The area was the ancestral homeland of the Tataviam people for over five hundred years, and other tribes before then, such as the Tongva, Kitanemuk, and Serrano people. After the Spanish invasion, the valley first became grazing lands of the Mission San Fernando Rey de España around 1790. In 1834, after Mexican Independence, it became part of the Rancho San Franciscoland grant centered on the confluence of the Santa Clara River and Castaic Creek. In the 1880s the rancho become the Newhall Ranch empire of Henry Newhall, now the present dayNewhall Land and Farming Company. In 1928 the St. Francis Dam collapsed, suddenly flooding and washing away settlements and people along the Santa Clara River section of present-day Santa Clarita not including Canyon Country. Canyon Country was originally to be called Solemint. It later absorbed the community to the west called Honby. In the 1960s and 1970s the Newhall Land company's suburban developments transformed Canyon Country and the surrounding towns into a focused residential and cultural city. The house of The Crandall family used in the movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is located in this community. A home here was also featured in the climax of Real Genius, but it no longer exists.
Santa Clarita founding
In 1987, Canyon Country was one of four communities, with Valencia, Newhall, and Saugus, that merged to create the city of Santa Clarita, California. The latitude of Canyon Country is 34.423N and the longitude is -118.471W. Canyon Country has a population of 59,530 people. Canyon Country is home to the , which is also the site of California's original gold discovery at the historic "Oak of the Golden Dream" in 1842.
According to a statistical study done on the racial demographics of Santa Clarita, in 2005-2009: 28.2% of the population was hispanic. Another study done in 2005-2009 found that the average asian population was 11,845; 36% of the population was Filipino. 3.8% of the population between 2005-2009 was black and 76.4% was white. Another study done between 2005-2009 showed that 28% of the population was under the age 18, and 30% ages between 25 and 44.
Safety
In 2017, the city was named as one of the top 100 safest cities in America. It ranked third as the safest city in America with a population of about 210,000. The city says the cause for this ranking is due to the law enforcement that the city takes pride in.
Fires
Due to the location which the city is in and its environment, Canyon Country has been susceptible to many fires over the years. Most notably, the Sand Fire. The Sand Fire took place in the east side of the valley and destroyed nearly 42,000 acres of land. The Buckweed Fire also had an impact on Santa Clarita valley residents. The Buckweed fire destroyed nearly 38,000 acres throughout both Canyon Country and the Santa Clarita Valley.
