| Santa Clara River Valley | |
|---|---|
| Heritage Valley | |
 Aerial view of the Santa Clara River Valley, withCA 126 running along the northern banks of theSanta Clara River | |
  Santa Clara River Valley Los Angeles andVentura counties | |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Population center | Santa Paula andFillmore |
| Borders on | Oxnard Plain (southwest) Santa Clarita Valley (east) |
| Coordinates | 34°22′N118°59′W / 34.37°N 118.98°W /34.37; -118.98 |
| Traversed by | State Route 126 |
| River | Santa Clara River |
TheSanta Clara River Valley is a rural, mainly agriculturalvalley inVentura County, California that has been given the monikerHeritage Valley by the namesake tourism bureau.[1] The valley includes the communities ofSanta Paula,Fillmore,Piru and thenational historic landmark ofRancho Camulos. Named for theSanta Clara River,[2] which winds through the valley before emptying into thePacific Ocean between the cities ofVentura andOxnard, the tourist bureau describes it as "Southern California's last pristine agricultural valley nestled along the banks of the free-flowing Santa Clara River."[3]
The Santa Clara River Valley is bordered by theTopatopa Mountains,Los Padres National Forest, andSespe Condor Sanctuary to the north and theSanta Susana Mountains to the south. The valley stretches from the boundary of northwestLos Angeles County and the northernSanta Clarita Valley on the east to theOxnard Plain on the west marked by South Mountain[4] on the south bank of the river. The Santa Clarita Valley is part of the upper watershed of the river.
The valley has been called one of the "most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California." It forms a connection between the high desert and the coast, which serves as a"wind-tunnel-like-corridor" for funnelingSanta Ana winds, which spread wildfires. This served to spread theMaria Fire, one of the2019 California wildfires. This valley has also suffered through theSaddleridge Fire in 2019, theCreek Fire and theThomas Fire in 2017, and theSayre Fire in 2008.[5]
The failure and near complete collapse of theSt. Francis Dam took place in the middle of the night on March 12, 1928. The dam was holding a full reservoir of 12.4 billion gallons (47 billion liters) of water that surged down San Francisquito Canyon and emptied into the Santa Clara River, flowing down the river valley to the ocean.
A footpath through the valley was the only route linking theSan Fernando andSan Buenaventura missions for 18th-century Spanish missionaries.Thomas Bard launched a campaign in the 1870s to build a road through the valley as he wanted to connect the newHueneme wharf with ore mines inInyo County[6]
The valley is an exception to thepost-war urban development that has almost entirely eliminated citrus cultivation throughout most of Southern California.
Municipalities and communities ofVentura County, California,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofVentura County, California,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities | | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
34°22′0″N118°59′0″W / 34.36667°N 118.98333°W /34.36667; -118.98333
 | ThisVentura County, California–related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
