The San Fernando Valley is an area located in Southern California, bordered by the cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Encino, Glendale, Northridge, Pasadena, Reseda, Studio City, Van Nuys, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Winnetka. The region is home to over 3 million people, making it the second most populated area in the United States. The San Fernando Valley is often considered synonymous with the term “Silicon Valley”, but this is not entirely accurate. While many companies are based there, Silicon Valley is actually a much larger region. The San Fernando Valley has long been associated with the film industry, due to its proximity to Hollywood and Universal Studios. In fact, the entire region was once part of the Rancho La Brea Oil Field. The oil field began producing crude oil in 1901 and continued until 1942. The oil field was named for the rancho La Brea, which covered the land at the time. It was renamed after the discovery of oil. The San Fernando Valley also contains some of the largest shopping malls in the world, including The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and the Granada Hills Galleria. The San Fernando Valley is an urban region located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, the Santa Susana Pass to the east, and the Sepulveda Pass to the south. The valley is named after Mission San Fernando Rey de España, which is now part of the city of Los Angeles.

The name of the valley is derived from the Spanish word valle, meaning “valley”. The earliest reference to the valley was in 1781, when the mission was founded. The valley was officially incorporated as a municipality on January 5, 1887, and became a census division in 1890. The population of the valley grew rapidly during the 20th century, especially after World War II. Today, the area is the second most populous metropolitan statistical area in Southern California, behind Greater Los Angeles. The valley is also the largest urbanized area in the county.

The valley is home to many major cities including Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Van Nuys, Northridge, West Hills, Reseda, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Tarzana, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Toluca Lake, Granada Hills, Sun Valley, Chatsworth.

The San Fernando Valley is bounded by the 5 Freeway to the north, the 101 Freeway to the south, the Ventura Freeway to the east, and the 405 Freeway to the west. The Los Angeles River starts at the confluence of the Calabasas Creek and the Arroyo Calabazas. Most of the San Francisco Valley is within the jurisdiction the city of Los Angeles, but some other incorporated cities are also located within the valley.