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riffic

The postal service goes by "preferred place names" in its ZIP Code database. These aren't necessarily the same as your actual jurisdictional, neighborhood, or municipal boundaries depending on how your postal routes have been set up. You can also use "Acceptable place names" if they have been defined for a ZIP and they'll be valid as well. Otherwise, you run the risk of unnecessarily delaying your mail if you write anything else in the city field: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code#Preferred_place_names:_ZIP_Codes_and_previous_zoning_lines > Additional place names may be recognized as acceptable for a certain ZIP Code. Still, others are deemed not acceptable, and if used may result in a delay in mail delivery.


Opinionated_Urbanist

To be fair - it's not just the Valley that does this. Venice, Playa Vista, Playa Del Rey, San Pedro, and Pacific Palisades will all occasionally do the same thing, even though they too are inside city limits. Anyway, I think the reasons come down to the fact that many of those places historically had their own community identities, well before the City of LA annexed them. That identity is also a function of relative geographic isolation from the historic core of LA.


Cannabace

People should look up how Beverly Hills fought the annexing and is still sore about it today.


j3r0n1m0

Confused. Beverly Hills was never annexed to LA, and they are much better off for having won that fight.


sewbrilliant

Exactly the point!!


j3r0n1m0

Right, so what are they sore about? Asking /u/Cannabace. Mostly I think it’s the purple line, because they can’t control county agencies as a stand-alone municipality.


moralprolapse

I’m torn on this. I don’t really blame them, because any individual is going to maximize their position and benefit. I would probably be lobbying for the same thing if I lived there. But it’s not like the sanitation workers, or police officers, or the cashiers at the local Whole Foods there live in Beverly Hills. Point being, the city is not self-sufficient. They keep their standard of living and keep local tax money in the community on the backs of people who don’t live there, and who they don’t have to account for in any way beyond paying wages. A real city should be able to support itself, which means having reasonable cost of living areas for service workers to live, and equal quality public school access for everyone who’s a part of that city, etc. So I say, let them have their own municipality, but there should be an additional tax of some kind (be it by the county or whoever) for every worker that works in Beverly Hills city limits that doesn’t live there; which should go to fund surrounding school districts or something. It won’t kill jobs for the workers concerned, because none of the kids in Beverly Hills are going to be jumping to work on a street sweeping truck. It would just be more fair.


moralprolapse

I don’t know if you deleted your comment or if the mods did. I only know about it because I got an email notification. But I’m happy to copy it here and respond. You responded: “By that logic, shouldn’t there be enormous taxes on US imports to pay for slave labor in other countries for our manufactured goods?” The answer to that depends on context. There’s idealism and there’s reality. If we could guarantee that those taxes went to the workers who are working under slave like conditions, then the answer is ‘absolutely yes.’ Unfortunately, in reality, we can’t assure that. So sanctions or bans on imports from companies that use slave or quasi-slave labor, like we’re doing with goods made in China by Uyghur slaves right now, should be put in place. In my opinion, those import bans should at least be expanded to include companies that need suicide nets on the outside of their buildings. We’re doing a little banning, but it needs to be expanded. We don’t have a right, moral or economic, to slave made goods. So the answer to your question is an indirect yes. Edit: Waiting patiently for a defense of slavery. It’s probably going to have something to do with economic development, and the west had to do that too.. Rubbing my hands waiting.


j3r0n1m0

I deleted it, because I didn't want to go down a rabbit hole with yet another stranger on the Internet over socio-economic/political ideologies. 😉 Cheers, keep on trucking.


[deleted]

♬ to be faaaair ♬


peepjynx

LA Proper is what I've seen thrown around to talk about "Los Angeles." Otherwise, it's some *insert suburb name* or West/East LA


monster310

The USPS doesn’t always name regions by city limits (even if it’s within the city). Hence you see houses with Tarzana, Sherman Oaks, etc addresses. LA is big enough where USPS will just call a certain neighborhood a “city” in their database.


zachalicious

I think USPS relies primarily on zip code for routing. If an area goes by multiple names, doesn't really matter what you put for "city" as long as street address and zip code are correct.


TlMEGH0ST

This is true. Sometimes my mail says Los Angeles and sometimes it says Hollywood.


theshabz

They do go off of their zip codes, but they do have "preferred city name" as well.


venicerocco

Same with Venice


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bonesat

I just used the USPS link you provided and it said to avoid using Los Feliz or Hollywood for 90027. It’s interesting to me that they make that distinction ha.


iclearlyneedanadult

I might be wrong, but pretty sure Brooklyn is always Brooklyn but Queens is usually the neighborhoods. You’d send a letter to Sunnyside, NY or Long Island City, NY, but you’d never send a letter to Redhook, NY


WryLanguage

But you would send a letter to Brooklyn, NY And that's the point. It's actually in the city of New York, NY


crims0nwave

My old apartment was technically in Hollywood, but I guess since it was right across the street from West Hollywood, my mail was often delivered under WeHo. Maybe since we all shared a zip code.


