San Fernando

History

Prior to the arrival of Spanish missionaries and soldiers, the area of San Fernando was in the northwestern extent of Tovaangar, or the homelands of the Tongva. The nearby village of Pasheeknga was a major site for the Tongva, being the most populous village in the San Fernando Valley at the time. The homelands of the Tataviam could be found to the north and the Chumash to the west. The Mission San Fernando Rey de España (named after St. Ferdinand) was founded in 1797 at the site of Achooykomenga, an agricultural rancho established by Juan Francisco Reyes for Pueblo de Los Ángeles worked by Ventureño Chumash, Fernandeño (Tongva), and Tataviam laborers. In 1833, the mission was secularized by the Mexican government. During its time as a mission, 1,367 native children were baptized at San Fernando, of which 965 died in childhood. The high death rate of children and adults at the missions sometimes led those kept at the mission to run away. In 1846, the area became part of the Mexican land grant of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando. In 1874, Charles Maclay, bought of the Rancho. In 1882, cousins George K. Porter and Benjamin F. Porter, of future Porter Ranch, each received one-third of the total land. In 1885, Maclay founded the Maclay School of Theology, a Methodist seminary in San Fernando. After his death it became an affiliate and moved to the campus of the University of Southern California and then the Claremont School of Theology. In August 1911, a motion to incorporate as an independent city passed by eight votes. While most of the towns in the surrounding San Fernando Valley agreed to annexation by Los Angeles in the 1910s, eager to tap the bountiful water supply provided by the newly opened Los Angeles Aqueduct, San Fernando's abundant groundwater supplies…

Geography

San Fernando is completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, with the neighborhoods of Sylmar to the north, Lake View Terrace to the east, Pacoima to the south, and Mission Hills to the west. It is served by the Golden State (Interstate 5), Foothill (Interstate 210), Ronald Reagan (State Route 118), and San Diego (Interstate 405) freeways.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  28,110
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,766
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  20,893
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  20,698
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  19,496
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,036
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  17,422
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  16,730

Largest nearby schools

• Granada Hills Charter
  Other · Granada Hills · 5,869 students · 25.4:1 ratio
• Birmingham Community Charter High
  High · Lake Balboa · 3,058 students · 23.5:1 ratio
• Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
  Other · San Fernando · 2,877 students · 21:1 ratio
• Grover Cleveland Charter High
  High · Reseda · 2,781 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• North Hollywood Senior High
  High · North Hollywood · 2,489 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Burbank High
  High · Burbank · 2,447 students · 24.7:1 ratio
• Van Nuys Senior High
  High · Van Nuys · 2,323 students · 20.7:1 ratio
• John H. Francis Polytechnic
  High · Sun Valley · 2,232 students · 19.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.81008714964485 — 2026-09-30
  4 km SE of Piru, CA
• M 3.55404092525043 — 2026-09-27
  7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA
• M 2.53 — 2026-09-18
  11 km N of Fillmore, CA
• M 2.94 — 2026-09-17
  4 km SSE of Compton, CA
• M 2.56 — 2026-09-13
  27 km SSE of Malibu, CA
• M 2.65 — 2026-09-12
  4 km E of Lennox, CA