View source for Ventura County, California

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Ventura County
| settlement_type      = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| image_skyline        =  {{multiple image
  | total_width        = 280
  | border             = infobox
  | perrow             = 1/2/2/1
  | caption_align      = center
  | image1             = Pacific Coast - Ventura California (cropped).jpg
  | caption1           = [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]] near [[Faria, California|Faria]]
  | image2             = CSUCI-camarillo state hospital (cropped).jpg
  | caption2           = [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]]
  | image3             = Thomas Aquinas Chapel Facade 2.jpg
  | caption3           = [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]]
  | image4             = Elizabeth_Bard_Memorial_Hospital.jpg
  | caption4           = [[Ventura, California|San Buenaventura]]
  | image5             = Downtown Ojai 2019-333 (cropped).jpg
  | caption5           = [[Ojai, California|Ojai]]
  | image6             = Anacapa-Island-Aerial (cropped).jpg
  | caption6           = [[Anacapa Island]] in the [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]]
  }}
| image_flag         = Flag of Ventura County, California.svg
| image_seal         = Seal of Ventura County, CA.svg
| named_for          = [[Mission San Buenaventura]], which was named after [[Saint Bonaventure]]
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of regions of California|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Greater Los Angeles area|Greater Los Angeles]]<br>[[California Central Coast]]
| seat_type          = [[County seat]]
| seat               = [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]
| seat1_type         = Largest city
| seat1              = [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] (population)<br>[[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]] (area)
| unit_pref          = US
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2208
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1843
| area_water_sq_mi   = 365
| elevation_max_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=1267|title=Mount Pinos|publisher=Peakbagger.com|access-date=March 13, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_max_ft   = 8835
| elevation_min_footnotes = 
| elevation_min_ft   = <!-- Government ----------->
| government_type    = [[Council–manager government|Council–CEO]]
| governing_body     = Board of Supervisors<ref>{{cite web | url=https://voterly.com/politicians/x4QpHpEZXh/matt-lavere | title=Matt LaVere, Supervisor, District 1 from Ventura County, California | access-date=July 30, 2025 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213101514/https://voterly.com/politicians/x4QpHpEZXh/matt-lavere | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://voterly.com/politicians/WeRbpC8m6J/linda-parks | title=Linda Parks, Supervisor, District 2 from Ventura County, California | access-date=July 30, 2025 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213101514/https://voterly.com/politicians/WeRbpC8m6J/linda-parks | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://voterly.com/politicians/uD5PJxESEj/kelly-long | title=Kelly Long, Supervisor, District 3 from Ventura County, California | access-date=July 30, 2025 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213101513/https://voterly.com/politicians/uD5PJxESEj/kelly-long | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://voterly.com/politicians/vPD7m702Aq/bob-huber | title=Bob Huber, Supervisor, District 4 from Ventura County, California | access-date=July 30, 2025 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213101512/https://voterly.com/politicians/vPD7m702Aq/bob-huber | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://voterly.com/politicians/Y3Ym2Lk1aQ/carmen-ramirez | title=Carmen Ramirez, Supervisor, District 5 from Ventura County, California | access-date=July 30, 2025 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213101512/https://voterly.com/politicians/Y3Ym2Lk1aQ/carmen-ramirez | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_title1      = Chair
| leader_name1       = Janice S. Parvin
| leader_title2      = Vice Chair
| leader_name2       = [[Jeff Gorell]]
| leader_title3      = Board of Supervisors<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ventura.org/board-of-supervisors/ | title=Board of Supervisors }}</ref>
| leader_name3       = {{Collapsible list
    | title = Supervisors
    | frame_style = border:none; padding:0;
    | list_style  = text-align:left;
    | 1  = Matt LaVere 
    | 2  = [[Jeff Gorell]] 
    | 3  = Kelly Long 
    | 4  = Janice S. Parvin 
    | 5  = Vianey Lopez
   }}
| leader_title4      = [[Chief executive officer]]
| leader_name4       = Sevet Johnson
<!-- Population ----------->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|April 1, 2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name=QF/>
| population_total   = 843843
| pop_est_as_of      = 2024
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2018">{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2018_PEPANNRES&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder|access-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602094321/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|archive-date=June 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_est     = 835,427 {{loss}}
| population_density_sq_mi = 458
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Ventura County, CA   |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06111|work=[[Federal Reserve Economic Data]] |publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]]}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = $62.329 billion (2022)
| established_title1 = Created
| established_date1  = March 22, 1872<ref>{{Cite GNIS|277320|Ventura County}}</ref>
| established_title2 = Established
| established_date2  = January 1, 1873<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ventura.org/county-executive-office/about-us/ |title=About Us - Ventura County |website=Ventura.org |publisher=Ventura County Executive Office |access-date=August 28, 2023}}</ref>
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;8
| timezone_DST       = [[Pacific Daylight Time]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;7
| postal_code_type   = <!--[[ZIP code]]s-->
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code          = [[Area codes 805 and 820|805/820]], [[Area codes 747 and 818|818/747]]
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info_sec1    = 06-111
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info_sec1   = {{GNIS 4|277320}}
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=250|frame-align=center|type=shape-inverse|stroke-color=#808080|fill=#808080|fill-opacity=0.4|zoom=7}}
| map_caption        = Interactive map of Ventura County
| image_map1         = Map of California highlighting Ventura County.svg
| mapsize1           = 200px
| map_caption1       = Location in the state of California
| blank_name_sec2    = Congressional districts
| blank_info_sec2    = [[California's 24th congressional district|24th]], [[California's 26th congressional district|26th]], [[California's 32nd congressional district|32nd]]
| website            = {{URL|https://ventura.org}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Ventura County''' ({{IPAc-en|v|ɛ|n|ˈ|t|ʊər|ə|audio=En-us-ventura.ogg}}) is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in [[Southern California|the southern part]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 843,843.<ref name="QF">{{cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/venturacountycalifornia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ventura County, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US06111|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref> The largest city is [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]], and the county seat is the city of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

Ventura County comprises the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the [[Greater Los Angeles]] area (Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area). It is also considered the southernmost county along the [[Central Coast (California)|California Central Coast]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=California Department of Recreation |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=872 |title=Central Coast |work=California State Parks |access-date=July 26, 2014}}</ref>

Two of the [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]] are part of the county: [[Anacapa Island]], which is the most visited island in [[Channel Islands National Park]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/historyculture/anacapaisland.htm|title=Anacapa Island History and Culture - Channel Islands National Park |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |language=en|access-date=September 6, 2018}}</ref> and [[San Nicolas Island]].