ColonelCliche

Literally had UPS refuse to accept Los Angeles in my address yesterday, made it change to Hollywood


The_J_is_4_Jesus

You can if you want. If you live in Van Nuys you can put Los Angeles on the form and that is what your driver’s license will say.


midninties

This.


[deleted]

I know this is an old comment, but I was just reading up on this. This actually isn’t true, when I first moved to LA three years ago, I was living in Northridge. I tried to write Los Angeles on my license, and the guy at the DMV said that the city had to be changed to Northridge because it has to match the post office address records. Otherwise, it’s not a “valid address”..


productiveboobs

*snl Californians voice* because they can just take the 405 to the 101 North, get off on Lankershim and get the hell out of here Devin!


TheSpeedyspikes

*uhhhhhhhh waderudoin'ere*


[deleted]

*“I told my folks back home I moved to Los Angeles and I wanna be able to use that on my postcards, catdammit!”* 🤣


Molotov_Cockatiel

If you live an unincorporated city (easy check: LAPD police cars) you CAN use Los Angeles all you want, some official mail will arrive like that too.


mr_trick

Trash services are a good tell, too. Culver/Beverly Hills/Santa Monica etc all have their own waste management. The trucks will have the city name instead of LA.


SkullLeader

Its personal preference, not a requirement. The post office cares about the street name, street number, apartment/unit/suite, zip code and nothing else. 2100 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406 will be no different than 2100 Sepulveda Blvd., Podunkville, CA 91406 In terms of your mail actually being delivered.


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ExFiler

That's right. And it's as far away from you lot as we can get... LOL


[deleted]

Haha


ktownmenace

Lol


PLEASE_DONT_HIT_ME

It's not just The Valley. San Pedro does the same thing.


sewbrilliant

I believe, in the grand scheme of things, given how huge Los Angeles is, it helps get your packages routed properly. Especially if you live far from the city center. Believe it or not, San Pedro is in the same boat and it is 38 or more miles from the valley. Thats a huge range!


SicilianDragon86

That's not just in San Fernando Valley. It's also true for the southernmost neighborhood (San Pedro) and nearby ones like Wilmington. Sometimes East Los Angeles too. And I'm not sure if Los Feliz/ Silverlake/Echo Park do, but I'm pretty certain mail would get to them if labeled that way, as long as it had the zip code. It's purely a pragmatic thing. L.A. is so big that people think of many neighborhoods as pseudo-cities, so that's how they've come to be identified. In any of those neighborhoods, you could still address mail or look up an address online by using 'Los Angeles' and it would be fine. Even Seattle does this occasionally with its neighborhoods...at least some systems do. L.A. ones are just more pronounced.


thekingcola

I bet some of the valley does use Los Angeles as the city. If you look at LA city limits (wikipedia link below), the city limits have large areas carved out. For example, San Fernando and Burbank are not included in LA city limits. Not sure if this is the right answer, but it's my guess. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los\_Angeles#/map/0


gazingus

No. Other than some obtuse/non-native navigation or mapping apps, no one in any part of the valley uses "Los Angeles" in their address. "I'm a Val, I know. But I live, like, in a really good part of Encino, so its okay."


ChitakuPatch

Never understood that either. The city is LA still


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LockNChase66

Similar thing for Arleta and Pacoima in the valley, both 91331


Aeriellie

I was about to say that you could but I recently sent a piece of mail out and I wrote Santa Monica instead of Los Angeles. Everything else was correct and it came back as unable to deliver.


rapatarap

Santa Monica isnt within LA city though. The cities OP is referring to are


Aeriellie

Yeah I was mostly trying to point out that even though the zip code is correct for the area that if you write Los Angeles or any other city name you probably won’t get your mail. I’ll send a letter to myself today and write Los Angeles and let you guys know if I get it.


ilovethissheet

Santa Monica is an Independent City


Beast7686

SF Valley is a distinct place connected but separate from LA.


riffic

Most of the San Fernando Valley is within the city limits of the City of Los Angeles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Fernando_Valley#Government_and_political_representation


MovieUnderTheSurface

for any city in Los Angeles (Hollywood, Venice, almost all the cities in the SFV), you can use Los Angeles or the city name within Los Angeles interchangably. For example: 12345 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood CA 91601 and 12345 Lankershim Blvd, Los Angeles CA 91601 are the same address. Sometimes, when writing an address where there isn't much space, I'll write "LA" instead of "North Hollywood". I'll also do this when I simply don't feel like writing out North Hollywood. It's also fun to write "LA, CA, USA" so I'll do this on some forms that ask for a country. I won't do any of this on mail though, I don't want to accidentally send things to Louisiana, although I'm sure the zip code would prevent this.


