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Wikipedia

Ventura County, California

February 01, 2024

Ventura County (/vɛnˈtʊərə/ ⓘ) is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843.[10][13] The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.[14]

Ventura County
County
County of Ventura
Images, from top down, left to right: Ventura City Hall in Old Town Ventura, Ojai Arcade in Ojai, a view of Camarillo, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Point Mugu
Flag
Seal
Interactive map of Ventura County
Location in the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionGreater Los Angeles
California Central Coast
CreatedMarch 22, 1872[1]
EstablishedJanuary 1, 1873[2]
Named forMission San Buenaventura, which was named after Saint Bonaventure
County seatVentura
Largest cityOxnard (population)
Thousand Oaks (area)
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CEO
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors[3][4][5][6][7]
 • ChairKelly Long (N.P.)
 • Vice ChairJanice S. Parvin (N.P.)
 • Board of Supervisors[8]
Supervisors
 • Chief executive officerSevet Johnson
Area
 • Total2,208 sq mi (5,720 km2)
 • Land1,843 sq mi (4,770 km2)
 • Water365 sq mi (950 km2)
Highest elevation
[9]
8,835 ft (2,693 m)
Population
 (April 1, 2020)[10]
 • Total843,843
 • Density458/sq mi (177/km2)
Gross Domestic Product
[11]
 • TotalUS$52.689 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes805/820, 818/747
FIPS code06-111
GNIS feature ID277320
Congressional districts24th, 26th, 32nd
Websitewww.countyofventura.org

Ventura County comprises the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Greater Los Angeles area (Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area). It is also considered the southernmost county along the California Central Coast.[15]

Two of the Channel Islands are part of the county: Anacapa Island, which is the most visited island in Channel Islands National Park,[16] and San Nicolas Island.

History edit

Pre-colonial period edit

 
Pictographs in the Burro Flats Painted Cave in Simi Valley

Ventura County was historically inhabited by the Chumash people, who also settled much of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, with their presence dating back 10,000–12,000 years.[17][18] The Chumash were hunter-gatherers, fishermen, and also traders with the Mojave, Yokuts, and Tongva Indians.[19] The Chumash are also known for their rock paintings and for their great basketry. Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks has several reconstructed Chumash houses (‘apa) and there are several Chumash pictographs in the county, including the Burro Flats Painted Cave in Simi Valley. The plank canoe, called a tomol in Chumash, was important to their way of life. Canoe launching points on the mainland for trade with the Chumash of the Channel Islands were located at the mouth of the Ventura River, Mugu Lagoon and Point Hueneme.[20][21] This has led to speculations among archeologists of whether the Chumash could have had a pre-historic contact with Polynesians.[22][23] According to diachronic linguistics, certain words such as tomolo’o (canoe) could be related to Polynesian languages. The dialect of the Chumash language that was spoken in Ventura County was Ventureño.[24]

Several place names in the county has originated from Chumash, including Ojai, which means moon,[25] and Simi Valley, which originates from the word Shimiyi and refers to the stringy, thread-like clouds that typify the region.[26] Others include Point Mugu from the word Muwu (meaning “beach”), Saticoy from the word Sa’aqtiko’y (meaning “sheltered for the wind”), and Sespe Creek from the word S’eqp’e (meaning “kneecap”).[27]

Spanish period edit

 
Mission San Buenaventura is a Spanish mission founded in 1782 by the Franciscan order.

In October 1542, the expedition led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo anchored in an inlet near Point Mugu; its members were the first Europeans to arrive in the area that would become Ventura County.[28]

Active occupation of California by Spain began in 1769. Gaspar de Portolà led a military expedition by land from San Diego to Monterey, passing through Ventura County in August of that year. A priest with the expedition, Father Juan Crespí, kept a journal of the trip and noted that the area was ideal for a mission to be established and it was a "good site to which nothing is lacking".[29] Also on this expedition was Father Junípero Serra, who later founded a mission on this site.

On March 31, 1782, the Mission San Buenaventura was founded by Father Serra.[30] It is named after Saint Bonaventure, one of the early intellectual founders of the Franciscan order. The town that grew up around the mission was originally named San Buenaventura (and retains the name officially), it has been known as Ventura since 1891.[31]

In the 1790s, the Spanish Governor of California began granting land concessions to Spanish Californians who were often retiring soldiers. These concessions were known as ranchos and consisted of thousands of acres of land that were used primarily as ranch land for livestock. In Ventura County, Rancho Simi was granted in 1795 and Rancho El Conejo in 1802.[32] Fernando Tico was granted Ojai and part of Ventura by Gov. Alvarado.

Mexican period edit

 
Chumash elder and master builder Fernando Librado, or Kitsepawit, was born at Mission San Buenaventura during the Mexican period.[33]

In 1822, California was notified of Mexico's independence from Spain and the Governor of California, the Junta, the military in Monterey and the priests and neophytes at Mission San Buenaventura swore allegiance to Mexico on April 11, 1822. California land that had been vested in the King of Spain was now owned by the nation of Mexico.

By the 1830s, Mission San Buenaventura was in a decline with fewer neophytes joining the mission. The number of cattle owned by the mission dropped from first to fifteenth ranking in the California Missions.[34] The missions were secularized by the Mexican government in 1834. The Mexican governors began granting land rights to Mexican Californians, often retiring soldiers. By 1846, there were 19 rancho grants in Ventura County.[35] In 1836, Mission San Buenaventura was transferred from the Church to a secular administrator. The natives who had been working at the mission gradually left to work on the ranchos. By 1839, only 300 Indians were left at the Mission and it slipped into neglect.[36]

Several outhouses dating back to the 1800s were discovered in July 2007, at a site that had been cleared to prepare for development. The area proved to be a treasure trove for archaeologists who braved the lingering smell in the dirt to uncover artifacts that showed heavy utilization by mission inhabitants, Indians, early settlers and Spanish and Mexican soldiers.[37]

American period edit

The Mexican–American War began in 1846 but its effect was not felt in Ventura County until 1847. In January of that year, Captain John C. Frémont led the California Battalion into San Buenaventura to find that the Europeans had fled, leaving only the Indians in the Mission. Fremont and the Battalion continued south to sign the Treaty of Cahuenga with General Andrés Pico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally transferred California to the United States in 1848.[38]

By 1849, a constitution had been adopted for the California territory. The new Legislature met and divided the pending state into 27 counties. At the time, the area that would become Ventura County was the southern part of Santa Barbara County.[39]

The 1860s brought many changes to the area. A drought caused many of the ranchos to experience financial difficulties and most were divided, sub-divided and sold. Large sections of land were bought by eastern capitalists based on favorable reports of petroleum deposits. A United States Post Office was opened at Mission San Buenaventura in 1861. On April 1, 1866, the town of San Buenaventura was incorporated, becoming the first officially recognized town in what would become Ventura County.[40]

On January 1, 1873, Ventura County was officially split from Santa Barbara County, bringing a flurry of change. That same year, a courthouse and wharf were built in San Buenaventura. A bank was opened and the first public library was created. The school system grew, with the first high school opening in 1890.[41]

Other towns were being established in the county. A plan for Hueneme (later Port Hueneme) was recorded in 1874, and Santa Paula's plan was recorded in 1875. Along the banks of the Santa Clara River, the township of New Jerusalem (which would eventually be named El Rio) was founded in 1875 by the owner of general store named Simon Cohen who became its first postmaster and banker in 1882.[42] The community of Nordhoff (later renamed Ojai) was started in 1874.[43] Bardsdale, Fillmore, Piru, and Montalvo were established in 1887.[44] 1892 saw Simi (later Simi Valley), Somis, Saticoy, and Moorpark. Oxnard was a latecomer, not being established until 1898.[45]

The Southern Pacific Railroad laid tracks through San Buenaventura in 1887. For convenience in printing their timetables, Southern Pacific shortened San Buenaventura to Ventura. The Post Office soon followed suit. While the city remains officially known as San Buenaventura, it is more commonly referred to as Ventura.[46] The rail line to Northern California originally went through Saugus, Fillmore and Santa Paula, providing a boom to those communities along the line. In 1905, Tunnel #26 was completed between Chatsworth and Corriganville near Simi Valley, shortening the rail route. At a length of 7,369 feet (2,246 m), Tunnel #26 was the longest tunnel ever constructed in its day.[47] This tunnel joined to the railroad spur coming the other direction from Montalvo through Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley, making the contemporary main line used today. One stop along the way, at a 90-degree turn, was at a sugar beet processing factory. The factory bore the name of its absentee owners, the Oxnard Brothers. A small community of farm and factory workers grew near the train stop. That community, now bearing the name of the factory shortened to the one word train stop Oxnard, has become the largest city in Ventura County.[48][49]

 
Map of Ventura oil and gas fields

Oil has been known in Ventura County since before the arrival of the Europeans, as the native Chumash people used tar from natural seeps as a sealant and waterproofing for baskets and canoes. In the 1860s, several attempts were made to harvest the petroleum products under Ventura County but none were financially successful, and the oil speculators eventually changed from oil to land development. In 1913, oil exploration began in earnest, with Ralph Lloyd obtaining the financial support of veteran oil man Joseph B. Dabney. Their first well, named "Lloyd No. 1", was started on January 20, 1914. The well struck oil at 2,558 feet (780 m) but was destroyed when it went wild. Other wells met a similar fate, until 1916, when a deal was struck with the Shell Oil Company. 1916 was the year that the large South Mountain Oil Field was discovered; other deals followed with General Petroleum in 1917 and Associated Oil Company in 1920. At its peak, the largest oil field in the county, the Ventura Avenue oilfield, discovered in 1919 in the hills north of Ventura, was producing 90,000 barrels (14,000 m3) of oil a day, with annual production of over 1.5 million barrels. More oil fields came online in the 1920s and 1930s, with the Rincon field, the second largest, in 1927, and the adjacent San Miguelito in 1931.[50][51]

In the early hours of the morning of March 12–13, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending nearly 12,500 million U.S. gallons (47 gigaliters) of water rushing through the Santa Clarita Valley killing as many as 600 people,[52] destroying 1,240 homes and flooding 7,900 acres (32 km2) of land, devastating farm fields and orchards.[53] This was the single largest disaster to strike Ventura County and the second largest, in terms of lives lost, in the state.

Modern period edit

 
Orange grove outside of Santa Paula, California
 
Typical rush-hour traffic in Ventura

Ventura County can be separated into two major parts, East County and West County, which are divided by the Conejo Grade.[54] East County consists of all cities east of the Conejo Grade. Geographically East County is the end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in which the Conejo Valley is located, and where there is a considerable increase in elevation. Communities which are considered to be in the East County are Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Lake Sherwood, Hidden Valley, Santa Rosa Valley, part of Westlake Village, Oak Park, Moorpark, and Simi Valley.[citation needed] A majority of these communities are in the Conejo Valley.

West County, which is everything west of the Conejo Grade, consists of communities such as Camarillo, Oxnard, Somis, Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore. West County consists of some of the first developed cities in the county. The largest beach communities are located in West County on the coastline of the Channel Islands Harbor.

Starting in the mid-20th century, there was a large growth in population in the East County, moving from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and out into the Conejo and Simi Valleys. Part of the Conejo Valley is situated in Los Angeles County. This part consists of Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Agoura, and Westlake Village. The other half of the Conejo Valley, which belongs to Ventura County, consists of Lake Sherwood, Hidden Valley, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, and Newbury Park, which was formerly an unincorporated area that is now the most westerly part of Thousand Oaks. Many working-class people migrated to this area during the 1960s and 1970s out of East and Central Los Angeles. As a result, there was a large growth in population into the Conejo Valley and into Ventura County through the U.S. Route 101 corridor. Making the U.S. 101 a full freeway in the 1960s, and the expansions that followed, helped make commuting to Los Angeles easier and opened the way for development westward. The communities that have seen the most substantial development are Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and Newbury Park. The neighboring East County area of Simi Valley saw its already considerable population of nearly 60,000 inhabitants in 1970 grow to over 100,000 over the following two decades.

Development moved farther down the U.S. 101 corridor and sent population rising in West County cities as well. The largest population growth there has been in Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura. Development in the East County and along the US 101 corridor is rare today, because most of these cities, such as Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, are approaching build-out. Although the area still has plenty of open space and land, almost all of it is in greenbelts between the cities.[55] Because of this, its private low-key location, its country feel, and its proximity to Los Angeles, the Conejo Valley area has become a very attractive place to live. Like most areas of Ventura County, it once had relatively inexpensive real estate, but prices have risen sharply. For example, real estate in Newbury Park has increased in price by more than 250% in the last 10 years.[when?]

Thomas Fire edit

Main article: Thomas Fire

The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in Southern California in December 2017. It burned approximately 281,893 acres (440 sq mi; 114,078 ha), becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history, before it was fully contained on January 12, 2018.[56]

The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1,063 structures, while damaging 280 others;[57] and the fire caused over $2.176 billion (2018 USD) in damages,[58][59] including more than $204.5 million in suppression costs, becoming the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history.[60] The agriculture industry suffered at least $171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire.[59][61][62] Southern California Edison paid the county over $11 million in claims related to damages and costs since its equipment was likely associated with one ignition point of the fire near Santa Paula.[63]

Geography edit

 
53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest land.[64]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,208 square miles (5,720 km2), of which 1,843 square miles (4,770 km2) is land and 365 square miles (950 km2) (16.5%) is water.[65][66]

Parts of the county are on the Oxnard Plain which includes the cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, Port Hueneme and much of Ventura. Other cities and communities lie in the intermountain valleys of the Transverse Range. The Santa Clara River Valley is the most prominent valley, while other valleys include Conejo Valley, Simi Valley, Santa Rosa Valley, Tierra Rejada Valley and Las Posas Valley. Other parts of the county are on small coastal mountains, such as the Santa Ynez Mountains, Simi Hills, Santa Monica Mountains and the Piru Mountains. Most of the population of Ventura County lives in the southern portion of the county. The major population centers are the Oxnard Plain and the Simi and Conejo Valleys. In local media, the county is usually split between the eastern portion, generally associated with the San Fernando Valley, and the western portion, often referred to as “Oxnard-Ventura". To the east is Los Angeles County.

