Regarding Anastasiya Heydari's April 2 letter ("Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County"), Westlake Village is more than a city. Since we moved to Conejo Valley in 1978, Westlake has been our home, our community, an outdoor sports delight, a way of life and a dream. We have blue skies, sunshine, fresh air and majestic scenery.

We live 30 minutes from the ocean, an hour from Santa Barbara and 90 minutes from Dodger Stadium.

It's as close to paradise as imagination allows.

Tragically, less than a third of the population of Westlake has been incorporated into the city of Westlake Village. The rest of us remain entrapped under the auspices of the city of Thousand Oaks. We still use "Westlake Village" on our postal mail, not because Westlake is more prestigious than "Thousand Oaks," but because we reside, aspire and identify with life in a village, not a city.

Apparently the U.S. Postal Service agrees- our "Westlake Village" mail is routinely delivered to our T.O. mailbox.

Three decades ago, we lived among majestic oak trees and unspoiled parcels of pristine Conejo land. We enjoyed seeing the mayor around town, on a first name basis, relaxed and unpretentious. We will forever miss the serenity of rural innocence, Conejo Valley Days and the forgotten hamlet of Thousand Oaks. That very dream enticed us to forsake the San Fernando Valley and relocate to Wonderland.

North Ranch was designed as a semirural horse community. Then the city of Thousand Oaks had delusions of grandeur. It embarked on the highway to urbanization. Horse paths were replaced by asphalt and serenity sacrificed to noise and traffic pollution. Our fantasy descended to nightmare. The City Council deems it progress; residents call it desecration.

Whatever the definition, whatever boundaries governmental bodies may draw, our hearts will always reside in Westlake Village. Jeffrey L. Wissot Westlake Village