Agoura Hills, CA

U.S. 101 is both Agoura Hills’ main regional road and an ecological break. The freeway separates habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains from the Simi and Santa Susana mountains, limiting movement for mountain lions and other wildlife. Caltrans is reconnecting those ranges at Liberty Canyon with the vegetated Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. At about 210 feet long and 174 feet wide, it will be the nation’s largest wildlife crossing of its type. The bridge over the freeway was completed in June 2025. As of August 2026, crews were building the second stage over Agoura Road, relocating utilities, moving earth, and restoring habitat. Through September 1, weekday construction keeps Agoura Road between Rondell Street and Hydepark Drive closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Detours use U.S. 101, while a free shuttle carries cyclists and pedestrians around the closed section every 30 minutes.

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The city’s historical map reaches well beyond the freeway era. Ventureño Chumash communities occupied the area before Spanish settlement, and El Camino Real later passed through it. Maria Antonia Machado acquired Rancho Las Virgenes land in 1845, and her son José Paulino Reyes built the Reyes Adobe around 1850. The city now operates the restored home as a museum and interpretive center, with self-guided tours on a limited schedule. In 2026, its winter schedule opened the museum on second Saturdays and third Tuesdays. The community became known as Agoura in 1928 and incorporated as Agoura Hills on December 8, 1982. The adobe remains inside a city formed over a century after its walls were raised.

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South of the city, Paramount Ranch makes the mountains both a working film landscape and a public recreation site. Paramount Pictures acquired 2,700 acres in the late 1920s and made over 130 films there between 1927 and 1943. The National Park Service acquired its portion in 1980. It is the only National Park Service site dedicated to American filmmaking. Filming continued into the television and streaming eras, and Agoura Hills still requires permits for production within city limits. The 2018 Woolsey Fire destroyed much of Paramount Ranch’s Western Town, although its train depot and chapel survived. Today, several miles of trails cross chaparral, riparian habitat, and valley oak savanna for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

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Rancho and mountain history also appear in current civic routines. The city maintains an equestrian arena, ballfields, park shelters, and a Recreation and Event Center. Ballfields are distributed among Chumash, Old Agoura, and Forest Cove parks. Its 2026 events menu includes concerts and movies in the park, alongside One City One Book and volunteer service days. Reyes Adobe Days carries the city’s first home into a larger annual celebration. The 22nd edition is scheduled for October 2 through 4, 2026. Its Saturday parade will follow Reyes Adobe Road for about a mile and end at the historical site. Festival activities and self-guided house tours will continue on the grounds where José Paulino Reyes built the adobe around 1850.