Valencia is an affluent neighborhood of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County, California. It is located in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley adjacent to Interstate 5. A formerly independent planned community, it was one of the four unincorporated communities (along with Saugus, Newhall, and Canyon Country) that merged to create the city of Santa Clarita, California, in 1987.[citation needed] As of 2010, the population of the 91355 zip code was 32,605 and the estimated median household income was $88,744.[2] In 2006, Santa Clarita was ranked as one of the top 100 places to live by Money magazine.[3] Valencia is home to the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park and the adjacent Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park.
Valencia's residential areas are separated into villages, each with its own lifestyle (see List of Valencia, California residential villages). Almost all of Valencia's villages are close to schools, shopping, etc. In many of the villages, homeowner associations oversee the quality and upkeep of housing developments ranging in size from a few dozen homes to over a thousand. Many villages also have a Neighborhood Watch program in force.
Valencia also has an extensive system of paved pathways with grade separations over and under the streets and boulevards. The pathways are called paseos. These paseos connect the entire community together, making it possible to travel throughout nearly all of Valencia on foot or by bicycle without ever crossing a street. The paseo network is connected to the Santa Clara River Trail which runs east along the Santa Clara River to Canyon Country. Landowners in the Valencia area pay special taxes to maintain landscaping and the paseo system.[citation needed]
Recently, Valencia has emphasized its history as a planned community with the catchphrase, "Built as promised". It has even gone as far as to unofficially brand itself as "Awesometown", using the tagline "Just Another Day in...Awesometown" on the website.