Moorpark, California | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location inVentura County and the state of California | |
  Moorpark Location in California Show map of California Moorpark Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°16′52″N118°52′25″W / 34.28111°N 118.87361°W /34.28111; -118.87361 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Ventura |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Incorporated | 1983-07-01[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager[2] |
| • Mayor | Chris Enegren[3] |
| • State Senator | Henry Stern (D)[4] |
| • Assemblymember | Jacqui Irwin (D)[4] |
| • U. S. Congress | Julia Brownley (D)[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.46 sq mi (32.28 km2) |
| • Land | 12.28 sq mi (31.80 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.49 km2) 1.51% |
| Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 36,284 |
| • Density | 2,963.0/sq mi (1,144.01/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 93021, 93020 (P.O. Boxes)[9] |
| Area code | 805[10] |
| FIPS code | 06-49138 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1652754 |
| Website | www |
Moorpark is a city inVentura County inSouthern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990.[11] The population was 36,284 at the2020 census, up from 34,421 at the2010 census.[12]
The town most likely was named after the Moorpark apricot, which used to grow in the area (hence the apricot flower on the town's seal and flag).[13] The apricot, in turn, was named for Admiral Lord Anson's estateMoor Park in Hertfordshire, England; the apricot was introduced in 1688.[14][15][16]
Some of Moorpark's previous unofficial and official names includeEpworth,Fremontville,Penrose,Fairview, andLittle Simi.[11]
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Chumash people were the first to inhabit what is now known as Moorpark. A Chumash village, known as Quimisac (Kimishax), was located in today'sHappy Camp Canyon Regional Park. They were hunters and gatherers who often traveled between villages to trade. The village of Quimisac once controlled the local trade of fusedshale in the region.[17][18] The area was later part of the largeRancho Similand grant given in 1795 to the Pico brothers byGovernorDiego de Borica ofAlta California.
Robert W. Poindexter, the secretary of the Simi Land and Water Company, received the land when the association was disbanded. A map showing the townsite was prepared in November 1900. It was a resubdivision of the large lot subdivision known as Fremont, or Fremontville.[19][20] An application for a post office was submitted on June 1, 1900, and approved by August of that year. The application noted that the town had a railroad depot.[18] The town grew after the 1904 completion of the 7,369-foot (2,246 m)Santa Susana rail tunnel through theSanta Susana Mountains. Moorpark was then on the main route of theSouthern Pacific Railroad'sCoast Line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The depot remained in operation until it was closed in 1958. It was eventually torn down around 1965.
Moorpark was one of the first cities to run on commercialnuclear power in the entire world, and the second in the United States, afterArco, Idaho, on July 17, 1955, which is the first city in the world to be lit by atomic power. For one hour on November 12, 1957, this fact was featured on Edward R. Murrow'sSee It Now television show.[21] The reactor, called theSodium Reactor Experiment was built by theAtomics International division ofNorth American Aviation at the nearbySanta Susana Field Laboratory. The Sodium Reactor Experiment operated from 1957 to 1964 and produced 7.5megawatts ofelectrical power at aSouthern California Edison-supplied generating station.[22]
Moorpark College opened on September 11, 1967. Moorpark College is one of the few colleges to feature an exotic animal training and management program. Moorpark was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1983.
