Simi Valley

Simi Valley fills a long valley between the Santa Susana Mountains and the Simi Hills at the eastern edge of Ventura County, right next to the San Fernando Valley. It is largely suburban and residential, with neighborhoods that run up into the foothills and a mountain backdrop in nearly every direction.

Buyers often look here for more space for the money compared with the Conejo Valley or the west San Fernando Valley, while keeping a workable drive into Los Angeles on the 118. Homes range from 1960s-70s single-story tracts to newer hillside and golf-course communities and horse-property areas.

• The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum sits on a hilltop on the city's west side.
• Simi Valley Town Center and the Los Angeles Avenue and Cochran Street corridors handle shopping and dining.
• Strathearn Historical Park and the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center keep local history and theater alive.
• Youth sports, a large park system and several golf courses make it a strongly family-oriented city.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District runs the city's parks, pools and open space. Popular trail areas include Rocky Peak Park and Corriganville Park (an old movie-ranch site) on the east end, Mount McCoy above the Reagan Library, and Tapo Canyon on the north side. Sage Ranch and the Santa Susana Pass are just over the hills.

• Simi Valley Unified School District serves the city, with comprehensive high schools Simi Valley High and Royal High, and Santa Susana High, a choice school focused on arts and technology.
• The district operates elementary and middle schools across the valley, including magnet and choice programs.
• Moorpark College is about 15 minutes west.

Confirm the school assignment for a specific address with the district.

• Wood Ranch: a golf-course community in the south-west with larger homes and nearby trails.
• Big Sky and other north-side foothill neighborhoods: newer homes with valley views.
• Bridle Path and Santa Susana Knolls (the latter unincorporated): equestrian and larger-lot properties.
• Central and east Simi: 1960s-1980s single-family tracts close to schools, parks and shopping.

• Freeways: SR-118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway) runs the length of the valley, connecting west to SR-23 and east to I-405 and I-5; SR-23 links south to Thousand Oaks and the 101.
• Rail: The Simi Valley station serves Metrolink's Ventura County Line and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.
• Approximate drive times (light traffic): Chatsworth/Northridge 15 min, Thousand Oaks 20 min, Hollywood Burbank Airport 35 min, downtown Los Angeles 45 min to 1 hr (longer at rush hour), Santa Barbara about 1 hr 20 min.

Electricity: Southern California Edison (SCE) owns the lines, reads the meter and sends the bill (sce.com, 1-800-655-4555). Simi Valley is a member of Clean Power Alliance (CPA), so homes are enrolled in CPA for the power supply by default; the default tier is Lean Power. Customers can switch tiers or opt out at cleanpoweralliance.org or 888-585-3788.

Natural gas: Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) (socalgas.com, 1-800-427-2200). Some rural and hillside homes use propane instead, so check the listing.

Water: Two providers split the city: Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8, run by the City (about 60% of the city; 805-583-6736), and Golden State Water Company (mostly the east end; 1-800-999-4033). The City's address lookup shows which one serves a property.

Sewer: City of Simi Valley Sanitation Services.

Trash and recycling: Waste Management (G.I. Industries) under an exclusive City franchise (805-522-9400).

Internet: Spectrum (cable) is the most common wired option; Frontier or AT&T offer DSL or fiber depending on the neighborhood, and fixed-wireless (T-Mobile, Verizon) and satellite services fill gaps. Look up the exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map.

Providers can change from one street to the next. Before you close, confirm each service for the exact address with the provider (or ask us and we will help).