Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city inVentura County, California, located in the northwestern part ofGreater Los Angeles. Approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) fromDowntown Los Angeles, it is named after the manyoak trees present in the area.
The city forms the central populated core of theConejo Valley. Thousand Oaks was incorporated in 1964 and has since expanded to the west and east. Two-thirds of the master-planned community surroundingWestlake and most ofNewbury Park were annexed by the city during the late 1960s and 1970s. TheLos Angeles County–Ventura County line forms the city's eastern border with the city ofWestlake Village. The population was 126,966 at the2020 census, up from 126,683 at the2010 census.[7]
One of the earliest names used for the area was Conejo Mountain Valley, as used by the founder of Newbury Park,Egbert Starr Newbury, in the 1870s.[8] During the 1920s, today's Thousand Oaks was home to 100 residents. In the 1920s, the residents held a naming competition where the 14-year-old Bobby Harrington's name suggestion won: Thousand Oaks.[9][10][11] The valley is characterized by its tens of thousands of oak trees (50,000–60,000 in 2012).[12][10][13]
When the city was incorporated in 1964, theJanss Corporation suggested the name Conejo City (City of Conejo). A petition was signed by enough residents to put Thousand Oaks on the ballot. An overwhelming majority—87%—of the city's 19,000 residents voted for the name Thousand Oaks during the September 29, 1964, election.[12][14]
Chumash people were the first to inhabit the area,[10] settling there over 10,000 years ago. It was home to two major villages: Sap'wi ("House of the Deer") andSatwiwa ("The Bluffs").[15] Sap'wi is now by theChumash Interpretive Center which is home to multiple 2,000-year-old pictographs.[16]Satwiwa is the home of the Native American Indian Culture Center which sits at the foothills ofMount Boney inNewbury Park, a sacred mountain to the Chumash.[17]
A smaller village, Yitimasɨh, was located whereWildwood Elementary School sits today.[18][19] The area surroundingWildwood Regional Park has been inhabited by the Chumash for thousands of years. Some of the artifacts discovered in Wildwood include stone tools,shell beads and arrowheads.[20] Another small Chumash settlement, known as Šihaw (Ven-632i), was located whereLang Ranch sits today. A cave containing several swordfish and cupules pictographs is located here.[21] Two other villages were located by today's Ventu Park Road in Newbury Park. These were populated 2,000 years ago and had a population of 100–200 in each village.[15] Other villages included Lalimanuc (Lalimanux) and Kayɨwɨš (Kayiwish) byConejo Grade.[22][23][24]
The Chumash also had several summer encampments, including one located whereThousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza currently stands, known as Ipuc (Ven-654).[25] Another summer encampment was located at the current location ofLos Robles Hospital.[26]
Each village was ruled by a chief or several chieftains, who often traveled between villages to discuss matters of common interest. A council of elders directed village life and organized events. Most villages had a cemetery, gaming field, a sweat house, and a place for ceremonies.[27] Locally discovered tribal artifacts are at display at Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center and theChumash Indian Museum.[28]
The region's recorded history dates to 1542, whenSpanish explorerJuan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed atPoint Mugu and claimed the land for Spain.[29] The Battle of Triunfo, which took place byTriunfo Creek, was waged over land between native Chumash and the Spanish newcomers.[30]
From 1804 to 1848, Thousand Oaks was part ofAlta California, which originally was a Spanishpolity in North America. It was the Spaniards who first named it Conejo Valley, or Valley of Rabbits. TheSpaniards and indigenousChumash clashed numerous times in disputes over land.[32] Conejo Valley was given the name El Rancho Conejo in 1803. This year, Jose Polanco and Ignacio Rodriguez were granted El Rancho Conejo by GovernorJosé Joaquín de Arrillaga of Alta California. The land contained 48,671.56 acres.El Conejo was just one of two land grants in what becameVentura County, the other beingRancho Simi.[32]
As a result of theMexican War of Independence in 1822, Alta California became a Mexican territory. In 1822, CaptainJosé de la Guerra y Noriega filed Conejo Valley as part of theMexican land grant. It remained a part of Mexico until the short-livedCalifornia Republic was established in 1846. It became a part of the U.S. after California gained statehood in 1850. The valley was now known as Rancho El Conejo.[33] The ranch period began when the de la Guerra family sold thousands of acres through the 1860s and early 1870s.[32]
Two men owned most of Conejo Valley in the 1870s: John Edwards, who came fromWales in 1849, and Howard Mills, who came fromMinnesota in 1870. While Edwards owned most of present-day Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park, Mills owned most ofWestlake Village andHidden Valley. Edwards' home was located on an acre of land whereThe Oaks Mall currently is located, while Mills built his home whereWestlake Lake sits today. The third person to buy formerRancho El Conejo land wasEgbert Starr Newbury. He bought 2,259 acres of land here in 1874, land which stretched from Old Town Thousand Oaks and into today's Newbury Park.[34] He later established the valley's first post office in 1875:Newbury Park Post Office.[35] When the Conejo Valley School District was established in March 1877, there were 126 residents living in Conejo Valley.[36]