Because the total amount of precipitation is small, conserving water and obtaining water from additional sources outside of Ventura County are vital concerns.[67] The climate, though mostly mild and dry, varies because of the variations in topography through for instance differences in elevation and physical geography. The Santa Clara River is the principal waterway. Lake Casitas, an artificial reservoir, is the largest body of water.

The highest peaks in the county include Mount Pinos (8,831 ft; 2,692 m), Frazier Mountain (8,017 ft; 2,444 m), and Reyes Peak (7,525 ft; 2,294 m) in the Transverse Ranges. The uplands are well-timbered with coniferous forests, and receive plentiful snow in the winter. Mount Pinos is sacred to the Chumash Indians. It is known to them as Iwihinmu, and was considered to be the center of the universe; being the highest peak in the vicinity, it has unimpeded views in three directions.[68]

The USDA Economic Research Service rated Ventura County the most desirable county to live in the 48 contiguous states, using six metrics of climate ("mild, sunny winters, temperate summers, low humidity"), topographic variation, and access to water, "that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer."[69]

Physical geography edit

 
Map of Ventura County with physiographical place names
 
Coastline at Point Mugu State Park

There are 555,953 acres (224,986 ha) outside of national forest land in Ventura County, which means that 53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest. Of the land outside of national forest land, approximately 59 percent is agricultural and 17.5 percent urban.[64] North of Highway 126, the county is mountainous and mostly uninhabited, and contains some of the most unspoiled, rugged and inaccessible wilderness remaining in southern California. Most of this land is in the Los Padres National Forest, and includes the Chumash Wilderness in the northernmost portion, adjacent to Kern County, as well as the large Sespe Wilderness and portions of both the Dick Smith Wilderness and Matilija Wilderness (both of these protected areas straddle the line with Santa Barbara County). All of the wilderness areas are within the jurisdiction of Los Padres National Forest.

 
Simi Valley in the valley of the same name, in the southeast corner of the county

The coastal plain was formed by the deposition of sediments from the Santa Clara River and from the streams of the Calleguas-Conejo drainage system. It has a mean elevation of fifty feet (15 m), but at points south of the Santa Clara River, the elevation is as much as 150 feet (46 m), and at points north of the river, as much as 300 feet (91 m). The coastal plain is generally known as the Oxnard Plain with the part that centers on Camarillo lying east of the Revelon Slough is called Pleasant Valley. Most of the arable land in the county is found on the coastal plain. Small coastal mountains rim Ventura County on its landward side. They range in elevation from 50 feet (15 m) along the coast south of the coastal plain, to about 3,100 feet (940 m) in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Santa Ynez Mountains, the Topatopa Mountains, and the Piru Mountains make up the northern boundary of the coastal plain, the Santa Susana Mountains are alongside the eastern boundary of the county, and the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains are along the southern border with Los Angeles County.[70] South Mountain and Oak Ridge are low and long mountains that separate Santa Clara Valley from the Las Posas Valley and Simi Valley. The Camarillo Hills and the Las Posas Hills extend from Camarillo to Simi Valley and separate the Las Posas-Simi area from the Santa Rosa Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley.[71]

 
Summit of Mount Pinos, the highest point in the county
 
Emma Wood State Beach is located west of the City of Ventura.

The intermountain valley of the Santa Clara River is the most prominent valley in the county and trends east–southwest. The Santa Clara River drains an area of 1,605 square miles (4,160 km2) and flows from its headwaters in Los Angeles to where it empties into the Pacific. Its principal tributaries are Piru Creek, Santa Paula Creek, and Sespe Creek. The valley of the Ventura River is a narrow valley north of Ventura. Ojai Valley is connected to the Ventura River Valley by San Antonio Creek. The small Upper Ojai Valley, east of Ojai Valley and 300 to 500 feet (91 to 152 m) higher, drains to the Ventura River on the west and to Santa Paula Creek on the east. Ojai and Upper Ojai Valleys are surrounded by mountains and are rich agricultural areas. The Ventura River flows south and drains an area of 226 square miles (590 km2). Over South Mountain and Oak Ridge, south of the Santa Clara River, are Las Posas Valley and Simi Valley. Las Posas Valley extends eastward from the Oxnard Plain almost to Simi Valley, which is in the east end of Ventura County. The city of Simi Valley is bounded on the east by the Santa Susana Mountains and on the south by the Simi Hills. To the south, over the Camarillo- and Las Posas Hills, are Santa Rosa- and Tierra Rejada Valleys, which extend from Camarillo eastward for ten miles (16 km). In the hills south of Santa Rosa Valley is the broad Conejo Valley. Santa Rosa Valley, Conejo Valley, Simi Valley, and Tierra Rejada Valley are drained by Calleguas Creek and its principal tributary, Conejo Creek. These creeks originate in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains.[67]

The county's diverse 43-mile (69 km)[72] coastline features a variety of terrain. There are many State beaches: Emma Wood, San Buenaventura, McGrath, and Mandalay State Beach. Other beaches include Channel Islands Beach, Solimar Beach, Oxnard Beach Park, and Silver Strand Beach. While Point Mugu State Park is known for its steep coastal terrain with little beach access, nearby County Line Beach in the south coast community of Solromar is part of the fabled Malibu coastline. Ventura County has plenty of other surf spots along the coast including the notable surf spot, Rincon Point, on the Santa Barbara County-line.

The Channel Islands in Ventura County are Anacapa and San Nicholas Islands.

Climate edit

 
Sunset over the Topatopa Mountains in northern Ventura County

Ventura County has a considerable range in climate because of differences in topography between one part of the county and another. Rainfall is limited in summer and crops have to be irrigated. The average annual temperature is near 60 °F at low elevations near the ocean, in the 50s over most of the northern two-thirds of the county, and less than 45 °F in the Topatopa Mountains. The annual range in temperature is between 70 °F and 80 °F on the Coastal Plain and as much as 100 °F in the interior. For July, the average maximum temperature is between 70 °F and 80 °F on the Coastal Plain but exceeds 90 °F in the upper part of the Ventura- and Cuyama River Valleys. For January, the average minimum temperature is near 40 °F on the coast but in the lower 30s and upper 20s in the northern parts of Ventura County. No temperature data are available for the highest point in the county, Mount Pinos. The length of the growing season ranges more than 300 days near the coast to less than 175 days in the coldest part in northern Ventura County. In both the northern and southern ends of the county, the annual precipitation totals between ten and fifteen inches. In the Topatopa Mountains, the annual total is more than thirty-three inches. The drier parts of the county get less than five inches of rain annually, and the higher and wetter parts get more than 60 inches annually. Measureable amounts of rainfall in Ventura County are reported on thirty to thirty-five days annually, and half an inch or more on six to twelve days annually. In the northern parts of Ventura County, snowfall averages five inches or more per year, and along the northern border and Mount Pinos, more than twenty inches.[71]

Air quality edit

Automobile emissions account for most of the air pollution. Other sources include chemical plants, gasoline stations, paint and cleaning products.[73]

Adjacent counties edit

National protected areas edit

Rivers edit

 
Walkway by Arroyo Simi in Simi Valley
 
Swimming hole in the Ventura River

Rivers in Ventura County include:

Demographics edit

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18805,073—
189010,07198.5%
190014,36742.7%
191018,34727.7%
192028,72456.6%
193054,97691.4%
194069,68526.8%
1950114,64764.5%
1960199,13873.7%
1970376,43089.0%
1980529,17440.6%
1990669,01626.4%
2000753,19712.6%
2010823,3189.3%
2020843,8432.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[74]
1790-1960[75] 1900-1990[76]
1990-2000[77] 2010[78] 2020[79]

2020 census edit

Ventura County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[78] Pop 2020[79] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 400,868 360,850 48.69% 42.76%
Black or African American alone (NH) 13,082 13,704 1.59% 1.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2,389 2,020 0.29% 0.24%
Asian alone (NH) 54,099 63,252 6.57% 7.50%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 1,353 1,415 0.16% 0.17%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 1,371 4,451 0.17% 0.53%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 18,589 32,866 2.26% 3.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 331,567 365,285 40.27% 43.29%
Total 823,318 843,843 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011 edit

Places by population, race, and income edit

2010 edit

The 2010 United States Census reported that Ventura County had a population of 823,318. The racial makeup of Ventura County was 565,804 (68.7%) White, 15,163 (1.8%) African American, 8,068 (1.0%) Native American, 55,446 (6.7%) Asian, 1,643 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 140,253 (17.0%) from other races, and 36,941 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 331,567 persons (40.3%).[87]

2000 edit

As of the census[88] of 2000, there were 753,197 people, 243,234 households, and 182,911 families living in the county. The population density was 408 inhabitants per square mile (158/km2). There were 251,712 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile (53/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.9% White, 5.4% Asian, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 17.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. About one third (33.4%) of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.8% were of German, 7.7% English and 7.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 67.1% spoke English, 26.2% Spanish and 1.5% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 243,234 households, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.46.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $59,666, and the median income for a family was $65,285. Males had a median income of $45,310, versus $32,216 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,600. About 6.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those aged 65 or over.

According to an updated 2005 US Census, median household income was $66,859, while the mean was $85,032. Per capita income was up to $29,634, making it the 6th wealthiest county in California.

Housing edit

Ventura County typically has limited housing inventory, making it a consistently expensive location in Southern California, where it is usually the third-most-expensive county behind Orange and Los Angeles counties.[89] As of March 2018, the county was not on track to meet its state-mandated housing goals. Individual cities are responsible for meeting their assigned housing goals, while the county government is responsible for housing goals in unincorporated areas.[90][91] Several affordable housing groups that are actively working on building housing for veterans and low income people have long waiting lists.[92][93] Farmworker housing also has waiting lists though designated units continue to be built.[94]

Metropolitan Statistical Area edit

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Ventura County as the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.[95] The United States Census Bureau ranked the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 66th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.[96]

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area,[95] the second most populous combined statistical area and primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.[96][97]

Economy edit

In 2019, the county faced a weak economic outlook due to the declining housing affordability and lack of job growth.[98][99][100][101]

Agriculture edit

Lemons are the number two crop in the county according to the 2018 crop and livestock report. The economic value of lemons is more than $244 million a year, Valencia oranges are nearly $20 million a year, and mandarins/tangelos are more than $17 million a year.[102][103]

The county became a major producer in the state for hemp after it was removed from a list of controlled substances along with other provisions of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018. These provisions were included in the 2018 Farm Bill which made hemp legal for agricultural uses.[104] The agricultural commissioner enforces state rules regarding testing of the plants, varieties that can be grown and registration of acreage. By October 2019, close to 4,100 acres (1,700 ha) for cultivation and seed breeding have been registered in the county.[105] The annual crop report had 3,470 harvestable acres for 2019 with an estimated gross value $35.5 million.[106]

Several cities within the county are banning or have a moratorium on the planting, harvesting, drying, processing and manufacture of hemp products.[107] These city councils were reacting to complaints about the smell.[108] With some fields in unincorporated area being near residences, homeowners also brought their concerns to the county board of supervisors.[109] The acreage available for planting was reduced when a buffer zone was established around schools and residential communities in 2020.[110]

Cannabis edit

Further information: Cannabis in California

State law says local governments may not prohibit adults from growing, using or transporting marijuana for personal use but they can prohibit companies from growing, testing, and selling cannabis within their jurisdiction by licensing none or only some of these activities. The state allows deliveries without local agency licensing at the point of delivery.[111]

Under the legalization of the sale and distribution of cannabis in California, Ventura County voters approved Measure O in 2020, which sets up taxes on marijuana cultivation, as well as limits on the amounts of growing.[112] Allowing retail sales to the general public in the unincorporated areas was not approved as part of the referendum although sales are allowed within the cities of Port Hueneme and Ojai.[113] It restricted operations to the inside of existing greenhouses with only 500 acres (200 ha) of commercial cannabis allowed within the county, though an additional 100 acres (40 ha) is available for nursery cultivation.[114]

A 5.5-million-square-foot (0.51-million-square-metre) greenhouse facility, on which construction had begun in 1996 to grow tomatoes and other produce, began preparing to grow cannabis in 2021 under the rules put in place by Measure O.[114][115][116][117]

Technology edit

Amgen, the Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant, is the biggest publicly-traded company in Ventura County by market capitalization. The Trade Desk, the Ventura-based industry leader in advertising on streaming services, is second.[118]

Sports edit

The city of Ventura is home to the soccer club, Ventura County Fusion, of the USL Premier Development League.

Government edit

Current county supervisors are Matt LaVere (District 1), Jeff Gorell (District 2), Kelly Long (District 3), Janice Parvin (District 4), and Vianey Lopez (District 5).[119] Dr. Sevet Johnson is the Interim County Executive Officer.[120] James Fryhoff is the sheriff of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.[121] Dustin Gardner is the chief of the Ventura County Fire Department.[122]

Federal and state representation edit

Much of the county, including the cities of Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Moorpark, lie within the 26th congressional district, which is represented by Democrat Julia Brownley.[123] Other parts of the county are in California's 24th congressional district, represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal, California's 25th congressional district, represented by Democrat Raul Ruiz, and California's 30th congressional district, represented by Democrat Adam Schiff.[124] For the previous twenty five years, most of Ventura County was represented by Elton Gallegly, a conservative Republican from Simi Valley, who retired in 2012.

