Ventura County comprises the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of theGreater Los Angeles area (Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area). It is also considered the southernmost county along theCalifornia Central Coast.[15]
Ventura County was historically inhabited by theChumash people, who also settled much ofSanta Barbara andSan Luis Obispo Counties, with their presence dating back 10,000–12,000 years.[17][18] The Chumash werehunter-gatherers, fishermen, and also traders with theMojave,Yokuts, andTongva 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 theBurro Flats Painted Cave in Simi Valley. The plank canoe, called atomol inChumash, 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 theVentura 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 withPolynesians.[22] According todiachronic linguistics, certain words such as tomolo'o (canoe) could be related toPolynesian languages. The dialect of the Chumash language that was spoken in Ventura County wasVentureño.[23]
Several place names in the county have originated from Chumash, includingOjai, which means moon,[24] and Simi Valley, which originates from the word Shimiyi and refers to the stringy, thread-like clouds that typify the region.[25] Others includePoint Mugu from the word Muwu (meaning "beach"),Saticoy from the word Sa'aqtiko'y (meaning "sheltered for the wind"), andSespe Creek from the word S'eqp'e (meaning "kneecap").[26]
In October 1542, the expedition led byJuan Rodríguez Cabrillo anchored in an inlet nearPoint Mugu; its members were the first Europeans to arrive in the area that would become Ventura County.[27]
Active occupation of California by Spain began in 1769.Gaspar de Portolà led a military expedition by land fromSan Diego toMonterey, passing through Ventura County in August of that year. A priest with the expedition, FatherJuan 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".[28] Also on this expedition was FatherJunípero Serra, who later founded a mission on this site.
On March 31, 1782, theMission San Buenaventura was founded by Father Serra.[29] It is named afterSaint Bonaventure, one of the early intellectual founders of theFranciscan 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.[30]
In the 1790s, theSpanish Governor of California began granting land concessions to Spanish Californians who were often retiring soldiers. These concessions were known asranchos 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 andRancho El Conejo in 1802.[31] Fernando Tico was granted Ojai and part of Ventura by Gov. Alvarado.
In 1822, California was notified of Mexico'sindependence from Spain and theGovernor of California, the Junta, the military in Monterey and the priests andneophytes 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.[33] The missionswere secularized by the Mexican government in 1834. TheMexican governors began granting land rights to Mexican Californians, often retiring soldiers. By 1846, there were 19 rancho grants in Ventura County.[34] 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.[35]
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.[36]
TheMexican–American War began in 1846 but its effect was not felt in Ventura County until 1847. In January of that year, CaptainJohn C. Frémont led the California Battalion into San Buenaventura to find that the Europeans had fled, leaving only Native Americans in the Mission. Fremont and the Battalion continued south to sign theTreaty of Cahuenga with GeneralAndrés Pico. TheTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally transferred California to the United States in 1848.[37]
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 ofSanta Barbara County.[38]
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.[39]
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.[40]
Other towns were being established in the county. A plan forHueneme (later Port Hueneme) was recorded in 1874, andSanta Paula's plan was recorded in 1875. Along the banks of the Santa Clara River, the township of New Jerusalem (which would eventually be namedEl Rio) was founded in 1875 by the owner of general store named Simon Cohen who became its first postmaster and banker in 1882.[41] The community of Nordhoff (later renamedOjai) was started in 1874.[42]Bardsdale,Fillmore,Piru, andMontalvo were established in 1887.[43] 1892 sawSimi (later Simi Valley),Somis,Saticoy, andMoorpark. Oxnard was a latecomer, not being established until 1898.[44]
TheSouthern 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.[45] The rail line toNorthern California originally went throughSaugus, Fillmore and Santa Paula, providing a boom to those communities along the line. In 1905, Tunnel #26 was completed betweenChatsworth andCorriganville 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.[46] This tunnel joined to the railroad spur coming the other direction fromMontalvo through Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley, making thecontemporary main line used today. One stop along the way, at a 90-degree turn, was at asugar 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.[47][48]
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 theShell Oil Company. 1916 was the year that the largeSouth Mountain Oil Field was discovered; other deals followed withGeneral Petroleum in 1917 andAssociated Oil Company in 1920. At its peak, the largest oil field in the county, theVentura 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 1.5million barrels. More oil fields came online in the 1920s and 1930s, with theRincon field, the second largest, in 1927, and the adjacentSan Miguelito in 1931.[49][50]
In the early hours of the morning of March 12–13, 1928, theSt. 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,[51] destroying 1,240 homes and flooding 7,900 acres (32 km2) of land, devastating farm fields and orchards.[52] This was the single largest disaster to strike Ventura County and the second largest, in terms of lives lost, in the state.
Orange grove outside of Santa Paula, CaliforniaTypical rush-hour traffic in Ventura
Ventura County can be separated into two major parts, East County and West County, which are divided by theConejo Grade.[53] East County consists of all cities east of the Conejo Grade. Geographically East County is the end of theSanta Monica Mountains, in which theConejo Valley is located, and where there is a considerable increase in elevation. Communities which are considered to be in the East County areThousand 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 asCamarillo, 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 theChannel Islands Harbor.