Thousand Oaks was home to aNorwegian community in the late 1890s and early 1900s, known as Norwegian Colony. Norwegian settlers were among the first to settle in Conejo Valley. The Norwegian Colony was located at today's intersection of Moorpark- and Olsen Roads, now home toCalifornia Lutheran University and surrounding areas. The Norwegian Colony constituted of over 650 acres and stretched fromMount Clef Ridge to Avenida de Los Arboles.[37][38] The son of Norwegian immigrants donated his ranch to California Lutheran College in the 1950s.[39] California Lutheran University is now home to the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and the Scandinavian Festival.[citation needed]
Many place names are named after Norwegian immigrants such as the Olsen and Pedersen families.[40] The first Norwegians came from the village ofStranda byStorfjorden. Ole Anderson bought 199 acres here, while Lars Pederson owned 111 acres. Other Norwegian pioneers also included Ole Nilsen, George Hansen and Nils Olsen. A major contribution was the construction of the handmadeNorwegian Grade in 1911, a mile-long road leading from Thousand Oaks toSanta Rosa Valley.[41]
With no doctors or hospitals nearby, the Norwegian Colony was short-lived. The Olsen family lost seven of their ten children, while Ole Anderson, Lars Pederson, and George Hansen all died in 1901 due to a diphtheria epidemic.[42]
Jungleland USA was one of the first theme parks in California.Various movies were filmed atJoel McCrea Ranch on N. Moorpark Road.
Newbury Park was a more established community than Thousand Oaks at the turn of the 20th century. A few lots existed early in the 1900s, wedged between Borchard land on the south and Friedrich land on the north.[43] TheJanss family, developers of Southern California subdivisions, purchased 10,000 acres (40 km2) in the early 20th century. They eventually created plans for a "total community", and the name remains prominently featured in the city. Despite early aspirations, no large subdivisions were developed until the 1920s. The development was slow and hampered even more under theGreat Depression of the 1930s. Besides agriculture, the movie industry became an important industry in the 1920s and 1930s.[44]
Between 1950 and 1970,Conejo Valley experienced a population boom, and increased its population from 3,000 to 30,000 residents.[45] From 3,500 residents in 1957, Thousand Oaks had over 103,000 inhabitants by 1989.[46] While ranching and agriculture were the dominant industries until the 1950s, a number of new businesses appeared throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Particularly many high-tech firms moved to Thousand Oaks in the '60s and '70s.Packard Bell and Technology Instrument Company were two high-technology businesses that moved into the Newbury Park industrial park in the 1960s. Other companies that followed included Westinghouse Astroelectronics Laboratory,Semtech Corporation,Purolator Inc., and Westland Plastics.[47]
Louis Goebel of New York bought five lots off Ventura Boulevard (today'sThousand Oaks Boulevard) in 1925. He worked for theUniversal film studio, and decided to create his own film industry zoo after the closure ofUniversal Zoo in the mid-1920s.[57] He establishedGoebel's Lion Farm in 1926, situated whereThousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is located today.[58] Goebel began with five lions and seven malamute dogs, but he soon acquired new animals such as giraffes, camels, hippos, monkeys, tigers, gorillas, seals and other exotic animals.[citation needed]
It became home to several animals used forLeo the Lion MGM logo. There were held public animal shows, which drew thousands of spectators from throughout California. The animals from the park have been used in many movies and TV series, including many of theTarzan films;The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which used the site as a location,[59] andDoctor Doolittle (1967).[60] Goebel himself camped by the filming site ofTarzan, the Ape Man (1932) byLake Sherwood to watch his lions during filming.[56]
It became one of Southern California's most popular tourists attractions in the 1940s and 1950s, when the 170-acre park offered shows, lion training, elephant rides, train rides, safari tram buses and more.[59] The park changed name toJungleland USA in 1956 afterDisneyland was established.[61] The park later went bankrupt in May 1969, due to competition from parks such as Disneyland,Knott's Berry Farm andUniversal Studios. The park's 1,800 animals were sold at a public auction in October 1969.[59][60]
The City of Thousand Oaks was incorporated on October 7, 1964.[62][63] On September 29, 1964, voters approved the incorporation and selected the name. The incorporation became official once the certificates of election were filed with the California Secretary of State, and the record of affidavit was filed with the Ventura County Clerk.[64]