==History==
===Indigenous===
[[File:Pictographs at the Burro Flats Painted Cave.png|thumb|left|Pictographs in the [[Burro Flats Painted Cave]] in Simi Valley]]
Ventura County was historically inhabited by the [[Chumash people]], who also settled much of [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]] and [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]] Counties, with their presence dating back 10,000–12,000 years.<ref>Johnson, John R. 1997. ''Chumash Indians in Simi Valley: A Journey Through Time''. Simi Valley, CA: Simi Valley Historical Society. {{ISBN|978-0965944212}}. Page 6.</ref><ref>Starr, Kevin. 2007. ''California: A History. Modern Library Chronicles 23''. New York City, NY: Random House Digital, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-8129-7753-0}}. Page 13.</ref> The Chumash were [[hunter-gatherers]], fishermen, and also traders with the [[Mojave people|Mojave]], [[Yokuts people|Yokuts]], and [[Tongva people|Tongva]] Indians.<ref>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. {{ISBN|0-945092-23-7}}. Page 31.</ref> 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 the [[Burro Flats Painted Cave]] in Simi Valley. The plank canoe, called a ''[[tomol]]'' in [[Chumashan languages|Chumash]], 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 the [[Ventura River]], [[Mugu Lagoon]] and Point Hueneme.<ref name=CCC>{{cite book |author= California Coastal Commission<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=California Coastal Resource Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali |url-access= registration|publisher=University of California Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali/page/267 267]|date=1987 |isbn=0520061853 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite GNIS|247636|Point Hueneme}}</ref> This has led to speculations among archeologists of whether the Chumash could have had a pre-historic contact with [[Polynesians]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Did-ancient-Polynesians-visit-California-Maybe-2661327.php|title=Did ancient Polynesians visit California? Maybe so. / Scholars revive idea using linguistic ties, Indian headdress|last=Davidson|first=Keay|date=June 20, 2005|website=SF Gate|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref> According to [[diachronic linguistics]], certain words such as tomolo'o (canoe) could be related to [[Polynesian languages]]. The dialect of the Chumash language that was spoken in Ventura County was [[Ventureño language|Ventureño]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~survey/languages/ventureno.php|title=Ventureño – Survey of California and Other Indian Languages|website=linguistics.berkeley.edu|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>

Several place names in the county have originated from Chumash, including [[Ojai]], which means moon,<ref>Harrington, John Peabody. The Papers of John Peabody Harrington in the Smithsonian Institution 1907-1957. Kraus International Publications, 1981, 3.89.66-73.</ref> and Simi Valley, which originates from the word Shimiyi and refers to the stringy, thread-like clouds that typify the region.<ref>Johnson, John R. 1997. ''Chumash Indians in Simi Valley: A Journey Through Time''. Simi Valley, CA: Simi Valley Historical Society. {{ISBN|978-0965944212}}. Page 8.</ref> Others include [[Point Mugu]] from the word Muwu (meaning "beach"), [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]] from the word Sa'aqtiko'y (meaning "sheltered for the wind"), and [[Sespe Creek]] from the word S'eqp'e (meaning "kneecap").<ref>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. {{ISBN|0-945092-23-7}}. Pages 29–30.</ref>

===Spanish period===
[[File:Mission San Buenaventura.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mission San Buenaventura]] is a Spanish mission founded in 1782 by the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] order.]]
In October 1542, the expedition led by [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]] anchored in an inlet near [[Point Mugu, California|Point Mugu]]; its members were the first Europeans to arrive in the area that would become Ventura County.<ref>Arnold L. Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California.'' Oxnard, CA: M & N, 1979; pp. 3–4.</ref>

Active occupation of California by Spain began in 1769. [[Gaspar de Portolà]] led a military expedition by land from [[San Diego]] to [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], passing through Ventura County in August of that year. A priest with the expedition, Father [[Juan 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".<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California'', p. 6.</ref> Also on this expedition was Father [[Junípero Serra]], who later founded a mission on this site.

On March 31, 1782, the [[Mission San Buenaventura]] was founded by Father Serra.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 8.</ref> It is named after [[Saint Bonaventure]], one of the early intellectual founders of the [[Franciscan]] 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.<ref>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.</ref>

In the 1790s, the [[List of pre-statehood governors of California|Spanish Governor of California]] began granting land concessions to Spanish Californians who were often retiring soldiers. These concessions were known as [[Ranchos of California|ranchos]] 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 and [[Rancho El Conejo]] in 1802.<ref>Griggs, Gary B. and Kiki Patsch (2005). ''Living with the Changing California Coast''. University of California Press. Page 399. {{ISBN|9780520244474}}.</ref> Fernando Tico was granted Ojai and part of Ventura by Gov. Alvarado.

===Mexican period===
[[File:Fernando Librado Portrait Chumash.jpg|thumb|[[Chumash people|Chumash]] [[North American Indigenous elder|elder]] and master builder [[Fernando Librado]], or Kitsepawit, was born at [[Mission San Buenaventura]] during the Mexican period.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=John R. |date=1982 |title=The Trail to Fernando |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1j17p1td |journal=Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology |volume=4 |pages=132–37}}</ref>]]
In 1822, California was notified of Mexico's [[Mexican War of Independence|independence from Spain]] and the [[List of pre-statehood governors of California|Governor of California]], the Junta, the military in Monterey and the priests and [[Catholic novitiate|neophytes]] 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.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 11.</ref> The missions [[Mexican secularization act of 1833|were secularized by the Mexican government in 1834]]. The [[List of pre-statehood governors of California|Mexican governors]] began granting land rights to Mexican Californians, often retiring soldiers. By 1846, there were 19 rancho grants in Ventura County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.venturacogensoc.org/SpanGrants.htm|title=Ventura County Spanish and Mexican Land Grants|access-date=May 26, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828182002/http://www.venturacogensoc.org/SpanGrants.htm|archive-date=August 28, 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 12.</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clerici |first=Kevin |url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/2007/jul/17/venturas-own-ruins-of-pompeii-unearthed-are-at |title=Artifacts are found at site |newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]] |date=July 17, 2007 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203074713/http://www.vcstar.com/news/2007/jul/17/venturas-own-ruins-of-pompeii-unearthed-are-at/}}</ref>

===American period===
The [[Mexican–American War]] began in 1846 but its effect was not felt in Ventura County until 1847. In January of that year, Captain [[John 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 the [[Treaty of Cahuenga]] with General [[Andrés Pico]]. The [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] formally transferred California to the United States in 1848.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 12–13.</ref>

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 of [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara County]].<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 15.</ref>

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.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 16–17.</ref>

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.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 22–23.</ref>

Other towns were being established in the county. A plan for [[Port Hueneme, California|Hueneme]] (later Port Hueneme) was recorded in 1874, and [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]]'s plan was recorded in 1875. Along the banks of the Santa Clara River, the township of New Jerusalem (which would eventually be named [[El Rio, California|El Rio]])  was founded in 1875 by the owner of general store named Simon Cohen who became its first postmaster and banker in 1882.<ref>{{Citation |title=El Rio, California |date=July 10, 2023 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=El_Rio,_California&oldid=1164628275 |work=Wikipedia |access-date=October 25, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The community of Nordhoff (later renamed [[Ojai, California|Ojai]]) was started in 1874.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 23–24.</ref> [[Bardsdale, California|Bardsdale]], [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]], [[Piru, California|Piru]], and [[Montalvo, Ventura, California|Montalvo]] were established in 1887.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 25–27.</ref>   1892 saw [[Simi Valley, California|Simi]] (later Simi Valley), [[Somis, California|Somis]], [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]], and [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]]. Oxnard was a latecomer, not being established until 1898.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 27.</ref>

