This article is about a town in Los Angeles County. For the music album by Colin Hay, see Topanga_(album).

Topanga, California is an unincorporated neighborhood in western Los Angeles County, USA. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains and occupies Topanga Canyon. Topanga is 12,748 acres (52 km²) in size, and is bounded on three sides by park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean and a small strip of Malibu, which is the main community to the west. On the east is Pacific Palisades.

The population of the Topanga in 1995 was estimated to be over 12,000, and it is predicted to grow to 20,000 by 2020. The ZIP Code is 90290 and the area code is 310. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.

Topanga Creek drains Topanga Canyon and is the third largest watershed entering the Santa Monica Bay. The creek is one of the few remaining undammed waterways in the area, and is a spawning ground of the endangered steelhead trout. The area typically receives about 22" of rain annually. In 1997-1998 it received over 58" of rainfall resulting in extensive flood damage. Topanga State Beach lies on the coast at the outlet of Topanga Creek.

Topanga Canyon Boulevard, California State Highway 27, is the principle thoroughfare, connecting the Ventura Freeway with Pacific Coast Highway. The road largely follows Topanga Creek.

Topanga State Park is the largest park in the Santa Monica Mountains, and is a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

History

Topanga is the name given to the area by the Tongva tribe, and may mean "a place above". It was the western border of their territory, abutting the Chumash tribe that occupied the coast from Malibu northwards. Bedrock mortars can be found carved into rock outcroppings in many locations.

Topanga was settled by Whites beginning in 1839. The first ranch was homesteaded in 1885.

In the 1950s blacklisted actor Will Geer had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to small plot in the canyon where they could grow their own produce. Geer's friend Woody Guthrie had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists colony.

The Santa Ynez Fire began on November 6, 1961, the same day as the Bel-Air--Brentwood Fire further east. It burned nine structures and 9,720 acres (39 km²) of watershed.

Members of Charles Manson's "family" began their campaign of murder with the July 31, 1969 with the torture and murder of Topanga resident Gary Hinman, a music teacher who had opened his home to anyone needing shelter.

The Old Topanga Fire began on November 2, 1993. Within an hour it was already burning 1,000 acres (4 km²). It resulted in the largest mobilization of emergency resources in a twenty-four hour period in California history. By the time it was extinguished ten days later 16,516 acres (67nbsp;km²) of watershed and at least 388 structures were burned in Topanga and adjoining areas.

Culture

The most notable cultural attraction is the Theatricum Botanicum, founded by Will Geer in 1973. It has grown into an Equity theater, and occupies a natural outdoor amphitheater. It features Shakespearean plays, modern classics, and original productions, as well as musical concerts. Performers have included: Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Della Reese, and Burl Ives.

The area is known as a bohemian enclave attracting artists, musicians, and others. Numerous music festivals have been organized in the canyon, including the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest that has been held annually since 1961. Woody Guthrie was one of the first musicians who found a home there. As nearby Los Angeles grew into a major music capital, Topanga became a preferred residence for many performers, including: Neil Young, Steven Stills, Bernie Leadon of the Eagles, Jim Morrison and John Densmore of the Doors, Mick Fleetwood, Spanky Macfarlane, Lowell George and Ritchie Hayward of Little Feat, Pee Wee Crayton, Big Joe Turner, Alice Cooper, and Mark Andes, Jay Ferguson and John Locke of Spirit_(band). So many orchestral musicians live in the canyon that the Topanga Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1982. Actors who have lived in Topanga include: Will Geer, Dean Stockwell, and Dennis Hopper. Russ Tamblyn raised his daughter, Amber Tamblyn in Topanga.

The Inn of the Seventh Ray is the best known restaurant in Topanga, featuring healthy food in a funky setting. They are famous for their "live food" menu of uncooked produce.

Lower Topanga Canyon

The bottom of Topanga Canyon, where it meets Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean, was owned for many years by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, a wealthy private club in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,659 acre (6.7 km²) parcel was rented out to a variety of businesses and residents for decades at very low rents. In 2001 the property was purchased by the State of California. The state is in the process of evicting tenants, and will subsequently rehabilitate the area and add it to Topanga State Park.

External links

• Topanga Online (http://www.topangaonline.com/)
• Topanga Historical Society (http://www.topangaonline.com/hsociety.html)
• Theatricum Botanicum (http://www.theatricum.com/home.htm)
• Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest (http://www.topangabanjofiddle.org/)
• Official report Old Topanga Fire (http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/931102_OldTopangaFire/110293_official_report_old_topanga_inci.htm)