Santa Susana Knolls
Santa Susana Knolls, usually just called the Knolls, is the hillside community at Simi Valley's far east end. It climbs south from the railroad along Katherine and Black Canyon roads. The Mortimer family mapped it into small cabin lots between 1925 and 1927, and houses have gone up one at a time ever since. The 2020 Census counted 489 housing units in the census-designated place that covers it.
Updated · Sources at the bottom of the page · Corrections: send a correction
Santa Susana Knolls quick facts
| Also called | Susana Knolls, The Knolls, Mortimer Park (former name), Santa Susana CDP |
|---|---|
| Where | Hillside area at Simi Valley's far east end, south of the railroad, along Katherine Road and Black Canyon Road and reaching east along Santa Susana Pass Road |
| City / jurisdiction | Mostly unincorporated Ventura County (Santa Susana CDP, Supervisorial District 4); some edge blocks along Katherine Road, including Knolls Elementary, are inside the City of Simi Valley · ZIP 93063 |
| Built | Lots mapped 1925–1927; houses built individually in the decades since |
| Builders | Mortimer family (lot subdivider of record, 1925–1927); homes individually built |
| Homes | About 490 housing units in the Santa Susana CDP (2020 Census) |
| Home types | Individually built single-family houses, from small cabins to larger custom homes, on irregular hillside lots |
| Gates | Not gated |
| Tracts | 3 named tracts and sub-neighborhoods (list) |
| Parks nearby | Sage Ranch Park, Knolls Park, Santa Susana Park |
| School district | Simi Valley Unified School District |
Pins are approximate centers.
Living in Santa Susana Knolls
County records show the order the land was mapped: Santa Susana Hills in 1925, Santa Susana Valley View Tract No. 1 and several smaller maps in 1926, and Susana Knolls Number One in 1927. Amos F. and Helen B. Mortimer signed all of them as the main owners. Local histories say the land was sold as Mortimer Park in lots as small as 30 by 50 feet. On the steep ground, buyers often had to combine several lots to build, and dozens of those tiny parcels are still on the county rolls. A garden club reportedly asked county supervisors in 1944 to replace the Mortimer Park name with Susana Knolls, a name the family had already used on its 1927 map.
Most of the Knolls lies outside city limits in the Santa Susana census-designated place, which covers about 1.26 square miles and had 1,160 residents in 2020, so county government oversees it. The Knolls is one of the unincorporated communities in the county's Fourth Supervisorial District, whose supervisor keeps an office at 980 Enchanted Way in Simi Valley. Edge blocks along Katherine Road, including Knolls Elementary, are inside Simi Valley. The 1920s maps did not dedicate their drives and trails to public use. Black Canyon Road climbs to the 625-acre Sage Ranch Park, and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District runs Knolls Park and Santa Susana Park nearby.
The lay of the land
Rural-feeling hillside community about 1,165 feet above sea level. Houses sit on irregular, often combined lots, and Black Canyon Road climbs south to Sage Ranch Park.
The U.S. Census Bureau calls this area the Santa Susana CDP. ConejoLife's separate Santa Susana page covers the old railroad town around Tapo Street.
Tracts & sub-neighborhoods of Santa Susana Knolls
The named tracts, villages and gated enclaves residents, HOAs and the MLS use inside the neighborhood, each with its own page.
Missing a tract? Tell us its name and we'll research it.
Schools near Santa Susana Knolls
Public schools nearby
- Knolls Elementary School (6334 Katherine Rd.)
- Simi Valley High School (5400 Cochran St.)
Being nearby doesn't mean a school is assigned. Attendance goes by address and boundaries change; confirm with the district.
- Simi Valley Unified School District: find the assigned schools for an address
Services, representation & fire safety
These are Simi Valley's area-wide providers; some vary by street.
