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May 26, 2013· santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0) · Wayback capture

Six Reasons Why Saugus is the Next Big Thing

By Mike Devlin

Saugus started right where Newhall used to be, before the whole town of Newhall moved to where Newhall is now. It was named after Henry Nehwall’s hometown of Saugus, MA. The name came to describe a gigantic swath of the valley, including much of today’s Valencia and Canyon Country.

You might say that Saugus is a sleepy suburb of Santa Clarita. The home to homes. It’s where the butcher, baker and candlestick maker rest their heads. Your next door neighbor is always a firefighter if they aren’t a teacher or a cop.

But while Saugus sleeps, you shouldn’t sleep on Saugus, because we’re the next big thing.

1. The rock is alive
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You all wish you had a rock like ours. 

2. Ice-cold Rita's is the hottest thing in the SCV
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The line outside of Rita’s is out the door on most nights. Lady Ducayne is all about it. Call it "Italian ice" or "wudder ice." Either way, you'll only find it in Saugus. Save that froyo drama for Valencia.

3. We've got Wilk
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It’s been a very long time since Saugus had political clout in Santa Clarita, but now we’re home to the top politico in the SCV. Dude was just elected and he’s already making moves in Sacramento. Sure he’s a Republican, but he's friendly-uncle Republican, not crazy-neighbor Republican.

4. Lombardi Ranch is still here
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There is nothing like Lombardi's anywhere else in the SCV. Your kids go crazy over it. You love that fresh corn. It's the soul of Saugus.

5. Only Saugus has hip-hop cred
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Ask your kids about Odd Future. They're huge right now, and for some reason, they have a thing for Saugus. They've referenced Saugus not once, nor twice, but three times. We love you back, Earl.

6. Central Park is the best and it only gets better
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Central Park is like a laboratory of awesome. Leslie Knope would lose her mind if she had a park like this. That picture, that's my baby, and he's never been happier. Neither have you. Central Bark, community gardens, frisbee golf, Brochella. Yeah, we got this.



Comments (24)

