Philip Cheung for The New York Times
In Woodland Hills, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, temperatures on Wednesday reached 103 degrees and could spike as high as 117 degrees on Friday. This area is known for being a heat bubble.
People say they moved to this residential neighborhood, 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, for the big lots and good schools — which compensate for the intense heat waves.
Supported by
It’s the Hottest Neighborhood in All of Los Angeles. (Bring Water.)
It was once touted as a paradise “tempered by ocean breezes” — or so went the sales pitch of an ambitious developer more than a century ago.
The local newspaper soon added to the hyperbole, claiming that the area offered “splendid climatic conditions, as the weather is never hot on the warmest day.”
This magical place? Woodland Hills. Also now known as the neighborhood with the most brutal weather in all of Los Angeles during heat waves. Four years ago, it made history for ratcheting up to 121 degrees, a record for the region.
Still, current residents who were drawn here, not by dubious advertisements but by the family friendly appeal, say they aren’t overly bothered by the intense temperatures. “It’s just part of the deal,” said Larry Blum, 75, as he sat on a bench at Serrania Park, where dog owners are known to amble around a concrete loop and exchange pleasantries.
Located in the San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills is a mere 15 miles, and one mountain range, away from Malibu, the coastal enclave where temperatures are about 25 degrees cooler this week.