Editing Oak Park, California (section)

==History==
[[File:José_de_la_Guerra_y_Noriega_(cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Oak Park was part of [[Rancho El Conejo]], owned by Don [[José de la Guerra y Noriega]], founder of the prominent [[Guerra family of California]].]]
Oak Park has had human occupation from about 5500 B.C. to the present day. It lies within a zone including the early [[Millingstone Horizon]] and inland [[Chumash people|Chumash]] Indians. Indians camped throughout the area as they collected acorns, yucca, and other food. The sites in the area include major villages, smaller camps and several rock shelters.<ref>Clewlow et al, 1978</ref> Chumash people lived here for thousands of years prior to European contact. They lived off of trading, gathering and hunting. The Chumash originally settled in Oak Park due to an abundance of natural resources, including fresh water, acorns and rabbit-hunting.<ref>Kern, Harvey and David E. Ross (2012). ''Oak Park''. Arcadia Publishing. Pages 9-10. {{ISBN|9780738595382}}.</ref> It is one of the oldest occupied places in California.<ref>Kern, Harvey and David E. Ross (2012). ''Oak Park''. Arcadia Publishing. Page 12. {{ISBN|9780738595382}}.</ref>

The location of Oak Park was originally part of [[Rancho Simi]], a Spanish land concession in Alta California given in 1795 to Francisco Javier Pico, a soldier of the Santa Barbara company, and his two brothers, Patricio Pico and Miguel Pico by the Spanish government. Lindero Canyon Road follows the western border-line (lindero in Spanish) of the land grant.

Throughout the 20th century, studios used the area to film movies and music videos, in particular [[westerns]]. The music video “Everything Has Changed” [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Has_Changed ] by Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran was filmed at Oak Hills Elementary and Medea Creek Middle School. Movies filmed locally include ''[[The Red Pony (1949 film)|The Red Pony]]'' and ''[[A Walk in the Sun (1945 film)|A Walk in the Sun]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theacorn.com/news/2012-06-21/Community/Oak_Parks_history_glimpsed_through_movies_filmed_l.html |title=Oak Park's history glimpsed through movies filmed locally |newspaper=The Acorn |first=Sylvie |last=Belmond |date=June 21, 2012 |access-date=16 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811142041/http://www.theacorn.com/news/2012-06-21/Community/Oak_Parks_history_glimpsed_through_movies_filmed_l.html |archive-date=11 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/conejo-valley/2016/09/12/mystery-ranch-near-oak-park-film-buffs-dream/90124122/ |title=Mystery Ranch near Oak Park is a film buff's dream|date= September 12, 2016 |newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]] |first=Robyn |last=Flans |access-date=18 September 2016}}</ref>

Oak Park was formed from ranchland owned by Jim and Marian Jordan, stars of the radio show ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]''.<ref name="Rebuffed">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-apr-02-me-oak2-story.html|title=Rebuffed, Then Polished|date=April 2, 2006|first=Bob |last=Pool |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref> The land was purchased by Metropolitan Development Corporation in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.malibutimes.com/malibu_life/article_8ce8fcbe-001f-5e3a-ac63-1cd496d48f9b.html|title='The Million-Dollar Highway'|last=Aushenker|first=Michael|date=June 20, 2012|work=Malibu Times|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref>  Homes were developed starting in the late 1960s. [[California county routes in zone N|Kanan-Dume Road]] (named after a local family) was the only access road to the community, from [[Agoura Hills, California]], in neighboring [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]. As such, the community was served by police and firefighters based in the nearest Ventura County city, [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]], {{convert|10|mi|km}} away, with L.A. County services responding when able.<ref name="Rebuffed"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-24-me-6865-story.html|title=OAK PARK : Area Excluded from Express Bus Service |date=June 24, 1993|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Doug |last=McClellan |access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-16-me-396-story.html |title=Annexation Studied as Alternative to Cityhood : Government: A committee is focusing on whether Oak Park can afford more services if it merges with Thousand Oaks instead of incorporating on its own. |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Psyche |last=Pascual |date=December 16, 1991 |access-date=16 June 2016}}</ref>

In 1967 [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]] officials who were concerned about the isolation of the community proposed a land swap with L.A. County, but they were rebuffed.<ref name="Rebuffed"/> The isolation—coupled with the distance to junior and senior high schools—also drove down the property values, and homeowners found it difficult to sell their properties.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-29-me-1119-story.html|title=OAK PARK : County to Consider Study on Cityhood|date=June 29, 1991| first=Maia |last=Davis|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors created a Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in 1975 to represent the community to County agencies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-14-me-48630-story.html|title=Status Quo Holds Sway in Oak Park|date=April 14, 1997 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Jason |last=Terada |access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref> The MAC persuaded the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to trim Metropolitan Development Corp.'s initial development plan from a population of 26,000.<ref name="Rebuffed"/> Today there are about 15,000 residents. All available land within Oak Park has now been developed, with the remaining vacant land owned by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-10-me-1392-story.html|title=OAK PARK : Settlement May Benefit Library Plan|date=November 10, 1995| first=Eric |last=Wahlgren|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>

The community was initially served by the [[Simi Valley Unified School District]], with the nearest post-elementary schools being Sinaloa Junior High (about {{convert|20|mi|km}} away) and Royal High (about 22 (35&nbsp;km) miles away).<ref name="Rebuffed"/>  Since the Simi Valley Unified School District had no plans to build post-elementary schools in Oak Park, the residents seceded and formed [[Oak Park Unified School District]] in June 1977.<ref name="Rebuffed"/>  Medea Creek Middle School started at the current location of the school district in 1980 using portable classrooms.  The campus was affectionately called "Bungalow Hill" by students. The middle school was grades 6-8, with sixth-graders spending morning hours at Brookside Elementary and afternoons at the middle school. The following year when Oak Park High School opened for classes, Medea Creek Middle School shared the campus. Oak Park High School's class of 1983 was the first graduating class. They were the maiden class; they were upperclassmen each year ninth through 12th grade.

In 1999 the [[United States Postal Service]] assigned Oak Park its own ZIP code, 91377.<ref name="Rebuffed"/> Oak Park previously shared the ZIP code 91301 with its neighboring town of Agoura Hills.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-11-me-1363-story.html|title=OAK PARK : Community Now One for the Book|date=February 11, 1993|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first=Doug |last=McClellan |access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>

[[Image:Oak Park, California--Panoramic from hill.jpg|thumb|center|350px|Panoramic shot of Oak Park.]]