Bell Canyon, California
| Bell Canyon | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
 Bell Canyon
|
|
| Coordinates: 34°12′29″N 118°41′15″W / 34.20806°N 118.68750°WCoordinates: 34°12′29″N 118°41′15″W / 34.20806°N 118.68750°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| County | Ventura |
| Government | |
| • Type | Homeowner Association |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.621 sq mi (9.379 km2) |
| • Land | 3.621 sq mi (9.379 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 1,368 ft (417 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,049 |
| • Density | 570/sq mi (220/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP Code | 91307 |
| Area code(s) | 818 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2585403 |
| Website | http://www.bellcanyon.com/ |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bell Canyon, California | |
Bell Canyon is a unincorporated community in eastern Ventura County, California, United States. Bell Canyon is a gated community in the Simi Hills with the main access through the Los Angeles County communities of West Hills and the western San Fernando Valley. Bell Canyon sits at an elevation of 1,368 feet (417 m). The 2010 United States census reported Bell Canyon's population was 2,049. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Bell Canyon as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. According to a 2016 study, Bell Canyon is the seventh wealthiest community in the state of California with an annual median income of $230,000 However, incomes in this area are commonly upwards of millions of dollars a year.
Chumash Native Americans lived in the canyon for around 8,000 years B.P. The Chumash had the village of Hu'wam here in the canyon on Bell Creek upstream from Escorpión Peak. It was multi-cultural, where Chumash, Tongva, and Tataviam peoples lived and traded together. Nearby is the Burro Flats Painted Cave. Escorpión Peak (aka: Castle Peak) is one of nine alignment points in Chumash territory and is considered essential to maintaining the balance of the natural world.
In 1845 the Mexican land grant for Rancho El Escorpión, named for the peak and located beside it at the mouth of Bell Canyon, was given by Mexican Governor Pío Pico. Chumash-Ventureño Chief Odón Eusebia (1795–), his brother-in-law Urbano, and Urbano’s son Mañuel were the grantees of the Rancho grant, formerly Mission San Fernando Rey de España (Mission San Fernando) lands. After California U.S. statehood, as required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho El Escorpión was filed with the United States Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel in 1876. In 1871, Miguel Leonis acquired Odón Eusebia's holdings of Rancho El Escorpión, along with an adobe on the adjacent southern ranch lands in Calabasas. He used the land for cattle and sheep herds. Through various landowners that use continued at the Rancho until 1959 and Bell Canyon until 1967.
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