Westlake Village celebrates 25th Anniversary

PARTY TIME-Above, Westlake Village residents, from left, Aryana Shandel, Jenna Haffavnier, Sabrina Isay and Brooke Jones celebrate Westlake Village's 25th anniversary Sunday. Right, Mike Guzzardo feels patriotic. Westlake Village, once home to Chumash Indians, became part of two sprawling Mexican land grants: Rancho El Conejo and Rancho Las Virgenes. In the 1880s, the Russell family purchased much of the land for their cattle ranch, paying $2.50 per acre. In 1925, the area became part of William Randolph Hearst's holdings until 1943 when Hearst sold it to Fred Albertson who turned it into a movie ranch. The land changed hands again in 1963, this time purchased by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company which began developing what is now Westlake Village. Their vision: to give residents a little "city in the country."