The [[Southern 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.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 25.</ref> The rail line to [[Northern California]] originally went through [[Saugus, Santa Clarita, California|Saugus]], Fillmore and Santa Paula, providing a boom to those communities along the line. In 1905, Tunnel #26 was completed between [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth]] and [[Corriganville]] near Simi Valley, shortening the rail route. At a length of {{convert|7369|ft}}, Tunnel #26 was the longest tunnel ever constructed in its day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chatsworthhistory.com/Documents/PastPresent/Train%20Tunnels%20-%20Ann%20CHS.pdf |title=Chatsworth past & present |last=Vincent |first=Ann |access-date=September 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054055/http://www.chatsworthhistory.com/Documents/PastPresent/Train%20Tunnels%20-%20Ann%20CHS.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2013  }}</ref> This tunnel joined to the railroad spur coming the other direction from [[East Ventura (Metrolink station)|Montalvo]] through Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley, making the [[Coast Line (UP)|contemporary main line]] used today. One stop along the way, at a 90-degree turn, was at a [[sugar 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxnardpd.org/bureaus/departmenthistory.asp |title=History of Oxnard & The Oxnard Police Department |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305043224/https://www.oxnardpd.org/bureaus/departmenthistory.asp |archive-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitoxnard.com/about-oxnard/history-of-oxnard/|title=About Oxnard California - City of Oxnard Information - Visit Oxnard|access-date=May 26, 2017|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054556/http://www.visitoxnard.com/about-oxnard/history-of-oxnard/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:SantaBarbaraVenturaOilGasFields.png|thumb|300px|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 {{convert|2558|ft|m}} but was destroyed when it went wild. Other wells met a similar fate, until 1916, when a deal was struck with the [[Shell Oil Company]]. 1916 was the year that the large [[South Mountain Oil Field]] was discovered; other deals followed with [[General Petroleum]] in 1917 and [[Associated Oil Company]] in 1920. At its peak, the largest oil field in the county, the [[Ventura Oil Field|Ventura Avenue oilfield]], discovered in 1919 in the hills north of Ventura, was producing {{convert|90000|oilbbl}} of oil a day, with annual production of over 1.5{{Nbsp}}million barrels. More oil fields came online in the 1920s and 1930s, with the [[Rincon Oil Field|Rincon field]], the second largest, in 1927, and the adjacent [[San Miguelito Oil Field|San Miguelito]] in 1931.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' pp. 27–29.</ref><ref>''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.</ref>

In the early hours of the morning of March 12–13, 1928, the [[St. Francis Dam]] collapsed, sending nearly {{convert|12500|e6USgal|abbr=off|sp=us}} of water rushing through the Santa Clarita Valley killing as many as 600 people,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pollack|first=Alan|url=http://www.scvhs.org/news/dispatch36-2.pdf|title=President's Message|journal=The Heritage Junction Dispatch|publisher=Santa Clara Valley Historical Society|date=March–April 2010|archive-date=June 9, 2013|access-date=May 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609044219/http://www.scvhs.org/news/dispatch36-2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> destroying 1,240 homes and flooding {{convert|7900|acre|km2}} of land, devastating farm fields and orchards.<ref>Murphy, ''A Comprehensive Story of Ventura County, California,'' p. 31.</ref> This was the single largest disaster to strike Ventura County and the second largest, in terms of lives lost, in the state.

===Modern period===
[[File:California Orange Grove2.jpg|thumb|Orange grove outside of Santa Paula, California]]
[[File:Victoria Avenue.jpg|thumb|right|Typical rush-hour traffic in Ventura]]
Ventura County can be separated into two major parts, East County and West County, which are divided by the [[Conejo Grade]].<ref>Brant, Cherie (2006). ''Keys to the County: Touring Historic Ventura County''. Ventura County Museum. Page 133. {{ISBN|978-0972936149}}.</ref> East County consists of all cities east of the Conejo Grade. Geographically East County is the end of the [[Santa Monica Mountains]], in which the [[Conejo Valley]] is located, and where there is a considerable increase in elevation. Communities which are considered to be in the East County are [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]], [[Newbury Park, California|Newbury Park]], [[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]], [[Hidden Valley, Ventura County, California|Hidden Valley]], Santa Rosa Valley, part of Westlake Village, [[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]], Moorpark, and Simi Valley.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}} A majority of these communities are in the Conejo Valley.

West County, which is everything west of the Conejo Grade, consists of communities such as [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], Oxnard, Somis, Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore.<!-- Fillmore appears to be North of the grade, as does Simi Valley --> 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 the [[Channel Islands of California|Channel Islands]] Harbor.

Starting in the mid-20th century, there was a large growth in population in the East County, moving from the [[San Fernando Valley]] in Los Angeles and out into the Conejo and Simi Valleys. Part of the [[Conejo Valley]] is situated in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]. This part consists of [[Calabasas, California|Calabasas]], [[Hidden Hills, California|Hidden Hills]], [[Agoura Hills, California|Agoura Hills]], [[Agoura, California|Agoura]], and [[Westlake Village, California|Westlake Village]]. The other half of the Conejo Valley, which belongs to Ventura County, consists of [[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]], [[Hidden Valley, Ventura County, California|Hidden Valley]], [[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]], [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]], and [[Newbury Park, California|Newbury 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 of [[East Los Angeles (region)|East]] and [[Central Los Angeles]]. As a result, there was a large growth in population into the Conejo Valley and into Ventura County through the [[U.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 of [[Simi Valley, California|Simi 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 the [[U.S. Route 101 in California|U.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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Comprehensive Review of Water Service/Outside Area Update |department=Administrative Report:City Council Action Date January 23, 2012 |publisher=[[Ventura, California|City of Ventura]] |date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=October 3, 2016 |url=http://www.cityofventura.net/files/file/meetings/city_council/2012/01-23-12/item%2013.pdf  |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003215857/http://www.cityofventura.net/files/file/meetings/city_council/2012/01-23-12/item%2013.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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&nbsp;years.{{When|date=January 2022}}

====Thomas Fire====
{{main|Thomas Fire}}
The Thomas Fire was a massive [[wildfire]] that affected Ventura and [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]] Counties, and one of [[December 2017 Southern California wildfires|multiple wildfires]] that ignited in [[Southern California]] in December 2017. It burned approximately {{convert|281,893|acre|sqmi ha|0}}, becoming the largest [[List of California wildfires|wildfire in modern California history]], before it was fully contained on January 12, 2018.<ref name="largest wildfire">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-thomas-fire-size-20171222-20171222-htmlstory.html|title=Thomas fire becomes largest wildfire on record in California|author1=Michael Livingston|author2=Javier Panzar|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 23, 2017|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref>