The results of the cityhood election was clear on September 24, 1964. 2,780 residents voted to set up a city, while 1,821 had voted no to incorporation. Certain areas however tried to set up its own municipality. An attempt at a cityhood election inNewbury Park failed in 1963, as Talley Corporation and Janss Rancho Conejo Industrial Park refused to join the efforts.Reba Hays Jeffries, a local opponent of cityhood, told interviewers why she thought the cityhood election failed: Cityhood backers had to collect signatures from owners who represented 29% of the land that was to be incorporated. As the efforts collected 29% of registered voters, rather than owners of 29% of the land, the measure never came on the ballot.[65] Most of the previously unincorporated Newbury Park lands were annexed into Thousand Oaks through the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, forming the Newbury Park neighborhood within the city.Casa Conejo andVentu Park are the only parts of Newbury Park left, which are not parts of Thousand Oaks.[66][67] Lynn Ranch also decided to remain outside city limits.[68]
Two-thirds of the master planned community ofWestlake was annexed by Thousand Oaks in two portions – in 1968 and 1972.[69][70][63] The nearby neighborhood ofNorth Ranch remained an unincorporated area until January 1973, when Thousand Oaks approved the annexation of North Ranch.[71] North Ranch bordersOak Park, an unincorporated area where voters have chosen not to be annexed into Thousand Oaks.[72]Dos Vientos is a 2,350-unit housing development which was approved by the council in April 1988.[73] The master-planned community was the largest residential project ever in Newbury Park.[74]
Increased development in Moorpark and Simi Valley in the late 1990s and early 2000s caused theMoorpark Freeway (Highway 23) to become heavily congested during both morning and afternoon rush hours. A major widening project began in 2008.[citation needed]
On March 30, 2016,California Lutheran University and the NFL Rams team reached an agreement that allowed the team to have regular season training operations at CLU's campus in Thousand Oaks for the next two years. The Rams paid for two practice fields, paved parking, and modular buildings constructed on the northwestern corner of the campus.[79][80]
On November 7, 2018, a lone gunman killed 12 peoplein a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill.[81][82][83] Days later, theWoolsey Fire threatened the community, burning homes across Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. The fire continued most of November, charring almost 100,000 acres and destroying nearly 400 structures in the region.[84]
The city of Thousand Oaks is situated in theConejo Valley in southeasternVentura County, halfway betweenLos Angeles andSanta Barbara, and 12 miles east of the Pacific Ocean.[85][86] Conejo Valley lies at 900 feet; 55 of its 1,884 square miles are located within Thousand Oaks city limits.[87][88] For comparison, the city is larger in area thanLong Beach, CA, and 20 percent larger thanSan Francisco.[89]
Designated open-space nature areas occupy 34 percent of the city as of 2017 (15,194 acres).[90] 928 acres of theSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is within the southern borders of the city.[91] Thousand Oaks is within theGreater Los Angeles Area and is 38 miles west of Los Angeles. The closest coastal city is neighboringMalibu, which may be reached through winding roads, a bike path, or hiking trails crossing the Santa Monica Mountains.[92] Conejo Valley is bordered by the Santa Monica's to the south,Conejo Mountains to the west and north, and theSimi Hills to the northeast.[29]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.4 square miles (143 km2). 55.3 square miles (143 km2) of it is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) of it (0.26%) is water.[4]
Although Thousand Oaks has several shopping centers, including theJanss Marketplace mall,The Oaks mall, andW. Thousand Oaks Blvd., a large portion of the city's inhabitants live in suburban communities a distance from the commercial centers of the city. The large housing districts near Lynn Road to the north and west are an example of thissprawl, despite attempts by Ventura County planners to reduce it.[95] Many housing tracts are surrounded by walls. This design is meant to keep heavy traffic away from residential roads.[96]
The physiography is dominated by prominent knolls, surrounding mountains, open vistas and native oak woodland. It is home to 50,000–60,000 oak trees,[12] and the city is characterized by its many oak trees and rolling green hills.[97]
Thousand Oaks is home toendemic species found nowhere else on Earth.[113] The wildflower speciesConejo buckwheat, which is native to the Conejo Valley, is found only inWildwood Regional Park and near theConejo Grade. It only grows onvolcanic rock, and has yellow flowers which bloom April–July. It is in danger of becoming extinct.[114] Anotherendemic species to Thousand Oaks,Conejo dudleya, is found throughout the valley, including in Wildwood Regional Park and also in theSanta Monica Mountains.[115]