In the California State Senate, Ventura County is split between the 19th Senate District, represented by Democrat Monique Limón, and the 27th Senate District, represented by Democrat Henry Stern.[125]

In the California State Assembly, Ventura County is split between four legislative districts:[126]

Government and policing edit

County supervisors edit

Ventura County is administered by five elected Supervisors who each serve four year terms. They appoint department administrators who manage county functions. The county seal, that was adopted in 1964, was reviewed in 2022 due to prominent depiction of Junípero Serra that could be hurtful to those who allege that Serra was responsible for the suppression of the culture of Chumash people.[127] The seal also had images referring to atomic energy and oil drilling that no longer represented the county industries.[128] A new seal was adopted that depicts Arch Rock off Anacapa Island.[129]

Ventura County Sheriff edit

The Ventura County Sheriff provides court protection, county jail administration, and patrol for the unincorporated areas of the county plus contracted police services for the incorporated cities of Thousand Oaks, Fillmore, Camarillo, Moorpark, and Ojai.

Municipal police departments edit

The incorporated cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Port Hueneme, and Santa Paula have municipal police departments.

2040 General Plan edit

In 2020, the County of Ventura updated its general plan to the Ventura County 2040 General Plan, as mandated by the California Office of Planning and Research.[130] This document establishes guidelines and a regulatory basis for development and policy-making in the county until it is updated again in 2040.[131] The County held surveys, workshops, advisory committees, and hearings to encourage community participation in the process of shaping and adopting the Ventura County 2040 General Plan.[132] The final 2040 General Plan, adopted on September 15, 2020, by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, is centered on the following nine elements of governance:

  • Land Use and Community Character
  • Housing
  • Circulation, Transportation, and Mobility
  • Public Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure
  • Conservation and Open Space
  • Hazards and Safety
  • Agriculture
  • Water Resources
  • Economic Vitality.[133]

The Environmental Impact Review done by the state on the Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act, projects that the county will see a population increase of 13% from 2018 to 2040.[134] As such, the review found no significant population or housing need changes anticipated for the county during this period.[134]

A 2020 lawsuit filed against the county by The Ventura County Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business and the Ventura County Agricultural Association opposed policies in the 2040 General Plan which restricted oil and gas development, raised costs of agriculture, set high housing quality standards, and limited brush clearance.[135] The suit was settled in February 2023 with the county's adoption of an Implementation Clarification for Certain Policies and Programs Contained in the 2040 General Plan, which stated the county's ongoing support of agricultural operations without altering the content of the Plan.[136]

Politics edit

For many years, Ventura County voted consistently for Republican candidates for local, statewide and federal offices. Only recently has the county begun favoring Democratic candidates in both federal and state elections. While Republicans used to win a large majority of votes throughout the 1970s and 1980s, no party received greater than 55% of the county's vote from 1992 to 2016. Prior to Barack Obama's victory in the county in 2008, the last Democrat to win a majority was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, though Democrat Bill Clinton carried the county by a plurality in 1992 and 1996.

On March 3, 2008, Democratic registration surpassed Republican registration and the former's edge has grown since.[137] The cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks all have voter rolls with Republican pluralities. The remaining cities and towns in the county have a Democratic plurality or majority on the voter rolls, while the unincorporated areas are split almost evenly between the parties.[138]

United States presidential election results for Ventura County, California[139]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 162,207 38.36% 251,388 59.45% 9,230 2.18%
2016 132,323 37.16% 194,402 54.59% 29,382 8.25%
2012 147,958 45.15% 170,929 52.16% 8,825 2.69%
2008 145,853 42.77% 187,601 55.01% 7,587 2.22%
2004 160,314 51.19% 148,859 47.53% 4,020 1.28%
2000 136,173 48.17% 133,258 47.14% 13,261 4.69%
1996 109,202 43.47% 110,772 44.10% 31,220 12.43%
1992 94,911 35.46% 99,011 36.99% 73,725 27.55%
1988 147,604 61.64% 89,065 37.19% 2,804 1.17%
1984 151,383 68.67% 66,550 30.19% 2,529 1.15%
1980 114,930 60.28% 56,311 29.54% 19,409 10.18%
1976 82,670 53.20% 68,529 44.10% 4,201 2.70%
1972 95,310 63.20% 49,307 32.70% 6,188 4.10%
1968 59,705 51.35% 47,794 41.11% 8,762 7.54%
1964 40,264 40.99% 57,805 58.84% 169 0.17%
1960 35,074 49.59% 35,334 49.96% 315 0.45%
1956 26,342 49.92% 26,276 49.80% 149 0.28%
1952 24,534 52.47% 21,967 46.98% 256 0.55%
1948 13,930 42.15% 18,100 54.77% 1,019 3.08%
1944 11,071 40.19% 16,342 59.33% 131 0.48%
1940 11,225 42.15% 15,182 57.00% 227 0.85%
1936 7,579 35.75% 13,384 63.14% 235 1.11%
1932 6,908 37.27% 10,903 58.82% 724 3.91%
1928 9,017 70.17% 3,717 28.92% 117 0.91%
1924 5,705 65.16% 911 10.41% 2,139 24.43%
1920 5,231 76.00% 1,305 18.96% 347 5.04%
1916 3,980 55.18% 2,835 39.30% 398 5.52%
1912 71 1.47% 2,108 43.62% 2,654 54.91%
1908 1,864 56.57% 1,181 35.84% 250 7.59%
1904 1,995 63.86% 840 26.89% 289 9.25%
1900 1,708 53.54% 1,333 41.79% 149 4.67%
1896 1,553 50.41% 1,465 47.55% 63 2.04%
1892 1,283 46.60% 958 34.80% 512 18.60%
1888 1,107 53.84% 906 44.07% 43 2.09%
1884 749 53.96% 603 43.44% 36 2.59%
1880 599 53.24% 522 46.40% 4 0.36%
Gubernatorial election results
Ventura County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections
Year GOP DEM
2022 45.5% 127,709 54.5% 153,226
2018 44.4% 137,393 55.6% 171,729
2014 46.9% 93,797 53.1% 106,072
2010 49.3% 128,082 45.3% 117,800
2006 61.0% 134,862 34.3% 75,790
2003 51.5% 116,722 23.7% 53,705
2002 47.2% 91,193 43.2% 83,557
1998 43.8% 91,093 53.0% 110,226
1994 62.4% 136,417 33.4% 73,163
1990 57.6% 106,234 36.9% 68,139
1986 67.2% 118,640 31.1% 54,893
1982 55.2% 99,130 42.4% 76,094
1978 40.6% 57,777 52.8% 75,173
1974 50.5% 60,122 47.2% 56,189
1970 58.6% 63,790 38.9% 42,350
1966 60.9% 58,068 39.1% 37,224
1962 45.2% 31,899 53.5% 37,777

Voter registration statistics edit

Cities by population and voter registration edit

Crime edit

Ventura County is home to several of the safest communities in the U.S., including Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Newbury Park, and Moorpark. Overall, crime in the county is 33% lower than California and U.S. rates.[141]

According to a 2019 report, the county is the second safest county among California's most populated counties.[142]

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates edit

Transportation edit

Major highways edit

 
Pacific Coast Highway (CA 1) in Solromar
 
Overlap SR 23/US 101 (Ventura Freeway)

Unconstructed edit

Public transportation edit

Ventura County is served by Amtrak and Metrolink trains along the main coast rail line, as well as Greyhound Lines, Gold Coast Transit (formerly South Coast Area Transit), and VISTA buses. The cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have their own small bus systems.

Park authorized commercial service operators provide access to the five islands of Channel Islands National Park.[145]

Airports edit

  • Oxnard Airport, just west of Downtown Oxnard and was Ventura County's only commercial airport, it now no longer takes public flights. It is also the county's largest airport.
  • Camarillo Airport, formerly a US Air Force Base, is a general aviation airport located south of the City of Camarillo. It is the current base of operations of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Aviation Unit and the home of the VCSD's Training Facility and Academy, the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center. The Camarillo Airport also serves as the base of operations for the Ventura County Fire Department and facilitates the Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy and the Ventura County Reserve Officers Training Center.
  • Santa Paula Airport is a privately owned airport open to the public for general aviation.

Education edit

K-12 education edit

School districts include:[146]

Unified:

Secondary:

Elementary:

Libraries edit

Public libraries edit

Main article: Ventura County Library

Ventura County Library has 12 community library locations throughout the county, including three branches in the city of Ventura. Many of the other branches serve smaller towns or unincorporated communities. The county library also includes the Research Library of the Museum of Ventura County. In addition, six cities within the county operate their own city libraries that are independent of the county system: Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks.

Academic libraries edit

The colleges and universities in Ventura County support libraries to meet the research needs of their students and faculty and, in some cases, the general public. These include:

Other libraries edit

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is located in Simi Valley.

Ventura County Law Library, located in the Ventura County Government Center, makes current legal resources available to judges, lawyers, government officials, and other users.

Communities edit

Cities edit

Unincorporated communities edit

Population ranking edit

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Ventura County.[150]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 Oxnard City 202,736
2 Thousand Oaks City 126,966
3 Simi Valley City 126,356
4 † Ventura (San Buenaventura) City 110,763
5 Camarillo City 70,741
6 Moorpark City 36,284
7 Santa Paula City 30,657
8 Port Hueneme City 21,954
9 Fillmore City 16,419
10 Oak Park CDP 13,898
11 Ojai City 7,637
12 El Rio CDP 7,037
13 Mira Monte CDP 6,618
14 Oak View CDP 6,215
15 Meiners Oaks CDP 3,911
16 Santa Rosa Valley CDP 3,312
17 Casa Conejo CDP 3,267
18 Channel Islands Beach CDP 2,870
19 Piru CDP 2,587
20 Bell Canyon CDP 1,946
21 Lake Sherwood CDP 1,759
22 Somis CDP 1,429
23 Santa Susana CDP 1,160
24 Saticoy CDP 1,133,

In popular culture edit

Lake Sherwood is named for its use as the location for Sherwood Forest in the 1922 film, Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks.[151][152] The 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, also had a major scene shot on location at "Sherwood Forest".[153]

On July 23, 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two children actors (My-Ca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Ye Chen) were filming a helicopter scene for Twilight Zone: The Movie in the area of Indian Dunes in Ventura County when the helicopter lost control and crashed on top of them. Morrow and Le were decapitated and Chen was fatally crushed.

In 1963, the Korean War story The Young and The Brave, featuring a brave and resourceful young boy, was filmed in rural areas of Ventura County.

Also, in 2000 the movie Swordfish filmed the final bank scene on East Main Street in Ventura. The building they used is the white building on the corner. 34°16′51″N 119°17′41″W / 34.280823°N 119.294599°W / 34.280823; -119.294599

In 2009, the VH1 television show Tool Academy was filmed in Ventura County.

The movie Back to the Future Part III filmed the scene where Marty returns to the year 1985 in the time-traveling DeLorean at the railroad crossing at S Ventura Rd & Shoreview Dr in Port Hueneme.

Many films, including Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, Chinatown, Erin Brockovich, The Aviator, and The Rock were partly filmed in Ventura.

Downtown Ventura hosts the Majestic Ventura Theater, an early 20th century theatre, which is situated about two blocks away from city hall. It is the region's most prominent local musical venue and hosts concerts regularly. The theater has hosted many internationally notable musician and bands such as Gregg Allman, John Prine, Glenn Frey, The Doors, Devo, Joe Walsh, King's X, Van Halen, X, Paramore, She Wants Revenge, Pennywise, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Drakeo the Ruler, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, The Game, DJ Quik, Lamb of God, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, Fugazi, Incubus, Tom Petty, America, They Might Be Giants, and Modest Mouse, as well as local artists such as Army of Freshmen and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

See also edit

Explanatory notes edit

  1. ^ Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  2. ^ Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  3. ^ a b Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  4. ^ Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n For statistical purposes, defined by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP).