In 1996, Moorpark's Little League All-Star team represented the West Region in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.[23]
In February 2005, aSiberian tiger named Tuffy that escaped from a local residence was shot and killed in one of Moorpark's parks. This created a great uproar, because theanimal control officers used a gun instead of atranquilizer to kill the tiger, primarily because the tiger could not be shot from the proper angle for a tranquilizer to prove effective.Candlelight vigils were held for the late Tuffy. The couple who owned the tiger had moved from a licensed facility inTemecula, California, to an unlicensed facility in the Moorpark area ofVentura County. They lost theirU.S. Department of Agriculture exhibitor license because they failed to notify the department of the move within 10 days. The wife pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor count of failing to maintain records of exotic felines. The husband pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, making false statements and failing to maintain proper records. Each was sentenced tohome detention, three yearsprobation, and fined $900.[24]
Just a month later, in March 2005, the fairly complete remains (about 75%) of an unusually oldmammoth, possibly the rare southern mammoth (Mammuthus meridionalis), were discovered in the foothills of Moorpark at the site of a housing development.[25] The fossilized skeleton is believed to be from a 800,000 to 1.4 million years old mammoth, which is estimated to have had a weight of ten tons.[11]
In 2006, the Moorpark city council transferred governance of their library from theVentura County library system to their own newly created city library system. The library, which opened in 1912, celebrated its centennial in 2012.[26]
On February 28, 2006, a housing proposal, North Park Village, which would have added 1,680 houses on 3,586 acres (15 km2) in the northeast area of the city, was defeated by a landslide in a city election.[27][28]
In 1961, Julius Goldman founded Egg City, the largest chicken ranch in the United States at the time, located just north of Moorpark. Many chicken coops were spread over acres of concrete, with millions of chickens in them. Local residents were somewhat irked by the farm, when the smell of it wafted to Moorpark on windy days. The odors also commonly flowed to the nearby town of Fillmore. The business suffered a setback in 1972, when millions of chickens were slaughtered because of the threat ofNewcastle disease. Egg gathering was done from 36 houses by hand, with workers placing eggs onto plastic flats while riding electric carts. Liquid, dry and shell eggs were processed at the 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) hatchery facility warehouse, with yolk and albumen available individually. The farm finally closed in 1996. In early December 2006, a wildfire destroyed the dilapidated remains of Egg City.[29]
Central Moorpark lies in a valley created by theArroyo Simi river. It is situated on flatlands and mesas at the base of numerous hills. It is located immediately west ofSimi Valley, California.[13][30]
The city is divided byHighway 118, locally known as Los Angeles Avenue. Old Town Moorpark (Downtown) is located north of Route 118. Many newer residential communities can be found south of Route 118.[13]
Like much of theGreater Los Angeles Area, Moorpark has a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classificationCsb on the coast,Csb inland), and receives just enough annual precipitation to avoid either Köppen'sBSh orBSk (semi-arid climate) classification.
| Climate data for Moorpark, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 92 (33) | 92 (33) | 96 (36) | 105 (41) | 102 (39) | 106 (41) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 109 (43) | 108 (42) | 99 (37) | 99 (37) | 109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 69 (21) | 71 (22) | 74 (23) | 75 (24) | 77 (25) | 81 (27) | 83 (28) | 82 (28) | 79 (26) | 74 (23) | 69 (21) | 75 (24) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 41 (5) | 43 (6) | 44 (7) | 46 (8) | 50 (10) | 53 (12) | 57 (14) | 56 (13) | 55 (13) | 50 (10) | 44 (7) | 41 (5) | 48 (9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 25 (−4) | 26 (−3) | 25 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 35 (2) | 37 (3) | 38 (3) | 40 (4) | 40 (4) | 32 (0) | 28 (−2) | 25 (−4) | 25 (−4) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.7 (94) | 5.0 (130) | 2.7 (69) | 0.8 (20) | 0.3 (7.6) | 0.1 (2.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (5.1) | 0.7 (18) | 1.4 (36) | 2.5 (64) | 17.4 (446.2) |
| Source:The Weather Channel.[33] | |||||||||||||
Mountain lions occasionally come down from the hills and wander through the city.[34]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,146 | — | |
| 1960 | 2,902 | 153.2% | |
| 1970 | 3,380 | 16.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,030 | 19.2% | |
| 1990 | 25,494 | 532.6% | |
| 2000 | 31,415 | 23.2% | |
| 2010 | 34,421 | 9.6% | |
| 2020 | 36,284 | 5.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[35] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Moorpark had a population of 36,284. The population density was 2,955.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,141.1/km2). The racial makeup of Moorpark was 57.8%White, 1.7%African American, 1.0%Native American, 8.9%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 14.4% fromother races, and 16.0% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.2% of the population.[36]
The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.[36]
There were 11,565 households, out of which 39.8% included children under the age of 18, 65.3% were married-couple households, 4.9% werecohabiting couple households, 18.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 11.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.5% of households were one person, and 6.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.14.[36] There were 9,412families (81.4% of all households).[37]
The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% aged 18 to 24, 25.5% aged 25 to 44, 28.0% aged 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males.[36]
There were 11,756 housing units at an average density of 957.6 units per square mile (369.7 units/km2), of which 11,565 (98.4%) were occupied. Of these, 75.9% were owner-occupied, and 24.1% were occupied by renters.[36]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 18.8% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 70.8% spoke only English at home, 21.2% spokeSpanish, 3.3% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 3.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.3% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 90.6% were high school graduates and 44.9% had a bachelor's degree.[38]
The median household income in 2023 was $149,403, and theper capita income was $54,538. About 3.4% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line.[39]
The2010 United States census[40] reported that Moorpark had a population of 34,421. The population density was 2,689.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,038.4/km2). The racial makeup of Moorpark was 25,860 (75.1%)White, 533 (1.5%)African American, 248 (0.7%)Native American, 2,352 (6.8%)Asian, 50 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 3,727 (10.8%) fromother races, and 1,651 (4.8%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 10,813 persons (31.4%).