The region experiences a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in theKöppen climate classification).[119] Vegetation is typical ofMediterranean environments, with chaparral and grasses on the hillsides and numerous western valley oaks. Its elevation ranges from about 500 to 900 feet (excluding the mountains and hills). The area has slightly cooler temperatures than the surrounding areas, as it receives cooler air from the ocean through various hill and mountain passes. On March 10 and 11, 2006, snow fell on the peak ofBoney Mountain, the first snow to fall in the area in about 20 years. Snow also fell on Boney Peak on December 17 and 18, 2008.[120]
In line with the rest of coastal California, temperatures atsolar noon tend to fluctuate between 70 and 80 °F (21 and 27 °C) during summer, and rarely drop below 60–65 °F (16–18 °C) during winter.[121]
The Newbury Park portion of Thousand Oaks has the coolest summer weather with highs averaging about 80 degrees compared to 90 degrees for central Thousand Oaks.[122][123]
The city neighborhoods were built for the blue- and white-collar class in the 1950s. Today it is an upscale city with highly educated residents.[130]
Thousand Oaks city, California – Racial and ethnic composition 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 may be of any race.
The census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households, 1.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[134]
There were 46,620 households, out of which 30.5% included children under the age of 18, 57.1% were married-couple households, 4.7% werecohabiting couple households, 24.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.9% of households were one person, and 12.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68.[134] There were 33,858families (72.6% of all households).[135]
The age distribution was 19.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% aged 18 to 24, 20.9% aged 25 to 44, 29.3% aged 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.0years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males.[134]
There were 48,131 housing units at an average density of 871.0 units per square mile (336.3 units/km2), of which 46,620 (96.9%) were occupied. Of these, 70.2% were owner-occupied, and 29.8% were occupied by renters.[134]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income in 2023 was $134,367, and theper capita income was $64,448. About 4.6% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line.[136]
The2010 United States census[137] reported that Thousand Oaks had a population of 126,683. The population density was 2,295.8 inhabitants per square mile (886.4/km2). The racial makeup of Thousand Oaks was 101,702 (80.3%)White, 1,674 (1.3%)African American, 497 (0.4%)Native American, 11,043 (8.7%)Asian, 146 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 6,869 (5.4%) fromother races, and 4,752 (3.8%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 21,341 persons (16.8%). The largest ancestry group is German-Americans 20,381 (15.8%), followed by Mexican 16,640 (12.9%), English 15,092 (11.7%), Irish 13,802 (10.7%), Italian 9,287 (7.2%), Russian 4,385 (3.4%), Chinese 4,256 (3.3%), French 4,127 (3.2%), Polish 4,127 (3.2%), Scottish 3,482 (2.7%), Indian 3,482 (2.7%), Norwegian 2,837 (2.2%) and Swedish 2,579 (2%).[138][139]
The census reported that 124,941 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,390 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 352 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 45,836 households, out of which 16,439 (35.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 27,206 (59.4%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 4,260 (9.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,925 (4.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,761 (3.8%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 284 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,728 households (21.2%) were made up of individuals, and 4,459 (9.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 33,391families (72.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.15.
The population was spread out, with 30,076 people (23.7%) under the age of 18, 10,226 people (8.1%) aged 18 to 24, 29,853 people (23.6%) aged 25 to 44, 37,964 people (30.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 18,564 people (14.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
There were 47,497 housing units at an average density of 860.8 units per square mile (332.4 units/km2), of which 33,501 (73.1%) were owner-occupied, and 12,335 (26.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%. 92,510 people (73.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 32,431 people (25.6%) lived in rental housing units. The median income for a household in the city was $121,088.
Thousand Oaks is one of the safest cities in the United States, according to consistent FBI reporting.[121] In 2013, Thousand Oaks was ranked the fourth safest city with a population over 100,000 in the United States, according to an annual report by the FBI.[140] It has one of the lowest crime rates in California.[130][unreliable source?] In 2016, The companyNiche ranked Thousand Oaks as the second-safest city in the United States.[141] The city experienced its first homicide in four years in October 2014.[142] In 2018, the city was the site of amass shooting at the Borderline bar.
