CASTAIC HISTORY |
CASTAIC DEMOGRAPHICS
| CASTAIC HISTORY |
Like most
California communities, Castaic is growing and growing fast. However, Castaic
is one of those rare cities that believes in "managed growth" while maintaining
it's natural beauty for residents.
Most California
communities can trace their roots to Indian villages and sprawling Spanish
Ranchos, and Castaic is no exception. Jerry Reynolds, a late Santa Clarita
historian, once wrote that the name "Castaic" had been spelled various ways
through the years but the area was originally called "Kashtuk", an Indian word
meaning "eyes". Native Americans, specifically the Tataviam, along with Spanish
explorers lived, worked and enjoyed the lush green rolling hills and streams in
and around Castaic, hundreds of years before the area became the community that
it is today. Most local historians, however, consider the official birth of
Castaic to be around July of 1915 when the California Highway Commission
completed a trail over the tops of the mountains from Castaic to Gorman, called
the the old Ridge Route.
At the time, and costing a
mere $500,000, the Ridge Route was considered an "engineering masterpiece",
according to Reynolds. It reduced the old road between Los Angeles and
Bakersfield by 60 miles. The Ridge Route was described as two lanes of asphalt
with 642 curves that, when added together, made 97 complete circles between
Castaic and Gorman. The curve intensive route was later replaced by Highway 99
in October of 1933.
A railroad spur line was built
from Saugus to Ventura in September of 1887. Along with a cattle loading chute
to transport locally raised steers, the Southern Pacific Railroad also
established a depot at Castaic Junction for local rail travelers. Historic
photos have proven it was literally the size of a telephone
booth.
Castaic opened it's first Post Office on
September 15, 1894 at the Junction, but went out of business within 11 months
due to lack of interest. Sam Parsons, who purchased an acre of land in 1914 to
open up the well remembered Sam's Place, re-established the Post Office in
April, 1917.
As the community grew, there came a
demand from families with children to establish a local school district in
1889. Castaic School was opened on March 25th of that year. The original school
building continued to be used until its demolition in 1996. Four schools
currently operate in the district and other school sites are planned to keep
pace with resident's needs.
Parker Ranch brought
suburban growth to Castaic in 1923 when land was subdivided into five and ten
acre parcels. The humble Castaic industrial age began with Castaic Brick in
1927, and George Dunn's Wayside Dairy in 1929. The dairy was leased to the
County of Los Angeles in 1937 to be used as a work farm. From these small
beginnings a huge commerce center is now in final stages of development with
some buildings already occupied and operating. The complex is expected to
generate over 20,000 jobs by the year 2002.
As we
enter the new millennium one thing is certain. Castaic is attracting many new
families and businesses to it's boundaries with it's convenient southern
California location, mild weather, and diverse outdoor recreational
opportunities. Visit us soon and see with your own
"kashtuk". |
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| CASTAIC DEMOGRAPHICS |
| Watch for updated figures
shortly! |
Population:
Households:
Population By
Race:
Non-Hispanic /
White
Hispanic
Asian
African-American
Age Breakdown
1 - 4 Years
5 - 9 Years
10-14 Years
15-19 Years
20-24
Years
25-34 Years
35-44 Years
45-54 Years
55-65 Years
65 +
Years |
15,180 (est)
4,415
(est)
71%
22%
06%
01%
12.4%
9.2%
6.6%
5.0%
5.4%
27.0%
17.8%
7.7%
4.6%
4.3% |
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