Tarzana, Los Angeles

Tarzana /tɑːrˈzænə/ is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is a mostly residential community on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' storybook jungle character hero, Tarzan.

History

The area now known as Tarzana was occupied in 1797 by Spanish settlers and missionaries who established the San Fernando Mission. Later absorbed by Mexico, the land was ceded to the United States in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War. Under US rule it evolved into a series of large cattle ranches owned by local elites. Investors took over in the 1870s, turning grazing into large-scale wheat farm operation.

The area was purchased in 1909 by the Los Angeles Suburban Homes Company. LA Times founder and publisher General Harrison Gray Otis invested in the company and also personally acquired 550 acres (2.2 km²) in the center of modern-day Tarzana.