Simi Valley

History

Simi Valley's name is derived from the Chumash word Shimiyi, which refers to the stringy, thread-like clouds that typify the region. The name could have originated from the strands of mist from coastal fog that move into the Oxnard Plain and wind their way up the Calleguas Creek and the Arroyo Las Posas into Simi Valley. The origin of the name was preserved because of the work of the anthropologist John P. Harrington, whose brother, Robert E. Harrington lived in Simi Valley. Robert Harrington later explained the name: "The word Simiji in Indian meant the little white wind clouds so often seen when the wind blows up here and Indians living on the coast, would never venture up here when those wind clouds were in the sky. The word Simiji was constructed by whites to the word Simi. There are other explanations about the name Simi, but this one was given to me by my brother who worked over 40 years for the Smithsonian Institution and it seems most plausible to me". Three Chumash settlements existed in Simi Valley during the Mission period in the late 18th and early 19th century: Shimiyi, Ta'apu (present-day Tapo Canyon), and Kimishax or Quimicas (Happy Camp Canyon west of Moorpark College). There are many Chumash cave paintings in the area containing pictographs, including the Burro Flats Painted Cave in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, West Hills, and Bell Canyon. The cave is located on private land owned by NASA. Other areas containing Chumash Native American pictographs in the Simi Hills are by Lake Manor and Chatsworth. The first Europeans to visit Simi Valley were members of the Spanish Portolá expedition (1769–1770), the first European land entry and exploration of the present-day state of California. The expedition traversed…

Geography

Simi Valley is a city located in the very southeast corner of Ventura County, bordering the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, and is a part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The city of Simi Valley primarily consists of the eponymous valley itself. The city of Simi Valley borders the Santa Susana Mountains to the north, the Simi Hills to the east and south, and is adjacent to Thousand Oaks to the southwest and Moorpark to the west. Simi Valley is connected to the nearby San Fernando Valley by the Santa Susana Pass in the extreme east of Simi Valley. The syncline Simi Valley is located in the western part of the region called the Transverse Ranges. While the Santa Susana Mountains separate the valley from the Los Padres National Forest in the north, the Simi Hills separate it from Conejo Valley in the south. In the extreme east is Rocky Peak, one of Santa Susana Mountains' highest peaks, which is a dividing line between Ventura County to the west and Los Angeles County to the east. On the other side of the valley, in the extreme west side of Simi Valley is Mount McCoy, which may be most known for its 12 ft. concrete cross that sits at its peak. The physiographical valley is a structural as well as a topographic depression. The Simi Valley, just as neighboring San Fernando Valley, owes its existence and shape to the faulting and folding of the rocks. It is essentially a structural valley and not wholly the work of erosion. It is drained by the Calleguas Creek and also its principal tributary, Conejo Creek. Both of these originate in the Santa Susana Mountains. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.2 sq mi (109.4 km2), comprising 41.5 sq mi (107.4 km2) of land and 0.77 sq mi (2.0 km2), or 1.81%, of it is…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  20,440
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,245
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  15,436
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,413
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  12,780
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  12,595
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  12,269
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  12,242

Largest nearby schools

• California Virtual Academy @ Los Angeles
  Other · Simi Valley · 5,407 students · 28.2:1 ratio
• California Virtual Academy @ San Diego
  Other · Simi Valley · 3,294 students · 28.6:1 ratio
• California Virtual Academy @ San Joaquin
  Other · Simi Valley · 2,561 students · 28.8:1 ratio
• Westlake High
  High · Westlake Village · 2,083 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• Royal High
  High · Simi Valley · 1,973 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Simi Valley High
  High · Simi Valley · 1,935 students · 23.6:1 ratio
• Moorpark High
  High · Moorpark · 1,849 students · 26:1 ratio
• Thousand Oaks High
  High · Thousand Oaks · 1,771 students · 20.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.69 — 2026-10-05
  7 km SE of Goleta, CA
• 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