Castaic, California
| Castaic | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
Castaic Dam (photographed October 7, 2007)
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 Location within Los Angeles County |
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 Castaic
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| Coordinates: 34°28′15″N 118°37′41″W / 34.47083°N 118.62806°WCoordinates: 34°28′15″N 118°37′41″W / 34.47083°N 118.62806°W | |
| Country |
 United States
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| State |
 California
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| County |
 Los Angeles
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| Area | |
| • Total | 7.278 sq mi (18.851 km2) |
| • Land | 7.261 sq mi (18.806 km2) |
| • Water | 0.017 sq mi (0.045 km2) 0.24% |
| Elevation | 1,280 ft (390 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 19,015 |
| • Density | 2,600/sq mi (1,000/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 91384, 91310 |
| Area code(s) | 661 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2582966 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Castaic, California | |
Castaic, California (also spelled Castec, or Kashtiq), is a rural unincorporated community located in the northern part of Los Angeles County, California. Many thousands of motorists pass through Castaic daily as they drive to or from Los Angeles on Interstate 5. Castaic Lake is part of the California Water Project and is the site of a hydro-electric power plant. Castaic is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center and about 10 miles (16 km) north of the city of Santa Clarita, California.
On Spanish documents, the original spelling was Castec, which represented the Chumash Native American word Kashtiq, meaning "eyes". Castec is first mentioned on old boundary maps of Rancho San Francisco, as a canyon at the trailhead leading to the old Chumash camp at Castac Lake (Tejon Ranch).
Modern Castaic began in 1887 when Southern Pacific set up a railroad siding on the line between Piru and Saugus Station, naming it "Castaic Junction". Between January and April 1890, the Castec School District adopted the new spelling, Castaic.
Consistent with that spelling, some pronounce "Castaic" with three, instead of two, syllables. (See below for more details on the "Castaic pronunciation controversy".)
Between 1890 and 1916, the Castaic Range War was fought in Castaic country over ranch boundaries and grazing rights. It was the biggest range war in U.S. history.
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Wikipedia