A company I’m thinking of applying to is located in Sylmar, CA. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the area–my experience of the LA area consists only of stopovers in the airport. Could anybody give any information about Sylmar and its environs?
Sylmar is in the North San Fernando Valley. In the summer it is hot, very hot. Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Did I mention that it’s hot?
The weather aside, it’s not the best place to live by a long shot. From what I’ve seen it consists of a few streets of nice houses in the hills, and a drab, rundown commercial district. For a place to live, depending on whether you’re renting or buying, I’d check out North Hollywood, Studio City, or Santa Clarita.
I live in Sylmar. So I guess that makes me the resident expert on Sylmar. Sylmar is a real study in contrasts. Neighborhoods run from lower middle class through middle class up to some upper middle class. The eastern portion and southern portions tend to be more toward the lower middle. The more Western and Northern portions of Sylmar tend to be more upscale. Parts of Sylmar are listed as K zone (zoned for horses)
Yeah it can be warm in the summer, same as most of the San Fernando Valley. In the winter temps go down to the mid 40’s to 50’s at night with a few nights down to freezing.
One nice thing about Sylmar is it’s location. It lies just off of 4 different freeways (5, 118, 405, 210), so it is easy to live somewhere else and commute to Sylmar. Burbank would be a great commute since it would be against traffic. So would Glendale, Tujunga, La Cresenta. Granada Hills and Northridge are just around the corner. so you can live in many other areas and work in Sylmar. Hell you could even live in West LA and make it to work in under 30 minutes.
Shopping is probably Sylmar’s big downfall. There are no major retailers in Sylmar or San Fernando (the little city next door) Northridge, Burbank, Santa Clarita, and Porter Ranch all have major shopping centers. all of those are about a 15 minute drive from Sylmar.
Are you looking to buy a home, or rent?
If you want info on a particular company that is located in Sylmar, drop me a e-mail, and I will be happy to do some research and even do a drive by and take some pictures to send to you. (Put SDMB in tittle of message so I don’t think it’s spam)
If you decide to come out and interview, let me know, and if I am in town I would be happy to give you the 50 cent tour of Sylmar and nearby areas.
One thing I just thought of. how do you feel about earthquakes? We have those every so often. The big quake in 1971 was centered in Sylmar. The 1994 quake was centered in Northridge (6-7 miles from Sylmar) big quakes don’t happen often, but they can get your attention when they do. :eek:
That’s what I was going to say. It was too hot for me when I lived in West L.A. The Valley was like 20° warmer. The Valley does have one great thing going for it though: Van Nuys Airport. Santa Monica does not like helicopters, so VNY was where I went to fly. When I started, the practice area was past the Santa Suzanna Pass. Even with the doors off, it was hot.
Thanks for the info. Rick, I’ll send you an email–thanks!
Could y’all define “hot”? I grew up in New Jersey, so I’m used to some degree of heat and humidity, but I haven’t had much exposure to desert-type heat.
I’m currently in Seattle, so I’m open-minded about earthquakes. How’s the volcano situation down there? 
Shoulda previewed. I’d be looking to rent.
Also, how’s the cultural scene? (For example, I’m into indie music and the like.)
Having visited New Orleans a few times, I can say that the heat is different. 90° and 95% humidity is not fun. The Valley often sees temperatures over 100° in the summer. It’s like an oven. Humidity isn’t bad, but it’s not as comfortable as in the desert. (I lived in Lancaster – in the desert – for 11 years.)
Your cultural scene there would be that of L.A. I’m not so sure where L.A. ranks in the indie music scene, but it’s presumably good considering the talent pool. You’ll probably have to drive a few miles to reach it.
Gotcha. Thanks for the info.