PLACE STORY · GRANADA HILLS
114 deodar cedars on White Oak Avenue are a Los Angeles landmark
There is a street in Granada Hills where the trees have more legal protection than most buildings in Los Angeles. 🌲
White Oak Avenue, between San Fernando Mission Blvd and San Jose Street. About three-quarters of a mile of enormous deodar cedars — a species native to the Himalayas — arching over a residential street.
The Facts
- Planted in 1932 by John Orcutt, superintendent of Sunshine Ranch, a dairy and citrus operation that later became Granada Hills. He put them in as saplings to mark the ranch entrance.
- Declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 41 on August 3, 1966. The official city listing calls it "114 Deodar Trees."
- Not a house. Not a building. A row of trees, landmarked.
The Fun Part
The city's own historical marker at White Oak and Chatsworth is titled "Deodar Trees — E.T. Movie Location," and there's a mural nearby celebrating the 1981 filming on this street. Take that up with the Cultural Heritage Board, not me. 🚲🌕
And The Timing
Granada Hills turns 100 this year — founded April 18, 1926, renamed from "Granada" to "Granada Hills" in 1942. The trees are 94.
Sources
- Historical Marker Database entry for Deodar Trees (HMdb marker 223406)
- City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument listing
- Granada Hills Centennial Celebration, granadahills100.com
- LA Council District 12
Accessed and verified 2026-08-21.