The Census reported that 34,421 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,484 households, out of which 4,863 (46.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,966 (66.4%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,113 (10.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 507 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 483 (4.6%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 58 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,337 households (12.8%) were made up of individuals, and 434 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28. There were 8,586families (81.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.55.
The population was spread out, with 9,459 people (27.5%) under the age of 18, 3,631 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 8,825 people (25.6%) aged 25 to 44, 10,051 people (29.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,455 people (7.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
There were 10,738 housing units at an average density of 839.0 units per square mile (323.9 units/km2), of which 8,182 (78.0%) were owner-occupied, and 2,302 (22.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.9%. 26,688 people (77.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,733 people (22.5%) lived in rental housing units.
In 2017, Moorpark had 12,235 jobs (up from 10,820 jobs in 2010) and retail sales of $281 million (up from $264 million in 2010).[41] Most of these retail businesses are located along the community's Los Angeles Avenue corridor, with the community's historic downtown area, known as Historic High Street, as a secondary retail hub.[42]
Several businesses have been opened by celebrity chefs, includingFabio Viviani,[43] aTop Chef "fan favorite," andDamiano Carrara, a third-place finisher onFood Network Star.[44]
According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[45] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PennyMac Loan Services | 1,086 |
| 2 | Aerovironment | 800 |
| 3 | Moorpark College | 727 |
| 4 | Moorpark Unified School District | 718 |
| 5 | Pentair Water Pool & Spa | 530 |
| 6 | Benchmark Electronics Manufacturing Solutions | 320 |
| 7 | Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company | 224 |
| 8 | Amazon Retail, Inc. | 200 |
| 9 | Target Stores | 169 |
| 10 | Covered 6, LLC | 135 |
A few events are held in the Moorpark area during the year, most notably Moorpark "Country Days", a single day parade and festival in late September or early October, an "Apricot Festival" in the spring, an annual fireworks celebration on the third of July every year, and the Moorpark Film Festival in late summer. The "Country Days" parade includes various vendors, entertainment, and family friendly games/crafts. Children march with their schools, sports teams, dance companies, etc. Local businesses are also encouraged to march. The July 3 fireworks are popular around the rest ofVentura County, as people can go to the Moorpark fireworks on the 3rd, and still see their own local city's fireworks on July 4.
The City of Moorpark established an "Arts in Public Places" (AIPP) program in 2005 and later created the Arts Commission in 2006 to support the AIPP efforts.[46] In August 2019, Moorpark engaged the services of ArtsOC to develop anArts Master Plan. While the initial role of the Arts Commission was to oversee the AIPP program, their role has expanded to include general oversight and implementation of the Arts Master Plan to engage, strengthen, and harness the visual and performing arts in Moorpark.
Moorpark has 20 parks, all with a variety of amenities. Park hours for unlit facilities are from 6:00 a.m. to sunset. Lit facilities are from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The city's Dog Park is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. DST. The city's Skatepark is open from 10:00 a.m. to sunset on school days, and 8:00 a.m. to sunset on all other days.
