Not to pick on Van Nuys, but a new blog called Los Angeles City Nerd says the community has a distinctive smell—well two, actually.

What Van Nuys smells like is, well, hops. Anheuser-Busch Brewery on Roscoe gives a strong aroma that is the most distinctive in the region.

(Did you also know that the largest buyer of water from the L.A. Department of Water & Power is Anheuser-Busch?)

And since I brought up water, the other smell that defines Van Nuys is the water that comes out of the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. All that the Valley flushes gets treated and released to Lake Balboa, the Los Angeles Japanese Garden, & L.A. River. So, if you're down stream - say near Burbank/Griffith Park - you can smell Van Nuys.

To my nose, the stench reeking off Anheuser-Busch is more potent and rancid than when Busch Gardens was there. I know there is a lot more beer being made now, but it seems like something else. Or maybe it's just because there's no more cookie bakery to serve as a nosegay on Roscoe Boulevard.

See also:
Budweiser comes to the Valley
Busch Gardens, 1966-1986