Starting in the mid-20th century, there was a large growth in population in the East County, moving from theSan Fernando Valley in Los Angeles and out into the Conejo and Simi Valleys. Part of theConejo Valley is situated inLos Angeles County. This part consists ofCalabasas,Hidden Hills,Agoura Hills,Agoura, andWestlake Village. The other half of the Conejo Valley, which belongs to Ventura County, consists ofLake Sherwood,Hidden Valley,Oak Park,Thousand Oaks, andNewbury 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 ofEast andCentral Los Angeles. As a result, there was a large growth in population into the Conejo Valley and into Ventura County through theU.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 ofSimi 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 theU.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.[54] 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?]
The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1,063 structures, while damaging 280 others;[56] and the fire caused over $2.176 billion (2018 USD) in damages,[57][58] including more than $204.5 million in suppression costs, becoming the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history.[59] The agriculture industry suffered at least $171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire.[58][60][61]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.[62]
53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest land.[63]
According to theU.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.[64][65]
Parts of the county are on theOxnard Plain which includes the cities ofOxnard,Camarillo,Port Hueneme and much ofVentura. Other cities and communities lie in the intermountain valleys of the Transverse Range. TheSanta Clara River Valley is the most prominent valley, while other valleys includeConejo 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 theSanta 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 theSan Fernando Valley, and the western portion, often referred to as "Oxnard-Ventura". To the east isLos 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.[66] The climate, though mostly mild and dry, varies because of the variations intopography through for instance differences in elevation and physical geography. TheSanta Clara River is the principal waterway.Lake Casitas, an artificial reservoir, is the largest body of water.
The highest peaks in the county includeMount Pinos (8,831 ft; 2,692 m),Frazier Mountain (8,017 ft; 2,444 m), andReyes Peak (7,525 ft; 2,294 m) in theTransverse Ranges. The uplands are well-timbered withconiferous 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.[67]
The USDAEconomic 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."[68]
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.[63] 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 theLos Padres National Forest, and includes theChumash Wilderness in the northernmost portion, adjacent toKern County, as well as the largeSespe Wilderness and portions of both theDick Smith Wilderness andMatilija 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.
The coastal plain was formed by the deposition of sediments from theSanta 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 theOxnard 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, theTopatopa 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 withLos Angeles County.[69] South Mountain andOak Ridge are low and long mountains that separateSanta Clara Valley from the Las Posas Valley andSimi Valley. The Camarillo Hills and the Las Posas Hills extend fromCamarillo toSimi Valley and separate the Las Posas-Simi area from the Santa Rosa Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley.[70]
The intermountain valley of theSanta 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 arePiru Creek, Santa Paula Creek, andSespe Creek. The valley of theVentura River is a narrow valley north ofVentura.Ojai Valley is connected to the Ventura River Valley by San Antonio Creek. The smallUpper Ojai Valley, east of Ojai Valley and 300 to 500 feet (91 to 152 m) higher, drains to theVentura 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 theOxnard Plain almost to Simi Valley, which is in the east end of Ventura County. The city ofSimi 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 byCalleguas Creek and its principal tributary, Conejo Creek. These creeks originate in theSanta Susana andSanta Monica Mountains.[66]
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 theTopatopa 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.[70]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 843,843. The median age was 39.5 years, 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 16.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.6 males age 18 and over.[80]
96.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.4% lived in rural areas.[82]
There were 279,715 households in the county, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[80]
There were 293,080 housing units, of which 4.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.3% were owner-occupied and 36.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.[80]
Ventura County, 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.
As of the census[91] 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 orAfrican American, 0.9%Native American, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 17.7% fromother races, and 3.9% from two or more races. About one third (33.4%) of the population isHispanic orLatino of any race. 9.8% were of German, 7.7% English and 7.1% Irish ancestry according toCensus 2000. 67.1% spoke only English at home, while 26.2% spoke Spanish and 1.5%Tagalog.
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, 28.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.0% was from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% was 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. Theper capita income for the county was $24,600. About 6.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below thepoverty 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, Ventura County'smedian household income was $66,859, while the mean was $85,032.Per capita income was $29,634, making it the sixth wealthiest county in California.
