Hiking into Hollywood's backyard

Homeowners living adjacent to the canyon have their pick of the city's best shopping and entertainment venues, minutes away, said longtime resident Steve Frankel, a Coldwell Banker Previews International agent. Canyon dwellers, he added, also grab some real estate cachet from the high-priced mansions in adjacent Beverly Ridge ($15 million to $25 million) and Beverly Park ($30 million to $50 million), which overlook the canyon.

Insider's viewpoint

When Jeb Johenning's mother died in 1983, he and his wife, Susan, decided to keep his mom's house in Franklin Canyon rather than sell it, because "we couldn't imagine anywhere else we'd prefer to live." They raised their two children there and took frequent advantage of the huge park, practically in their backyard.

"We have a dog, which we walk up to the park and lake, and we go on hikes," Johenning said. "I have a mountain bike and use it too. It's a great recreational area."

Housing stock

There are about 700 single-family homes in the immediate Franklin Canyon area.

Recently, three were listed for sale, including a 6,682-square-foot home with five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms for $4,975,000, and a 2,632-square-foot house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms for $2,095,000.

Report card

Most Franklin Canyon-area students attend the Los Angeles Unified School District's Warner Elementary School, which scored 942 out of a possible 1,000 on the 2007 Academic Performance Index Base Report. They may move on to Emerson Middle School, which scored 758, then University Senior High School, which scored 638.

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diane.wedner@latimes.com

Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; cde.ca.gov; laist.com; lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=14; laurelcanyon.org/EarlyHist.html; afaeryhunt.com/images/Franklin%20Canyon.pdf; jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/personnel/franklin_history.html; DWP.