Ventura County, California - info, facts, communities on Key to the City

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Information & Facts about Ventura County, California

County Government

Ventura County official site

County Government Center
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93009-0001
Phone: 805-654-2251

Ventura has 10 incorporated cities and many other unincorporated communities. The cities are: Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and San Buenaventura (Ventura).

Ventura County is a general law county, governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, elected by districts; actions taken by the Board can apply countywide or only in unincorporated areas

Economy

The area has a wide and strong economic base with most industries represented. The soil in the county is some of the best in the country placing county growers among the top ten in the state. Industries that provide employment in the county are: Educational, health and social services (17.2%), Manufacturing (13.8%), Retail trade (11.1%), Professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services (11.0%).

The Port of Hueneme is the State's smallest and only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It plays a large role as a shipping point for the agriculture of the area.

The government employs many at various facilities throughout the county. Among them are the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu and The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme.

Ventura County Fairgrounds/Seaside Park
Email: seaside@west.net

Population

1990 - 669,016
2000 - 742,000

Most of the population of Ventura County lives in the southern half.

The racial make-up of the county in 2000 was as follows:
White Non-Hispanic – 56.8%
Hispanic – 33.4%
Other race – 17.7%
Two or more races – 3.9%
Filipino – 2.1%
Black – 1.9%
American Indian – 1.8%
Chinese – 0.8%
Japanese – 0.6%
Asian Indian – 0.5%

Median age: 34.2 years
Males: 49.9%, Females: 50.1%
Average household size in Ventura County: 3.04

Education

Ventura County Schools

5189 Verdugo Way
Camarillo 93012
phone: 805-383-1900
Fax: 805-383-1908

Ventura County Community College District with campuses located in Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura.

Schools in the area are among the best in the state and nation. Test scores nearly always exceed the national and state averages at all levels.

High education abounds in the county with three community colleges - Ventura, Oxnard and Moorpark. There is a new university in Camarillo, Cal State Channel Islands. California Lutheran University is located in Thousand Oaks. There are also satellite campus' for Cal State Northridge and University of California at Santa Barbara both in Ventura.

Weather & Climate

National Weather Service page for Ventura County and nearby counties, including: Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County.

Ventura County generally has a near perfect climate. It is sometimes referred to as a Mediterranean climate. The average annual temperature is a wonderful 74.2 degrees F. When broken down into micro-climates, there are six. Each has its own weather patterns.

History

Ventura County was formed in 1873. Santa Barbara County was the parent county. The first inhabitants were actually Chumash Indians. The early Spanish settlers moved here and named the area "land of everlasting summers." They named the larger area "San Buenaventura," which means good fortune. The Mission San Buenaventura was founded in 1782. The town began to grow up around the mission and eventually the name of San Buenaventura was shortened to Ventura.

During the later 1900’s, the county experienced rapid growth that was managed the growth to maintain open space and development. This has enabled the county to continue to be one of the state’s leading agricultural areas and also limits the air pollution. Unfortunately, due to these restrictions, the county also has experienced major housing shortages. This has also created much higher home prices leaving many young families out of the housing market in the county.

The Political Graveyard website for Ventura County

Location

The county is located in west-central California along the Pacific Ocean Coast. Neighboring counties include Kern County to the northeast, Los Angeles County to the East and Santa Barbara County to the West. The Pacific Ocean lies to the southwest.

Anacapa Island of Channel Islands National park and San Nicolas Island are also located in the county.

Geography

Highest point: 8,831 feet above sea level on Mount Pinos. Other high peaks are Frazier Mountain at 8,017 feet and Reyes Peak at 7,525 feet.
Elevation: sea level to 8,831 feet above sea level
Rank: 26^th out of 58 in land size
Size: 1,873 square miles with 43 miles of coastline. 7.5 miles of the coastline are public beaches. The Los Padres National Forest has 860 square miles in the northern part of the county. There are 1,846 square miles of land area.
Location: Ventura County is northwest of Los Angeles County. To its north is Kern County. Santa Barbara County goes along some of the western border with the Pacific Ocean on the southwest edge.

Ventura County is most mountainous and uninhabited north of Highway 126. This is also a beautiful and pristine wilderness area mostly situated within the Los Padres National Forest. The Chumash Wilderness is located in the northern portion near Kern County. The high point, Mount Pinos, is a sacred spot to the Chumash Indians. They know it as Iwihinmu and was considered to the center of the universe by these people.

TheMain waterway in the county is the Santa Clara River and Lake Casitas is the largest body of water.

Income and other statistics

Median Family income: $61,944 (1999)
Median household income: $59,666 (2000)

Median house value: $248,700 (2000)

Other Information:

Median Family Income:

Median household income in Ventura County consistently exceeds national and state levels; median family income in 1999 estimated at $61,944

Tri-Counties Better Business Bureau

Serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties
P. O. Box 129
Santa Barbara CA 93102
Phone: (805) 963-8657
Fax: (805) 962-8557

Ventura County Star On-line

Eastern Ventura County News and Information

Ventura County Museums

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This page was last updated on 30 January 2010 at 10:48 pm

This page was created on 28 September 2001