Since the 1990s, the city has experienced a generaldecrease in crime.[143] In 2015, there were 1.05 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, up from 0.99 in 2014. Overall, the city experienced a one percent crime decrease between 2014 and 2015.[144] Petty theft was the most-reported crime category in 2013, accounting for 40% of all crimes.[145]
While agriculture was the dominant industry in Thousand Oaks until the 1950s, a number ofhigh-tech companies moved toNewbury Park in the 1960s. The city is abiotech hub anchored byAmgen with life sciences being one of the economic engines of the community.[151][54][152]
J.D. Power and Associates is headquartered in Thousand Oaks.[164][165] J.D. Power began moving its employees from its former headquarters in nearbyAgoura Hills, to its current headquarters in the Westlake section of Thousand Oaks in 2002.[166] The communities of Thousand Oaks,Westlake Village, and Agoura Hills are served by the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce.[167]
Demographic data showed in 2002 that more and more of the local labor force was living within 20 miles (32 km) of their place of work, and fewer Thousand Oaks residents were making the commute toLos Angeles. Over 40 percent of residents are employed as executives or business professionals.[121]
Under the legalization of the sale and distribution of cannabis in California, city voters approved a marijuana business tax, Measure P, in November 2018.[168] Commercial activities, such as growing, testing, and selling cannabis within their jurisdiction may be regulated by each city by licensing none or only some of these activities but local governments may not prohibit adults from growing, using, or transporting marijuana for personal use.[169] The two medical cannabis dispensaries that opened in February 2022 requested that the city amend the ordinance to allow them to sell recreational cannabis due to competition from dispensaries in other communities that sell both and delivery services that are permitted to operate in the city by state law.[170]
Conejo Players Theatre has over 200 active members and was established in 1958.[187]Hillcrest Center for the Arts is home to Gothic Productions, Young Artists Ensemble, Thousand Oaks Actors Guild and other groups. Hillcrest Center is also home to Classics in the Park, which arranges annual summer concerts in Conejo Community Park.[188][189] Galleries include Fred Kavli Theatre Gallery,Thousand Oaks Community Art Gallery and William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art.[190]
The annual Scandinavian Festival ("Scan Fest") is an annual weekend spring festival which takes place atCalifornia Lutheran University every April. The festival was the first held as an accomplishment of John J. Nordberg, who was instrumental in getting the firstAmerican-Scandinavian Foundation chapter chartered in Thousand Oaks. The festival was established in order to boost cultural ties between California Lutheran College and theNordic countries. The festival offers foods, folk dances, music, literature and art from the Nordic Countries, including fromNorway,Sweden,Denmark,Iceland,Finland and theFaroe Islands. The first festival was held in 1974 and was attended by over a thousand visitors.[191]
On September 22, 2018, the City of Thousand Oaks hosted its first,intersectional LGBTQ+ event outside of the Mary and Richard Carpenter Civic Arts Plaza Park. The Festival hosted over 2,000 attendees and its highlights included LGBTQ+ talent in the form of spoken word, dance, music, and art. The Festival also featured mental and physical health services, LGBTQ+ non-profits, supportive religious organizations, local business vendors, a tribute to the 1969Stonewall Riots, youth arts/crafts, and more. The initial goal of this event was to bring critical visibility to the entire LGBTQ+ community of the Conejo Valley and to provide a cathartic experience for all attendees. The festival's organizers hope to make this an annual tradition.[194][195][196][197][198]
For 27 years,California Lutheran University hosted the training camp for theDallas Cowboys. The final camp was held in 1989.[210][211] The CLUfootball practice field used by theCowboys as well as the CLU Kingsmen football team was replaced by a large sports complex in 2006. The Cowboys Clubhouse in Thousand Oaks still stands across from the complex, and is currently a family residence. TheLos Angeles Rams' temporary headquarters and practice facilities are located on the same campus until the team constructs theirpermanent training complex in Los Angeles (in a separate July 2016 agreement, the Rams signed a three-year deal withUC Irvine to use that university's Crawford Field for the team's training camp.)[212][213][214]
In August 1994, a team from Thousand Oaks Little League became the first Little League team in Ventura County to win a World Championship, winning theJunior League World Series championship game 20–3.[215] In 1996, a Senior Division (ages 14–16) Thousand Oaks Little League team won a National Championship. Two years later in 1998, a Big League Division (ages 17–18) Conejo Valley Little League team won a World Championship, defeating a Venezuelan Team 10–9 in theBig League World Series and going 26–1 in tournament play. In 2006, Thousand Oaks[216] won the World Championship in the Big League Division (ages 16–18) of Little League by defeating a team fromPuerto Rico 10–0.[217]
