[6] Prior to the arrival of Spanish missionaries and soldiers, the area of San Fernando was in the northwestern extent of Tovaangar, or the homelands of the Tongva.

[10][11] The Mission San Fernando Rey de España (named after St. Ferdinand) was founded in 1797 at the site of Achooykomenga, an agricultural rancho established by Juan Francisco Reyes for Pueblo de Los Ángeles worked by Ventureño Chumash, Fernandeño (Tongva), and Tataviam laborers.

During its time as a mission, 1,367 native children were baptized at San Fernando, of which 965 died in childhood.

[13][14] In 1846, the area became part of the Mexican land grant of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando.

[15] After his death it became an affiliate and moved to the campus of the University of Southern California and then the Claremont School of Theology.

While most of the towns in the surrounding San Fernando Valley agreed to annexation by Los Angeles in the 1910s, eager to tap the bountiful water supply provided by the newly opened Los Angeles Aqueduct, San Fernando's abundant groundwater supplies allowed it to remain a separate city.

By the 1950s, the city said that annexation was hard to do, due to the large bureaucracy of Los Angeles.

Declining birth-rates and an aging population of middle-class whites, who once dominated the area in the 1950s, has contributed to the movement into other parts of the San Fernando Valley.

San Fernando is completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, with the neighborhoods of Sylmar to the north, Lake View Terrace to the east, Pacoima to the south, and Mission Hills to the west.

According to the 2010 United States Census, San Fernando had a median household income of $55,192, with 16.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Mexican-American culture is prevalent and the city hosts Día de los Muertos festivals and community classes teaching "Aztec" and Folklórico dances.

Members of the City Council are elected at-large and serve four year terms.

[9] The mayor is appointed every year, on a rotating basis, by a majority vote of the council.

[51] San Fernando is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

[52] San Fernando is served by the following LAUSD schools: The nearest community college to San Fernando is Los Angeles Mission College in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.

[62] The City of San Fernando produces, treats, sells and maintains its own water supply.

[63] The City began the construction of a $11.2 million rainwater infiltration system on the site of San Fernando Regional Park on April 4, 2022, which is meant to protect the Pacoima Wash and, in turn, Los Angeles River from further impurities and to support groundwater recharge for the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin, benefiting the city of Los Angeles.

[68] The United States Postal Service operates the San Fernando Post Office.

[citation needed] The San Fernando Police Department is a member of the Los Angeles County Disaster Management Area "C".

[70] The San Fernando Police have, in the past, requested mutual aid from the LAPD during major incidents.

[71] Fire Station 75 in Mission Hills serves western San Fernando.

The officials and citizens have expressed their concern about the impact of the California High-Speed Rail if it follows the same route through the city.