Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood with tree-lined streets, houses with pools, green lawns, a golf course, and hills in the background under a clear blue sky.

Welcome to Calabasas

Calabasas is a small California town sandwiched between the Conejo Valley and the beginning parts of Los Angeles. It fits the aesthetic of your familiar suburb with mostly planned communities, manicured lawns, and well maintained shopping centers. It’s an increasingly more popular part of Southern California bringing in people from all over the world.

Fun Fact: Local legend has it that in 1824, a Basque rancher from Oxnard spilled a wagonload of pumpkins on the road en route to Los Angeles. The following spring, hundreds of pumpkin seeds sprouted alongside the road. The area was named Las Calabazas – the place where the pumpkins fell.*

*Source: Wikipedia
A rustic white wagon filled with blooming pink flowers sits beside a large tree near a colorful “Sagebrush Cantina” sign, surrounded by greenery and outdoor decor.
Aerial view of an outdoor football stadium with Calabasas written on the field, surrounded by a running track, trees, and hills under a clear blue sky. Bleachers and facilities are visible on one side.
Aerial view of a lush green golf course with sand bunkers, water hazards, trees, and winding paths, surrounded by residential houses and rolling hills under a clear blue sky.
Aerial view of a suburban area with houses, green park spaces, a small lake, and hills in the background under a clear blue sky.
A sunny outdoor restaurant patio with orange umbrellas overlooks a pond with rocks and a sculpture. Palm trees, greenery, and a Mediterranean-style building are visible under a clear blue sky.
A pond with koi fish, surrounded by rocks and bushes, features two sculptures: one of a man in a small boat and another of a woman pulling the boat with a rope. Trees and a patio with red umbrellas are in the background.

Calabasas Lifestyle

The Calabasas lifestyle isn’t far from that of Westlake Village or Agoura Hills. It embodies the feel of a small town but boasts some of those big city advantages we all enjoy when the time is right. Given its location, hopping on the 101 and heading towards the city or Santa Monica makes for an easy day trip or even an evening dinner and a movie. You can also take Las Virgenes straight to the CA coast.

A Mediterranean-style shopping plaza with colorful storefronts, a central clock tower, palm trees, parked cars, and landscaped flowerbeds, set against a backdrop of trees and a concrete wall under a blue sky.

The Commons is the biggest and most popular of the nearby shopping centers. It comes with a handful of familiar retail stores, as well as, restaurants and a movie theater – it’ll pack a full house on the weekends. There are also some annual events put on by the Calabasas community like the lighting of the Christmas Tree in the winter and the Pumpkin Festival in the fall.

Calabasas Housing

In recent decades Calabasas has become synonymous with guard gated communities and sprawling estates. While there is plenty of that, you’ll also find condos, townhomes, and conventional style tract homes.

Calabasas loosley breaks into two sections – the Conejo Valley side and the San Fernando Valley side. Majority of Calabasas is located in the San Fernando Valley. You’ll find most of the gated communities, the Calabasas Commons shopping center, and Calabasas Lake all on this side.

A stone entrance sign for Calabasas Hills stands beside a curving road lined with palm trees, flowering bushes, and a security gatehouse in the background on a sunny day.

San Fernando Valley | Guard Gated Estates

Guard Gated Estates are easy to find in Calabasas, especially as you make your way up Parkway Calabasas – where you’ll see grand estates with extra square footage, large lot sizes, tons of privacy, and golf course views. These parts of Calabasas are likely right on par with what you picture when you think Calabasas.

See Homes for Sale in Calabasas, San Fernando Valley
A single-story house with a brick chimney, white garage door, and gray roof sits on a sloped yard with green plants and trees under a clear blue sky. Tall cypress trees are visible in the background.

San Fernando Valley | Outside the Gates

It’s possible to take advantage of some of those benefits without sitting behind the wrought iron fences – gated communities aren’t for everyone. Most of the neighborhoods outside the gates offer similar if not the same golf course and hillside views, as well as, golf course access, proximity to the commons, and even the chance to live near the lake.

There’s a wide variety of homes outside the gates. Some of them are newer and will give you that look and feel familiar to behind the gates. Others have the original and classic feel of Calabasas that were built to fit in the small town Calabasas once was.

See Homes for Sale in Calabasas, San Fernando Valley
A single-story suburban house with red brick and white siding, a white chimney, green lawn, and palm trees in the yard. There is a two-car garage and a curved brick staircase leading to the front door.

The Conejo Valley Side

The Conejo Valley side of Calabasas is completely different from the San Fernando Valley side and it comes with an entirely new set of perks. Its location puts you closer to the coast and canyon expanding the amount of things to do, and it sits right between the two valleys offering easy access to nearby shopping centers and conveniences in all directions.

From a housing standpoint, affordability is the biggest draw towards this side of Calabasas. By in large, the homes tend to be modest in comparison, and you can expect to find more condo and townhome complexes on this side. But, if you are attracted to the lifestyle of this side of Calabasas but still picture living in a gated community, no need to worry you can find that here too.

See Homes For Sale in Calabasas, Conejo Valley
Four children with backpacks wait in line to board a yellow school bus parked by the curb on a sunny day in Westlake Village, with trees and a building visible in the background.

Calabasas Schools

Calabasas is located in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. LVUSD has a strong reputation for both academics and sports and is often the preferred district for parents. It covers Agoura Hills, Calabasas, and the L.A. County section of Westlake Village. It has 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools.

See Conejo Valley Schools

Who Should Look Here

Calabasas has a reputation for attracting the likes of the rich, famous, and those working in the entertainment industry. This makes sense given its location – being about as close as you can get without actually entering the city and taking on the day to day traffic of LA (attn. commuters). With that being said, it’s certainly not limited to this clientele. The affordability in housing makes room for most lifestyles and we see people from all over the world move to Calabasas. Just as the rest of the Conejo Valley, it’s safe and part of a reputable school district making it a favored place for families.

Things to Keep in Mind

Calabasas has a lifestyle and reputation that lends itself to those who enjoy privacy and are willing to pay to get it. In general, you pay to play in Calabasas. The houses are some of the most expensive in the area and come with high end retail and dining options. You can also expect it to be 10-15 degrees warmer during summer in Calabasas than in the true Conejo Valley.

EXPLORE MORE OF THE CONEJO VALLEY

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CONEJO VALLEY ON THE MAP

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