The Thousand Oaks Big League team were also World Series runners-up in 2003 and 2005. In 2007, they were United States runner-up. In 2009, they won the United States Championship and appeared on prime time on ESPN. In the summer of 2004, the Little League National Championship team hailed from Thousand Oaks. The Conejo Valley East[218] team of 11- and 12-year-olds went 22–0 in local, regional, and World Series tournaments play claiming the national title at the2004 Little League World Series inWilliamsport, Pennsylvania before losing in the international title game to the team fromCuraçao,Caribbean.[219]
The city is known for its open space nature preservation, combating urban sprawl with 1/3 of the city having been permanently saved from development.[220][221] The open space system contains about 150 miles of multipurpose hiking, biking and equestrian trails that provide recreational opportunities for all ages. In 1996, the American Hiking Society and National Park Service recognized this trail system by presenting the city with the Trail Town USA Hall of Fame Award. The city is also recognized by the National Arbor Association as a Tree City USA.[221]
Thousand Oaks does not directly elect its mayor; instead, council members take turns rotating into the position.[222][223]
The city council has five members: a mayor, a mayor pro tem and, three councilmembers.[224]
Position
Name
Mayor
David Newman
Mayor Pro Tem
Mikey Taylor
Councilmember
Bob Engler
Councilmember
Connie "Tie" Gutierrez
Councilmember
Al Adam
According to the city's most recent (2019) Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund financial statements, the city's various funds had $175.9 million in revenues, $169.8 million in expenditures, $1.01 billion in total assets, $176.3 million in total liabilities, and $27 million in investments:[225]
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:[224]
Established in 1964, theCity Manager's post is charged with coordinatingCity Council policies and direction, and provides overall management administration of the city's ten departments. Administrative tasks are performed with assistance of four professional and three clerical staff members, including the Assistant City Manager, which serves in a key position. A major responsibility for the City Manager is the development of the annual city budget.[227]
As a chief legal advisor to the city, theCity Attorney provides assistance and advice to all city departments and commissions. The attorney also represents the city in legal matters. The City Clerk's responsibilities include conducting elections, maintaining the custody of official city codes and records, administrating the oath of office given to elected officials, receiving legal claims, issuing marriage licenses, and receiving passport applications.[228]
Elected officials are very aware of the anti-growth sentiment that is common among the residents. All new development is described as slow-growth in order to be accepted by the community.[229]Ordinances protect oak trees and the city prioritizes planting more in street medians and other public land.[230] More than 15,000 acres (61 km2) have been preserved asopen space, containing more than 75 miles (121 km) of trails. Open space has been acquired through land dedications by developers, purchase, andconservation easements. Donations of open space have been made byBob Hope andJoel McCrea. The largest donor has been thePrudential Company which developed the community of Westlake and eventually gave more than 3,000 acres (1,200 ha).[231]
Thousand Oaks and neighboringSimi Valley had traditionally been strongholds for theRepublican Party in Ventura County.[245][246][247][248] In 2007, Thousand Oaks had three registered Republican voters for every two Democrats.[249] 45.8% of voters were registered Republicans in 2008.[250] But by 2018, the party registrations for Thousand Oaks residents were 38% Republican, 33.7% Democrat, and 25% no preference, with the remainder split among other parties.[251] In the past two presidential elections, 2016 and 2020, theDemocratic Party nominee received a majority of the vote in Thousand Oaks.
TheThousand Oaks Library system is consistently ranked as one of the best public libraries in California.[262] The library consists of theGrant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks and the Newbury Park Branch Library in Newbury Park.[263] A 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) children's library was added to the existing 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m2) main building in June 2006. The children's library expansion resulted in an improved children's services area, a 3800-gallon, salt-water aquarium; quiet study rooms; a technology training room; a children's programming room; and additional seating and shelving capacity for both the children's services area and adult services area. Both the main library and Newbury Park Branch offer free wireless Internet access.[264]
The first newspaper,Oaks Post, was published during the 1940s.Conejo Valley News was established in 1954, whileVillage Chronicle was established in 1959.Thousand Oaks Journal was another early local newspaper in the 1960s.[272] FormerNewbury Park newspapers have included theNewbury Star in the 1960s,Our Town U.S.A., andThe Newburian, which was published byNewbury Park Adventist Academy.Newbury Park Reporter was a local edition of theStar Free Press.[273]
Thousand Oaks lies in the heart of theConejo Valley, with the city ofLos Angeles to the east and the city ofVentura to the west. The city is served byU.S. Route 101 (the Ventura Freeway), as well asState Route 23 (the Moorpark Freeway). Highway 101 runs through the city and connects it with Los Angeles and Ventura. Highway 23 connects to the 101 near downtown Thousand Oaks, runs north towardMoorpark.
