There is something special about seeing the San Fernando Valley from above. From this spot along Mulholland Drive, the Valley opens up below you, with neighborhoods, boulevards, businesses, and familiar landmarks stretching toward the mountains beneath an impossibly big Southern California sky.

That view felt like the perfect way to introduce the very first edition of BeLocal South San Fernando Valley.

The Valley is enormous, but living here is surprisingly local. We have the coffee shop where they know our order, the restaurant we recommend whenever someone asks where to eat, the hiking trail we escape to on a Saturday morning, and the small businesses we trust enough to call before anyone else. Over time, those places become more than destinations. They become part of our routines and, eventually, part of what makes this place feel like home.

For someone who has just moved here, however, all of that is still waiting to be discovered.

The South San Fernando Valley stretches across some of Los Angeles' most distinct communities, each with its own personality. From the energy of Ventura Boulevard and the restaurants of Studio City and Sherman Oaks to the tree-lined neighborhoods of Encino, Tarzana, and Woodland Hills, there is an incredible amount to explore. Look a little closer and you will find independent shops, neighborhood institutions, hidden restaurants, local professionals, parks, trails, and places that longtime residents sometimes take for granted.

That is what this cover represents.  The sweeping view gives you the big picture, but BeLocal is about what happens when you zoom in.

Inside these pages, you will meet the people and businesses that give our communities their character. You will find places to eat, things to do, local favorites worth knowing, and recommendations designed to help you experience your new neighborhood like someone who has lived here for years.

And those recommendations matter. The best way to discover a community has always been through the people who already call it home. Ask a neighbor where to get great sushi, who they trust with their home, or where they take friends visiting from out of town, and chances are they have an answer ready.

BeLocal was created to capture that kind of local knowledge and put it in the hands of people arriving here for the first time.

So consider this cover your view from the top, and wow, there is a lot down there to discover.

Welcome to the South San Fernando Valley.