North Hills is one of the oldest communities in the San Fernando Valley. Formerly known as Sepulveda, the community was renamed North Hills in 1992. Northridge is to the west, Panorama City is to the east, Van Nuys is to the south, and Granada Hills to the north. The 405 Freeway (San Diego Freeway) runs through North Hills. Major thoroughfares include Lassen, Plummer, and Nordhoff Streets, Hayvenhurst, Woodley, and Haskell Avenues, and Roscoe and Sepulveda Boulevards. North Hills is roughly bounded by Balboa Boulevard to the west, Lassen Street to the north, Sepulveda Boulevard on the east, and Roscoe Boulevard to the south.
The Sepulveda family that it was originally named for has roots back to the founding of Los Angeles. Sepulveda Boulevard begins at the north end of the San Fernando Valley and extends all the way south to Long Beach, running through most of the populated section of Los Angeles County.
Like other working class neighborhoods of the northeastern San Fernando Valley, North Hills became predominantly Latino in the early 1990s after the white flight that was common at the time. The small area varies a great deal; some parts of North Hills still preserve a small town feeling and are characterized by considerable neighborhood activism to preserve quality of life.
