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May 26, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

Way out there in Santa Clarita

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

One of the things I hated about working in Los Angeles right out of college was trying to explain to people where Santa Clarita was at.

I hated it because even if they knew where the SCV was (most don’t, insert default Magic Mountain reference here), they made a big deal about how far away it was. Here was a typical conversation:

Coworker: So where do you live Jeff?

Jeff: Newhall

Coworker: *Blank stare*

Jeff: You know, Santa Clarita Valley. Where Magic Mountain is at.

Coworker: *struggling to understand* Oh wow! You live way out there, like so so far away. Isn’t that near Bakersfield?

Jeff: Umm, no, not quite. Actually it’s only 26 miles as the crow flies. Two stops on the Metro. Or 30 minutes on the 5.  It’s not like we’re way out there in the high desert with the Antelopes and the Pearlblossoms. We’re just north of the San Fernando Valley!

Of course my efforts to redraw Angeleno’s mental maps has been largely futile. Mistaken perceptions of where the SCV lies within the LA Megalopolis still persist now, 10 years later. Check out this broadcast segment on KTLA yesterday where the anchors felt the need to gesticulate wildly in an effort to show how far away the SCV was from Los Angeles:

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Notice the elitist conceit that runs throughout the story. It goes something like this: “There’s an Italian/German motorcar company…in Santa Clarita?!? Way out there??!? What would those country bumpkins have to do with Ferraris?”

So the battle continues. What have you done to stand up for the SCV in the minds of Angelenos?

On a side note, I am kind of a surprised there is a shop here that services Ferraris and Maseratis.

On another side note, no Daily Brief. I’m in a holiday weekend mood.

Comments (26)

  1. KLBMay 26, 2011 at 8:37 am
    Oh puh-leeze! My husband will drive three nights in a row to San Bernardino to play with his band, but whines when I ask him to pick me up at the commuter bus drop off, which is not more than three miles from our house. People are weird.
  2. LarMccMay 26, 2011 at 8:39 am
    Let them think we are way out in the middle of nowhere. It’s not like we need more people moving out here. These morning news show anchors and a bunch of douches. Really. Nothing they say is funny and they then laugh at every ‘joke’ they make. Who is watching these shows anyway?
  3. Mr PerezMay 26, 2011 at 10:48 am
    I watch for the weather
  4. jimmybustaMay 26, 2011 at 11:06 am
    One thing I realized when watching the news, as a midwest transplant, that LA news anchors and weather men and women are mediocre at best and the whole bunch are a little looney.
  5. Mr PerezMay 26, 2011 at 1:17 pm
    They also are ALOT more physically appealing if you know what I mean. Where in the Midwest are you from?
  6. spineflower2May 26, 2011 at 4:22 pm
    I KNEW you meant the weather girls, not the weather, in your post above!
  7. LarMccMay 26, 2011 at 8:17 pm
    When I said all news people, I really meant all except Elita Loresca and Jackie Johnson.
  8. RAmenPirateMay 26, 2011 at 9:24 am
    I always think it’s kinda creepy when people from outside the SCV comment on this site …
  9. lstaedtlerMay 26, 2011 at 10:08 am
    Who was talking at the time because I know that Chris Shauble who is on from 4:30-7 lives in Stevenson Ranch. Actually there are quite a few anchors/reporters that live out here. I know of Rick Chambers, Dave Gonzales, and Michael Ohlman.
  10. Timothy Myers SR.May 26, 2011 at 10:24 am
    And remember that Todd Donaho on Channel 7 lived out here when it was REALLY off the beaten track.
  11. ToddMay 26, 2011 at 10:26 am
    Micah Ohlman. Gary Hoffman of KFI lives out our way as well… or at least he did when I worked at KFI…. (yes, hard to believe, but I once worked with John & Ken, Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, et al.
  12. MikeMay 26, 2011 at 10:30 am
    Micah is an SCV native. Laura Diaz too.
  13. Josh PremakoMay 26, 2011 at 11:15 am
    Yep, The Hoff still lives out here.
  14. JayceMay 26, 2011 at 2:58 pm
    You forgot to say their last names like they feel the need to everytime they talk. John Kobel and Ken Shampo or however it’s spelled :-p Like anyone doesn’t know who they are by now.
  15. 4eyedsueMay 27, 2011 at 7:14 am
    watch the spelling… or you might end up with your head on a stick!
  16. JayceMay 27, 2011 at 8:41 am
    LOL probably plus I believe in putting the car registration tax back where it was so yeah I’m on their list
  17. jimmybustaMay 26, 2011 at 10:22 am
    I always just find it easier to say about 30 miles north of LA. But yes, people think it is waaaay far away. And people freak out when you tell them you are dating someone from LA. “How do you ever see them? And you drive all that distance?” I think it is also funny regarding the people in SCV that think the valley is soo far away. Really?
  18. ToddMay 26, 2011 at 10:24 am
    A friend of mine who lives in Orange County, and is in the pharmaceutical sales field was assigned SCV as part of his territory… so I showed him around town once. His comment was “People live out here?” No lie. And yes, there are quite a few high-end automotive tuning shops in SCV. AE Performance (who built Paul Walker’s Time Attack BMW M3, and supplied a number of cars for Fast Five) is in SCV, and there are a bunch of shops off Reuther. Some junky, some primo.
  19. UrsulaMay 26, 2011 at 10:47 am
    My conversations usually go like this: Person: Where do you live Me: Santa Clarita Person: Where is that? Me: Near Magic Mountain Person: Oh you live in Valencia/Is there near Valencia/VALENCIA!
  20. Gang FangMay 26, 2011 at 11:24 am
    Fires seem to be a point of reference, too. “Oh, is that where all those big fires were a few years back?”.
  21. brainpuddingMay 26, 2011 at 12:18 pm
    I miss the cows along I-5. Well, they’re still there, just in different form at Jimmy Dean’s.
  22. Gail OrtizMay 26, 2011 at 1:53 pm
    Welcome to my world.
  23. AlpinerMay 26, 2011 at 2:26 pm
    I always thought it was ironic that people from Bakersfield actually better understand where Santa Clarita is than those 30 miles away in L.A.
  24. PackfanMay 26, 2011 at 3:28 pm
    Has anyone else sent the pics of the 14 bridges after the Northridge eq and say, well, we are 5 miles north of that?
  25. spineflower2May 26, 2011 at 4:24 pm
    Shouldn’t we be able to just answer “Awesometown” now, and everybody knows where we mean?
  26. darinlee26May 27, 2011 at 3:24 pm
    I remember when “Henry DiCarlo” was “Henry Stone” back when he worked at a Fox affiliate in SLC, UT. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrlVPxr9-uw

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