The Thomas Fire destroyed at least 1,063 structures, while damaging 280 others;<ref name="31,000 acres">{{cite news|url=http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/12/04/fast-moving-brush-fire-burns-100-acres-in-ventura-county/|title=Deadly Thomas Fire in Ventura County explodes to 31,000 acres overnight, 150 structures burned|work=Fox5News|date=December 5, 2017|access-date=December 5, 2017}}</ref> and the fire caused over $2.176 billion (2018 USD) in damages,<ref name="charting">{{cite web|url=https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2018/04/charting-the-financial-damage-of-the-thomas-fire|title=Charting the Financial Damage of the Thomas Fire|author=Annette Ding|publisher=The Bottom Line|date=April 10, 2018|access-date=May 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name="agriculture suffers" /> including more than $204.5 million in suppression costs, becoming the seventh-most destructive wildfire in state history.<ref name="grows">{{cite news|url=http://abc7.com/thomas-fire-chars-230k-acres-moves-into-santa-barbara-county/2764882/|title=Thomas Fire grows to 230,000 acres as it continues destructive path into Santa Barbara County|author=Chelsea Edwards|publisher=ABC 7|date=December 11, 2017|access-date=December 11, 2017}}</ref> The agriculture industry suffered at least $171 million in losses due to the Thomas Fire.<ref name="agriculture suffers">{{cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2018/01/23/over-170-million-damage-sustained-ventura-countys-agricultural-industry-thomas-fire-according-data-p/1055678001/|title=Ventura County agriculture suffers over $170 million in damages from Thomas Fire|author=Tyler Hersko|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|date=January 23, 2018|access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hersko |first=Tyler |date=January 3, 2018 |title=Burned by Thomas Fire, Ventura County farmers look toward recovery |newspaper=Ventura County Star |url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2018/01/03/burned-thomas-fire-ventura-county-farmers-look-toward-recovery/971672001/ |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2019/11/27/valley-fever-symptoms-treatment-cases-ventura-county-california/4311056002/|title=Valley fever rate stays high in Ventura County, sparks debate about fire, global warming|last=Kisken|first=Tom|date=November 27, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=November 28, 2019}}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/28/ventura-county-fires-edison-thomas-fire-woolsey-claims-resolved/2730318001/|title=The money is in: County gets more than $16M from Edison|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=December 28, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:AngelesNFmap.png|thumb|right|250px|53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest land.<ref name="conservation.ca.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/news/2001%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2001-55%20LA,%20Ventural%20FMMP.aspx |title=Pace of urbanization slows in Los Angeles, Ventura counties, new doc maps show |access-date=October 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023082054/http://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/news/2001%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2001-55%20LA,%20Ventural%20FMMP.aspx |archive-date=October 23, 2014 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|2208|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1843|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|365|sqmi}} (16.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref><ref>Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names.</ref>

Parts of the county are on the [[Oxnard Plain]] which includes the cities of [[Oxnard]], [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] and much of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]. Other cities and communities lie in the intermountain valleys of the Transverse Range. The [[Santa Clara River Valley]] is the most prominent valley, while other valleys include [[Conejo 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 the [[Santa 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 the [[San Fernando Valley]], and the western portion, often referred to as "Oxnard-Ventura". To the east is [[Los Angeles County, California|Los 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.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Page 142">U.S. Department of Agriculture (C. Robert Elford). 1970. ''Soil Survey: Ventura Area, California''. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Page 142.</ref> The climate, though mostly mild and dry, varies because of the variations in [[topography]] through for instance differences in elevation and physical geography. The [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] is the principal waterway. [[Lake Casitas]], an artificial reservoir, is the largest body of water.

The highest peaks in the county include [[Mount Pinos]] ({{convert|8831|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}), [[Frazier Mountain]] ({{convert|8017|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}), and [[Reyes Peak]] ({{convert|7525|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) in the [[Transverse Ranges]]. The uplands are well-timbered with [[Conifer|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 unimpeded views in three directions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-02-me-26691-story.html |title=Storyteller Keeps Chumash Ways Alive in Word, Deed |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Fernandez |first=Lisa |date=August 2, 1997 |access-date=October 8, 2016}}
</ref>

The USDA [[Economic 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."<ref>{{Cite news|title = Every county in America, ranked by scenery and climate|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/17/every-county-in-america-ranked-by-natural-beauty/|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = August 17, 2015|access-date = August 20, 2015|issn = 0190-8286|first = Christopher|last = Ingraham}}</ref>

=== Physical geography ===
[[File:Vc bioregions.gif|thumb|left|Map of Ventura County with physiographical [[place name]]s]]
[[File:Point Mugu September 2013 013.jpg|thumb|right|Coastline at [[Point Mugu State Park]]]]
There are {{convert|555953|acres}} 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.<ref name="conservation.ca.gov"/> 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 the [[Los Padres National Forest]], and includes the [[Chumash Wilderness]] in the northernmost portion, adjacent to [[Kern County, California|Kern County]], as well as the large [[Sespe Wilderness]] and portions of both the [[Dick Smith Wilderness]] and [[Matilija 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.
[[File:Simi-Valley-Aerial-from-west-with-mountains-August-2014.jpg|thumb|right|[[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] in the [[Simi Valley|valley of the same name]], in the southeast corner of the county]]
The coastal plain was formed by the deposition of sediments from the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] and from the streams of the Calleguas-Conejo drainage system. It has a mean elevation of {{convert|50|ft|spell=in|abbr=out}}, but at points south of the Santa Clara River, the elevation is as much as {{convert|150|ft}}, and at points north of the river, as much as {{convert|300|ft}}. The coastal plain is generally known as the [[Oxnard 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 {{convert|50|ft}} along the coast south of the coastal plain, to about {{convert|3100|ft}} in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Santa Ynez Mountains, the [[Topatopa 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 with [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/03/11/wildlife-corridor-proposal-vote-ventura-county-board-supervisors/3131339002/|title=Wildlife passage proposal goes to Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=March 11, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref> South Mountain and [[Oak Ridge (California)|Oak Ridge]] are low and long mountains that separate [[Santa Clara River Valley|Santa Clara Valley]] from the Las Posas Valley and [[Simi Valley]]. The Camarillo Hills and the Las Posas Hills extend from [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] to [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] and separate the Las Posas-Simi area from the Santa Rosa Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Pages 142–143">U.S. Department of Agriculture (C. Robert Elford). 1970. ''Soil Survey: Ventura Area, California''. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Pages 142–143.</ref>
[[File:Mount Pinos.jpg|thumb|right|Summit of [[Mount Pinos]], the highest point in the county]]
[[File:Emma-wood-beach.jpg|thumb|left|[[Emma Wood State Beach]] is located west of the City of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]].]]
The intermountain valley of the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] is the most prominent valley in the county and trends east–southwest. The Santa Clara River drains an area of {{convert|1,605|mi2|km2}} and flows from its headwaters in Los Angeles to where it empties into the Pacific. Its principal tributaries are [[Piru Creek]], Santa Paula Creek, and [[Sespe Creek]]. The valley of the [[Ventura River]] is a narrow valley north of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]. [[Ojai Valley]] is connected to the Ventura River Valley by San Antonio Creek. The small [[Upper Ojai, California|Upper Ojai Valley]], east of Ojai Valley and {{convert|300|to|500|ft|m}} higher, drains to the [[Ventura 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 {{convert|226|mi2|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 the [[Oxnard Plain]] almost to Simi Valley, which is in the east end of Ventura County. The city of [[Simi Valley, California|Simi 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 {{convert|10|mi|km|spell=in}}. 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 by [[Calleguas Creek]] and its principal tributary, Conejo Creek. These creeks originate in the [[Santa Susana Mountains|Santa Susana]] and [[Santa Monica Mountains]].<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Page 142"/>

The county's diverse {{convert|43|mi|km|adj=on}}<ref>Ginsberg, Joanne S. (1991). ''California Coastal Access Guide''. University of California Press. Page 185. {{ISBN|9780520050518}}.</ref> coastline features a variety of terrain. There are many State beaches: [[Emma Wood State Beach|Emma Wood]], [[San Buenaventura State Beach|San Buenaventura]], [[McGrath State Beach|McGrath]], and [[Mandalay State Beach]]. Other beaches include [[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]], [[Solimar Beach, CA|Solimar Beach]], [[Oxnard Beach Park]], and [[Silver Strand Beach]]. While [[Point Mugu State Park]] is known for its steep coastal terrain with little beach access, nearby [[County Line Beach]] in the south coast community of [[Solromar, California|Solromar]] is part of the fabled [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] coastline. Ventura County has plenty of other surf spots along the coast including the notable surf spot, [[Rincon (surfspot)|Rincon Point]], on the Santa Barbara County-line.

