What Cities Are in the Valley in California? | The Six Names

In California, “the Valley” usually means the San Fernando Valley: six incorporated cities plus many Los Angeles neighborhoods.

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Los Angeles geography causes an easy mix-up: the phrase “what cities are in the Valley in California” usually refers to the San Fernando Valley, not California’s much larger Central Valley. The direct city list is Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills.

Names such as North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Woodland Hills sound like separate cities on addresses and maps. They are neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles. That city-versus-neighborhood distinction is the part that causes most confusion.

What Does “The Valley” Mean In California?

In Los Angeles conversation, “the Valley” means the San Fernando Valley, an urban basin north of the Los Angeles Basin in Los Angeles County. The phrase often covers the Valley portion of Los Angeles plus nearby incorporated cities and a small number of unincorporated communities.

California has several regions with “Valley” in their names, so location changes the answer. A conversation about Fresno or Bakersfield points to the Central Valley, while a conversation about San Jose or Cupertino points to Silicon Valley. An unqualified Los Angeles reference almost always means the San Fernando Valley.

Cities In California’s Valley: The Six Incorporated Names

The San Fernando Valley contains all or part of six incorporated cities: Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills. Universal City is also in the Valley, but it is an unincorporated community rather than a city.

A Los Angeles Metro San Fernando Valley corridor study identifies the same six cities and lists Universal City as the Valley’s unincorporated area.

Address rule: A mailing label may use Van Nuys, Encino, or North Hollywood in the city line, but those places remain inside the municipal boundaries of Los Angeles.

Why Familiar Valley Names Are Not Separate Cities

Most well-known San Fernando Valley place names are Los Angeles neighborhoods, not independent municipalities. Local identity is strong, and postal addressing often uses the neighborhood name, which makes these areas look like cities to visitors.

The main Los Angeles neighborhoods are easier to understand by section:

• Southeast Valley: North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, and Toluca Lake.
• Central San Fernando Valley: Van Nuys, Valley Glen, Lake Balboa, Reseda, and North Hills.
• North Valley: Sylmar, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City, Arleta, and Sun Valley.
• Northwest Valley: Northridge, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, and Winnetka.
• Southwest Valley: Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, and West Hills.

San Fernando is the name that needs the most care. The City of San Fernando is an incorporated city, while the San Fernando Valley is the much larger region around it. A person can be in the San Fernando Valley without being inside the City of San Fernando.

Other California Valleys People May Mean

California has several large urban regions called valleys, and each has a different city list. The surrounding place names usually reveal which region the speaker has in mind.

• Central Valley: Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Visalia, and Bakersfield are among its major cities.
• Silicon Valley: San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Cupertino, and Palo Alto form the region most people mean.
• Coachella Valley: Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella.
• San Gabriel Valley: Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, West Covina, San Gabriel, and Pomona are among its cities.
• Antelope Valley: Lancaster and Palmdale are the two main incorporated cities.

The Central Valley is the strongest alternate reading because it covers a huge part of inland California. Still, Californians usually say “the Central Valley” rather than simply “the Valley” when they mean that agricultural region.

Where To Stay For A San Fernando Valley Visit

Burbank and Studio City work well for studio-area stops, Sherman Oaks gives easy access to Ventura Boulevard, and Woodland Hills fits plans centered on the western Valley. North Hollywood has Metro rail access toward Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles.

For hotel locations across the Los Angeles side of the San Fernando Valley, compare the map around the places you plan to visit:

Travel times can stretch because the Valley spans a broad area and freeway traffic varies sharply by hour. Choosing a base near your main neighborhood often saves more time than choosing a central-looking point on a regional map.

Which Valley Name Should You Use?

Travelers should use “San Fernando Valley” for the Los Angeles region, then name the city or neighborhood for precision. The wording below keeps addresses, travel plans, and location descriptions accurate.

• Use Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Calabasas, or Hidden Hills when the location lies inside one of those independent cities.
• Use Los Angeles as the municipality for North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Northridge, and other Los Angeles neighborhoods.
• Use Universal City for the unincorporated area around Universal Studios Hollywood.
• Use Central Valley for the inland region containing cities such as Fresno, Stockton, and Bakersfield.
• Use the full regional name for Silicon Valley, Coachella Valley, San Gabriel Valley, or Antelope Valley.

For the unqualified phrase, the clean answer is: the San Fernando Valley includes Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills, while most other familiar Valley names are Los Angeles neighborhoods.