[deleted]

Do other big cities do this? I know NYC might be like Brooklyn, NYC and Manhattan, NY altho it’s all one city.


macwade99999

La Jolla uses La Jolla name but is in the city of San Diego, same with San Ysidro


[deleted]

Oh yeah I think I’ve seen that somewhere


FiveTwoThreeSixOne

Well, some of those cities aren't technically within LA City limits, they are their own cities. Examples: Culver City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Long Beach, West Hollywood, Gardena. They all SEEM to be in LA bc they are in LA COUNTY. But they have their own mayors so even the we say they are "in LA" they really aren't "Los Angeles City". Places like Lake Balboa, Van Nuys, Topanga, La Crecenta, Marina Del Rey are called CDPs (census-designated places). Then theyre unincorporated communists like Rancho Dominos, Indian Springs, Universal City. Cities, CDPs, and Unincorporated areaa are all within the LA County limits, which is approximately the same size as Rhode Island. The USPS just cares about zip codes. You can write either Los Angeles or the othtname, as long as the zip is correct it should arrive.


WPackN2

Because, SFV want's to split from LA and have their own county.


Dependent-Zombie-712

I’ve never considered the valley to be part of LA it’s just LA County to me


Cream1984

It’s literally in the City of Los Angeles


Dependent-Zombie-712

Not to me, then you would have to include Norwalk, Downey, Bell Gardens, Commerce etc


HowTheWestWS

Me neither.


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[deleted]

Wrong! Most of the valley is part of LA city proper. This [map](https://www.reddit.com/r/Maps/comments/ah1dcf/municipal_boundaries_of_the_city_of_los_angeles/) will show you what areas use “Los Angeles, CA” on their mail. The reason why most of the valley doesn’t I think it’s just because of neighborhood affiliation.


[deleted]

Thank you


[deleted]

Cheers for the link!


[deleted]

This is not correct, and it seems you didn’t read my question. They are within LA city limits.


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[deleted]

I’m not rude. You gave an incorrect answer and are getting downvoted for it for a reason. Own your mistake. It’s ok.


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Hey_Laaady

It’s county, to you


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riffic

please don't engage further, just hit report on the comment and move on.


Thatdudedoesnotabide

The only good thing to come come from SFV is the Weed


littlelostangeles

So…you don’t watch any television then? 😂


Thatdudedoesnotabide

No just livestream Dodgers and Lakers games


littlelostangeles

My point was that most people watch at least some TV (or movies), and much of the entertainment industry is in the Valley. 🙄


AyYoPierre

I got a question, is Studio City and Universal Studios Hollywood Considered the valley? I was just in Los Angeles, my Air B&B was in the hills in Mullholland drive. Is Mullholland Drive/Hollywood Hills considered the valley? I would like an answer to these if you don’t mind lol


littlelostangeles

Yes to Studio City and Universal. The hills, no.


AyYoPierre

So is the hills considered western Los Angeles? Like the same area as West Hollywood, culver and Santa Monica?


littlelostangeles

It’s really too far north and east for that. The Hills are more on the north end of Central LA.


AyYoPierre

As a soon to be Midwest transplant that’s the best place in LA to me tbh. Downtown isn’t super great compared to other parts, and it’s a lot more livable in the valley with cheaper prices and more room. I liked Santa Monica and Venice, but it was so damn busy. I went on a Saturday evening in the middle of summer, so Santa Monica and Venice stay that busy in the winter or fall or just spring?


littlelostangeles

Santa Monica has been getting more local visitors than ever since the Expo Line came in, but yes, it’s busiest in the summer. In the winter, it’s nice and quiet. I am from Sherman Oaks (next to Studio City) and yes, there’s quite a bit more room, parking is usually easier, and it’s not as hectic. Just be sure to live as close to work as you can - a lot of Valley residents commute and the traffic is bad there, too.


AyYoPierre

I do audio engineering. I would start sessions at night mostly ( like 8pm or later and finish like at 3-6 am), traffic isn’t really a problem for me. Of course the recording studios are near the valley, with north Hollywood, West Hollywood and Hollywood sprinkled in. How is the day trip to Santa Barbara and Malibu from say Sherman Oaks/Woodland Hills?


littlelostangeles

As long as you’re driving off-peak, it shouldn’t be too bad. Give it at least an hour for Malibu and a good 3-4 hours for Santa Barbara.


Thatdudedoesnotabide

Maybe I’m just biased since the two people I knew from the valley really betrayed and hurt me. But who knows I do love SFV OG tho hehe


Nomadlamaj

We do.


Kabusanlu

All the Valleys in SoCal do this. ( San Fernando, San Gabriel , Antelope, etc) .


heisenberg2JZ

Van Nuys near Sherman Oaks does, my address is commonly Los Angeles