Why do so many celebrities live in Calabasas? (2024)

For most of the last century, Calabasas has been a sleepy suburban outpost in the western San Fernando Valley (with an unusually rowdy Wild West history).

But in recent years, since the days of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, the city and the neighboring community of Hidden Hills have become an unexpected haven for movie stars, pop idols, and reality TV personalities. Small, secluded, and far from both Downtown LA and Westside celebrity enclaves like Beverly Hills, Calabasas has just 24,000 residents and only officially became a city in 1991. But suburban living may be exactly what’s drawing in so many stars.

Former Hidden Hills mayor (and producer/entertainment lawyer, of course) David Stanley described the gated community’s appeal to The Hollywood Reporter in 2012:

“We have no sidewalks or street lights. People are out walking, the kids gather at the community center to swim and BBQ, and once a year we put on a parade to celebrate the founding of our city—marching bands and all.”

Its distance from the paparazzi-filled neighborhoods of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills may also be a factor.

“The gated communities of Calabasas seem comparatively sequestered and isolated, offering both space and purported security,” Grantland observed in 2014.

The area’s celebrity credentials have only been bolstered in the last few years. Justin Bieber bought a house in Calabasas for $6.5 million in 2012, then sold it to longtime West Valley resident Khloe Kardashian two years later.

Drake recently purchased a third home in Hidden Hills, expanding his property holdings around his extravagant YOLO Estate.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West nearly lost their sprawling Hidden Hills estate in the Woolsey Fire, but came away with only a charred lawn, thanks to a team of private firefighters.

But those are just a few of the highlights. Here are some of the notable names who live in or have recently lived in Calabasas or Hidden Hills:

Justin Bieber