The [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]] in Ventura County are [[Anacapa Island|Anacapa]] and [[San Nicolas Island|San Nicholas Islands]].

=== Climate ===
[[File:Sunset Over The Topatopa Mountains - From Santa Clarita.jpg|thumb|right|Sunset over the [[Topatopa Mountains]] in northern Ventura County]]
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&nbsp;°F at low elevations near the ocean, in the 50s over most of the northern two-thirds of the county, and less than 45&nbsp;°F in the [[Topatopa Mountains]]. The annual range in temperature is between 70&nbsp;°F and 80&nbsp;°F on the Coastal Plain and as much as 100&nbsp;°F in the interior. For July, the average maximum temperature is between 70&nbsp;°F and 80&nbsp;°F on the Coastal Plain but exceeds 90&nbsp;°F in the upper part of the Ventura- and Cuyama River Valleys. For January, the average minimum temperature is near 40&nbsp;°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.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Pages 142–143"/>

====Air quality====
{{See also|Ventura County Air Pollution Control District}}
[[Automobile emissions]] account for most of the [[air pollution]]. Other sources include [[chemical plant]]s, [[Filling station|gasoline stations]], paint and [[Environmental impact of cleaning agents|cleaning products]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/28/the-environmental-protection-agency-ventura-county-california/3787966002/|title=Ventura County wrongly criticized in EPA air warning, local official says|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=September 28, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Santa Barbara County, California]] — west
* [[Kern County, California]] — north
* [[Los Angeles County, California]] — east

===National protected areas===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Angeles National Forest]] (part)
* [[Channel Islands National Park]] (part)
* [[Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[Los Padres National Forest]] (part)
* [[Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area]] (part)
* [[Dick Smith Wilderness]] (part)
{{div col end}}

===Rivers===
[[File:Arroyo-Simi-Biking-Trail-seen-from-Frontier-Park-Simi-Valley.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Walkway by [[Arroyo Simi]] in [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]]]]
[[File:Ventura River Swimming-Hole.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Swimming hole in the [[Ventura River]]]]
Rivers in Ventura County include:

*[[Los Sauces Creek]]
*[[Madrianio Creek]]
*[[Padre Juan Canyon]]
*[[Ventura River]]
**[[Manuel Canyon]]
**[[Cañada Larga]]
**[[Cañada de Alisos]]
**[[Coyote Creek (Ventura County)|Coyote Creek]]
***[[Lake Casitas]]
****[[Laguna Creek (Lake Casitas)|Laguna Creek]]
****[[Willow Creek (Lake Casitas)|Willow Creek]]
****[[Santa Ana Creek]]
*****[[Roble-Casitas Canal]]
****[[Poplin Creek]]
***[[Deep Cat Lake]]
***[[East Fork Coyote Creek]]
***[[West Fork Coyote Creek]]
**[[Matilija Creek]]
***[[Rattlesnake Creek (Matilija Creek)|Rattlesnake Creek]]
***[[Lime Creek (California)|Lime Creek]]
***[[Murietta Creek]]
***[[Middle Fork Matilija Creek]]
***[[Upper North Fork Matilija Creek]]
**[[North Fork Matilija Creek]] (This and Matilija Creek form the Ventura River's headwaters.)
*[[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]]
**[[Sespe Creek]]
**[[Piru Creek]]
**[[Castaic Creek]]
*[[Calleguas Creek]]
**[[Arroyo Simi]]
**[[Arroyo Conejo]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 5073
|1890= 10071
|1900= 14367
|1910= 18347
|1920= 28724
|1930= 54976
|1940= 69685
|1950= 114647
|1960= 199138
|1970= 376430
|1980= 529174
|1990= 669016
|2000= 753197
|2010= 823318
|2020= 843843
|estyear=2024
|estimate=835427
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 10, 2025}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2022}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=May 31, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 31, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 31, 2014}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Ventura County, California – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 1980<ref>{{Cite web |title=California: 1980, General Social and Economic Characteristics, Part 1 - Table 59: Persons by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_caCs1-01.pdf|access-date=}}</ref>
!Pop 1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=California: 1990, Part 1 - Table 5: Race and Hispanic Origin|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-6-1.pdf |access-date=July 14, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Ventura County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=050XX00US06111&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ventura County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US06111&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ventura County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US06111&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|383,064
|440,555
|427,449
|400,868
|style='background: #ffffe6; |360,850
|72.39%
|65.85%
|56.75%
|48.69%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |42.76%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|10,832
|14,559
|13,490
|13,082
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,704
|2.05%
|2.18%
|1.79%
|1.59%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.62%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|4,899
|3,430
|3,177
|2,389
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,020
|0.93%
|0.51%
|0.42%
|0.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.24%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|15,994
|32,665
|39,452
|54,099
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63,252
|3.02%
|4.88%
|5.24%
|6.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.50%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref>
|1,379
|1,353
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,415
|x
|x
|0.18%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|1,193
|855
|1,122
|1,371
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,451
|0.23%
|0.13%
|0.15%
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.53%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref>
|x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref>
|15,394
|18,589
|style='background: #ffffe6; |32,866
|x
|x
|2.04%
|2.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.89%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|113,192
|176,952
|251,734
|331,567
|style='background: #ffffe6; |365,285
|21.39%
|26.45%
|33.42%
|40.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |43.29%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''529,174'''
|'''669,016'''
|'''753,197'''
|'''823,318'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''843,843 '''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

=== 2011 ===

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! colspan=6 | Population, race, and income
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| colspan=2 | 815,745
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 578,324
| 70.9%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 14,435
| 1.8%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 9,186
| 1.1%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 56,230
| 6.9%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 1,410
| 0.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 123,892
| 15.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| 32,268
| 4.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| 323,735
| 39.7%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $32,740
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $76,728
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
| colspan=2 | $86,321
|}

