Simi Valley is a special case in LA. It is far from downtown (almost 50 miles), far from Santa Monica even (40 miles), and in a valley of its own, just beyond

Simi Valley is a special case in LA. It is far from downtown (almost 50 miles), far from Santa Monica even (40 miles), and in a valley of its own, just beyond the farthest reaches of the San Fernando Valley ("the Valley"). It is deliberately isolated from the rest of the LA basin. In general, people live there because they want to be away from anything urban. If you're into NYC comparatives, its isolation and ethos compares to Staten Island. Lots of cops and firefighters.