As of the census of 2000, there are 111,351 people, 36,421 households, and 28,954 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,097.3/km² (2,841.9/mi²). There are 37,272 housing units at an average density of 367.3/km² (951.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.3% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 6.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.5% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 16.8% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 36,421 households out of which 42.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% are married couples living together, 10.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% are non-families. 14.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.04 and the average family size is 3.33. Many families of young children moved to Simi Valley in the 1970s and 1980s for affordable housing than in the nearby San Fernando Valley and across Los Angeles..
The city's population is spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males.
In Simi Valley there are two main areas of industry--one in the eastern part of the city and the other one in the west. The primary industry is machinery and tools with 69 firms, and the secondary is the metal Industry with 51 firms, both situated in the eastern and western industrial areas. Other industries such as Lumber/Wood Products, Food, Plastic Products, Apparel/Textiles and Minerals, are also largely concentrated in these industrial areas.
The Volkswagen of America Design Center was once in an industrial complex across from the Costco wholesale club near Madera and Cochran. The VW Design Center California or DCC, moved to Santa Monica, California in the spring of 2006. Such notable automotive designers as Jay Mays, now (2007) VP Design for Ford and Freeman Thomas, co designer with Jay Mays of the original Audi TT, once called the DCC in Simi Valley their place of work. The original concept for the New Beetle from Jay Mays, had its genesis there.
Simi Valley is served by the Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD).
Simi Valley High School was ranked as the 555th best high school according to MSNBC's Top 1000 High Schools
Schools of higher education located nearby include Moorpark College, CSUCI, California Lutheran University, Eternity Bible College, Louis Brandeis Institute of Justice, Pepperdine University, California State University Northridge and UCLA.
There are five high schools, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, Apollo High School, Royal High School, and Grace Brethren High School.
Being located so near to Hollywood, Simi Valley has long been a convenient location for the film industry. Simi Valley and the surrounding hills have been the site of several television series, including the long running television series Gunsmoke and M*A*S*H.
The 1982 film Poltergeist was filmed in Roxbury Street, Simi Valley. At the time, the homes were new and the land behind the street was free, allowing plenty of access for the studio trucks. The Freeling house as used in the film (4267 Roxbury Street) received substantial earthquake damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The popular 70s television show Little House on the Prairie was filmed at extensive sets built up in the hilly landscapes of the Big Sky Ranch in the Tapo Canyon hills north of Simi Valley. In addition to the Little House itself, the entire set for the town of Walnut Grove was built atop the hills.
In 1983, Colleen McCullough's TV mini-series, The Thorn Birds, was brought to life in a remote corner of the Simi Valley. Australia proved to have too many obstacles for the producers to handle, including that there could only be two American actors in any movie filmed there. All the rest had to be Australian. Location scouts were sent out, and Simi Valley, which looks very similar in parts to the Australian countryside, was chosen to build the set of the famous Cleary ranch and sheep station, Drogheda.
In the 1984 film "Bachelor Party" starring Tom Hanks, the MANN 6 Movie Theater formerly located within the Sycamore Shopping Center was used for the movie theater scene.
The 1986 western comedy film ¡Three Amigos! was partially filmed here.
The Brandeis-Bardin Institute's House of the Book is the location of the original Power Ranger Power Chamber.
The Playtronics Toy company and its car park scenes from Sneakers were filmed at the Countrywide Loans Data Processing - Admin Plant at 400 Countrywide Way.
The delivery of the ransom money in The Big Lebowski shows a highway sign naming Simi Valley.
The video for Bullet with Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins was filmed in Simi Valley.
In the 1999 comedy Joe Dirt, the character found his long-lost parents in a trailer home park in Simi Valley (but on some versions, it was changed to Yucca Valley, California).[citation needed]
In the 1992 film "Forever Young" starring Mel Gibson the test airstrip scenes and the highway chase scene were filmed on the west end of Simi Valley bordering Moorpark.
Most of the 2003 film adaptation of The Cat in the Hat starring Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning was filmed in Simi Valley. The elaborate faux suburb where most of the film takes place was built on vacant land in a hilly area in West Simi Valley.
The video for "Hexagram," by The Deftones was filmed with fans watching the band play the song in an indoor skatepark in Simi Valley.
The skatepark in the 2005 movie Bad News Bears is in Simi Valley.
The "Retail Rodeo" scenes from the Jennifer Aniston movie The Good Girl were filmed in the Ralph's shopping center on L.A. Ave. The set was constructed inside a vacant retail space.
Nu-Metal band Limp Bizkit filmed the music video for the single "Break Stuff" at Skatelab, a skate park in Simi Valley.
The 2006 comedy The Benchwarmers was filmed on location in Knolls park and Santa Susana park, both located in Simi Valley.
In March 2008, GI Joe starting filming in the northern hills above Simi Valley, near the Little House on the Prairie site.
