Simi Valley Essay

Simi Valley has only relatively recently become the city it is known as today. Prior to the 1970’s, Simi Valley had been mainly a place of groves and farmland. Also prior to that, this was the land of the Chumash which is where the word Simi originated from. While most of the people of Simi are of European descent, there seems to be a strong community of hispanic people. There are also people from Asian backgrounds, African American backgrounds, and Native American backgrounds. On the surface Simi is predominantly comprised of people of European descent, but if you look closer the true ethnicity of Simi is more subtle. In the last century there were predominantly people of hispanic origins living in Simi Valley. That makes since California was originally a part of Mexico and even when California was signed over to the United States, the people who lived there remained there. Victor Andazola remembers that he “lived not too far from Simi and [he] would come over and pick oranges from the groves that were all around.” That was around the 70’s and Simi Valley has since expanded …show more content…
Many people came here for the safety the city was known for. Others came here for work because it is close to major cities with a lot of job opportunities. Martinez for example “moved to Simi Valley in the early 90’s. [He] wanted to own [his] own Mexican restaurant and thought Simi would be the best location.” There were also people who came to Simi Valley for the weather which is mild all year round and was not as expensive to live in as other Californian cities. Lee Johnson recalls that he “always wanted to move to California but did not want to live in the busy cities. Simi Valley was perfect because it was close to big cities, but not in them.” That also brings up another interesting point of Simi. It’s really close to major cities such as Hollywood and Los Angeles. Which means there is a lot of immigration from those cities to places like