5 cultural sites in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles

This half-mile-long mural along the Tujunga Flood Control Channel is a pictorial history of the ethnic people of California from prehistoric times to the mid-20th century. Conceived by artist Judy Baca, it was completed in the 1970s with more than 400 youth and their families participating in its creation.

One of the best concentrations of murals in the city, the three miles of Van Nuys Boulevard surrounding Pacoima City Hall feature more than 50 murals, many of which portray the area’s history. Artist and Pacoima native Levi Ponce contributed more than a dozen of these murals, created with a crew of collaborators.

Built in the 1870s, this was the home of Miguel Leonis, a sheep rancher and real estate investor who owned a large portion of the western San Fernando Valley at the time. Today, his former estate is a historical monument with a museum that explores and preserves California ranch life in the 1880s.

This 1700-seat theater on the campus of California State University in Northridge offers multidisciplinary performances that feature performers and artists from around the world. The idea is to appeal to all of LA’s rich and diverse communities; check the schedule because they do!

Open to the public with free admission only on Saturdays, this collection of historical artifacts pertaining to the San Fernando Valley is vast and worth saving a weekend afternoon for. There are vintage neon signs, photographs, clothing, cars, and even bicycles, all of which tell the history of the Valley’s rich past.