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Further reading edit

  • Charles Montville Gidney, Benjamin Brooks, and Edwin M. Sheridan, History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties, California. In two volumes. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1917. Volume 1 | Volume 2
  • Yda Addis Storke, A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California.... Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1891.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ventura County, California.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ventura County.
  • Official website  
  • Ventura County April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on the National Association Of Counties

34°22′N 119°09′W / 34.36°N 119.15°W / 34.36; -119.15

February 01, 2024
ventura, county, california, ventura, county, ʊər, county, located, southern, part, state, california, 2020, census, population, largest, city, oxnard, county, seat, city, ventura, ventura, countycountycounty, venturaimages, from, down, left, right, ventura, c. Ventura County v ɛ n ˈ t ʊer e is a county located in the southern part of the U S state of California As of the 2020 census the population was 843 843 10 13 The largest city is Oxnard and the county seat is the city of Ventura 14 Ventura CountyCountyCounty of VenturaImages from top down left to right Ventura City Hall in Old Town Ventura Ojai Arcade in Ojai a view of Camarillo Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley Point MuguFlagSealInteractive map of Ventura CountyLocation in the state of CaliforniaCountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaRegionGreater Los AngelesCalifornia Central CoastCreatedMarch 22 1872 1 EstablishedJanuary 1 1873 2 Named forMission San Buenaventura which was named after Saint BonaventureCounty seatVenturaLargest cityOxnard population Thousand Oaks area Government TypeCouncil CEO BodyBoard of Supervisors 3 4 5 6 7 ChairKelly Long N P Vice ChairJanice S Parvin N P Board of Supervisors 8 Supervisors Matt LaVere N P Jeff Gorell R Kelly Long N P Janice S Parvin N P Vianey Lopez N P Chief executive officerSevet JohnsonArea Total2 208 sq mi 5 720 km2 Land1 843 sq mi 4 770 km2 Water365 sq mi 950 km2 Highest elevation 9 8 835 ft 2 693 m Population April 1 2020 10 Total843 843 Density458 sq mi 177 km2 Gross Domestic Product 11 TotalUS 52 689 billion 2022 Time zoneUTC 8 Pacific Time Zone Summer DST UTC 7 Pacific Daylight Time Area codes805 820 818 747FIPS code06 111GNIS feature ID277320Congressional districts24th 26th 32ndWebsitewww wbr countyofventura wbr orgVentura County comprises the Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura CA Metropolitan Statistical Area which is part of the Greater Los Angeles area Los Angeles Long Beach CA Combined Statistical Area It is also considered the southernmost county along the California Central Coast 15 Two of the Channel Islands are part of the county Anacapa Island which is the most visited island in Channel Islands National Park 16 and San Nicolas Island Contents 1 History 1 1 Pre colonial period 1 2 Spanish period 1 3 Mexican period 1 4 American period 1 5 Modern period 1 5 1 Thomas Fire 2 Geography 2 1 Physical geography 2 2 Climate 2 2 1 Air quality 2 3 Adjacent counties 2 4 National protected areas 2 5 Rivers 3 Demographics 3 1 2020 census 3 2 2011 3 2 1 Places by population race and income 3 3 2010 3 4 2000 3 5 Housing 3 6 Metropolitan Statistical Area 4 Economy 4 1 Agriculture 4 2 Cannabis 4 3 Technology 5 Sports 6 Government 6 1 Federal and state representation 6 2 Government and policing 6 2 1 County supervisors 6 2 2 Ventura County Sheriff 6 2 3 Municipal police departments 6 3 2040 General Plan 7 Politics 7 1 Voter registration statistics 7 1 1 Cities by population and voter registration 8 Crime 8 1 Cities by population and crime rates 9 Transportation 9 1 Major highways 9 1 1 Unconstructed 9 2 Public transportation 9 3 Airports 10 Education 10 1 K 12 education 10 2 Libraries 10 2 1 Public libraries 10 2 2 Academic libraries 10 2 3 Other libraries 11 Communities 11 1 Cities 11 2 Unincorporated communities 11 3 Population ranking 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 Explanatory notes 15 References 16 Further reading 17 External linksHistory editPre colonial period edit nbsp Pictographs in the Burro Flats Painted Cave in Simi ValleyVentura County was historically inhabited by the Chumash people who also settled much of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties with their presence dating back 10 000 12 000 years 17 18 The Chumash were hunter gatherers fishermen and also traders with the Mojave Yokuts and Tongva Indians 19 The Chumash are also known for their rock paintings and for their great basketry Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks has several reconstructed Chumash houses apa and there are several Chumash pictographs in the county including the Burro Flats Painted Cave in Simi Valley The plank canoe called a tomol in Chumash was important to their way of life Canoe launching points on the mainland for trade with the Chumash of the Channel Islands were located at the mouth of the Ventura River Mugu Lagoon and Point Hueneme 20 21 This has led to speculations among archeologists of whether the Chumash could have had a pre historic contact with Polynesians 22 23 According to diachronic linguistics certain words such as tomolo o canoe could be related to Polynesian languages The dialect of the Chumash language that was spoken in Ventura County was Ventureno 24 Several place names in the county has originated from Chumash including Ojai which means moon 25 and Simi Valley which originates from the word Shimiyi and refers to the stringy thread like clouds that typify the region 26 Others include Point Mugu from the word Muwu meaning beach Saticoy from the word Sa aqtiko y meaning sheltered for the wind and Sespe Creek from the word S eqp e meaning kneecap 27 Spanish period edit nbsp Mission San Buenaventura is a Spanish mission founded in 1782 by the Franciscan order In October 1542 the expedition led by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo anchored in an inlet near Point Mugu its members were the first Europeans to arrive in the area that would become Ventura County 28 Active occupation of California by Spain began in 1769 Gaspar de Portola led a military expedition by land from San Diego to Monterey passing through Ventura County in August of that year A priest with the expedition Father Juan Crespi kept a journal of the trip and noted that the area was ideal for a mission to be established and it was a good site to which nothing is lacking 29 Also on this expedition was Father Junipero Serra who later founded a mission on this site On March 31 1782 the Mission San Buenaventura was founded by Father Serra 30 It is named after Saint Bonaventure one of the early intellectual founders of the Franciscan order The town that grew up around the mission was originally named San Buenaventura and retains the name officially it has been known as Ventura since 1891 31 In the 1790s the Spanish Governor of California began granting land concessions to Spanish Californians who were often retiring soldiers These concessions were known as ranchos and consisted of thousands of acres of land that were used primarily as ranch land for livestock In Ventura County Rancho Simi was granted in 1795 and Rancho El Conejo in 1802 32 Fernando Tico was granted Ojai and part of Ventura by Gov Alvarado Mexican period edit nbsp Chumash elder and master builder Fernando Librado or Kitsepawit was born at Mission San Buenaventura during the Mexican period 33 In 1822 California was notified of Mexico s independence from Spain and the Governor of California the Junta the military in Monterey and the priests and neophytes at Mission San Buenaventura swore allegiance to Mexico on April 11 1822 California land that had been vested in the King of Spain was now owned by the nation of Mexico By the 1830s Mission San Buenaventura was in a decline with fewer neophytes joining the mission The number of cattle owned by the mission dropped from first to fifteenth ranking in the California Missions 34 The missions were secularized by the Mexican government in 1834 The Mexican governors began granting land rights to Mexican Californians often retiring soldiers By 1846 there were 19 rancho grants in Ventura County 35 In 1836 Mission San Buenaventura was transferred from the Church to a secular administrator The natives who had been working at the mission gradually left to work on the ranchos By 1839 only 300 Indians were left at the Mission and it slipped into neglect 36 Several outhouses dating back to the 1800s were discovered in July 2007 at a site that had been cleared to prepare for development The area proved to be a treasure trove for archaeologists who braved the lingering smell in the dirt to uncover artifacts that showed heavy utilization by mission inhabitants Indians early settlers and Spanish and Mexican soldiers 37 American period edit The Mexican American War began in 1846 but its effect was not felt in Ventura County until 1847 In January of that year Captain John C Fremont led the California Battalion into San Buenaventura to find that the Europeans had fled leaving only the Indians in the Mission Fremont and the Battalion continued south to sign the Treaty of Cahuenga with General Andres Pico The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally transferred California to the United States in 1848 38 By 1849 a constitution had been adopted for the California territory The new Legislature met and divided the pending state into 27 counties At the time the area that would become Ventura County was the southern part of Santa Barbara County 39 The 1860s brought many changes to the area A drought caused many of the ranchos to experience financial difficulties and most were divided sub divided and sold Large sections of land were bought by eastern capitalists based on favorable reports of petroleum deposits A United States Post Office was opened at Mission San Buenaventura in 1861 On April 1 1866 the town of San Buenaventura was incorporated becoming the first officially recognized town in what would become Ventura County 40 On January 1 1873 Ventura County was officially split from Santa Barbara County bringing a flurry of change That same year a courthouse and wharf were built in San Buenaventura A bank was opened and the first public library was created The school system grew with the first high school opening in 1890 41 Other towns were being established in the county A plan for Hueneme later Port Hueneme was recorded in 1874 and Santa Paula s plan was recorded in 1875 Along the banks of the Santa Clara River the township of New Jerusalem which would eventually be named El Rio was founded in 1875 by the owner of general store named Simon Cohen who became its first postmaster and banker in 1882 42 The community of Nordhoff later renamed Ojai was started in 1874 43 Bardsdale Fillmore Piru and Montalvo were established in 1887 44 1892 saw Simi later Simi Valley Somis Saticoy and Moorpark Oxnard was a latecomer not being established until 1898 45 The Southern Pacific Railroad laid tracks through San Buenaventura in 1887 For convenience in printing their timetables Southern Pacific shortened San Buenaventura to Ventura The Post Office soon followed suit While the city remains officially known as San Buenaventura it is more commonly referred to as Ventura 46 The rail line to Northern California originally went through Saugus Fillmore and Santa Paula providing a boom to those communities along the line In 1905 Tunnel 26 was completed between Chatsworth and Corriganville near Simi Valley shortening the rail route At a length of 7 369 feet 2 246 m Tunnel 26 was the longest tunnel ever constructed in its day 47 This tunnel joined to the railroad spur coming the other direction from Montalvo through Camarillo Moorpark and Simi Valley making the contemporary main line used today One stop along the way at a 90 degree turn was at a sugar beet processing factory The factory bore the name of its absentee owners the Oxnard Brothers A small community of farm and factory workers grew near the train stop That community now bearing the name of the factory shortened to the one word train stop Oxnard has become the largest city in Ventura County 48 49 nbsp Map of Ventura oil and gas fieldsOil has been known in Ventura County since before the arrival of the Europeans as the native Chumash people used tar from natural seeps as a sealant and waterproofing for baskets and canoes In the 1860s several attempts were made to harvest the petroleum products under Ventura County but none were financially successful and the oil speculators eventually changed from oil to land development In 1913 oil exploration began in earnest with Ralph Lloyd obtaining the financial support of veteran oil man Joseph B Dabney Their first well named Lloyd No 1 was started on January 20 1914 The well struck oil at 2 558 feet 780 m but was destroyed when it went wild Other wells met a similar fate until 1916 when a deal was struck with the Shell Oil Company 1916 was the year that the large South Mountain Oil Field was discovered other deals followed with General Petroleum in 1917 and Associated Oil Company in 1920 At its peak the largest oil field in the county the Ventura Avenue oilfield discovered in 1919 in the hills north of Ventura was producing 90 000 barrels 14 000 m3 of oil a day with annual production of over 1 5 million barrels More oil fields came online in the 1920s and 1930s with the Rincon field the second largest in 1927 and the adjacent San Miguelito in 1931 50 51 In the early hours of the morning of March 12 13 1928 the St Francis Dam collapsed sending nearly 12 500 million U S gallons 47 gigaliters of water rushing through the Santa Clarita Valley killing as many as 600 people 52 destroying 1 240 homes and flooding 7 900 acres 32 km2 of land devastating farm fields and orchards 53 This was the single largest disaster to strike Ventura County and the second largest in terms of lives lost in the state Modern period edit nbsp Orange grove outside of Santa Paula California nbsp Typical rush hour traffic in VenturaVentura County can be separated into two major parts East County and West County which are divided by the Conejo Grade 54 East County consists of all cities east of the Conejo Grade Geographically East County is the end of the Santa Monica Mountains in which the Conejo Valley is located and where there is a considerable increase in elevation Communities which are considered to be in the East County are Thousand Oaks Newbury Park Lake Sherwood Hidden Valley Santa Rosa Valley part of Westlake Village Oak Park Moorpark and Simi Valley citation needed A majority of these communities are in the Conejo Valley West County which is everything west of the Conejo Grade consists of communities such as Camarillo Oxnard Somis Point Mugu Port Hueneme Ventura Ojai Santa Paula and Fillmore West County consists of some of the first developed cities in the county The largest beach communities are located in West County on the coastline of the Channel Islands Harbor Starting in the mid 20th century there was a large growth in population in the East County moving from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and out into the Conejo and Simi Valleys Part of the Conejo Valley is situated in Los Angeles County This part consists of Calabasas Hidden Hills Agoura Hills Agoura and Westlake Village The other half of the Conejo Valley which belongs to Ventura County consists of Lake Sherwood Hidden Valley Oak Park Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park which was formerly an unincorporated area that is now the most westerly part of Thousand Oaks Many working class people migrated to this area during the 1960s and 1970s out of East and Central Los Angeles As a result there was a large growth