Editing Northridge, Los Angeles (section)

=== Early community ===
In 1908, the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] lays tracks through the Hawk Ranch property; following this and continuing the pattern of railroad boom towns, the Hawk Ranch was sold for subdivision and was renamed ''Zelzah'' in 1910. The name is derived from a [[Zelzah (biblical place)|biblical name]] for an oasis as a reference to a water well located in the area. The Zelzah Train Station or Depot was built on the site that is now the northwest corner of Parthenia Avenue and Reseda Boulevard, across the street from the water well. Also in 1910, on January 13, the large balloon America landed on the so-called ''Zelzah ranch'' after a {{Convert|31|mi|km|adj=on}} trip from [[Huntington Park, California|Huntington Park]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 14, 1910 |title=Balloon Makes Enjoyable Trip |volume=XXXVII |page=3 |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=105 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19100114.2.33}}</ref> By April, The Scandia Land and Loan Company was advertising ''Zelzah Acres'' with land going for $250 per acre.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 24, 1910 |title=For Sale |volume=XXXVII |page=11 |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=205 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19100424.2.161.48.4 |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref> The company advertised the acres as the "cream of the San Fernando valley, the richest soil in California," describing the ease of transportation provided by the station, the lack of [[Alkali soil|alkali]], adobe or [[hardpan]] soil, and stating that water for domestic purposes could be welled from 35 to 65 feet and at 140 to 300 feet for general irrigation; water would later become a major selling point for land in the valley after the arrival of the [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 11, 1911 |title=Zelzah Acres |volume=XXXIII |page=11 |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=102 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19110111.2.163.4}}</ref> The initial growth in the region was so marked that discussions of the creation of new school districts were being forwarded to the county school superintendent [[Mark Keppel]], one of these districts being named Zelzah which would benefit 15 children of school age living nine to ten miles from a schoolhouse.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 3, 1910 |title=Suburbanites Ask for New School Districts |volume=XXXIII |page=9 |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=33 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19101103.2.88.7 |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref> By the beginning of 1912, a post office had been established in Zelzah.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 15, 1912 |title=Post Office Changes |volume=14 |page=2 |work=San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram |issue=159 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SLODT19120215.2.13.3 |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref> By April 1913, sales agents E. O. Hanson & Sons were advertising that only 300 of the original 1100 acres were left for sale, by then at $325 an acre.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 3, 1913 |title=Suburban Property: You Should Buy Zelzah Acres |volume=XXXIX |page=20 |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |issue=158 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19130403.2.152.3 |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref>

The first church built in Northridge, the [[Faith Bible Church, Northridge, California|Faith Bible Church]], was built in 1917.<ref name=":0" /> By the 1920s, the town became a shipping center for agricultural products and continued to be a rural community for many years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Northridge Community Plan |url=https://planning.lacity.org/plans-policies/community-plan-area/northridge |access-date=2023-05-16 |website=planning.lacity.org}}</ref>

Residents of Zelzah voted to change the community's name to ''North Los Angeles'' in 1929.<ref name=":1" /> Reseda Boulevard, the main thoroughfare of the community, was paved in 1930.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Binghannam |first1=Abdul |url=https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/NGV%20Final%20III_compressed.pdf |title=Northridge Village Gateway Vision |last2=Baltazar |first2=Jason |last3=Salazar |first3=Jinmi |last4=Sugarman |first4=Joel |last5=Jimenez |first5=Maria |last6=Lanyon |first6=Reva |year=2015 |location=California State University, Northridge}}</ref>

In 1938, the community's name was changed to the more popular ''Northridge Village'' at the suggestion of local resident and director of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles Carl Denzel; it would later be shortened to just ''Northridge''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />