Back HomeToluca Lake
World-famous attractions like Garry Marshall’s Falcon Theatre, the historic and original Bob’s Big Boy restaurant, Universal Studios and the 4,310-acre Griffith Park. Of course, Toluca Lake also includes an actual lake with many homes featuring private boat slips.
Historically a home to everyone from ranchers to movie moguls, the community is quiet and active in maintaining the atmosphere of “small town” in the midst of the San Fernando Valley and bustling metro Los Angeles. The area features grand mansions built in the 1920s and 1930s along with more modest lovely, custom-built homes. In recent years, several condo and townhouse developments have been built here too. Whether you’re looking for a sprawling estate, traditional ranch-style home or for a quiet condo above the lively Riverside Drive, you can be sure to find your next home here. Toluca Lake has something for anyone looking to find all of the amenities of living in Southern California in one wonderful and distinct community.
This upscale, tranquil community has two very unique features. First, it straddles both the city of Burbank and the city of Los Angeles. Consequently, homeowners have two different providers of city services. (Clybourn Ave. is the dividing line.) Owners of Toluca Lake real estate also have different tax consequences when they sell, depending on which city they live in.
The geologic Toluca Lake is a 6-acre body of water located near the district’s southeastern boundaries. The historic natural lake was fed by springs of upwelling groundwater from the substantial Los Angeles River and San Fernando Valley subterranean aquifers. Late 19th and 20th century L. A. DWP well extraction and 1930s concrete river channelization lowered the water table, and currently community wells at the lake’s edges maintain the water level. The bottom of the lake is surfaced with four inches of asphalt concrete to prevent seepage. Owned by the surrounding homeowners, it has been maintained by the Toluca Lake Property Owners Association, a non-profit corporation established in 1934. The lake, surrounded by 33 private residences and the Lakeside Golf Club, is inaccessible to the public.
The town boasts a enviable location. In addition to Burbank and Los Angeles, it borders Universal City allowing swift access to Hollywood from Barham Boulevard and—outside of rush hour traffic periods—a short 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. There is also the Universal City Metro Red Line that can whisk you into Hollywood and a few more strategic stops toward downtown and Union Station. Toluca Lake is surrounded by the culture and history of Southern California. Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal Studios both border the town, while the Walt Disney Studios are just a short distance away. In addition, there are scores of production companies and entertainment industry businesses in the immediate area.
The exclusive Lakeside Golf Club features an exceptional 18-hole golf course in addition to other country club amenities. It also provides members and surrounding residents with a fantastic fireworks display on July 4th.
The history of this part of the San Fernando Valley is similar to the rest of Los Angeles. Once part of a Spanish land grant, it was farmland until the 1920’s. The first home was built on Valley Spring Road in the mid-1920s and was later owned by Amelia Earhart. Toluca Lake’s most famous long-time resident was Bob Hope and his almost 5-acre estate remains a landmark. Other celebrity residents have included Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Gene Autry, W.C. Fields, Ann Blyth, Keeley Smith, William Holden, Dorothy Lamour, Doris Day, Red Foxx, Sandra Dee, Tex Ritter, Bobby Darin, Franie Avalon, Andy Griffith, Jonathan Winters, JoAnn Worley, James Garner, Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Dudley Moore, Alan Thicke, Melissa McCarthy, Goldie Hawn, James Garner, Ron Howard, David Lynch, Denzel Washington, George Lopez, Steve Carell, Eric McCormack, Hilary Duff, Gary Marshall, Andy Garcia, Joe Mantegna and Queen Latifah.
Adjacent neighborhoods of Toluca Lake include Toluca Woods (directly north and somewhat east); Toluca Terrace (north of Toluca Woods), and West Toluca Lake. Riverside Drive serves as the main passage way running east and west through Toluca Lake and features many restaurants, locally-owned shops and upscale boutiques.
Toluca Lake area schools are as follows:
4243 Satsuma Avenue | 818-761-6147
K-5 | Los Angeles Unified School District
Toluca Lake Elementary School
4840 Cahuenga Boulevard | 818-761-3339
K-5 | Los Angeles Unified School District
Walter Reed Middle School
4525 Irvine Avenue | 818-487-7600
6-8 | Los Angeles Unified School District
10952 Whipple Street | 818-509-8759
K-12 | Los Angeles Unified School District
St. Charles Borromeo School
10850 Moorpark Street | 818-508-5359
K-8 | CA Private Schools