in population into the Conejo Valley and into Ventura County through the U S Route 101 corridor Making the U S 101 a full freeway in the 1960s and the expansions that followed helped make commuting to Los Angeles easier and opened the way for development westward The communities that have seen the most substantial development are Calabasas Hidden Hills Agoura Hills Westlake Village Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park The neighboring East County area of Simi Valley saw its already considerable population of nearly 60 000 inhabitants in 1970 grow to over 100 000 over the following two decades Development moved farther down the U S 101 corridor and sent population rising in West County cities as well The largest population growth there has been in Camarillo Oxnard and Ventura Development in the East County and along the US 101 corridor is rare today because most of these cities such as Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are approaching build out Although the area still has plenty of open space and land almost all of it is in greenbelts between the cities 55 Because of this its private low key location its country feel and its proximity to Los Angeles the Conejo Valley area has become a very attractive place to live Like most areas of Ventura County it once had relatively inexpensive real estate but prices have risen sharply For example real estate in Newbury Park has increased in price by more than 250 in the last 10 years when Thomas Fire edit Main article Thomas Fire The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in Southern California in December 2017 It burned approximately 281 893 acres 440 sq mi 114 078 ha becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history before it was fully contained on January 12 2018 56 The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1 063 structures while damaging 280 others 57 and the fire caused over 2 176 billion 2018 USD in damages 58 59 including more than 204 5 million in suppression costs becoming the seventh most destructive wildfire in state history 60 The agriculture industry suffered at least 171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire 59 61 62 Southern California Edison paid the county over 11 million in claims related to damages and costs since its equipment was likely associated with one ignition point of the fire near Santa Paula 63 Geography edit nbsp 53 percent of the county s total area is made up of national forest land 64 According to the U S Census Bureau the county has a total area of 2 208 square miles 5 720 km2 of which 1 843 square miles 4 770 km2 is land and 365 square miles 950 km2 16 5 is water 65 66 Parts of the county are on the Oxnard Plain which includes the cities of Oxnard Camarillo Port Hueneme and much of Ventura Other cities and communities lie in the intermountain valleys of the Transverse Range The Santa Clara River Valley is the most prominent valley while other valleys include Conejo Valley Simi Valley Santa Rosa Valley Tierra Rejada Valley and Las Posas Valley Other parts of the county are on small coastal mountains such as the Santa Ynez Mountains Simi Hills Santa Monica Mountains and the Piru Mountains Most of the population of Ventura County lives in the southern portion of the county The major population centers are the Oxnard Plain and the Simi and Conejo Valleys In local media the county is usually split between the eastern portion generally associated with the San Fernando Valley and the western portion often referred to as Oxnard Ventura To the east is Los Angeles County Because the total amount of precipitation is small conserving water and obtaining water from additional sources outside of Ventura County are vital concerns 67 The climate though mostly mild and dry varies because of the variations in topography through for instance differences in elevation and physical geography The Santa Clara River is the principal waterway Lake Casitas an artificial reservoir is the largest body of water The highest peaks in the county include Mount Pinos 8 831 ft 2 692 m Frazier Mountain 8 017 ft 2 444 m and Reyes Peak 7 525 ft 2 294 m in the Transverse Ranges The uplands are well timbered with coniferous forests and receive plentiful snow in the winter Mount Pinos is sacred to the Chumash Indians It is known to them as Iwihinmu and was considered to be the center of the universe being the highest peak in the vicinity it has unimpeded views in three directions 68 The USDA Economic Research Service rated Ventura County the most desirable county to live in the 48 contiguous states using six metrics of climate mild sunny winters temperate summers low humidity topographic variation and access to water that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer 69 Physical geography edit nbsp Map of Ventura County with physiographical place names nbsp Coastline at Point Mugu State ParkThere are 555 953 acres 224 986 ha outside of national forest land in Ventura County which means that 53 percent of the county s total area is made up of national forest Of the land outside of national forest land approximately 59 percent is agricultural and 17 5 percent urban 64 North of Highway 126 the county is mountainous and mostly uninhabited and contains some of the most unspoiled rugged and inaccessible wilderness remaining in southern California Most of this land is in the Los Padres National Forest and includes the Chumash Wilderness in the northernmost portion adjacent to Kern County as well as the large Sespe Wilderness and portions of both the Dick Smith Wilderness and Matilija Wilderness both of these protected areas straddle the line with Santa Barbara County All of the wilderness areas are within the jurisdiction of Los Padres National Forest nbsp Simi Valley in the valley of the same name in the southeast corner of the countyThe coastal plain was formed by the deposition of sediments from the Santa Clara River and from the streams of the Calleguas Conejo drainage system It has a mean elevation of fifty feet 15 m but at points south of the Santa Clara River the elevation is as much as 150 feet 46 m and at points north of the river as much as 300 feet 91 m The coastal plain is generally known as the Oxnard Plain with the part that centers on Camarillo lying east of the Revelon Slough is called Pleasant Valley Most of the arable land in the county is found on the coastal plain Small coastal mountains rim Ventura County on its landward side They range in elevation from 50 feet 15 m along the coast south of the coastal plain to about 3 100 feet 940 m in the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Ynez Mountains the Topatopa Mountains and the Piru Mountains make up the northern boundary of the coastal plain the Santa Susana Mountains are alongside the eastern boundary of the county and the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains are along the southern border with Los Angeles County 70 South Mountain and Oak Ridge are low and long mountains that separate Santa Clara Valley from the Las Posas Valley and Simi Valley The Camarillo Hills and the Las Posas Hills extend from Camarillo to Simi Valley and separate the Las Posas Simi area from the Santa Rosa Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley 71 nbsp Summit of Mount Pinos the highest point in the county nbsp Emma Wood State Beach is located west of the City of Ventura The intermountain valley of the Santa Clara River is the most prominent valley in the county and trends east southwest The Santa Clara River drains an area of 1 605 square miles 4 160 km2 and flows from its headwaters in Los Angeles to where it empties into the Pacific Its principal tributaries are Piru Creek Santa Paula Creek and Sespe Creek The valley of the Ventura River is a narrow valley north of Ventura Ojai Valley is connected to the Ventura River Valley by San Antonio Creek The small Upper Ojai Valley east of Ojai Valley and 300 to 500 feet 91 to 152 m higher drains to the Ventura River on the west and to Santa Paula Creek on the east Ojai and Upper Ojai Valleys are surrounded by mountains and are rich agricultural areas The Ventura River flows south and drains an area of 226 square miles 590 km2 Over South Mountain and Oak Ridge south of the Santa Clara River are Las Posas Valley and Simi Valley Las Posas Valley extends eastward from the Oxnard Plain almost to Simi Valley which is in the east end of Ventura County The city of Simi Valley is bounded on the east by the Santa Susana Mountains and on the south by the Simi Hills To the south over the Camarillo and Las Posas Hills are Santa Rosa and Tierra Rejada Valleys which extend from Camarillo eastward for ten miles 16 km In the hills south of Santa Rosa Valley is the broad Conejo Valley Santa Rosa Valley Conejo Valley Simi Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley are drained by Calleguas Creek and its principal tributary Conejo Creek These creeks originate in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains 67 The county s diverse 43 mile 69 km 72 coastline features a variety of terrain There are many State beaches Emma Wood San Buenaventura McGrath and Mandalay State Beach Other beaches include Channel Islands Beach Solimar Beach Oxnard Beach Park and Silver Strand Beach While Point Mugu State Park is known for its steep coastal terrain with little beach access nearby County Line Beach in the south coast community of Solromar is part of the fabled Malibu coastline Ventura County has plenty of other surf spots along the coast including the notable surf spot Rincon Point on the Santa Barbara County line The Channel Islands in Ventura County are Anacapa and San Nicholas Islands Climate edit nbsp Sunset over the Topatopa Mountains in northern Ventura CountyVentura County has a considerable range in climate because of differences in topography between one part of the county and another Rainfall is limited in summer and crops have to be irrigated The average annual temperature is near 60 F at low elevations near the ocean in the 50s over most of the northern two thirds of the county and less than 45 F in the Topatopa Mountains The annual range in temperature is between 70 F and 80 F on the Coastal Plain and as much as 100 F in the interior For July the average maximum temperature is between 70 F and 80 F on the Coastal Plain but exceeds 90 F in the upper part of the Ventura and Cuyama River Valleys For January the average minimum temperature is near 40 F on the coast but in the lower 30s and upper 20s in the northern parts of Ventura County No temperature data are available for the highest point in the county Mount Pinos The length of the growing season ranges more than 300 days near the coast to less than 175 days in the coldest part in northern Ventura County In both the northern and southern ends of the county the annual precipitation totals between ten and fifteen inches In the Topatopa Mountains the annual total is more than thirty three inches The drier parts of the county get less than five inches of rain annually and the higher and wetter parts get more than 60 inches annually Measureable amounts of rainfall in Ventura County are reported on thirty to thirty five days annually and half an inch or more on six to twelve days annually In the northern parts of Ventura County snowfall averages five inches or more per year and along the northern border and Mount Pinos more than twenty inches 71 Air quality edit Automobile emissions account for most of the air pollution Other sources include chemical plants gasoline stations paint and cleaning products 73 Adjacent counties edit Santa Barbara County California west Kern County California north Los Angeles County California eastNational protected areas edit Angeles National Forest part Channel Islands National Park part Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Los Padres National Forest part Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area part Dick Smith Wilderness part Rivers edit nbsp Walkway by Arroyo Simi in Simi Valley nbsp Swimming hole in the Ventura RiverRivers in Ventura County include Los Sauces Creek Madrianio Creek Padre Juan Canyon Ventura River Manuel Canyon Canada Larga Canada de Alisos Coyote Creek Lake Casitas Laguna Creek Willow Creek Santa Ana Creek Roble Casitas Canal Poplin Creek Deep Cat Lake East Fork Coyote Creek West Fork Coyote Creek Matilija Creek Rattlesnake Creek Lime Creek Murietta Creek Middle Fork Matilija Creek Upper North Fork Matilija Creek North Fork Matilija Creek This and Matilija Creek form the Ventura River s headwaters Santa Clara River Sespe Creek Piru Creek Castaic Creek Calleguas Creek Arroyo Simi Arroyo ConejoDemographics editHistorical population CensusPop Note 18805 073 189010 07198 5 190014 36742 7 191018 34727 7 192028 72456 6 193054 97691 4 194069 68526 8 1950114 64764 5 1960199 13873 7 1970376 43089 0 1980529 17440 6 1990669 01626 4 2000753 19712 6 2010823 3189 3 2020843 8432 5 U S Decennial Census 74 1790 1960 75 1900 1990 76 1990 2000 77 2010 78 2020 79 2020 census edit Ventura County California Demographic Profile NH Non Hispanic Race Ethnicity Pop 2010 78 Pop 2020 79 2010 2020White alone NH 400 868 360 850 48 69 42 76 Black or African American alone NH 13 082 13 704 1 59 1 62 Native American or Alaska Native alone NH 2 389 2 020 0 29 0 24 Asian alone NH 54 099 63 252 6 57 7 50 Pacific Islander alone NH 1 353 1 415 0 16 0 17 Some Other Race alone NH 1 371 4 451 0 17 0 53 Mixed Race Multi Racial NH 18 589 32 866 2 26 3 89 Hispanic or Latino any race 331 567 365 285 40 27 43 29 Total 823 318 843 843 100 00 100 00 Note the US Census treats Hispanic Latino as an ethnic category This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category Hispanics Latinos can be of any race 2011 edit Population race and incomeTotal population 80 815 745 White 80 578 324 70 9 Black or African American 80 14 435 1 8 American Indian or Alaska Native 80 9 186 1 1 Asian 80 56 230 6 9 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 80 1 410 0 2 Some other race 80 123 892 15 2 Two or more races 80 32 268 4 0 Hispanic or Latino of any race 81 323 735 39 7 Per capita income 82 32 740Median household income 83 76 728Median family income 84 86 321Places by population race and income edit Places by population and racePlace Type 85 Population 80 White 80 Other 80 note 1 Asian 80 Black or AfricanAmerican 80 Native American 80 note 2 Hispanic or Latino of any race 81 Bell Canyon CDP 2 291 83 9 3 0 10 3 0 0 2 7 3 4 Camarillo City 64 340 73 0 13 8 10 7 1 4 1 0 24 5 Casa Conejo CDP 3 424 89 0 4 6 2 1 4 3 0 0 32 6 Channel Islands Beach CDP 3 299 94 0 4 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 19 2 El Rio CDP 6 014 60 2 35 9 1 6 1 5 0 9 79 5 Fillmore City 14 863 60 4 35 0 3 2 0 6 0 9 74 8 Lake Sherwood CDP 1 396 88 4 6 0 0 5 2 5 2 6 2 9 Meiners Oaks CDP 3 339 79 5 15 4 0 8 1 1 3 2 29 3 Mira Monte CDP 7 666 86 7 9 2 1 8 0 9 1 4 15 7 Moorpark City 34 100 75 1 18 3 5 4 1 0 0 2 31 2 Oak Park CDP 14 045 85 4 4 3 9 6 0 6 0 0 6 2 Oak View CDP 4 166 81 0 17 3 0 0 0 0 1 7 27 8 Ojai City 7 496 84 4 13 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 17 0 Oxnard City 194 972 59 7 26 6 7 9 3 2 2 6 71 6 Piru CDP 1 638 60 0 39 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 83 6 Port Hueneme City 21 717 63 6 19 5 7 1 5 1 4 7 51 3 San Buenaventura Ventura City 105 809 73 4 21 0 3 2 1 4 1 0 32 8 Santa Paula City 29 248 53 0 45 5 0 6 0 2 0 7 78 8 Santa Rosa Valley CDP 3 143 91 8 3 3 4 9 0 0 0 0 6 5 Santa Susana CDP 1 115 92 4 4 8 0 0 2 8 0 0 8 1 Saticoy CDP 851 59 3 36 3 0 0 0 0 4 3 74 7 Simi Valley City 122 864 74 8 14 3 8 8 1 2 0 9 24 3 Thousand Oaks City 125 633 79 6 9 1 9 8 1 1 0 4 16 0 Places by population and incomePlace Type 85 Population 86 Per capita income 82 Median household income 83 Median family income 84 Bell Canyon CDP 2 291 85 789 220 764 230 455Camarillo City 64 340 37 840 84 168 101 334Casa Conejo CDP 3 424 26 950 84 286 86 630Channel Islands Beach CDP 3 299 53 891 70 313 69 333El Rio CDP 