  1. InkGigoloSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
    #LetSaugusBeSaugus
  2. MikeSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
    Saugus considers you to be its son. Embrace it. Zip code is nothing but a number.
  3. InkGigoloSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
    BUT I LIVE IN NORTH VALENCHA!!!
  4. neil wachsSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
    And Laura's beauty Supply is close by!!!!! 20% OFF "like" us on Facebook 252 8033
  5. JeffWilsonSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
    A compelling argument to be sure, but one that holds up. Newhall 1. Who needs a rock when you have the Hart Mansion/Castle atop a hill? And buffalos? 2. I'll see your Rita's Ice and raise you the Poached Pair, described by Lady Ducayne as the only "real neighborhood bakery" in the SCV is in Newhall. So is Bricks. 3.Wilk's cool, no doubt, but we've got Gutzeit, Weste, TimBen Boydston, and the man who preceded Wilk, Cam Smyth, likely our next Congressman. 4. Lombardi's is cool, no doubt, but Newhall's lack of CCRs means people can grow all sorts of stuff in their own big 1950s-sized backyard plots. A neighbor next door grew an entire crop of corn one year. Chickens roam front yards. There are pot farms in Placerita Canyon; you don't find that at Lombardi's! In Newhall, everyone with a backyard can make their own Lombardi's Ranch. 5. I yield on this point. Though I'd still like to team up some day with some talented music person and remake Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" into a rap song about "Newhall". Also, for SCVers at large, cowboy cred < hip hop cred, and Newhall has cowboy cred in its veins. 6. Central Park is great, but it's missing some things. Like old growth shady trees. Central Bark used to be cool, now it's a dirt lot. Summer Concerts in the park can't be beat, true, but if I'm going on a picnic, I'm going to Hart Park or Newhall Park because of the big shady trees, the possibility of running into interesting homeless people, and to watch pick up futbol matches by the Latino segment. 7. Sorry but it's a big deal to me: Saugus is probably the least walkable community in the SCV. Bouquet is a freeway. No paseos. Weak bike infrastructure. And hilly. Newhall is the SCV's most walkable community and that counts for a lot. Finally, Newhall was aptly described by Laurene Weste as "the Cultural Bedrock of the SCV." Sure Saugus is named after Henry Mayo's home town, but Newhall bears Henry May's surname!
  6. MikeSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
    Listen, I'm trend-forecasting here. Nate Silver-type stuff. Newhall has it all now, sure. But what has it done for you lately? (aside from the new library, Senses of Main, the aforementioned Poached Pair and the neighboring spice store, a refreshed Hart park and improved coffee at RR cafe, yeah yeah yeah)
  7. KfpftwSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
    Newhall FTW
  8. TacalertMonday, May 27th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
    And in Newhall you can pickup hot food on almost every corner from one of your friendly neighborhood foodcart vendors.
  9. Two-one and LewisMonday, May 27th, 2013 at 6:50 pm
    Call me when you get cell coverage in Saugus.
  10. MikeMonday, May 27th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
    I JUST DID (well, a text, at least. because I'm a gentleman)
  11. Julia VoseSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
    t's all SCV ... each zip code within it has their specialties.
  12. InkGigoloSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
    Yeah! Can't we all just get along?
  13. scvmommaSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
    OMG, the entire Santa Clarita Rocks, love equally.
  14. WalkerSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
    Well, since it had no where to go but up, so I'll give you the props on the new exciting additions for Saugus :) It's still land locked and far away from pretty much anything worth going to in the SCV, but if all you need are pumpkins, shaved ice + custard, a pretty rock and a nice park, then Saugus is totally the happening place to be in the SCV.
  15. JeffWilsonSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 5:19 pm
    "It's still land locked and far away from pretty much anything worth going to in the SCV, but if all you need are pumpkins, shaved ice + custard, a pretty rock and a nice park, then Saugus is totally the happening place to be in the SCV." SICK BURN. Oh man I'm sorry Mike I know you're trying to feel better about the place you call home but I just got back from giving a tour of the SCV to a British colleague of mine (he's looking to buy, and soon) and the only two places I showed him were SoLy and old Valencia. He very much liked Valencia's paseos and the peace and quiet. I did not take him to Saugus because he would have been weirded out all the way back to the UK.
  16. MikeSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 6:06 pm
    Hey guys, not to connect the dots or anything, but Saugus being Saugus is the conceit here. It leads with a rock, after all, and only gets slightly more substantial.
  17. WalkerSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 7:15 pm
    Well, there's that part of Saugus (by Eblem) that is Valencia adjacent and would be a pretty convenient place to live. Anything beyond that, though, and you should probably do all your SCV shopping, eating, and general entertainment before making the commute in to Saugus lest you get home and realize you need something other than pumpkins, Italian ice + custard, a pretty rock or a nice park and you have to make the trek back 'into town' for provisions and entertainment.
  18. MikeSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 6:21 pm
    Shaved ice?
  19. WalkerSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 7:08 pm
    Oh, you're right, Italian Ice. Saugus is too second class for shaved ice :)
  20. InkGigoloSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 3:54 pm
    Who gets to claim Elephant Bar? Hmmmm?
  21. mikecSunday, May 26th, 2013 at 6:10 pm
    Ain't no side...like the eastside! It's all about Canyon Country
  22. ThatJoshPremakoTuesday, May 28th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
    The wife and I might currently live in the St'anch, but my heart belongs to Newhall. I did my time in Saugus. I wish them well, but they are no next big thing. #nothinbutlove
  23. H DaryaniSunday, June 2nd, 2013 at 7:06 am
    Don't forget only Saugus has THE Persia Restaurant!!!!!!
  24. HenryJenningsFriday, June 14th, 2013 at 10:01 am
    You're right -- Winkler is helping a lot.

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