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.[92] 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.[93][94] Severalaffordable housing groups that are actively working on building housing for veterans and low income people have long waiting lists.[95][96]Farmworker housing also has waiting lists though designated units continue to be built.[97]
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, andmandarins/tangelos are more than $17 million a year.[105][106]
The county became a major producer in the state forhemp after it wasremoved from a list of controlled substances along with other provisions of theHemp Farming Act of 2018. These provisions were included in the2018 Farm Bill which made hemp legal for agricultural uses.[107] 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.[108] The annual crop report had 3,470 harvestable acres for 2019 with an estimated gross value $35.5 million.[109]
Several cities within the county are banning or have a moratorium on the planting, harvesting, drying, processing and manufacture of hemp products.[110] These city councils were reacting to complaints about the smell.[111] With some fields in unincorporated area being near residences, homeowners also brought their concerns to the county board of supervisors.[112] The acreage available for planting was reduced when a buffer zone was established around schools and residential communities in 2020.[113]
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.[114]
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.[115] 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.[116] 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.[117]
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.[117][118][119][120][121]
Albinger Archaeological Museum is located at 113 E Main St, Ventura , next to Mission San Buenaventura. It was once the home to 5 different cultures spanning 3,500 years of history including the Chumash Indians, Chinese immigrants and others.[123]
Channel Islands Maritime Museum preserves maritime heritage, maritime arts and culture, while highlighting the ecology of The Ocean. It is located at the Channel Islands Harbor at 3900 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard.[124]
TheChumash Indian Museum, in Thousand Oaks, is dedicated to restoring and preserving an awareness of the Chumash people and their history, culture, present-day influence and the historical significance of this site.[125]
Museum of Ventura County located at 100 East Main St, Ventura, promotes interest in and understanding of the history and art of the Ventura County region.[126]
The Santa Paula Art Museum occupies two historic buildings in Santa Paula. The Santa Paula Art Museum's Jeanette Cole Art Center 117 N 10th St, is the primary exhibition space in the Limoneira building. The Santa Paula Art Museum's Cole Creativity Center, 123 N 10th St, has art classes and special programs.[127]
The city of Ventura is home to the soccer club,Ventura County Fusion, of theUSL Premier Development League. In 2024 A MLS Next Pro side Ventura County Football Club formerly Galaxy 2 is the First MLS affiliate to be in Ventura County. Home games are played at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
Ventura County is a general law county under theCalifornia Constitution. that is, it does not have a countycharter. The county is governed by five-memberBoard of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by districts for four-year terms. There are no term limits in effect.
Ventura County is administered by five elected Supervisors who each serve four year terms. They appoint the county executive officer who appoints non-elected department administrators who manage county functions. The county seal, that was adopted in 1964, was reviewed in 2022 due to prominent depiction ofJunípero Serra that could be hurtful to those who allege that Serra was responsible forthe suppression of the culture ofChumash people.[136] The seal also had images referring to atomic energy and oil drilling that no longer represented the county industries.[137] A new seal was adopted that depicts Arch Rock offAnacapa Island.[138]
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.
Ventura County is home to several of the safest communities in the U.S., includingThousand Oaks,Simi Valley,Newbury Park, andMoorpark. Overall, crime in the county is 33% lower than California and U.S. rates.[139]
According to a 2019 report, the county is the second safest county among California's most populated counties.[140]
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
In 2020, the County of Ventura updated itsgeneral plan to the Ventura County 2040 General Plan, as mandated by theCalifornia Office of Planning and Research.[144] This document establishes guidelines and a regulatory basis for development and policy-making in the county until it is updated again in 2040.[145] 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.[146] 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:
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.[148] As such, the review found no significant population or housing need changes anticipated for the county during this period.[148]
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.[149] 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.[150]
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 toBarack Obama's victory in the county in2008, the last Democrat to win a majority wasLyndon Johnson in1964, though Democrat Bill Clinton carried the county by a plurality in both of his victories in1992 and1996.
On March 3, 2008, Democratic registration surpassed Republican registration and the former's edge has grown since.[152] The cities ofCamarillo,Moorpark,Simi Valley, andThousand 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 two major parties.[153]
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, andThousand Oaks.
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)
Ventura County Law Library, located in the Ventura County Government Center, makes current legal resources available to judges, lawyers, government officials, and other users.
Ventura County is served byAmtrak andMetrolink trains along themain coast rail line, as well asGreyhound Lines,Gold Coast Transit (formerly South Coast Area Transit), andVISTA buses. The county also runs the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), which operates various bus routes between cities across the county. The cities ofCamarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have their own small bus systems.
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.
On July 23, 1982, actorVic Morrow and two child actors (My-Ca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Ye Chen) were filming a helicopter scene forTwilight 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.
^Johnson, John R. 1997.Chumash Indians in Simi Valley: A Journey Through Time. Simi Valley, CA: Simi Valley Historical Society.ISBN978-0965944212. Page 6.
^Starr, Kevin. 2007.California: A History. Modern Library Chronicles 23. New York City, NY: Random House Digital, Inc.ISBN978-0-8129-7753-0. Page 13.
^Lynne McCall & 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.ISBN0-945092-23-7. Page 31.
^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.ISBN978-0965944212. Page 8.
^Lynne McCall & 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.ISBN0-945092-23-7. Pages 29–30.
^Arnold L. Murphy,A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California. Oxnard, CA: M & 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.ISBN9780520244474.
^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.
^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. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 9, 2013. RetrievedMay 20, 2014.
^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.ISBN978-0972936149.
^Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names.
^abU.S. Department of Agriculture (C. Robert Elford). 1970.Soil Survey: Ventura Area, California. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Page 142.
^abU.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.ISBN9780520050518.
^abcU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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
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