6 014 15 861 56 415 58 665Fillmore City 14 863 20 582 60 605 67 784Lake Sherwood CDP 1 396 104 724 210 391 211 484Meiners Oaks CDP 3 339 33 264 51 955 73 365Mira Monte CDP 7 666 32 718 71 723 83 968Moorpark City 34 100 36 375 103 009 107 412Oak Park CDP 14 045 55 681 128 618 143 188Oak View CDP 4 166 38 062 80 614 81 750Ojai City 7 496 36 769 63 750 89 338Oxnard City 194 972 20 612 60 191 61 965Piru CDP 1 638 15 730 49 141 47 734Port Hueneme City 21 717 23 391 52 244 56 566San Buenaventura Ventura City 105 809 31 775 66 226 81 616Santa Paula City 29 248 19 713 53 359 55 399Santa Rosa Valley CDP 3 143 71 594 154 931 176 938Santa Susana CDP 1 115 40 271 111 610 112 027Saticoy CDP 851 12 192 34 375 35 299Simi Valley City 122 864 35 467 89 452 97 999Thousand Oaks City 125 633 46 093 100 373 112 8762010 edit The 2010 United States Census reported that Ventura County had a population of 823 318 The racial makeup of Ventura County was 565 804 68 7 White 15 163 1 8 African American 8 068 1 0 Native American 55 446 6 7 Asian 1 643 0 2 Pacific Islander 140 253 17 0 from other races and 36 941 4 5 from two or more races Hispanic or Latino of any race were 331 567 persons 40 3 87 Population reported at 2010 United States CensusThe County TotalPopulation White AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino of any race Ventura County 823 318 565 804 15 163 8 068 55 446 1 643 140 253 36 941 331 567Incorporatedcities and towns TotalPopulation White AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino of any race Camarillo 65 201 48 947 1 216 397 6 633 116 4 774 3 118 14 958Fillmore 15 002 8 581 75 180 155 12 5 204 795 11 212Moorpark 34 421 25 860 533 248 2 352 50 3 727 1 651 10 813Ojai 7 461 6 555 42 47 158 1 440 218 1 339Oxnard 197 899 95 346 5 771 2 953 14 550 658 69 527 9 094 145 551Port Hueneme 21 723 12 357 1 111 295 1 299 119 5 224 1 318 11 360Santa Paula 29 321 18 458 152 460 216 24 8 924 1 087 23 299Simi Valley 124 237 93 597 1 739 761 11 555 178 10 685 5 722 28 938Thousand Oaks 126 683 101 702 1 674 497 11 043 146 6 869 4 752 21 341Ventura 106 433 81 553 1 724 1 287 3 663 206 12 486 5 514 33 874Census designatedplaces TotalPopulation White AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino of any race Bell Canyon 2 049 1 724 58 4 179 0 10 74 103Casa Conejo 3 249 2 560 27 20 160 4 327 151 851Channel Islands Beach 3 103 2 712 27 16 108 6 103 131 402El Rio 7 198 3 495 58 201 73 24 3 027 320 6 188Lake Sherwood 1 527 1 368 5 1 101 0 9 43 52Meiners Oaks 3 571 2 789 14 58 51 1 549 109 1 068Mira Monte 6 854 5 989 43 61 129 3 406 223 1 254Oak Park 13 811 11 473 141 32 1 556 9 162 438 826Oak View 4 066 3 227 11 63 34 3 575 153 1 217Piru 2 063 1 063 16 43 11 0 830 100 1 748Santa Rosa Valley 3 334 2 904 23 13 187 4 102 101 353Santa Susana 1 037 904 17 2 23 0 33 58 156Saticoy 1 029 413 9 29 2 0 508 68 895Otherunincorporated areas TotalPopulation White AfricanAmerican NativeAmerican Asian PacificIslander otherraces two ormore races Hispanicor Latino of any race All others not CDPs combined 42 046 32 227 677 400 1 208 79 5 752 1 703 13 7692000 edit As of the census 88 of 2000 there were 753 197 people 243 234 households and 182 911 families living in the county The population density was 408 inhabitants per square mile 158 km2 There were 251 712 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile 53 km2 The racial makeup of the county was 69 9 White 5 4 Asian 2 0 Black or African American 0 9 Native American 0 2 Pacific Islander 17 7 from other races and 3 9 from two or more races About one third 33 4 of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race 9 8 were of German 7 7 English and 7 1 Irish ancestry according to Census 2000 67 1 spoke English 26 2 Spanish and 1 5 Tagalog as their first language There were 243 234 households of which 39 7 had children under the age of 18 living with them 59 5 were married couples living together 10 9 had a female householder with no husband present and 24 8 were non families 18 9 of all households were made up of individuals and 7 4 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 3 04 and the average family size was 3 46 In the county the population was spread out with 28 4 under the age of 18 9 0 from 18 to 24 30 7 from 25 to 44 21 7 from 45 to 64 and 10 2 who were 65 or older The median age was 34 years For every 100 females there were 99 7 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97 5 males The median income for a household in the county was 59 666 and the median income for a family was 65 285 Males had a median income of 45 310 versus 32 216 for females The per capita income for the county was 24 600 About 6 4 of families and 9 2 of the population were below the poverty line including 11 6 of those under age 18 and 6 3 of those aged 65 or over According to an updated 2005 US Census median household income was 66 859 while the mean was 85 032 Per capita income was up to 29 634 making it the 6th wealthiest county in California Housing edit Ventura County typically has limited housing inventory making it a consistently expensive location in Southern California where it is usually the third most expensive county behind Orange and Los Angeles counties 89 As of March 2018 update the county was not on track to meet its state mandated housing goals Individual cities are responsible for meeting their assigned housing goals while the county government is responsible for housing goals in unincorporated areas 90 91 Several affordable housing groups that are actively working on building housing for veterans and low income people have long waiting lists 92 93 Farmworker housing also has waiting lists though designated units continue to be built 94 Metropolitan Statistical Area edit The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Ventura County as the Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 95 The United States Census Bureau ranked the Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 66th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1 2012 96 The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Los Angeles Long Beach CA Combined Statistical Area 95 the second most populous combined statistical area and primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1 2012 96 97 Economy editIn 2019 the county faced a weak economic outlook due to the declining housing affordability and lack of job growth 98 99 100 101 Agriculture edit Lemons are the number two crop in the county according to the 2018 crop and livestock report The economic value of lemons is more than 244 million a year Valencia oranges are nearly 20 million a year and mandarins tangelos are more than 17 million a year 102 103 The county became a major producer in the state for hemp after it was removed from a list of controlled substances along with other provisions of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 These provisions were included in the 2018 Farm Bill which made hemp legal for agricultural uses 104 The agricultural commissioner enforces state rules regarding testing of the plants varieties that can be grown and registration of acreage By October 2019 close to 4 100 acres 1 700 ha for cultivation and seed breeding have been registered in the county 105 The annual crop report had 3 470 harvestable acres for 2019 with an estimated gross value 35 5 million 106 Several cities within the county are banning or have a moratorium on the planting harvesting drying processing and manufacture of hemp products 107 These city councils were reacting to complaints about the smell 108 With some fields in unincorporated area being near residences homeowners also brought their concerns to the county board of supervisors 109 The acreage available for planting was reduced when a buffer zone was established around schools and residential communities in 2020 110 Cannabis edit Further information Cannabis in California State law says local governments may not prohibit adults from growing using or transporting marijuana for personal use but they can prohibit companies from growing testing and selling cannabis within their jurisdiction by licensing none or only some of these activities The state allows deliveries without local agency licensing at the point of delivery 111 Under the legalization of the sale and distribution of cannabis in California Ventura County voters approved Measure O in 2020 which sets up taxes on marijuana cultivation as well as limits on the amounts of growing 112 Allowing retail sales to the general public in the unincorporated areas was not approved as part of the referendum although sales are allowed within the cities of Port Hueneme and Ojai 113 It restricted operations to the inside of existing greenhouses with only 500 acres 200 ha of commercial cannabis allowed within the county though an additional 100 acres 40 ha is available for nursery cultivation 114 A 5 5 million square foot 0 51 million square metre greenhouse facility on which construction had begun in 1996 to grow tomatoes and other produce began preparing to grow cannabis in 2021 under the rules put in place by Measure O 114 115 116 117 Technology edit Amgen the Thousand Oaks based biotechnology giant is the biggest publicly traded company in Ventura County by market capitalization The Trade Desk the Ventura based industry leader in advertising on streaming services is second 118 Sports editThe city of Ventura is home to the soccer club Ventura County Fusion of the USL Premier Development League Government editCurrent county supervisors are Matt LaVere District 1 Jeff Gorell District 2 Kelly Long District 3 Janice Parvin District 4 and Vianey Lopez District 5 119 Dr Sevet Johnson is the Interim County Executive Officer 120 James Fryhoff is the sheriff of the Ventura County Sheriff s Department 121 Dustin Gardner is the chief of the Ventura County Fire Department 122 Federal and state representation edit Much of the county including the cities of Thousand Oaks Oxnard and Moorpark lie within the 26th congressional district which is represented by Democrat Julia Brownley 123 Other parts of the county are in California s 24th congressional district represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal California s 25th congressional district represented by Democrat Raul Ruiz and California s 30th congressional district represented by Democrat Adam Schiff 124 For the previous twenty five years most of Ventura County was represented by Elton Gallegly a conservative Republican from Simi Valley who retired in 2012 In the California State Senate Ventura County is split between the 19th Senate District represented by Democrat Monique Limon and the 27th Senate District represented by Democrat Henry Stern 125 In the California State Assembly Ventura County is split between four legislative districts 126 the 37th Assembly District represented by Democrat Gregg Hart the 38th Assembly District represented by Democrat Steve Bennett the 44th Assembly District represented by Democrat Laura Friedman and the 45th Assembly District represented by Democrat James RamosGovernment and policing edit County supervisors edit Ventura County is administered by five elected Supervisors who each serve four year terms They appoint department administrators who manage county functions The county seal that was adopted in 1964 was reviewed in 2022 due to prominent depiction of Junipero Serra that could be hurtful to those who allege that Serra was responsible for the suppression of the culture of Chumash people 127 The seal also had images referring to atomic energy and oil drilling that no longer represented the county industries 128 A new seal was adopted that depicts Arch Rock off Anacapa Island 129 Ventura County Sheriff edit The Ventura County Sheriff provides court protection county jail administration and patrol for the unincorporated areas of the county plus contracted police services for the incorporated cities of Thousand Oaks Fillmore Camarillo Moorpark and Ojai Municipal police departments edit The incorporated cities of Ventura Oxnard Simi Valley Port Hueneme and Santa Paula have municipal police departments 2040 General Plan edit In 2020 the County of Ventura updated its general plan to the Ventura County 2040 General Plan as mandated by the California Office of Planning and Research 130 This document establishes guidelines and a regulatory basis for development and policy making in the county until it is updated again in 2040 131 The County held surveys workshops advisory committees and hearings to encourage community participation in the process of shaping and adopting the Ventura County 2040 General Plan 132 The final 2040 General Plan adopted on September 15 2020 by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors is centered on the following nine elements of governance Land Use and Community Character Housing Circulation Transportation and Mobility Public Facilities Services and Infrastructure Conservation and Open Space Hazards and Safety Agriculture Water Resources Economic Vitality 133 The Environmental Impact Review done by the state on the Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update as required by the California Environmental Quality Act projects that the county will see a population increase of 13 from 2018 to 2040 134 As such the review found no significant population or housing need changes anticipated for the county during this period 134 A 2020 lawsuit filed against the county by The Ventura County Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business and the Ventura County Agricultural Association opposed policies in the 2040 General Plan which restricted oil and gas development raised costs of agriculture set high housing quality standards and limited brush clearance 135 The suit was settled in February 2023 with the county s adoption of an Implementation Clarification for Certain Policies and Programs Contained in the 2040 General Plan which stated the county s ongoing support of agricultural operations without altering the content of the Plan 136 Politics editFor many years Ventura County voted consistently for Republican candidates for local statewide and federal offices Only recently has the county begun favoring Democratic candidates in both federal and state elections While Republicans used to win a large majority of votes throughout the 1970s and 1980s no party received greater than 55 of the county s vote from 1992 to 2016 Prior to Barack Obama s victory in the county in 2008 the last Democrat to win a majority was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 though Democrat Bill Clinton carried the county by a plurality in 1992 and 1996 On March 3 2008 Democratic registration surpassed Republican registration and the former s edge has grown since 137 The cities of Camarillo Moorpark Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks all have voter rolls with Republican pluralities The remaining cities and towns in the county have a Democratic plurality or majority on the voter rolls while the unincorporated areas are split almost evenly between the parties 138 United States presidential election results for Ventura County California 139 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 162 207 38 36 251 388 59 45 9 230 2 18 2016 132 323 37 16 194 402 54 59 29 382 8 25 2012 147 958 45 15 170 929 52 16 8 825 2 69 2008 145 853 42 77 187 601 55 01 7 587 2 22 2004 160 314 51 19 148 859 47 53 4 020 1 28 2000 136 173 48 17 133 258 47 14 13 261 4 69 1996 109 202 43 47 110 772 44 10 31 220 12 43 1992 94 911 35 46 99 011 36 99 73 725 27 55 1988 147 604 61 64 89 065 37 19 2 804 1 17 1984 151 383 68 67 66 550 30 19 2 529 1 15 1980 114 930 60 28 56 311 29 54 19 409 10 18 1976 82 670 53 20 68 529 44 10 4 201 2 70 1972 95 310 63 20 49 307 32 70 6 188 4 10 1968 59 705 51 35 47 794 41 11 8 762 7 54 1964 40 264 40 99 57 805 58 84 169 0 17 1960 35 074 49 59 35 334 49 96 315 0 45 1956 26 342 49 92 26 276 49 80 149 0 28 1952 24 534 52 47 21 967 46 98 256 0 55 1948 13 930 42 15 18 100 54 77 1 019 