==== Places by population, race, and income ====

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan=9 | Places by population and race
|-
! Place
! Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/><br /><ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Black or African<br />American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/><br /><ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Hispanic or Latino<br />(of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/>
|-
| [[Bell Canyon, California|Bell Canyon]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 2,291 || 83.9% || 3.0% || 10.3% || 0.0% || 2.7% || 3.4%
|-
| [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 64,340 || 73.0% || 13.8% || 10.7% || 1.4% || 1.0% || 24.5%
|-
| [[Casa Conejo, California|Casa Conejo]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,424 || 89.0% || 4.6% || 2.1% || 4.3% || 0.0% || 32.6%
|-
| [[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,299 || 94.0% || 4.8% || 1.2% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 19.2%
|-
| [[El Rio, California|El Rio]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 6,014 || 60.2% || 35.9% || 1.6% || 1.5% || 0.9% || 79.5%
|-
| [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 14,863 || 60.4% || 35.0% || 3.2% || 0.6% || 0.9% || 74.8%
|-
| [[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,396 || 88.4% || 6.0% || 0.5% || 2.5% || 2.6% || 2.9%
|-
| [[Meiners Oaks, California|Meiners Oaks]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,339 || 79.5% || 15.4% || 0.8% || 1.1% || 3.2% || 29.3%
|-
| [[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 7,666 || 86.7% || 9.2% || 1.8% || 0.9% || 1.4% || 15.7%
|-
| [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 34,100 || 75.1% || 18.3% || 5.4% || 1.0% || 0.2% || 31.2%
|-
| [[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 14,045 || 85.4% || 4.3% || 9.6% || 0.6% || 0.0% || 6.2%
|-
| [[Oak View, California|Oak View]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 4,166 || 81.0% || 17.3% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 1.7% || 27.8%
|-
| [[Ojai, California|Ojai]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 7,496 || 84.4% || 13.4% || 2.0% || 0.0% || 0.1% || 17.0%
|-
| [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 194,972 || 59.7% || 26.6% || 7.9% || 3.2% || 2.6% || 71.6%
|-
| [[Piru, California|Piru]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,638 || 60.0% || 39.9% || 0.0% || 0.2% || 0.0% || 83.6%
|-
| [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 21,717 || 63.6% || 19.5% || 7.1% || 5.1% || 4.7% || 51.3%
|-
| [[Ventura, California|San Buenaventura (Ventura)]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 105,809 || 73.4% || 21.0% || 3.2% || 1.4% || 1.0% || 32.8%
|-
| [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 29,248 || 53.0% || 45.5% || 0.6% || 0.2% || 0.7% || 78.8%
|-
| [[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,143 || 91.8% || 3.3% || 4.9% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 6.5%
|-
| [[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,115 || 92.4% || 4.8% || 0.0% || 2.8% || 0.0% || 8.1%
|-
| [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 851 || 59.3% || 36.3% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 4.3% || 74.7%
|-
| [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 122,864 || 74.8% || 14.3% || 8.8% || 1.2% || 0.9% || 24.3%
|-
| [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 125,633 || 79.6% || 9.1% || 9.8% || 1.1% || 0.4% || 16.0%
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan=6 | Places by population and income
|-
! Place
! Type<ref name="US-CB"/>
! Population<ref name="US-CB-B01003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="currency" | Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301"/>
! data-sort-type="currency" | Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013"/>
! data-sort-type="currency" | Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113"/>
|-
| [[Bell Canyon, California|Bell Canyon]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 2,291 || $85,789 || $220,764 || $230,455
|-
| [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 64,340 || $37,840 || $84,168 || $101,334
|-
| [[Casa Conejo, California|Casa Conejo]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,424 || $26,950 || $84,286 || $86,630
|-
| [[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,299 || $53,891 || $70,313 || $69,333
|-
| [[El Rio, California|El Rio]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 6,014 || $15,861 || $56,415 || $58,665
|-
| [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 14,863 || $20,582 || $60,605 || $67,784
|-
| [[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,396 || $104,724 || $210,391 || $211,484
|-
| [[Meiners Oaks, California|Meiners Oaks]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,339 || $33,264 || $51,955 || $73,365
|-
| [[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 7,666 || $32,718 || $71,723 || $83,968
|-
| [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 34,100 || $36,375 || $103,009 || $107,412
|-
| [[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 14,045 || $55,681 || $128,618 || $143,188
|-
| [[Oak View, California|Oak View]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 4,166 || $38,062 || $80,614 || $81,750
|-
| [[Ojai, California|Ojai]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 7,496 || $36,769 || $63,750 || $89,338
|-
| [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 194,972 || $20,612 || $60,191 || $61,965
|-
| [[Piru, California|Piru]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,638 || $15,730 || $49,141 || $47,734
|-
| [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 21,717 || $23,391 || $52,244 || $56,566
|-
| [[Ventura, California|San Buenaventura (Ventura)]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 105,809 || $31,775 || $66,226 || $81,616
|-
| [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 29,248 || $19,713 || $53,359 || $55,399
|-
| [[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 3,143 || $71,594 || $154,931 || $176,938
|-
| [[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 1,115 || $40,271 || $111,610 || $112,027
|-
| [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]] || [[Census-designated place|CDP]] || 851 || $12,192 || $34,375 || $35,299
|-
| [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 122,864 || $35,467 || $89,452 || $97,999
|-
| [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]] || [[List of cities and towns in California|City]] || 125,633 || $46,093 || $100,373 || $112,876
|}

