Castaic, California

Castaic, California (2000 Census population 22,173 in the 91384 ZIP Code) and area code 661 is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, USA. It lies north of Santa Clarita in Castaic Canyon, a few miles from the Santa Clarita Valley and Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. It is approximately 39 miles (63 km) from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center.

Today it is a growing community near the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles Area and has many new suburban one and two story houses in new developments. It began life in 1915 at the opening of the original Ridge Route which brought travelers looking for gasoline, water, food, and lodging. Many early day residents of Castaic were involved in providing for travelers' needs along the Ridge Route. Today travelers still enjoy stopping at Castaic for their needs but also enjoy nearby amenities including Castaic Lake and Pyramid Lake where boating and swimming are favorite pastimes.

Castaic Lake is the terminus of the west branch of the State Water Project and an 1175 MW pumped storage hydroelectric plant located at the north end of Lake Castaic captures the energy from the falling water. From Castaic the water is delivered by pipelines to the Los Angeles area.

The Castaic Town Council meets regularly to solve the challenges of the growing community. It covers 100 square miles (259 km²) of area, and includes the Val Verde and Chiquito Canyon areas.

Castaic Middle School is a school that serves grades 6-8 for the region.Some of the earliest businesses started in Castaic are Castaic Brick (founded 1927) and George Dunn's Wayside Dairy (founded 1929). Sam's Place (Sam Parson, proprietor) on the Ridge Route has long since gone and is now a memory.

Station 149 of the Los Angeles County Fire Department serves the community and is located one block from the lake.

The origin of the name Castaic - misspelled by many over the decades - is the Chumash Native American word "Kashtuk", meaning "eyes."

ee also

*San Gabriel Fault

External links

* [http://www.castaic.org/ Castaic Area Town Council]
*cite web | author = |url= http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/castaic.htm | title= History of Castaic | publisher= Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society | accessdate=2004-07-04 (Photos & text)