3 08 1944 11 071 40 19 16 342 59 33 131 0 48 1940 11 225 42 15 15 182 57 00 227 0 85 1936 7 579 35 75 13 384 63 14 235 1 11 1932 6 908 37 27 10 903 58 82 724 3 91 1928 9 017 70 17 3 717 28 92 117 0 91 1924 5 705 65 16 911 10 41 2 139 24 43 1920 5 231 76 00 1 305 18 96 347 5 04 1916 3 980 55 18 2 835 39 30 398 5 52 1912 71 1 47 2 108 43 62 2 654 54 91 1908 1 864 56 57 1 181 35 84 250 7 59 1904 1 995 63 86 840 26 89 289 9 25 1900 1 708 53 54 1 333 41 79 149 4 67 1896 1 553 50 41 1 465 47 55 63 2 04 1892 1 283 46 60 958 34 80 512 18 60 1888 1 107 53 84 906 44 07 43 2 09 1884 749 53 96 603 43 44 36 2 59 1880 599 53 24 522 46 40 4 0 36 Gubernatorial election resultsVentura County vote by party in gubernatorial elections Year GOP DEM2022 45 5 127 709 54 5 153 2262018 44 4 137 393 55 6 171 7292014 46 9 93 797 53 1 106 0722010 49 3 128 082 45 3 117 8002006 61 0 134 862 34 3 75 7902003 51 5 116 722 23 7 53 7052002 47 2 91 193 43 2 83 5571998 43 8 91 093 53 0 110 2261994 62 4 136 417 33 4 73 1631990 57 6 106 234 36 9 68 1391986 67 2 118 640 31 1 54 8931982 55 2 99 130 42 4 76 0941978 40 6 57 777 52 8 75 1731974 50 5 60 122 47 2 56 1891970 58 6 63 790 38 9 42 3501966 60 9 58 068 39 1 37 2241962 45 2 31 899 53 5 37 777 Voter registration statistics edit Population and registered votersTotal population 80 815 745 Registered voters 140 note 3 431 154 52 9 Democratic 140 166 462 38 6 Republican 140 155 180 36 0 Democratic Republican spread 140 11 282 2 6 American Independent 140 11 072 2 6 Green 140 2 324 0 5 Libertarian 140 2 700 0 6 Peace and Freedom 140 926 0 2 Americans Elect 140 13 0 0 Other 140 5 733 1 3 No party preference 140 86 744 20 1 Cities by population and voter registration edit This section may be confusing or unclear to readers Please help clarify the section There might be a discussion about this on the talk page July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cities by population and voter registrationCity Population 80 Registered voters 140 note 3 Democratic 140 Republican 140 D R spread 140 Other 140 No party preference 140 Camarillo 64 340 63 2 33 1 43 2 10 1 7 8 18 6 Fillmore 14 863 42 7 47 0 27 8 19 2 7 7 20 0 Moorpark 34 100 58 6 33 8 40 8 7 0 7 8 20 2 Ojai 7 496 65 9 46 0 27 3 18 7 9 1 20 2 Oxnard 194 972 36 4 51 6 22 5 29 1 6 4 21 5 Port Hueneme 21 717 40 4 47 5 25 2 22 3 8 1 21 8 San Buenaventura Ventura 105 809 61 1 42 4 32 3 10 1 8 5 19 4 Santa Paula 29 248 39 8 53 4 23 7 29 7 6 6 18 5 Simi Valley 122 864 57 8 30 3 44 7 14 4 8 2 19 6 Thousand Oaks 125 633 62 4 31 9 41 8 9 9 8 0 21 0 Crime editVentura County is home to several of the safest communities in the U S including Thousand Oaks Simi Valley Newbury Park and Moorpark Overall crime in the county is 33 lower than California and U S rates 141 According to a 2019 report the county is the second safest county among California s most populated counties 142 The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1 000 persons for each type of offense Population and crime ratesPopulation 80 815 745Violent crime 143 2 021 2 48 Homicide 143 29 0 04 Forcible rape 143 116 0 14 Robbery 143 757 0 93 Aggravated assault 143 1 119 1 37Property crime 143 7 696 9 43 Burglary 143 2 954 3 62 Larceny theft 143 note 4 11 221 13 76 Motor vehicle theft 143 1 154 1 41Arson 143 113 0 14Cities by population and crime rates edit This section may be confusing or unclear to readers Please help clarify the section There might be a discussion about this on the talk page July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cities by population and crime ratesCity Population 144 Violent crimes 144 Violent crime rateper 1 000 persons Property crimes 144 Property crime rateper 1 000 personsCamarillo 66 506 61 0 92 955 14 36Fillmore 15 298 24 1 57 198 12 94Moorpark 35 102 41 1 17 330 9 40Ojai 7 607 13 1 71 162 21 30Oxnard 201 797 603 2 99 4 071 20 17Port Hueneme 22 142 65 2 94 467 21 09Santa Paula 29 899 91 3 04 590 19 73Simi Valley 126 686 141 1 11 1 916 15 12Thousand Oaks 129 171 157 1 22 1 838 14 23Ventura 108 511 310 2 86 3 885 35 80Transportation editMajor highways edit nbsp Pacific Coast Highway CA 1 in Solromar nbsp Overlap SR 23 US 101 Ventura Freeway nbsp U S Route 101 nbsp State Route 1 nbsp State Route 23 nbsp State Route 33 nbsp State Route 34 nbsp State Route 118 nbsp State Route 126 nbsp State Route 150 nbsp State Route 232 Unconstructed edit nbsp State Route 257Public transportation edit Ventura County is served by Amtrak and Metrolink trains along the main coast rail line as well as Greyhound Lines Gold Coast Transit formerly South Coast Area Transit and VISTA buses The cities of Camarillo Moorpark Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have their own small bus systems Park authorized commercial service operators provide access to the five islands of Channel Islands National Park 145 Airports edit Oxnard Airport just west of Downtown Oxnard and was Ventura County s only commercial airport it now no longer takes public flights It is also the county s largest airport Camarillo Airport formerly a US Air Force Base is a general aviation airport located south of the City of Camarillo It is the current base of operations of the Ventura County Sheriff s Department Aviation Unit and the home of the VCSD s Training Facility and Academy the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center The Camarillo Airport also serves as the base of operations for the Ventura County Fire Department and facilitates the Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy and the Ventura County Reserve Officers Training Center Santa Paula Airport is a privately owned airport open to the public for general aviation Education editK 12 education edit School districts include 146 Unified Conejo Valley Unified School District Cuyama Joint Unified School District El Tejon Unified School District Fillmore Unified School District Las Virgenes Unified School District Moorpark Unified School District Oak Park Unified School District Ojai Unified School District Santa Paula Unified School District Includes some areas for PK 12 and some for 9 12 only Simi Valley Unified School District Ventura Unified School District Secondary Oxnard Union High School DistrictElementary Briggs Elementary School District Hueneme Elementary School District Mesa Union Elementary School District Mupu Elementary School District Ocean View Elementary School District Oxnard Elementary School District Pleasant Valley Elementary School District Rio Elementary School District Santa Clara Elementary School District Somis Union Elementary School District Libraries edit Public libraries edit Main article Ventura County Library Ventura County Library has 12 community library locations throughout the county including three branches in the city of Ventura Many of the other branches serve smaller towns or unincorporated communities The county library also includes the Research Library of the Museum of Ventura County In addition six cities within the county operate their own city libraries that are independent of the county system Camarillo Moorpark Oxnard Santa Paula Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks Academic libraries edit The colleges and universities in Ventura County support libraries to meet the research needs of their students and faculty and in some cases the general public These include Edward Laurence Doheny Memorial Library and Carrie Estelle Doheny Memorial Library St John s Seminary Camarillo Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Library Ventura College 147 John Spoor Broome Library California State University Channel Islands Camarillo Moorpark College Library Oxnard College Library Pearson Library California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks 148 St Bernardine of Siena Library Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula 149 Other libraries edit The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is located in Simi Valley Ventura County Law Library located in the Ventura County Government Center makes current legal resources available to judges lawyers government officials and other users Communities editCities edit Camarillo Fillmore Moorpark Ojai Oxnard Port Hueneme Santa Paula Simi Valley Thousand Oaks Ventura county seat Unincorporated communities edit Bardsdale Bell Canyon note 5 Buckhorn Casa Conejo note 5 Casitas Springs Channel Islands Beach note 5 Dulah El Rio note 5 Faria La Conchita Lake Sherwood note 5 Meiners Oaks note 5 Mira Monte note 5 Mussel Shoals Newbury Park Oak Park note 5 Oak View note 5 Ortonville Piru note 5 Point Mugu Santa Rosa Valley note 5 Santa Susana note 5 Sea Cliff Silver Strand Beach Saticoy note 5 Solromar Somis note 5 Upper Ojai Wheeler Springs Population ranking edit The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Ventura County 150 county seat Rank City Town etc Municipal type Population 2020 Census 1 Oxnard City 202 7362 Thousand Oaks City 126 9663 Simi Valley City 126 3564 Ventura San Buenaventura City 110 7635 Camarillo City 70 7416 Moorpark City 36 2847 Santa Paula City 30 6578 Port Hueneme City 21 9549 Fillmore City 16 41910 Oak Park CDP 13 89811 Ojai City 7 63712 El Rio CDP 7 03713 Mira Monte CDP 6 61814 Oak View CDP 6 21515 Meiners Oaks CDP 3 91116 Santa Rosa Valley CDP 3 31217 Casa Conejo CDP 3 26718 Channel Islands Beach CDP 2 87019 Piru CDP 2 58720 Bell Canyon CDP 1 94621 Lake Sherwood CDP 1 75922 Somis CDP 1 42923 Santa Susana CDP 1 16024 Saticoy CDP 1 133 In popular culture editLake Sherwood is named for its use as the location for Sherwood Forest in the 1922 film Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks 151 152 The 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn also had a major scene shot on location at Sherwood Forest 153 On July 23 1982 actor Vic Morrow and two children actors My Ca Dinh Le and Renee Shin Ye Chen were filming a helicopter scene for Twilight Zone The Movie in the area of Indian Dunes in Ventura County when the helicopter lost control and crashed on top of them Morrow and Le were decapitated and Chen was fatally crushed In 1963 the Korean War story The Young and The Brave featuring a brave and resourceful young boy was filmed in rural areas of Ventura County Also in 2000 the movie Swordfish filmed the final bank scene on East Main Street in Ventura The building they used is the white building on the corner 34 16 51 N 119 17 41 W 34 280823 N 119 294599 W 34 280823 119 294599In 2009 the VH1 television show Tool Academy was filmed in Ventura County The movie Back to the Future Part III filmed the scene where Marty returns to the year 1985 in the time traveling DeLorean at the railroad crossing at S Ventura Rd amp Shoreview Dr in Port Hueneme Many films including Little Miss Sunshine Sideways Chinatown Erin Brockovich The Aviator and The Rock were partly filmed in Ventura Downtown Ventura hosts the Majestic Ventura Theater an early 20th century theatre which is situated about two blocks away from city hall It is the region s most prominent local musical venue and hosts concerts regularly The theater has hosted many internationally notable musician and bands such as Gregg Allman John Prine Glenn Frey The Doors Devo Joe Walsh King s X Van Halen X Paramore She Wants Revenge Pennywise Red Hot Chili Peppers Snoop Dogg Drakeo the Ruler DJ Jazzy Jeff amp The Fresh Prince The Game DJ Quik Lamb of God Social Distortion Bad Religion Thrice Avenged Sevenfold Fugazi Incubus Tom Petty America They Might Be Giants and Modest Mouse as well as local artists such as Army of Freshmen and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy See also edit nbsp Greater Los Angeles portal nbsp California portalBurro Flats Painted Cave List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Los Angeles Times suburban sections National Register of Historic Places listings in Ventura County California Ventura County Air Pollution Control DistrictExplanatory notes edit Other Some other race Two or more races Native American Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander American Indian or Alaska Native a b Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow Only larceny theft cases involving property over 400 in value are reported as property crimes a b c d e f g h i j k l m n For statistical purposes defined by the United States Census Bureau as a census designated place CDP References edit Ventura County Geographic Names Information System United States Geological Survey United States Department of the Interior About Us Ventura County Ventura org Ventura County Executive Office Retrieved August 28 2023 Matt LaVere Supervisor District 1 from Ventura County California Linda Parks Supervisor District 2 from Ventura County California Kelly Long Supervisor District 3 from Ventura County California Bob Huber Supervisor District 4 from Ventura County California Carmen Ramirez Supervisor District 5 from Ventura County California Board of Supervisors Mount Pinos Peakbagger com Retrieved March 13 2015 a b State amp County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau Retrieved December 25 2021 Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area 2022 PDF www bea gov Bureau of Economic Analysis American FactFinder Archived from the original on June 2 2013 Retrieved April 19 2019 Ventura County California United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 30 2022 Find a County National Association of Counties Retrieved June 7 2011 Central Coast California State Parks California Department of Recreation Retrieved July 26 2014 Anacapa Island History and Culture Channel Islands National Park U S National Park Service Retrieved September 6 2018 Johnson John R 1997 Chumash Indians in Simi Valley A Journey Through Time Simi Valley CA Simi Valley Historical Society ISBN 978 0965944212 Page 6 Starr Kevin 2007 California A History Modern Library Chronicles 23 New York City NY Random House Digital Inc ISBN 978 0 8129 7753 0 Page 13 Lynne McCall amp Perry Rosalind ed 1991 The Chumash People Materials for Teachers and Students Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History San Luis Obispo CA EZ Nature Books ISBN 0 945092 23 7 Page 31 California Coastal Commission 1987 California Coastal Resource Guide University of California Press p 267 ISBN 0520061853 Point Hueneme Geographic Names Information System United States Geological Survey United States Department of the Interior Hindawi Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine An Open Access Journal www hindawi com Retrieved May 26 2017 Davidson Keay June 20 2005 Did ancient Polynesians visit California Maybe so Scholars revive idea using linguistic ties Indian headdress SF Gate Retrieved May 26 2017 Ventureno Survey of California and Other Indian Languages linguistics berkeley edu Retrieved May 26 2017 Harrington John Peabody The Papers of John Peabody Harrington in the Smithsonian Institution 1907 1957 Kraus International Publications 1981 3 89 66 73 Johnson John R 1997 Chumash Indians in Simi Valley A Journey Through Time Simi Valley CA Simi Valley Historical Society ISBN 978 0965944212 Page 8 Lynne McCall amp Perry Rosalind ed 1991 The Chumash People Materials for Teachers and Students Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History San Luis Obispo CA EZ Nature Books ISBN 0 945092 23 7 Pages 29 30 Arnold L Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California Oxnard CA M amp N 1979 pp 3 4 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 6 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 8 Erwin G Gudde California Place Names The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names 4th ed rev and enlarged by William Bright University of California Press 1998 p 410 Griggs Gary B and Kiki Patsch 2005 Living with the Changing California Coast University of California Press Page 399 ISBN 9780520244474 Johnson John R 1982 The Trail to Fernando Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 4 132 37 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 11 Ventura County Spanish