In 1910, the Bank of Lankershim opened, followed by a market, bakery, dry goods store and drug store. Streetlights, a constable, and the hustle and bustle of horseless carriages enlivened the community.

Lankershim Businessmen's Association was formed in 1910. The "Red Car" transportation system began in 1911, and the town's fire brigade was stationed at the northwest corner of Chandler and Lankershim. It was a two-wheel cart with a water tank and pump that took at least four volunteers to operate.

Water was always a key issue. Mulholland Aqueduct opened in 1913; until then the only two legal wells were Varney's on Cumpston and Gregg's on the southwest corner of Lankershim and Riverside Drive. By 1914, the population was 1,500, and the Lankershim Businessmen's Association evolved into the Lankershim Chamber of Commerce under Jim Wilson, who would become the Valley's first fully elected Councilman in 1932. Visit the Universal City North Hollywood Chamber office to see a hand painted mural of the Valley, as it appeared 1945.