Paramount Ranch's Western Town has appeared in hundreds of movies, TV shows, and commercials since 1927, when Paramount Pictures purchased 2,700 acres of the old Rancho Las Virgenes for use as a movie ranch. Productions filmed here have included "Cisco Kid," "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," and HBO's "Westworld," and the site has also hosted many special events in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, including weddings, night sky parties, music festivals, classic movie nights, and other activities. On November 9, 2018, the Woolsey Fire burned through Paramount Ranch, destroying Western Town and much of the surrounding oak trees and vegetation, changing the landscape of the mountains and burning over 88% of National Park Service land, more than any other fire in the recorded history of the Santa Monica Mountains. The National Park Service plans to create a new Western Town, beginning with a temporary set and later building permanent structures that retain the rustic features of the past while using more fire-safe materials.
