Like most of Los Angeles, Toluca Lake was once part of a Spanish land grant. The land changed hands a number of times, much of it remaining agricultural. Development began in earnest around 1907 when Burton E. Green started developing housing areas. In the early 1920s, the land that would become the community of Toluca Lake was still a farm, growing peaches, walnuts and apples. The first home was built on Valley Spring Road in the mid-1920s. It was later owned by Amelia Earhart. Other famous residents of Toluca Lake – both past and present – include Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Gene Autry, Goldie Hawn, James Garner, Ron Howard and Denzel Washington.

Children living in Toluca Lake attend schools in the award-winning Los Angeles Unified School District. There are many colleges and universities within an easy drive of the community, including UCLA and USC. Griffith Park provides more than 4000 acres of open space. The Los Angeles Zoo is located at Griffith Park as are the Observatory and Planetarium. A merry-go-round, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage and Travel Town are also located in the park. A number of LA County’s beaches, including eclectic Venice Beach, are a short drive away.

The area abounds with museums, including the UCLA Hammer Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the African American Firefighter Museum, and the Los Angeles Museum of Television and Radio. Amusement parks such as Six Flags Magic Mountain; historic film venues including the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grumman’s Chinese Theatre; the La Brea Tar Pits; Farmer’s Market; and Angeles Flight Railway are among the many things to see and do in Los Angeles. Area professional sports teams include the Lakers, Clippers, Sparks, Kings, and Dodgers. Auto racing, horse racing, polo and college football are nearby.