Thousand Oaks is served byThousand Oaks Transit, which provides public transportation in the form of shuttles and buses. TOT buses provide service to Thousand Oaks as well as some neighboring communities.[citation needed]
Commercial air travel is provided primarily byLos Angeles International Airport for regular commuters, while theBob Hope Airport (inBurbank) offers an alternative for domestic destinations. Thousand Oaks offers public transportation that runs to both airports, via the VISTA, Metro, and LADOT bus lines. Los Angeles International Airport is approximately 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the city, while Burbank Airport is approximately 35 miles (56 km) east of the city. General aviation airports includeCamarillo Airport, approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of the city;Oxnard Airport, approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of the city inOxnard, California; andVan Nuys Airport, 25 miles (40 km) east of the city.[citation needed]
The airport was no longer in use by 1962, and is the present location ofLos Robles Greens Golf Course. The Janss Corporation later announced they would construct a new airport on the 1,400 acre Friedrich Ranch inNewbury Park, which they had purchased to develop theRancho Conejo Industrial Park. Rancho Conejo Airport opened on May 5, 1960, and considered an executive airport. It had a 4,300-foot surfaced and lighted runway, and was described by theLos Angeles Times: "It was the finest executive aircraft facility on the West Coast... and will serve the needs of the fast-moving executives of the space-age industries." The airport was used in the filming ofIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World in 1963. The airport closed by 1965–66, and the land remained empty until 1991 whenShapell Industries constructed Rancho Conejo Village homes. The former site is northwest of the intersection of Lawrence Drive and Ventu Park Road in Newbury Park.[290]
Prior to the 1930s, fires were fought by local ranchers. Conejo Valley residents all signed a petition appealing for a truck. The request was presented to Ventura County Fire Warden,Walter Emerick, in April 1931. Louis Goebel, the owner ofGoebel's Lion Farm, contacted the warden and wrote: "If you provide Thousand Oaks with a fire truck, I'll build a fire station for it and you can use it as long as you want." The offer was accepted and Goebel built a 22-by-50 ft. extension onto his main building. On the evening of March 28, 1932, Walter Emerick delivered the valley's first fire engine.[294]
Tom Moody became the first Conejo Valley Fire Chief and established a temporary fire station inLake Sherwood in 1942. Two permanent fire stations were built in 1949: one in Lake Sherwood and a new station at 67 Erbes Road which replaced the fire station at Goebel's Lion Farm. In 1961 Fire Station 34 was constructed followed by Station 35 inNewbury Park in 1962. Two stations were established to replace Station 31 on Erbes Road: Station 30 on Hillcrest Dr. (1974) and a new Fire Station 31 on Duesenburg Drive (1977). Fire Station 36 was built in 1985, followed by Station 37 in North Ranch in 2001.[295]
Conejo Valley fire personnel work closely with their counterparts across the county border inLos Angeles County, and reciprocate their services both Ventura- and L.A. Counties.[296]
The city's police department was instituted on July 1, 1965, with a personnel complement of twelve persons and two patrol vehicles. Captain T. Burt Stevens was the city's first Chief of Police.[298] The police station was originally operated under contract with theVentura County Sheriff's Department. Fifteen officers, a sergeant, and a station commander serving as police chief, began work officially on July 1, 1965. Prior to the new police station, the closest deputies were in the city ofVentura and had to make the far trek to theConejo Valley when crimes occurred. A resident deputy had also been assigned to the valley prior to the new station, who received his calls out of the family home. When the police station was established, it was originally two patrol cars to cover the city.[299] As of 1973, the police department was staffed by nineteen deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's East Valley Station. There were four one-man patrol vehicles which were operated on 24-hour basis.[296]
At first, the police station was housed in a room at the Park Oaks Fire Station, on the corner of Avenida de Los Arboles and Moorpark Road. As the officers soon outgrew the small room, the house across the street was rented and turned into a police station. The little house on Avenida de Los Arboles gave way to a professional sheriff's station, which was established on Olsen Road in 1969. It was replaced in 1988 with a more modern station, located just a half-mile down Olsen Road.[300]
The portion of the Ventura Freeway that passes through the city has been named in honor of Ventura County Sheriff Sergeant Ron Helus, who was killed after entering the Borderline Bar & Grill to confront the perpetrator of amass shooting event in November 2018.[301]
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^Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982).The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Page 93.
