Porter Ranch, CA

Porter Ranch is a small town located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. The population was 23,917 at the 2010 census. Porter Ranch is known for its high-density residential development and for the natural gas leak that occurred there in October 2015.

The first Europeans to explore what is now Porter Ranch were members of the Spanish Portolà expedition, who passed through on their way from Monterey to San Diego in 1769. The area was then part of Mission San Fernando Rey de España, founded by Franciscan friars in 1771. In 1853, John Sutter established a land grant near the present-day community of Porter Ranch called Colma de la Palma (Palm Hill). A small settlement began to form around this time, and by 1880 it had a post office and several businesses. The area remained rural until after World War II, when developers began purchasing land in the area for housing developments.

In 1951, developer Averell Harriman purchased Colma de la Palma and began developing it into a suburban community called Harriman Estates. The name was changed to Porter Ranch in 1957 after Harriman acquired an estate named Porter Ranch near Malibu Creek State Park. By 1962, most of the development had taken place; by 1970 there were 3,000 homes and 10 schools in Porter Ranch. In 1974, residents voted to incorporate as a city; however incorporation did not occur until 1983 due to opposition from some residents who wanted greater control over local affairs.

In October 2015, residents of Porter Ranch were notified that they may have been living within a hazardous gas leak caused by an underground storage well owned by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). SoCalGas later determined that approximately 4 million cubic feet (130 thousand cubic meters) of natural gas had leaked from the well over an eight-month period ending on October 19th; this release has been dubbed one of America’s worst environmental disasters.[1] As a result of this leak,[2] thousands have experienced nosebleeds,[3][4][5] headaches,[6][7][8] nausea,[9][10] vomiting,[11][12] fatigue,[13], dizziness[14], memory loss,[15], respiratory problems[16], skin rashes[17], and eye irritation.[18]

Despite these health concerns plaguing many residents during and after the leak event,[19][20][21] many others are still choosing to live in or around Porter Ranch despite ongoing safety concerns.[22][23] This resilience may be attributed to several factors: firstly, many people who live in or around Porter ranch are longtime locals who are familiar with all aspects of their community; secondly, many people believe that staying put will only make matters worse – they understand that while things may seem bad now they could potentially get much worse if they leave; finally – there is widespread support among locals for each other both during and after the crisis as they come together to share resources (e.g., food banks), offer support (e.g., counseling), and work towards resolving common issues (e.g., repairing infrastructure).[24],[25],[26],[27],[28],[29],[30],[31]]