Calabasas

The name comes from calabazas, Spanish for the wild squashes that grew here; a Spanish botanist recorded “Las Calabazas” as a place name in 1792. The area was a stop on the road between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and the Leonis Adobe, dating to 1844 and one of the oldest buildings in greater Los Angeles, still stands in Old Town Calabasas, the city’s protected historic district along Calabasas Road. The City of Calabasas incorporated on April 5, 1991. It covers about 13.7 square miles and had 23,241 residents in the 2020 census.

The City of Calabasas is only part of what carries a Calabasas address. Mont Calabasas, the canyons toward Malibu Creek State Park and communities off Mulholland Highway are unincorporated Los Angeles County with Calabasas 91302 addresses, and Hidden Hills, the guard-gated city next door, is a separate city altogether. The dotted line on the map above is the city limit. For a buyer the difference shows up in permits, fire and brush-clearance rules and, in a few places, schools, so confirm the jurisdiction for a specific address.

Calabasas has more gated communities than anywhere else in the region. The Oaks, Mountain View Estates, Calabasas Hills and Mont Calabasas have staffed entrances; Calabasas Park Estates, Bellagio, Westridge, Vista Pointe and others have code or card gates. See every Calabasas gated community on one map, with prices and year built.

Most of Calabasas is in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, which also serves Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village inside the city limits. Calabasas High School is the city’s public high school. Attendance follows address boundaries, so confirm the schools for a specific house with the district. How the local districts compare.

Calabasas sits against the Santa Monica Mountains. Malibu Creek State Park, including King Gillette Ranch, is just south of the city; the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is to the north; and city parks include Juan Bautista de Anza Park, Wild Walnut Park, Grape Arbor Park and Gates Canyon Park with its accessible playground. Most neighborhood guides list the parks and trailheads closest to each community.

The 101 runs through Calabasas, with the San Fernando Valley to the east and Westlake Village and the Conejo Valley to the west. Las Virgenes Road and Malibu Canyon Road cross the mountains to the coast, and Mulholland Highway runs west through the canyons.

Much of Calabasas is in a very high fire hazard severity zone, and the 2018 Woolsey Fire burned through the hills around the city. Check the CAL FIRE hazard zone for any address, budget for brush clearance, and get an insurance quote early in escrow.

Prices in Calabasas vary by millions of dollars between communities a mile apart, and many homes sell through the Los Angeles-area MLS rather than the Conejo Valley one. Gary Jacobs works both sides of the line and can pull the full sale record for any Calabasas community. Talk with Gary.