| Police | Simi Valley Police Department (805) 583-6950 · 3901 Alamo St. Patrols the city. The unincorporated Knolls, Box Canyon, Lake Manor and Sinaloa Lake areas are served by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. |
|---|---|
| Fire and paramedic | Ventura County Fire Department Covers the city and surrounding county land. Simi Valley stations: 41 (1910 Church St.), 43 (5874 E. Los Angeles Ave.), 44 Wood Ranch (1050 Country Club Dr.), 45 West Simi (790 Pacific Ave.), 46 Tapo (3265 Tapo St.) and 47 Big Sky (2901 Erringer Rd.). |
| Water | Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8 (managed by the City of Simi Valley) (805) 583-6736 · Serves about 60 percent of the city, with the City Council sitting as its board. Most of its water is imported through Calleguas Municipal Water District, supplemented by two district wells in Tapo Canyon. After-hours emergencies: (805) 504-2708. |
| Water | Golden State Water Company Private utility serving the other 40 percent or so of the city. Your bill, or the district's service-area map, shows which supplier serves your address. |
| Sewer | City of Simi Valley Public Works, Sanitation Services Runs the city sewer system and its Water Quality Control Plant. |
| Electricity | Southern California Edison (delivery) and Clean Power Alliance (default power supply) SCE owns the lines and handles outages. Simi Valley joined Clean Power Alliance in 2019, and its default plan is Lean Power; customers can change plans or opt back to SCE supply. |
| Gas | Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) |
| Trash and recycling | Waste Management (G.I. Industries) (805) 522-9400 · The city's exclusive franchise hauler under an agreement executed October 10, 2022, covering trash, recycling, green and food waste, bulky-item pickup and outreach. The City Council sets rates each year, and collected waste goes to the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center. Unincorporated areas are outside the city franchise; check with the County of Ventura. |
| Parks and recreation | Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District (805) 584-4400 · 4201 Guardian St. Runs neighborhood and community parks, trails, open space, community centers, the Santa Susana Depot and Strathearn Historical Park. |
| Library | Simi Valley Public Library (805) 526-1735 · 2969 Tapo Canyon Rd., next to City Hall. |
| Animal services | Ventura County Animal Services 1-888-223-7387 · Serves Simi Valley by contract. The Simi Valley Animal Shelter at 670 W. Los Angeles Ave. handles strays, adoptions, licensing and lost pets; the main shelter is in Camarillo. |
| Transit | Simi Valley Transit (805) 583-6456 · Routes 10, 20 and 30, Dial-A-Ride and same-day SVT On Demand rides. Route 10 connects with LA Metro buses in Chatsworth, and VCTC Intercity buses stop at Simi Valley Town Center. |
| Hospital | Adventist Health Simi Valley The city's hospital, with a 24-hour emergency department. |
| Emergency alerts | VC Alert (Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services) Free English and Spanish alerts by phone, text and email for any Ventura County address. Sign up at member.everbridge.net, by email at vc.alert@ventura.org or by phone at 888-772-4482. The county also recommends keeping Wireless Emergency Alerts turned on. |
| Neighborhood councils | City of Simi Valley Neighborhood Councils (805) 583-6756 · Four advisory councils; every resident 18 or older is automatically a member. Each usually meets monthly at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Community Room, 2929 Tapo Canyon Rd. |
Who represents you: Mayor Dee Dee Cavanaugh (appointed mayor by the council on January 27, 2025, after Mayor Fred Thomas died in office); Mayor Pro Tem Elaine P. Litster (District 3); Joseph D. Ayala (District 1, appointed February 2025); Mike Judge (District 2); Rocky Rhodes (District 4). · Janice S. Parvin, Ventura County Board of Supervisors District 4, which covers Simi Valley, Moorpark and nearby unincorporated areas including the Knolls, Box Canyon, Bell Canyon and Sinaloa Lake. She won another term outright in the June 2, 2026 primary with about 70 percent of the vote over Ruth Luevanos; the new term begins in January 2027. Office: 980 Enchanted Way #203, Simi Valley, (805) 955-2300. Full list for Simi Valley.
Fire safety: Brush-covered hills ring the city, so neighborhoods along the edges, from Wood Ranch, Long Canyon and Bridle Path in the south to Big Sky, Wild Horse Canyon, Indian Hills and Silverthorne in the north and the Knolls, Box Canyon and Lake Manor in the east, sit… More.
Other neighborhoods in Simi Valley
Homes for sale in and around Santa Susana Knolls
Every MLS listing here, with photos, prices and details, is on Properkey.
Browse homes for sale in Santa Susana on Properkey
Real estate information provided by Properkey (CA DRE #01979718 · NMLS #1438783), which is not the listing broker unless stated.
Where these facts come from
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Census 2020: Santa Susana CDP (population 1,160; 489 housing units; land area) — tigerweb.geo.census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Gazetteer, California places — www2.census.gov
- Ventura County record map: Susana Knolls Number One (Book 19, Page 16, 1927) — maps.ventura.org
- Ventura County record map: Santa Susana Valley View Tract No. 1 (Book 18, Page 1, 1926) — maps.ventura.org
- Ventura County record map: Santa Susana Hills Number Two (Book 15, Page 18, 1925) — maps.ventura.org
- Ventura County GIS: recorded maps in the Knolls (names, recording dates) — maps.ventura.org
- Wikipedia: Santa Susana, California (Santa Susana CDP / Knolls) — en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia: Simi Valley, California (Mortimer Park history) — en.wikipedia.org
- OpenStreetMap: Santa Susana (alt. Santa Susana Knolls, GNIS 1661406) — openstreetmap.org
- MRCA: Sage Ranch Park — mrca.ca.gov
- Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District: Simi Valley parks (Knolls Park, Santa Susana Park) — rsrpd.org
- Simi Valley Unified School District: Knolls Elementary School — knolls.simivalleyusd.org
- Ventura County Supervisor Janice Parvin: The Fourth District (unincorporated areas include Santa Susana Knolls and Box Canyon) — supervisorparvin.venturacounty.gov
Something wrong or missing on this page? Residents know their streets best. Send a correction and we'll check it against the records and fix it.