I’ve written before about Lyons Avenue, the famous SCV Maginot Line that separates Newhall from Valencia. Even the post office recognizes the demarkation: SoLy (the trendy name I gave to my neighborhood) is 91321 while Valencia is the numerically superior 91355.
The division has been a cause of deep strife and angst in me for a long time. Valencia has paseos, wide streets, nice houses, and conformist homeowners (well except for that one guy in Old Orchard). Newhall, in contrast, may have sprawling ranch-style homes and horses, but in general we have a sidewalk deficit, no paseos, poor lighting (in some areas) older homes, tough gang infested streets and Mexicans.
Needless to say, the differences have resulted in great insecurity and an inferiority complex, especially when I venture North of Lyons.
And so what does Newhall Land, builder of Valencia, do? Do they assuage my resentment and hurt feelings by emphasizing the togetherness of Santa Clarita? Do they acknowledge that my town bears the name of their founder?
No. They unveil their new “Awesometown” campaign which results in the deepest and darkest night of my soul to date.
Just look how clean and bright Valencia is:
In Awesometown, even the dogs are cuter, the lemonade is cheaper, the lawns are greener and the clouds are puffier.
So where’s that leave me and SoLy?
Well, after much reflection, consultation with my spiritual advisor and tormented late-night sessions with my tear-stained diary, I’ve come to a conclusion.
We the people of SoLy have no reason to be jealous of those in NoLy. We have an authentic, grid-patterned downtown area. We have the only museum in all of the SCV at Hart Park and Heritage Junction. We have what passes for architecture in these parts: the yellow Victorian themed buildings, for instance, and Hart’s mansion for another. We have two theater companies, a train station, and soon, a new library. We have Veteran’s Historical Park. We have some great dining options from Egg Plantation to hole-in-the-wall but authentic taquerias.
We even have buffalo.
And that’s when it struck me. Valencia is the one that’s truly insecure. They are the ones who have to tout how Awesome they are with a slick and flashy website. They are the ones who are staring across Lyons, jealous of our greatness, our success, and our endurance.
Awesometown is essentially our envious and ankle-biting younger sibling, looking up to us in Newhall, wanting not just to be like us, but to be us. They are only awesome insofar as the brilliance of Newhall reflects upon them across the chasm of Lyons Avenue.
We are, in the words of our matriarch Laurene Weste, the bedrock of SCV culture. We are so cool we don’t even need a nickname, so I’m not even going to try.
We are Newhall, and we will not go quietly into the night!
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Jeff, you just make me want to break down in tears. I’m so happy I’m changing my pseudonym to IHeartNewhall
Well said! I’m quite happy with my big backyard, my bumpy, non-HOA street and places like Las Delicias (open til 2AM!) and Way Station only a short walk away.
Josh is right. Awesometown will never have anything as magical as Las Delicias.
I love my sidewalk deficient street. I love that the houses have character and don’t all look alike. I love the rural, small town feel of our side of Lyons. Hubby would kill to live in Valencia where every house looks the same. I told him I’d leave him before living in Valencia. And have you looked at the prices of single family houses for sale on our side of Lyons (Apple, Cherry, Valley)? I think they’re more expensive than Valencia. Valencia’s got nothin’ on our little neighborhood.
Notice that while they crack down on street vendors in Newhall, this little Valencia, err, Awesometown girl gets to sell her troublingly yellow lemonade without a license or permit in sight. I think someone needs to report her.
Jeff:
I get it! Newhall has character, culture and variety while Valencia is a wasteland of artificially derived corporate sameness. The topper is the lake at Bridgeport where they try to chase off the wildlife. As someone who lives in an equally unique, non-Mello Roos area – Sand Canyon, I’m always glad I don’t have to experience the other side of town day in and day out. At least they don’t chase the birdlife out of Robinson Ranch.
Meanwhile, I saw an “Awesometown” poster on the back of an MTA bus on the 405. Perhaps you can get them to posterize your bike trailer?
Yeah, that’s what they always tell you on a blind date…, err…he has character!
“Awesometown girl gets to sell her troublingly yellow lemonade without a license or permit in sight. I think someone needs to report her.”
How fast do you think the person who complains and reports her would be run out of town on a rail?
Isn’t she violating the sign ordinance, too?
A+ post. Proud member of SoLy here.
Did bluetooth lemonade girl get a permit for that? We’ll have to look into this.
Go ahead – talk up Newhall all you want. I still take pleasure looking down at the unwashed masses below from my perch in the hills of Northbridge.
Ah yes, Northbridge – or what it REALLY is, South Castaic
No, Vince, it’s Faux Valencia.
Actually Tessoro Del Valle (translated: marijuana grow house of the valley) would be South Castaic. Northbridge is the real thing baby. We have paseos, community pools, and until last Monday had our very own Northbridge tagger.
I just came across your blog (after googling the name of a Santa Clarita resident that I found on the LA Times murder map…) and I’m a fan of what I see.
-New Regular Reader
Welcome. Glad you like it.
“We have paseos, community pools, and until last Monday had our very own Northbridge tagger.”
I had a feeling Northbridge hated guerilla art, Jim. Thanks for confirming it.
Jeff
I enjoy reading your blog almost on a daily basis. Quoting the “?famous?” Rodney King “can’t we just get along”?
Jim Farley:
Did they finally catch our tagger? I’ve spent the last two years washing off some of his tags.
Yes Tim. The ‘B!’ tagger (or taggers) was arrested Monday night after putting a lot more tags on the South part of Hillsborough. As he is a minor I don’t know more details, but do know the tagging has indeed stopped. The city says he has done $80,000 in damage. Not sure why this did not make the news.
I recently joined the volunteer city ‘Paseo Patrol’ to help clean up grafitti, motivated by the amount of tagging this guy was doing. Thanks for your efforts in clean up too.
Jeff,
Great article. Being a new young professional in the area, I appreciate Newhall and the culture it has. I am hopeful that the community continues to invest time and funds into developing Newhall to attract additional young professionals and others from surrounding areas. The corporate sameness is beginning to get to me!
One slight correction, NoLy does indeed have a museum. the Tesoro Historic Adobe, in Tesoro Del Valle. The former home of Harry Carey and “Farmer John”
@Jeff, you SoLy? OK, I guess I like you – but that’s no new term
The paseos are great, but I wouldn’t trade my oak trees, large yard and grid neighborhood for them.
Northbridge, Jim, really? The part of town where no road goes straight and you need GPS just to get out? Keep it.
As for the girl selling lemonade, she must be raising the prices to help her parents pay the mortgage, the Mercedes and the weekend toys, all bought on 100% financing!
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