Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a
county in the southern part of the
U.S. state of
California. It is located on California's
Pacific coast, and forms the northwestern part of the
Greater Los Angeles Area. It is often referred to as the
Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places in the country.
As of the
2000 census, the county had a population of 753,197. A more current California Department of Finance estimate places the population at 813,052. The
county seat is the
city of
Ventura (formally known as San Buenaventura). Ventura County's largest city is
Oxnard, with a population of about 200,000.
For thousands of years, the area was home to the
Chumash tribe of
Native Americans.
In
1782, the
Mission San Buenaventura was founded, named after
Saint Bonaventure. Buenaventura is composed of two
Spanish words,
buena meaning "good" and
ventura meaning "fortune." The town that grew up around the mission is named San Buenaventura, which came to be known as
Ventura.
Ventura County was formed from the southern part of
Santa Barbara County in
1872.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ventura County surged to the forefront of the
smart growth movement through a series of voter
initiatives that barred development on large swaths of
open space surrounding its cities. These measures have limited
sprawl, allowing the county to maintain its status as one of California's leading agricultural areas and limiting
air pollution in its narrow valleys. However, residents' unwillingness to embrace greater
population density has led to a severe housing shortage, to the extent that in 2004, the county's new housing bureau chief resigned due to his inability to purchase a home in the county on his $80,000 salary. As is the case in many areas of California, the struggle to meet the demand for housing while preserving its rural character dominates the county's politics.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,719
km² (2,208
mi²). 4,779 km² (1,845 mi²) of it is land and 940 km² (363 mi²) of it (16.43%) is water.
Anacapa Island of
Channel Islands National Park and
San Nicolas Island are located in the county.
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.
North of Highway 126 the county is mountainous and mostly uninhabited, and contains some of the most pristine, rugged and inaccessible wilderness remaining in southern California. Most of this land is in the
Los Padres National Forest, and includes the
Chumash Wilderness in the northernmost portion, adjacent to
Kern County.
The highest peaks in the county include
Mount Pinos (8831', 2697 m), Frazier Mountain (8017', 2444 m), and Reyes Peak (7525', 2294 m), all in the
Transverse Ranges (Pinos and Frazier Mountain are sometimes assigned to the
Tehachapis). The uplands are well-timbered with coniferous 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 a spectacular view, unimpeded in three directions.
The
Santa Clara River is the principal waterway.
Lake Casitas, an artificial reservoir, is the largest body of water.
Adjacent Counties
*
Santa Barbara County, California - west
*
Kern County, California - north
*
Los Angeles County, California - east
Presidential election results| Year | GOP! Dems |
|---|
| 2004 | 51.2% 160,314 | 47.5% 148,859 |
| 2000 | 48.2% 136,173 | 47.1% 133,258 |
| 1996 | 43.5% 109,202 | 44.1% 110,772 |
| 1992 | 35.5% 94,911 | 37.0% 99,011 |
| 1988 | 61.6% 147,604 | 37.2% 89,065 |
| 1984 | 68.7% 151,383 | 30.2% 66,550 |
| 1980 | 60.3% 114,930 | 29.5% 56,311 |
| 1976 | 53.2% 82,670 | 44.1% 68,529 |
| 1972 | 63.2% 95,310 | 32.7% 49,307 |
| 1968 | 51.4% 59,705 | 41.1% 47,794 |
| 1964 | 41.0% 40,264 | 58.8% 57,805 |
| 1960 | 49.6% 35,074 | 50.0% 35,334 |
|
Ventura County has tended to support the
Republican Party in local and national elections. Current county
supervisors are Steve Bennett, Linda Parks (Chair), Kathy Long, Judy Mikels, and John Flynn.Bob Brooks is the county
sheriff.
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 753,197 people, 243,234 households, and 182,911 families residing in the county. The
population density was 158/km² (408/mi²). There were 251,712 housing units at an average density of 53/km² (136/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.93%
White, 5.35%
Asian, 1.95%
Black or
African American, 0.94%
Native American, 0.22%
Pacific Islander, 17.68% from
other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. About one-third (33.42%) of the population is
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 243,234 households out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were
married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% 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 the population was spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 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. The
per capita income for the county was $24,600. About 6.40% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.
See
Southern California Zip Codes*
Official website*
News from Ventura County, from the
Ventura County Star website
*
News from Ventura County, from the
Los Angeles Times website
*
The Ventura County Reporter, a weekly newspaper
