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Universal City, California

45 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1894 and the latest in 1979. It stands in the San Fernando Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 91608. It lies near Dark Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Burbank quadrangle.

Universal City within Los Angeles County

Then and now

1894 to 1979

The same ground, surveyed 85 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Universal City, surveyed 1979
Topographic sheet of Universal City, surveyed 1894

Compare 1894 against another survey:

On record in Universal City

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register within a mile 2 records

The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.

Topographic sheets covering this place

20 surveys from 45 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

103 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 103 fires within 5 miles of Universal City between 1995 and 2020, burning about 1,054 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined59
Smoking16
Equipment and vehicle use11
Arson/incendiarism7
Misuse of fire by a minor5
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Debris and open burning1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
29 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaEAST FIRE
24 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
21 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
18 September 1995Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaFRANKLIN
12 September 2011Smokingunder an acreLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
7 August 2008Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
30 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Los Angeles County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Universal City: 5 past producers, 3 prospects, 2 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
J. JensenClayUnknown
Unnamed AditGold, CopperProspect
Unnamed Calcite OccurrenceCalciumProspect
CahuengaGoldProspect
Concrete Materials Co. Pit/PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Forest Lawn PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Stine & EllisSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Brush Canyon QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Los Angeles Park Dept. QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Mill City QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Los Angeles County

Storms near this place

5 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Universal City in 5 storm reports between 2007 and 2024: 5 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2007Flash FloodUniversal City$300,000Strong thunderstorms dumped heavy rain over the Barham burn area. The heavy generated a significant mud and debris flow below the burn area. Nearly two feet of mud covered a hundred yard stretch of Forest Lawn Drive. A dozen parked cars were buried by the mud and debris. No injuries were reported.
November 2008Flash FloodUniversal City$10,000Heavy rain showers, in excess of one half inch per hour, fell across the Barham Fire burn area. The heavy showers produced flash flooding and mud flows along Forest Lawn Drive where over 1 foot of water and mud was reported.
February 2024Flash FloodUniversal City-California Highway Patrol reported significant flooding on Highway 101 near Campo de Cahuenga. Numerous vehicles were stuck in the flood waters.
February 2023Flash FloodUniversal City-Heavy rainfall generated flash flooding on Highway 134 near Buena Vista Drive.
January 2008Flash FloodUniversal City-A mud and debris flow developed around the Barham Burn area. Forest Lawn Drive was closed due to over one foot of mud and debris.

Every storm recorded in Los Angeles County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Outpost Estates2.0 miles43
Magnolia Park2.0 miles45
La Paco2.1 miles45
McNeil2.3 miles45
Hollywood Heights2.3 miles43
Studio City2.4 miles44
Whitley Heights2.4 miles43
North Hollywood2.7 miles44

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Universal CityAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1376480The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661603. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.