and Mexican Land Grants Archived from the original on August 28 2008 Retrieved May 26 2017 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 12 Clerici Kevin July 17 2007 Artifacts are found at site Ventura County Star Archived from the original on December 3 2013 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 12 13 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 15 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 16 17 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 22 23 El Rio California Wikipedia July 10 2023 retrieved October 25 2023 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 23 24 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 25 27 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 27 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 25 Vincent Ann Chatsworth past amp present PDF Archived from the original PDF on September 21 2013 Retrieved September 20 2013 History of Oxnard amp The Oxnard Police Department Archived from the original on March 5 2016 About Oxnard California City of Oxnard Information Visit Oxnard Archived from the original on September 21 2013 Retrieved May 26 2017 Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California pp 27 29 California Oil and Gas Fields Volumes I II and III Vol I 1998 Vol II 1992 Vol III 1982 California Department of Conservation Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources DOGGR p 573 Pollack Alan March April 2010 President s Message PDF The Heritage Junction Dispatch Santa Clara Valley Historical Society Murphy A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County California p 31 Brant Cherie 2006 Keys to the County Touring Historic Ventura County Ventura County Museum Page 133 ISBN 978 0972936149 Comprehensive Review of Water Service Outside Area Update PDF Administrative Report City Council Action Date January 23 2012 City of Ventura January 5 2012 Archived from the original PDF on October 3 2016 Retrieved October 3 2016 Michael Livingston Javier Panzar December 23 2017 Thomas fire becomes largest wildfire on record in California Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 23 2017 Deadly Thomas Fire in Ventura County explodes to 31 000 acres overnight 150 structures burned Fox5News December 5 2017 Retrieved December 5 2017 Annette Ding April 10 2018 Charting the Financial Damage of the Thomas Fire The Bottom Line Retrieved May 26 2018 a b Tyler Hersko January 23 2018 Ventura County agriculture suffers over 170 million in damages from Thomas Fire Ventura County Star Retrieved January 25 2018 Chelsea Edwards December 11 2017 Thomas Fire grows to 230 000 acres as it continues destructive path into Santa Barbara County ABC 7 Retrieved December 11 2017 Hersko Tyler January 3 2018 Burned by Thomas Fire Ventura County farmers look toward recovery Ventura County Star Retrieved February 28 2019 Kisken Tom November 27 2019 Valley fever rate stays high in Ventura County sparks debate about fire global warming Ventura County Star Retrieved November 28 2019 Wilson Kathleen December 28 2019 The money is in County gets more than 16M from Edison Ventura County Star Retrieved December 30 2019 a b Pace of urbanization slows in Los Angeles Ventura counties new doc maps show Archived from the original on October 23 2014 Retrieved October 23 2014 US Gazetteer files 2010 2000 and 1990 United States Census Bureau February 12 2011 Retrieved April 23 2011 Erwin G Gudde William Bright 2004 California Place Names The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names a b U S Department of Agriculture C Robert Elford 1970 Soil Survey Ventura Area California Oakland CA University of California Press Page 142 Fernandez Lisa August 2 1997 Storyteller Keeps Chumash Ways Alive in Word Deed Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 8 2016 Ingraham Christopher August 17 2015 Every county in America ranked by scenery and climate The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved August 20 2015 Wilson Kathleen March 11 2019 Wildlife passage proposal goes to Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday Ventura County Star Retrieved March 12 2019 a b U S Department of Agriculture C Robert Elford 1970 Soil Survey Ventura Area California Oakland CA University of California Press Pages 142 143 Ginsberg Joanne S 1991 California Coastal Access Guide University of California Press Page 185 ISBN 9780520050518 Wilson Kathleen September 28 2019 Ventura County wrongly criticized in EPA air warning local official says Ventura County Star Retrieved September 29 2019 Census of Population and Housing from 1790 2000 US Census Bureau Retrieved January 24 2022 Historical Census Browser University of Virginia Library Retrieved May 31 2014 Population of Counties by Decennial Census 1900 to 1990 United States Census Bureau Retrieved May 31 2014 Census 2000 PHC T 4 Ranking Tables for Counties 1990 and 2000 PDF United States Census Bureau Retrieved May 31 2014 a b P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2010 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Ventura County California United States Census Bureau a b P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2020 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Ventura County California United States Census Bureau a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B02001 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 26 a b U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B03003 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 26 a b U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B19301 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 21 a b U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B19013 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 21 a b U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B19113 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 21 a b U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 21 U S Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates Table B01003 U S Census website Retrieved 2013 10 21 2010 Census P L 94 171 Summary File Data United States Census Bureau U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved May 14 2011 Hersko Tyler April 12 2018 New construction might help ease housing crunch in pricey Ventura County Ventura County Star Retrieved June 12 2019 staff February 19 2019 Newsom puts 47 cities including 2 Fillmore and Westlake Village on notice over housing Ventura County Star Retrieved February 20 2019 Hersko Tyler February 20 2019 Fillmore Westlake Village reps meet with governor for housing discussion Ventura County Star Retrieved February 21 2019 Hersko Tyler March 11 2019 After waiting list hits 10 year mark affordable housing provider Many Mansions closes list Ventura County Star Retrieved March 12 2019 Rode Erin January 10 2020 The past decade of Ventura County housing low supply tight rental market rising prices Ventura County Star Retrieved January 13 2020 Rode Erin March 10 2020 Where do Ventura County s 36 000 farmworkers live Officials don t know Ventura County Star Retrieved March 11 2020 a b OMB Bulletin No 13 01 Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Combined Statistical Areas and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas PDF United States Office of Management and Budget February 28 2013 Retrieved March 20 2013 a b Table 1 Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas April 1 2010 to July 1 2012 2012 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Population Division March 2013 Archived from the original CSV on April 1 2013 Retrieved March 20 2013 Table 2 Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas April 1 2010 to July 1 2012 2012 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Population Division March 2013 Archived from the original CSV on May 17 2013 Retrieved March 20 2013 Rode Erin September 13 2019 Ventura County lost 35 000 residents between 2013 2017 Here s a look at where they went Ventura County Star Retrieved September 13 2019 Rode Erin October 23 2019 How will cities address Ventura County s housing problem Ventura County Star Retrieved October 23 2019 Rode Erin January 17 2020 Panel of current and former Ventura County residents discuss region s economic future Ventura County Star Retrieved January 18 2020 Biasotti Tony February 17 2023 California Lutheran University study aims to dispel myths about undocumented immigrants Ventura County Star Retrieved February 17 2023 New lab looks to cure Huanglongbing disease carried by citrus psyllid Ventura County Star Retrieved September 28 2019 Wilson Kathleen August 16 2020 Strawberries fall in value still king of Ventura County crops as newcomer hemp climbs onto list Ventura County Star Retrieved August 17 2020 Wilson Kathleen CBD oil price likely factor in 100 million payoff predicted for Ventura County hemp crop Ventura County Star Retrieved September 27 2019 Wilson Kathleen Hemp ban Camarillo could join growing number of cities barring cultivation Ventura County Star Retrieved October 8 2019 Wilson Kathleen August 12 2021 Value of Ventura County s farm industry stays flat amid pandemic hemp falls from list Ventura County Star Retrieved August 15 2021 Jorrey Kyle September 24 2019 Thousand Oaks proposes moratorium on hemp industry Thousand Oaks Acorn Retrieved September 24 2019 Wilson Kathleen November 17 2019 Hemp issue to be aired at Moorpark meeting of Ventura County supervisors Ventura County Star Retrieved November 18 2019 Wilson Kathleen November 7 2019 Ban on pot firms persists for unincorporated areas but perhaps not Nyeland Acres Ventura County Star Retrieved November 7 2019 Wilson Kathleen January 15 2020 Half mile buffers OK d for schools neighborhoods as board tightens rules on hemp Ventura County Star Retrieved January 18 2020 Martinez Christian January 2 2019 So far so good for legal marijuana sales in Ventura County Ventura County Star Retrieved June 17 2019 Orozco Lance November 4 2020 Marijuana Related Tax Proposals Approved By South Coast Voters KCLU News Retrieved November 5 2020 Schroyer John November 6 2020 California cities counties approve pro cannabis measures Marijuana Business Daily Retrieved November 22 2020 a b Varela Brian J August 14 2021 Houweling Nurseries sheds light on closure of longtime tomato growing operation Ventura County Star Retrieved August 18 2021 Mercado Jorge August 4 2021 Houweling s Tomatoes will become state s biggest cannabis greenhouse Pacific Coast Business Times Retrieved August 5 2021 Wilson Kathleen Camarillo business drives funding of cannabis initiative stands to benefit Ventura County Star Retrieved August 5 2021 Black Lester April 29 2023 California s largest cannabis farm is run by a former cop SFGATE Retrieved April 30 2023 Biasotti Tony February 15 2023 Ventura s Trade Desk bucks industry trend sees hefty profits from ads in streaming TV Ventura County Star Retrieved February 17 2023 Board of Supervisors Ventura County Retrieved March 1 2023 Dr Sevet Johnson selected as Interim County Executive Officer Ventura County News Channel Website Retrieved March 1 2023 Breitung Kaare SHERIFF JAMES FRYHOFF Ventura County Sheriff s Office Retrieved March 1 2023 Chief s Message Ventura County Fire Department Retrieved March 1 2023 California s 26th Congressional District Representatives amp District Map Civic Impulse LLC Retrieved September 25 2014 Counties by County and by District California Citizens Redistricting Commission Archived from the original on September 30 2013 Retrieved September 24 2014 Communities of Interest County California Citizens Redistricting Commission Archived from the original on October 23 2015 Retrieved September 28 2014 Communities of Interest County California Citizens Redistricting Commission Archived from the original on October 23 2015 Retrieved September 28 2014 Stoelk Dave January 14 2022 Ventura County may soon strip controversial missionary from official seal Spectrum News1 Retrieved January 15 2022 Jones Kevin July 23 2020 St Junipero Serra could soon be removed from California county seal Catholic Telegraph Catholic News Agency Archived from the original on July 23 2020 Retrieved July 23 2020 Wilson Kathleen May 25 2022 Updated county seal approved without Serra image Ventura County Star Retrieved May 26 2022 General Plan Guidelines and Technical Advisories Office of Planning and Research opr ca gov Retrieved March 15 2023 VC2040 General Plan Update Purpose of the General Plan www vc2040 org Retrieved March 14 2023 VC2040 General Plan Update Community Engagement www vc2040 org Retrieved March 14 2023 VC2040 General Plan Update General Plan Organization www vc2040 org Retrieved March 14 2023 a b County Ventura Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update ceqanet opr ca gov Retrieved March 14 2023 Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update We ve Settled CoLAB VC Retrieved March 14 2023 County of Ventura reaches settlement with CoLAB regarding 2024 General Plan Ventura County News Channel Website Retrieved March 15 2023 Democrats take lead in county registration Local News Ventura County Star Archived March 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine McCormack Don 1999 McCormack s Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000 Mccormacks Guides Page 77 ISBN 9781929365098 Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Retrieved May 26 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q California Secretary of State February 10 2013 Report of Registration Archived July 27 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013 10 31 Thousand Oaks Other Ventura County Cities Rank Among Safest in the Nation in 2012 Conejo Valley Guide Conejo Valley Events Retrieved September 6 2018 Harris Mike July 17 2019 Ventura County Civic Alliance delivers good news and bad in State of the Region Report Ventura County Star Retrieved July 19 2019 a b c d e f g h i j Office of the Attorney General Department of Justice State of California Table 11 Crimes 2009 Archived December 2 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013 11 14 a b c United States Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime in the United States 2012 Table 8 California Retrieved 2013 11 14 Island Transportation National Park Service Channel Islands National Park Accessed 5 November 2013 2020 CENSUS SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP Ventura County CA PDF U S Census Bureau Retrieved July 25 2022 Text list About the Library Ventura College www venturacollege edu Retrieved December 22 2017 Pearson Library About California Lutheran University Retrieved December 22 2017 St Bernardine of Siena Library Thomas Aquinas College July 7 2011 Retrieved December 22 2017 Explore Census Data United States Census Bureau United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 27 2021 Behlmer Rudy 1979 The Adventures of Robin Hood Madison Wisconsin Univ of Wisconsin Press p 32 ISBN 0 299 07940 6 Robin Hood 1922 IMDb Retrieved May 26 2017 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 IMDb Retrieved May 26 2017 Further reading editCharles Montville Gidney Benjamin Brooks and Edwin M Sheridan History of Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties California In two volumes Chicago Lewis Publishing Co 1917 Volume 1 Volume 2 Yda Addis Storke A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo and Ventura California Chicago Lewis Publishing Co 1891 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ventura County California nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ventura County Official website nbsp Ventura County Archived April 2 2012 at the Wayback Machine on the National Association Of Counties 34 22 N 119 09 W 34 36 N 119 15 W 34 36 119 15 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ventura County California amp oldid 1197015529 Metropolitan Statistical Area, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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