West Hills is a residential neighborhood in the far western San Fernando Valley, within the city of Los Angeles, California. Its recorded history begins in 1912, when it was founded as the town of Owensmouth along the newly extended Pacific Electric rail line; the name referred to the mouth of the Owens Valley aqueduct that brought water to the growing city. The community was later absorbed into Canoga Park before emerging in the late twentieth century as the separate neighborhood now known as West Hills. Today West Hills covers about eight square miles of largely single-family subdivisions, shopping centers, and neighborhood parks, bordered by Woodland Hills to the south, Canoga Park to the east, Chatsworth to the north, and the Simi Hills to the west. It is a fully built-out, low-density community whose residents range from young families to long-time homeowners. The neighborhood's western edge is its most distinctive feature: the land rises into the Simi Hills, where the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve offers miles of hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails at the edge of the city. Bell Creek and Dayton Creek, which rise in the nearby hills, run through the area and support wildlife corridors through the Valley. West Hills is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District, with El Camino Real Charter High School, founded in 1969, serving portions of West Hills and neighboring Woodland Hills. The 101 Freeway along the northern boundary and Victory Boulevard through the center provide the main commuting routes, while the Metro Orange Line busway at nearby Canoga and De Soto stations links the area to the wider transit network. Its location at the Valley's western end puts residents within reach of both the San Fernando Valley's commercial corridors and the open spaces of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills.