Although some of us '90s Canyon Country kids have moved to different places all over the country and the world after high school, there are still some things that remain the same among us all. Here are nine signs that you grew up in the little town just off of the 14 Freeway between the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley during the '90s:
1. You help people understand where you grew up by saying you are from “the city where Six Flags is.”
This has been the case for me ever since I went off to college in New Orleans. When asked where I was from, I mostly told other students I was from LA. When people asked what part of LA I was from, I usually asked, “Do you know where Six Flags is?” Almost 100 percent of the people I talked to had been there before or knew where it was. It is amazing how many people from all over the country (and the world!) have come to our little city to ride some awesome roller coasters!
2. You think The Valencia Town Center used to look SO much cooler with the carousel out in front of the main entrance.
Who decided to put that beautiful work of art inside the building so that no one can see it? It all went downhill after Westfield took over.
3. You agree that Canyon Country Park had the best jungle gym EVER.
Sliding monkey bars! Enough said.
4. You had at least one birthday party at Mountasia.
Back in the day, there was no Santa Clarita Aquatic Center or skate park where you could hang out in the summer- there was only an indoor roller skating rink and a giant, noisy, lit-up room filled with arcade games in the magical place we call Mountaisia. The bumper boats, go-karts, and mini-golf were also the bomb.
5. You spent hours with your parents wandering the aisles of Beverly’s to get art supplies for elementary school projects.
Since online shopping on Amazon was not yet a thing, where else were you supposed to get all of your diorama-making supplies for your third grade book report project?
6. You went to Blockbuster on Soledad every Friday night to rent the latest VHS tapes.
7. In junior high, you went to Tiny’s Subs for soft-serve ice cream after class.
The cool kids at Sierra Vista Junior High School ALWAYS went to Tiny’s after school. Duh!
8. The only cell phone service that worked with your Nokia brick phone was Verizon.
Our town is called Canyon Country for a reason. Most of us lived in the center of one of many local canyons where the now archaic cell phone services, like Cingular Wireless, could not reach our Nokia phones with the black and white screens. That was not a problem, though -- we could just play Snake on our phones instead! No service was also a good excuse to give our parents when we declined to answer their phone calls.
9. The Canyon High School Cowboys are still your favorite football team in the world.
Many of us who grew up in the 90’s in Canyon Country were at Home Depot Center when our Cowboys won the CIF championship game in 2006. Nothing locks in a fan base more than experiencing a huge championship win, so all of us who were there for that win against De La Salle instantly became fans for life.
One more thing- do you know why there are only 9 items in this list? This goes out to my fellow graduates of the Canyon High School class of 2009. That’s right, “ '09, we're top of the line!" (That was our slogan, right?). I hope to see you all at our 10-year reunion in just a few years!