=== 2010 ===
The [[2010 United States census]] reported that Ventura County had a population of 823,318. The racial makeup of Ventura County was 565,804 (68.7%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 15,163 (1.8%) [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 8,068 (1.0%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 55,446 (6.7%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1,643 (0.2%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 140,253 (17.0%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 36,941 (4.5%) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 331,567 persons (40.3%).<ref>{{USCensus2010CA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
!colspan=10|Population reported at [[2010 United States census]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |'''The County''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|''' Ventura County'''
|align="right"|823,318||align="right"|565,804||align="right"|15,163||align="right"|8,068||align="right"|55,446||align="right"|1,643||align="right"|140,253||align="right"|36,941||align="right"|331,567
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Incorporated city|Incorporated<br/>cities and towns]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|'''[[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]]'''
|align="right"|65,201||align="right"|48,947||align="right"|1,216||align="right"|397||align="right"|6,633||align="right"|116||align="right"|4,774||align="right"|3,118||align="right"|14,958
|-
|'''Fillmore'''
|align="right"|15,002||align="right"|8,581||align="right"|75||align="right"|180||align="right"|155||align="right"|12||align="right"|5,204||align="right"|795||align="right"|11,212
|-
|'''Moorpark'''
|align="right"|34,421||align="right"|25,860||align="right"|533||align="right"|248||align="right"|2,352||align="right"|50||align="right"|3,727||align="right"|1,651||align="right"|10,813
|-
|'''Ojai'''
|align="right"|7,461||align="right"|6,555||align="right"|42||align="right"|47||align="right"|158||align="right"|1||align="right"|440||align="right"|218||align="right"|1,339
|-
|'''Oxnard'''
|align="right"|197,899||align="right"|95,346||align="right"|5,771||align="right"|2,953||align="right"|14,550||align="right"|658||align="right"|69,527||align="right"|9,094||align="right"|145,551
|-
|'''Port Hueneme'''
|align="right"|21,723||align="right"|12,357||align="right"|1,111||align="right"|295||align="right"|1,299||align="right"|119||align="right"|5,224||align="right"|1,318||align="right"|11,360
|-
|'''Santa Paula'''
|align="right"|29,321||align="right"|18,458||align="right"|152||align="right"|460||align="right"|216||align="right"|24||align="right"|8,924||align="right"|1,087||align="right"|23,299
|-
|'''Simi Valley'''
|align="right"|124,237||align="right"|93,597||align="right"|1,739||align="right"|761||align="right"|11,555||align="right"|178||align="right"|10,685||align="right"|5,722||align="right"|28,938
|-
|'''[[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]]'''
|align="right"|126,683||align="right"|101,702||align="right"|1,674||align="right"|497||align="right"|11,043||align="right"|146||align="right"|6,869||align="right"|4,752||align="right"|21,341
|-
|'''Ventura'''
|align="right"|106,433||align="right"|81,553||align="right"|1,724||align="right"|1,287||align="right"|3,663||align="right"|206||align="right"|12,486||align="right"|5,514||align="right"|33,874
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Census-designated place|Census-designated<br/>places]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|'''[[Bell Canyon, California|Bell Canyon]]'''
|align="right"|2,049||align="right"|1,724||align="right"|58||align="right"|4||align="right"|179||align="right"|0||align="right"|10||align="right"|74||align="right"|103
|-
|'''[[Casa Conejo, California|Casa Conejo]]'''
|align="right"|3,249||align="right"|2,560||align="right"|27||align="right"|20||align="right"|160||align="right"|4||align="right"|327||align="right"|151||align="right"|851
|-
|'''[[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]]'''
|align="right"|3,103||align="right"|2,712||align="right"|27||align="right"|16||align="right"|108||align="right"|6||align="right"|103||align="right"|131||align="right"|402
|-
|'''[[El Rio, California|El Rio]]'''
|align="right"|7,198||align="right"|3,495||align="right"|58||align="right"|201||align="right"|73||align="right"|24||align="right"|3,027||align="right"|320||align="right"|6,188
|-
|'''[[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]]'''
|align="right"|1,527||align="right"|1,368||align="right"|5||align="right"|1||align="right"|101||align="right"|0||align="right"|9||align="right"|43||align="right"|52
|-
|'''[[Meiners Oaks, California|Meiners Oaks]]'''
|align="right"|3,571||align="right"|2,789||align="right"|14||align="right"|58||align="right"|51||align="right"|1||align="right"|549||align="right"|109||align="right"|1,068
|-
|'''[[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]]'''
|align="right"|6,854||align="right"|5,989||align="right"|43||align="right"|61||align="right"|129||align="right"|3||align="right"|406||align="right"|223||align="right"|1,254
|-
|'''[[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]]'''
|align="right"|13,811||align="right"|11,473||align="right"|141||align="right"|32||align="right"|1,556||align="right"|9||align="right"|162||align="right"|438||align="right"|826
|-
|'''[[Oak View, California|Oak View]]'''
|align="right"|4,066||align="right"|3,227||align="right"|11||align="right"|63||align="right"|34||align="right"|3||align="right"|575||align="right"|153||align="right"|1,217
|-
|'''Piru'''
|align="right"|2,063||align="right"|1,063||align="right"|16||align="right"|43||align="right"|11||align="right"|0||align="right"|830||align="right"|100||align="right"|1,748
|-
|'''[[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]]'''
|align="right"|3,334||align="right"|2,904||align="right"|23||align="right"|13||align="right"|187||align="right"|4||align="right"|102||align="right"|101||align="right"|353
|-
|'''[[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]]'''
|align="right"|1,037||align="right"|904||align="right"|17||align="right"|2||align="right"|23||align="right"|0||align="right"|33||align="right"|58||align="right"|156
|-
|'''Saticoy'''
|align="right"|1,029||align="right"|413||align="right"|9||align="right"|29||align="right"|2||align="right"|0||align="right"|508||align="right"|68||align="right"|895
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |'''Other<br>[[unincorporated area]]s''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''Total<br/>Population'''||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[African American (U.S. census)|African<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native<br/>American]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific<br/>Islander]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Race (United States Census)|other<br/>races]]''' || style="text-align:center;" |'''two or<br/>more races''' ||style="text-align:center;" |'''[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]]<br/>or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]<br/>(of any race)'''
|-
|All others not CDPs (combined)
|align="right"|42,046||align="right"|32,227||align="right"|677||align="right"|400||align="right"|1,208||align="right"|79||align="right"|5,752||align="right"|1,703||align="right"|13,769
|}

=== 2000 ===
As of the census<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 753,197 people, 243,234 households, and 182,911 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|408|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 251,712 housing units at an average density of {{convert|136|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 69.9% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 5.4% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 2.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.9% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 17.7% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.9% from two or more races. About one third (33.4%) of the population is [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 9.8% were of German, 7.7% English and 7.1% Irish ancestry according to [[Census 2000]]. 67.1% spoke only English at home, while 26.2% spoke Spanish and 1.5% [[Tagalog language|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&nbsp;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&nbsp;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. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $24,600. About 6.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the [[poverty 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's [[median]] 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.

===Housing===
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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2018/04/12/new-construction-might-help-ease-housing-crunch-pricey-ventura-county/439633002/|title=New construction might help ease housing crunch in pricey Ventura County|last=Hersko|first=Tyler|date=April 12, 2018|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=June 12, 2019}}</ref> {{as of |March 2018}}, 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/02/19/fillmore-and-westlake-village-notice-over-housing/2918189002/|title=Newsom puts 47 cities, including 2 Fillmore and Westlake Village, on notice over housing|author=staff|date=February 19, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=February 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2019/02/20/fillmore-westlake-village-reps-meet-governor-housing-talk/2886122002/|title=Fillmore, Westlake Village reps meet with governor for housing discussion|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|first=Tyler |last=Hersko|date=February 20, 2019|access-date=February 21, 2019|language=en}}</ref> Several [[affordable housing]] groups that are actively working on building housing for veterans and low income people have long waiting lists.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2019/03/10/affordable-housing-provider-many-mansions-closing-its-waiting-list/3083396002/|title=After waiting list hits 10-year mark, affordable housing provider Many Mansions closes list|last=Hersko|first=Tyler|date=March 11, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/01/08/ventura-county-california-housing-market-predictions-2020/2758220001/|title=The past decade of Ventura County housing: low supply, tight rental market, rising prices|last=Rode|first=Erin|date=January 10, 2020|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref> [[Farmworker]] housing also has waiting lists though designated units continue to be built.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2020/03/09/ventura-county-farmworkers-housing-study-proposed/4905826002/|title=Where do Ventura County's 36,000 farmworkers live? Officials don't know|last=Rode|first=Erin|date=March 10, 2020|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref>

===Metropolitan Statistical Area===
The [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] has designated Ventura County as the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.<ref name=OMB_13-01>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b13-01.pdf|title=OMB Bulletin No. 13-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas|publisher=[[United States Office of Management and Budget]]|date=February 28, 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013}}</ref> The [[United States Census Bureau]] ranked the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|66th most populous]] [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|metropolitan statistical area]] of the United States as of July 1, 2012.<ref name=PopEstCBSA>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-01.csv|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2012 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=March 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401093220/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-01.csv|archive-date=April 1, 2013}}</ref>

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive [[Greater Los Angeles#Combined Statistical Area|Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area]],<ref name=OMB_13-01 /> the [[List of Combined Statistical Areas|second most populous]] [[combined statistical area]] and [[Statistical area (United States)|primary statistical area]] of the United States as of July 1, 2012.<ref name=PopEstCBSA /><ref name=PopEstCSA>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-02.csv|title=Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2012 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=March 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517083619/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-02.csv|archive-date=May 17, 2013}}</ref>

