Westlake Village, CA

Westlake Village is a small town located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. The population was 10,827 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Calabasas to the north and east, Hidden Hills to the south, and Woodland Hills to the west.

The town was founded in 1926 by Walter P. Ladd and his wife Lillian as an agricultural community on land that they had purchased from Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor. The name Westlake Village was suggested by Ladd's wife; it is derived from Lake Westlaken in Scotland. In 1927, a post office opened at what would become Westlake Village with Walter Ladd as its first postmaster.

In 1928, Paramount Pictures built a studio lot and commissary just outside of town limits on Mulholland Highway (now Ventura Boulevard). This became known as " Paramount Ranch". In 1930, a small shopping center called "The Village" was built on land that had been part of the Paramount Ranch property. In 1936, an elementary school was built in Westlake Village; it still operates today as Westlake Elementary School (K-6).

In 1941, during World War II, Westlake Village became home to Naval Air Station El Toro and its associated military installations (including Camp Pendleton), which made it one of the largest communities in Los Angeles County outside of downtown Los Angeles itself. As a result of this growth and military presence, many new homes were constructed in Westlake Village during this time; many of these homes are still standing today.

After World War II ended and El Toro closed down in 1946, most of the military personnel left Westlake Village; however, because El Toro had been such a large presence in the community for so many years, many buildings associated with El Toro (including barracks) remained standing until they were finally demolished around 2000-2001.

In 1948-1949, Walt Disney Productions built what is now known as Disney Studios Hollywood on land that had formerly been part of Naval Air Station El Toro; this made Disney Studios Hollywood one of the largest production facilities in Hollywood at that time.

It wasn't until much later (around 1970) that residential construction began to take place in earnest in Westlake Village; however, because so many people who live there are employed by either studios or related businesses (such as advertising agencies), there are now quite a few homes located here which are owned by people who work within those industries rather than being owned outright by individuals or families."