Boulevard/Mulholland Highway: Mulholland Heights, Mulwood, Las Villas, Bellagio, The Ridge, Creekside, Clairidge, Calabasas Country Estates, Calabasas Highlands, Mountain Park, Abercrombie Ranch Estates, Cold Creek, and Park Moderne. From Las Virgenes Road: Mountain View Estates, Monte Nido, Deer Springs, Stone Creek, El Encanto, Mont Calabasas, Malibu Canyon Park, The Colony at Calabasas, and Avalon Calabasas (formerly Archstone Calabasas). From Lost Hills Road: Calabasas View, Saratoga Hills, Saratoga Ranch, Deer Springs, and Steeplechase.
Mont Calabasas, a community on Las Virgenes Road, was annexed into the city of Calabasas in 2011. Prior to annexation, the neighborhood was located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.
Demographics
Calabasas first appeared as a city in the 2000 U.S. census. Prior to that, the area was part of the unincorporated portion of the Calabasas census county division.
Racial and ethnic composition +Calabasas city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)16,78918,33217,17583.81%79.50%73.90%Black or African American alone (NH)2223565151.11%1.54%2.22%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2230310.11%0.13%0.13%Asian alone (NH)1,5291,9772,1847.63%8.57%9.40%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)76120.03%0.03%0.05%Other race alone (NH)56681700.28%0.29%0.73%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)4598081,2002.29%3.50%5.16%Hispanic or Latino (any race)9491,4811,9544.74%6.42%8.41%Total20,03323,05823,241100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Calabasas had a population of 23,241 and a population density of .
The age distribution was 21.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% aged 18 to 24, 19.6% aged 25 to 44, 30.5% aged 45 to 64, and 19.4% aged 65 or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.2 males age 18 and over.
94.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.9% lived in rural areas.
The whole population lived in households. There were 8,850 households, of which 33.4% had children under age 18. Of all households, 55.8% were married-couple households, 4.8% were cohabiting couple households, 14.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 25.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of households were one-person households, and 9.3% had one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63. There were 6,398 families (72.3% of all households).
There were 9,289 housing units at an average density of , of which 8,850 (95.3%) were occupied and 4.7% were vacant. Of occupied units, 70.2% were owner-occupied and 29.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%, and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.
2023 ACS estimates In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $157,938, and the per capita income was $98,120. About 5.9% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported Calabasas to have a population of 23,058. The population density was .
The Census reported that 23,049 people lived in households, 9 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and none were institutionalized. Of 8,543 households, 3,320 (38.9%) had children under the age of 18 living at home, 5,124 (60.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 942 (11.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 315 (3.7%) had a male householder with no wife present, 310 (3.6%) were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 31 (0.4%) were same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 1,624 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals, and 525 (6.1%) consisted of someone living alone who was age 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 6,381 families (74.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.
The population consisted of 5,841 people (25.3%) under age 18, 1,875 people (8.1%) age 18 to 24, 5,025 people (21.8%) age 25 to 44, 7,414 people (32.2%) age 45 to 64, and 2,903 people (12.6%) age 65 or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males age 18 and over.
The 8,878 housing units averaged , of which 6,287 (73.6%) were owner-occupied, and 2,256 (26.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. Around 17,769 people (77.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,280 people (22.9%) lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, Calabasas had a median household income of $124,583, with 6.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
2000 census As of 2000, Russian and German were the most common ancestries. Iran and Canada were the most common foreign places of birth.
Economy
The corporate headquarters of Harbor Freight Tools, The Cheesecake Factory, and DTS, Inc. are located in Calabasas. Calabasas is also known as one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
Top employers According to the city's 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer of Employees 1Las Virgenes Unified School District1,011 2The Cheesecake Factory637 3Harbor Freight Tools515 4Viewpoint School313 5AmaWaterways243 6Pepperdine University199 7Keysight Technologies172 8Las Virgenes Water District125 9Bob Smith BMW & Mini119 10Albertsons90
Technology center During the dot-com bubble, a number of technology companies were located on a stretch of Agoura Rd. parallel to the US 101 Freeway, leading that area of Calabasas to develop a reputation as the "101 Technology Corridor". These businesses included several computer networking companies Xylan (later Alcatel-Lucent), Netcom Systems (later Spirent Communications), Ixia Communications, j2 Global Communications, Tekelec, and software company Digital Insight. Although some of these companies have since relocated, been acquired, or ceased operations, the area continues to be home to a significant technology presence.
Arts and culture
Annual events The city sponsors many annual events, including: The Pumpkin Festival Eggstravaganza The Fine Arts Festival The Fourth of July Spectacular The Calabasas Film Festival SunSets Concerts
Weekly events The Calabasas Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 8:00am to 1:00pm at 23504 Calabasas Road.
Tourism
Claretville of Calabasas / King Gillette Ranch
The Claretians (The Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rome, or The Claretian Order) of the Catholic Church had come to Southern California by way of Mexico in the early 1900s, working in Los Angeles inner-city missions. From 1952 to 1977, they operated the Theological Seminary of Claretville and the Immaculate Heart Claretian Novitiate on the former Gillette Estate, which they renamed Claretville. Thomas Aquinas College rented the Claretville campus from the Claretians from 1971 to 1978. When the Claretians sold their Claretville property in 1978 to Clare Prophet and her Church Universal and Triumphant, Thomas Aquinas College began construction on a permanent campus in Santa Paula, California. museum of san fernando valley_Claretville The Gillette Estate/Claretville property is known as the King Gillette Ranch and is part of Malibu Creek State Park. The land and historic structures by architect Wallace Neff are at the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road in unincorporated Calabasas.
Hindu temple The Malibu Hindu Temple, located on Las Virgenes Road in unincorporated Calabasas, is visited by many Hindus and others from both in and outside California. The Hindu Temple Society of Southern California was incorporated in the State of California as a nonprofit religious organization on August 18, 1977.
Parks and recreation The City of Calabasas Community Services Department operates a number of facilities.
These include: Calabasas Senior Center: 300 Civic Center Way Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center: 23400 Park Sorrento Calabasas Klubhouse and Creekside Park: 3655 Old Topanga Canyon Road Juan Bautista de Anza Park: 3701 Lost Hills Road Grape Arbor Park: 5100 Parkville Road Gates Canyon Park and Brandon's Village: 25801 Thousand Oaks Blvd Wild Walnut Park: 23050 Mulholland Highway Highlands Park: 23581 Summit Drive Calabasas Pickleball Club: 5155 Old Scandia Lane
Brandon's Village is a public playground located at Gates Canyon Park in Calabasas. It serves over 5,000 special needs children from Calabasas and surrounding communities. Designed by Shane's Inspiration, a nonprofit organization that designs and builds universally accessible playgrounds, Brandon's Village is about in size. Its playground equipment is over 70% independently playable by children with disabilities, and also provides meaningful and stimulating play opportunities for children without disabilities.