Park facilities, including picnic pavilions, ball fields, soccer fields, and tennis courts can be reserved for private use.[47]
The city government operates under acouncil-manager form of government. The Mayor is elected at-large for two-year terms, and four City Councilmembers are elected to staggered four-year terms. The Mayor and City Councilmember positions are non-partisan. Through 2018, the City Councilmembers were elected on an at-large basis. In April 2019, the City Council voted to transition to a district-based election system for the four City Councilmembers, beginning with the November 2020 municipal election.[48] In the November 2020 election, Daniel Groff (District 2, Western Moorpark) and Dr. Antonio Castro (District 4, Downtown/Central Moorpark) became the first two Moorpark City Councilmembers elected to represent districts.[49]
The city government operates municipal facilities throughout the community, including the Moorpark City Library, Moorpark Active Adult Center, Arroyo Vista Recreation Center and Community Park, Ruben Castro Human Services Facility, Moorpark Public Services Facility, and the Moorpark Police Services Center, which contains offices for theVentura County Sheriff's Office and theCalifornia Highway Patrol. TheVentura County Fire Department provides fire protection for Moorpark, with two fire stations in the city.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Moorpark is in the27th Senate District, represented byDemocratHenry Stern, and in the44nd Assembly District, represented byDemocratJacqui Irwin. In theUnited States House of Representatives, Moorpark is represented byDemocratJulia Brownley inCalifornia's 26th congressional district.
In February 2023, there were 23,451 registered voters in Moorpark, with 9,271 registered as Democrats (39.5%), 7,712 registered as Republicans (32.9%), 4,743 registered with no party preference (20.2%), and the remainder split among other parties.[50]This compares to October 2020, when there were 23,290 registered voters in Moorpark, with 8,845 registered as Democrats (38.0%), 8,045 registered as Republicans (34.5%), 4,993 registered with no party preference (21.4%), and the remainder split among other parties.[51]
Moorpark is served byMoorpark Unified School District, which includesMoorpark High School.
Additionally, there isThe High School at Moorpark College, a high school located on theMoorpark College campus. In this program, students take English and Social Studies classes at the high school level and Math, Science, Foreign Language and other electives at Moorpark College to fulfill the requirements for graduation and the associate degree simultaneously.[52]
Moorpark is the home of Moorpark College, a public community college and part of theVentura County Community College District. Moorpark College is ranked the highest among theCalifornia Community Colleges for degree completion.[53] Moorpark College is also home to The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, the Charles Temple Observatory, and the Moorpark College Performing Arts Center, each used for classes and community events.
TheVentura County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services for the city.[30]
Moorpark had the lowest crime rates inVentura County according to public crime statistics in 2000,[30] and according toVentura County Sheriff's Department statistics from 2006.[54]The FBI has ranked Moorpark as one of California's safest cities.[55] It was ranked California's 8th safest city in 2017.[56] No homicides were recorded in 2017 nor 2018. The 2018 FBIUniform Crime Report reported a near record-low crime level.
The City provides a "Volunteers in Policing" (VIP) program that formally engages citizens in supporting the police department and the community that began in 1994.[57] In 1994 the program began with an attempt to open a police storefront run by the Volunteers in policing.[58] Now the volunteers do a wide variety of non-dangerous tasks in an effort to assist the local sheriff's department including: parking enforcement, wellness checks, and traffic enforcement.[57]
A number of movies have been filmed in Moorpark.Kings Row (1942) starringRonald Reagan featured a scene filmed at Spring Road and Los Angeles Avenue. The filmParanormal Activity 3 has a portion taking place in Moorpark.[18] J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) gets shot at an orchard in a scene inChinatown (1974), which was shot at Trident Ranch.[59] The big game scene inThe Best of Times (1986) was shot at Moorpark Memorial High School, while scenes inThe Great Man's Lady (1942) were filmed atJoel McCrea's ranch.[60] Scenes from the TV seriesSuper Soul Sunday starringOprah Winfrey are filmed at Apricot Lane Farms.[61] In 2018, the documentaryThe Biggest Little Farm was released, telling the story of Apricot Lane Farms.[62] A special, "The Biggest Little Farm: The Return", was released in 2022.[63] The Disney movie Magic Camp has scenes filmed in the High Street Arts Center on High Street.
In 2016, Mike Winters, the Vice President and Historian of the Moorpark Historical Society, published a revised history of Moorpark that covers the years from Moorpark's beginnings to the 1930s. The book, published byArcadia Publishing is entitledImages of America: Moorpark.
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Municipalities and communities ofVentura County, California,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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