^Sprankling, Miriam (2002).Discovering the Story of The Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 9.ISBN0-9725233-0-8.
^Palmer, Norma E. (1994).Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties. Automobile Club of Southern California. Page 176.ISBN9781564131867.
^Maxwell, Thomas J. (1982).The Temescals of Arroyo Conejo. California Lutheran College. Pages 58–59.
^abKuperberg, Jonathan (September 8, 2011)."Which Westlake?".Thousand Oaks Acorn. Archived fromthe original on March 24, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 9, 2011.
^"Top vote-getters win 4-year terms",Oxnard Press-Courier, October 3, 1964
^Bidwell, Carol A. (1989).The Conejo Valley : Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Pages 54–55.ISBN9780897812993.
^Bidwell, Carol A. (1989).The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Page 54.ISBN9780897812993.
^abKath, Laura and Pamela Price (2011).Fun with the Family Southern California: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids. Rowman & Littlefield. Page 45.ISBN9780762774753.
^Schad, Jerry (2009).Los Angeles County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide. Wilderness Press. Page 35.ISBN978-0-89997-639-6.
^Stienstra, Tom and Ann Marie Brown (2012).Moon California Hiking: The Complete Guide to 1,000 of the Best Hikes in the Golden State. Avalon Travel. Page 711.ISBN978-1-61238-163-3.
^Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000).Hiking in Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide. California Lutheran University. Page 2.
^Sprankling, Miriam (2002).Discovering the Story of The Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 72.ISBN0-9725233-0-8.
^Faber, Phyllis M. (2005).California's Wild Gardens: A Guide to Favorite Botanical Sites. University of California Press. Page 164.ISBN9780520240315.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2006).Historical Tour of the Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 6.ISBN0-9725233-4-0.
^Begun, Ruthanne and Miriam Sprankling (2004).A Visit to the Historic Stagecoach Inn Museum. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 11.ISBN0-9725233-2-4.
^Sprankling, Miriam (2002).Discovering the Story of The Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 37.ISBN0-9725233-0-8.
^abcdPearlman, Jeff (2009).Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty. Harper Perennial. Page 42.ISBN978-0061256813.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 129.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^Bidwell, Carol A. (1989).The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Page 68.ISBN9780897812993.
^"History".Cal Lutheran.Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. RetrievedNovember 28, 2017.
^Hughes, Richard Thomas and William B. Adrian (1997).Models for Christian Higher Education: Strategies for Survival and Success in the Twenty-first Century. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Page 121.ISBN9780802841216.
^abBaker, Pam and Jim Dunham (2002).Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Community Communications, Incorporated. Page 46.ISBN9781581920611.
^Hughes, Richard Thomas and William B. Adrian (1997).Models for Christian Higher Education: Strategies for Survival and Success in the Twenty-first Century. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Page 120.ISBN9780802841216.
^Bidwell, Carol A. (1989).The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Pages 71–72.ISBN9780897812993.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Pages 42–43.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^Schneider, Jerry L. (2014).Western Movie Making Locations Volume 1 Southern California. Lulu Press, Inc. Page 118.ISBN9781312711556.
^Schneider, Jerry L. (2014).The Ray "Crash" Corrigan Filmography. Lulu Press, Inc. Page 195.ISBN9780983197287.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Pages 43–45.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 103.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 104.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^abConejo Valley Chamber of Commerce (1973).Conejo Valley: Thousand Oaks, California. Thousand Oaks, CA: Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Page 9.
^"The First TOPD".Thousand Oaks Acorn. May 2014.Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 28, 2017.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 109.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2012).Tales and Voices of the Conejo. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Pages 110–111.ISBN0-9725233-6-7.
^abcMedved, Harry; Akiyama, Bruce (2007).Hollywood Escapes: The Moviegoer's Guide to Exploring Southern California's Great Outdoors. St. Martin's Press. p. 280.ISBN9781429907170.
^Loesing, John (January 17, 2025)."Pablo Cruise finds place in the sun".Thousand Oaks Acorn. RetrievedApril 13, 2025.For founding member Cory Lerios of Thousand Oaks, the timing is bittersweet. The singer/keyboard player says his 27-year-old son lost his home in the horrific Palisades fire of Jan. 7.
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