Encino

Encino traces its name to the 1845 Rancho Los Encinos grant. The Los Encinos State Historic Park on Ventura Boulevard preserves the rancho’s adobe and spring, and the neighborhood around it developed mainly from the 1940s through the 1960s as one of the Valley’s more expensive addresses.

The neighborhood is bounded by the Sepulveda Basin and the 101 on the north, the 405 corridor and Sherman Oaks on the east, Tarzana on the west and the Santa Monica Mountains on the south. Ventura Boulevard carries the shopping and restaurants, and the Encino Commons and Amestoy Estates sections are the best-known residential areas.

Encino lots run larger than in most of the Valley. North of Ventura Boulevard, the streets around Amestoy Estates, Encino Park and the Rancho Estates carry ranch houses on quarter-acre and larger parcels, many replaced with new construction. South of the boulevard, the hillside streets off Hayvenhurst, White Oak and Encino Hills Drive hold gated estates and view homes that reach the top of the Valley market.

Condos and townhomes are concentrated along Ventura Boulevard, Balboa Boulevard and the streets near the 405, with buildings from the 1960s through the 2000s.

Los Angeles Unified School District serves the neighborhood, with several elementary schools inside Encino and middle and high school assignments in nearby areas. Encino also has a concentration of private schools. Boundaries follow streets, so check a specific address with the district.

The 101 borders the neighborhood on the north and the 405 on the east, and Sepulveda Boulevard and Beverly Glen cross the hills to the Westside. The Sepulveda Basin gives Encino a large park at its doorstep, with the Balboa Lake, golf courses, the Japanese Garden and bike paths along the Los Angeles River.