Ventura County is a Natural Playground. Miles of well-kept beaches provide soft ground for sunset strolls, while the more adventurous can bike around our county roads stroll our harbors or wade, boogie board or surf in the water. Ventura Harbor also features an arcade and carousel, as well as many boutiques and restaurants. Surfers’ Point, the Ventura Harbor, and historic Downtown Ventura are just a few of Ventura’s gems. Locals and visitors enjoy the city’s impressive park system that includes 32 parks and historic sites, more than 800 acres of open green space and a state-of-the-art aquatic center. Ventura is an exciting location for a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, sailing, surfing, and more. For the more adventurous, a visit to the Channel Islands National Park departs from the Ventura Harbor and offers a fascinating look at marine and wildlife.
The Los Padres National Forest, with more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails, is a short drive away. One of the county’s main attractions, the Channel Islands, offers stunning scenery and earns Ventura the nickname “Galapagos of Southern California.” The historic park offers diving, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, and camping and includes more than 2,000 different kinds of plants and animals. The visitor’s center, located at Ventura Harbor, features a museum, tide pool, and a tower with telescopes.
Ventura County’s vibrant arts scene sets it apart from many central coast towns. Artists have gravitated to Ventura County for years, and the county benefits with numerous galleries, performing arts events, live music performances, and more. There our many local play houses and the opportunity to see Broadway plays, top concerts, and distinguish speakers are just short visits to Thousand Oaks Civic Plaza, the Ventura Theater and the distinguished Reagan Library.
Camarillo (/ˌkæməˈriːoʊ/ KAM-ə-REE-oh) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is the city’s primary thoroughfare. Camarillo is named for Adolfo and Juan Camarillo, two of the few Californios (pre-1848 California natives of Hispanic ancestry) to preserve the city’s heritage after the arrival of Anglo settlers. The railroad coast route came through in 1898 and built a station here. Adolfo Camarillo eventually employed 700 workers growing mainly lima beans. Walnuts and citrus were also grown on the ranch. Adolfo bred Camarillo White Horses in the 1920s through the 1960s and was well known for riding them, dressed in colorful Spanish attire, in parades such as the Fiesta of Santa Barbara. The Camarillo Outlets are a major attraction in Camarillo.
The city grew slowly prior to World War II but the war effort saw the construction of the Oxnard Army Air Field (later Oxnard Air Force Base in 1951, now Camarillo Airport) to the west of town. The community also grew as the new base along with nearby Naval Air Station Point Mugu and a Seabee base at Port Hueneme brought many workers and their families to the area. The grounds of Camarillo State Hospital, which opened in 1936 south of town, are now the campus of California State University, Channel Islands.
As with most cities in Ventura County, it is noted for its resistance to new development. In 2014, the council voted against an 895-acre project that would have extended development on agricultural lands east towards the Conejo Grade.
Oxnard is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. Located along the coast of Southern California, it is the 19th most populous city in California and the most populous in Ventura County. The city lies approximately 60 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and is part of the larger Greater Los Angeles area. The population of Oxnard is 207,906 (2017). Oxnard is the most populous city in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is listed as one of the wealthiest areas in America, with its residents making well above the average national income. Oxnard was incorporated in 1903. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, sitting adjacent to an agricultural center of strawberries and lima beans. Oxnard is also a major transportation hub in Southern California, with Amtrak, Union Pacific, Metrolink, Greyhound, and Intercalifornia stopping in Oxnard. Oxnard also has a small regional airport called Oxnard Airport (OXR).
Somis is an unincorporated community of Ventura County, California that was established in 1892 by Thomas Bard and D.T. Perkins on a portion of the Mexican land grant, Rancho Las Posas. Somis is in the Las Posas Valley on the south bank of Fox Barranca, just west of Arroyo Las Posas. The name of this townsite may have been derived from “water of the scrub oak,” a Chumash placename referring to the presence of water. There was a Ranchería named Somes noted in records from 1795 and 1796.
Ojai (/ˈoʊhaɪ/ OH-hy) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles (16 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide, surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.
Ojai is a tourism destination known for its boutique hotels, recreation opportunities, hiking, spiritual retreats and farmers’ market of local organic agriculture.[11] It also has small businessesspecializing in local and ecologically friendly art, design, and home improvement—such as galleries and a solar power company. Chain stores (other than a few gas stations) are prohibited by Ojai city law to encourage local small business development and keep the town unique.
The origin of the name Ojai has historically been known as derived from a Native American word meaning nest. The city’s self-styled nickname is “Shangri-La” referencing the natural environment of this health and spirituality-focused region as well as the mystical sanctuary of 1937 film adaption of James Hilton‘s novel Lost Horizon.