==Economy==

In 2019, the county faced a weak economic outlook due to the declining housing affordability and lack of job growth.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2019/09/13/ventura-county-population-decrease-where-people-moving/2169024001/|title=Ventura County lost 35,000 residents between 2013-2017. Here's a look at where they went|last=Rode|first=Erin|date=September 13, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=September 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2019/10/23/ventura-county-housing-crisis-city-officials-talk-problems-solutions/4004681002/|title=How will cities address Ventura County's housing problem?|last=Rode|first=Erin|date=October 23, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/01/17/current-and-former-ventura-county-residents-discuss-regions-economy/4469967002/|title=Panel of current and former Ventura County residents discuss region's economic future|last=Rode|first=Erin|date=January 17, 2020|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Biasotti |first=Tony |date=February 17, 2023 |title=California Lutheran University study aims to dispel myths about undocumented immigrants |url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/education/2023/02/17/california-lutheran-university-study-myths-united-states-undocumented-immigrants/69877897007/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Ventura County Star |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
[[Lemon]]s 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 orange]]s are nearly $20 million a year, and [[Mandarin orange|mandarin]]s/[[tangelo]]s are more than $17 million a year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2019/09/27/new-lab-looks-to-cure-citrus-disease-feared-by-local-growers/3778857002/|title=New lab looks to cure Huanglongbing disease carried by citrus psyllid|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=August 16, 2020|title=Strawberries fall in value, still king of Ventura County crops as newcomer hemp climbs onto list|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/08/16/strawberries-remain-top-crop-hemp-production-increases-ventura-county/3358003001/|access-date=August 17, 2020|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

The county became a major producer in the state for [[Hemp in the United States|hemp]] after it was [[Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act|removed from a list of controlled substances]] along with other provisions of the [[Hemp Farming Act of 2018]]. These provisions were included in the [[2018 Farm Bill]] which made hemp legal for agricultural uses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/09/18/cbd-oil-hemp-crop-ventura-county-predicted-to-bring-100-million-payoff/2237319001/|title=CBD oil price likely factor in $100 million payoff predicted for Ventura County hemp crop|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=September 27, 2019}}</ref> 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 {{convert|4,100|acres}} for cultivation and seed breeding have been registered in the county.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/10/07/hemp-ban-camarillo-could-join-growing-number-cities-banning-cultivation/3870968002/|title=Hemp ban: Camarillo could join growing number of cities barring cultivation|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref>  The annual crop report had 3,470 harvestable acres for 2019 with an estimated gross value $35.5 million.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=August 12, 2021|title=Value of Ventura County's farm industry stays flat amid pandemic; hemp falls from list|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2021/08/12/ventura-countys-farm-industrys-value-flat-amid-pandemic-hemp-falls-from-list/5505793001/|access-date=August 15, 2021|newspaper=Ventura County Star|language=en-US}}</ref>

Several cities within the county are banning or have a moratorium on the planting, harvesting, drying, processing and manufacture of hemp products.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.toacorn.com/articles/thousand-oaks-proposes-moratorium-on-hemp-industry/|title=Thousand Oaks proposes moratorium on hemp industry|last=Jorrey|first=Kyle|date=September 24, 2019|work=Thousand Oaks Acorn|access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref> These city councils were reacting to complaints about the smell.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/17/hemp-moorpark-ventura-county-california/4180963002/|title=Hemp issue to be aired at Moorpark meeting of Ventura County supervisors|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=November 17, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=November 18, 2019}}</ref> With some fields in unincorporated area being near residences, homeowners also brought their concerns to the county board of supervisors.<ref name="VCS 2019/11/06 Nyeland Acres">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/06/nyeland-acres-marijuana-sales-eyed-ventura-county-pot-ban/4144391002/|title=Ban on pot firms persists for unincorporated areas but perhaps not Nyeland Acres|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=November 7, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=November 7, 2019}}</ref> The acreage available for planting was reduced when a buffer zone was established around schools and residential communities in 2020.<ref name="VCS 2020/01/15">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/01/15/ventura-county-board-farmers-hemp-plant-resident-ban/4438517002/|title=Half-mile buffers OK'd for schools, neighborhoods as board tightens rules on hemp|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=January 15, 2020|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>

===Cannabis===
{{further|Cannabis in California}}
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.<ref name="VCS 2019/01/02">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/01/02/so-far-so-good-legal-marijuana-pot-cannabis-ventura-county/2406687002/|title=So far, so good for legal marijuana sales in Ventura County|last=Martinez|first=Christian|date=January 2, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Orozco|first=Lance|date=November 4, 2020|title=Marijuana-Related Tax Proposals Approved By South Coast Voters|url=https://www.kclu.org/post/marijuana-related-tax-proposals-approved-south-coast-voters|access-date=November 5, 2020|work=KCLU News|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schroyer|first=John|date=November 6, 2020|title=California cities, counties approve pro-cannabis measures|url=https://mjbizdaily.com/california-cities-counties-approve-pro-cannabis-measures/|access-date=November 22, 2020|work=Marijuana Business Daily|language=en-US}}</ref> It restricted operations to the inside of existing greenhouses with only {{convert|500| acres}} of commercial cannabis allowed within the county, though an additional {{convert|100|acres}} is available for nursery cultivation.<ref name="VCS 2021/08/14">{{Cite news|date=August 14, 2021|title=Houweling Nurseries sheds light on closure of longtime tomato growing operation|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2021/08/14/houweling-sheds-light-closure-longtime-tomato-growing-operation-equilibrium-lease/8097104002/|last=Varela|first=Brian J.|access-date=August 18, 2021|newspaper=Ventura County Star}}</ref>

A {{convert|5.5|e6sqft|e6m2|adj=mid|abbr=off}} 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.{{r|VCS 2021/08/14}}<ref name="PCBT 2021-08-04">{{Cite news|last=Mercado|first=Jorge|date=August 4, 2021|title=Houweling's Tomatoes will become state's biggest cannabis greenhouse|url=https://www.pacbiztimes.com/2021/08/04/houwelings-tomatoes-will-become-states-biggest-cannabis-greenhouse/|access-date=August 5, 2021|work=Pacific Coast Business Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="VCS 2020/10/03">{{Cite news|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|title=Camarillo business drives funding of cannabis initiative, stands to benefit|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2020/10/03/camarillo-california-ventura-county-cannabis-pot-weed-measure-o-election-2020/3523687001/|access-date=August 5, 2021|newspaper=Ventura County Star|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Black |first=Lester |date=April 29, 2023 |title=California's largest cannabis farm is run by a former cop |url=https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/largest-california-cannabis-farm-glass-house-17924258.php |access-date=April 30, 2023 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-10 |title=Federal agents clash with protesters after immigration raid at farm near Camarillo |url=https://abc7.com/post/federal-agents-conduct-immigration-raid-camarillo-farm/17056098/ |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref>

===Technology===
[[Amgen]], the Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant, is the biggest [[publicly-traded company]] in Ventura County by [[market capitalization]]. [[The Trade Desk]], the Ventura-based industry leader in advertising on [[Streaming media|streaming services]], is second.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Biasotti |first=Tony |date=February 15, 2023 |title=Ventura's Trade Desk bucks industry trend, sees hefty profits from ads in streaming TV |url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2023/02/15/venturas-trade-desk-bucks-industry-trend-reports-steep-profit-growth/69907294007/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |newspaper=Ventura County Star |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Arts and culture ==
{{Further|List of museums in the California Central Coast}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Albinger Archaeological Museum {{!}} Ventura, CA |url=https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/1747/Albinger-Archaeological-Museum |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=www.cityofventura.ca.gov}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museum {{!}} Channel Islands Maritime Museum {{!}} Oxnard |url=https://www.cimmvc.org/ |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=CI Maritime Museum |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Chumash 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chumash Museum |url=https://www.chumashmuseum.org/ |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=www.chumashmuseum.org}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome |url=https://venturamuseum.org/ |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=Museum of Ventura County |language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Santa Paula Art Museum — Visitor Information |url=https://www.santapaulaartmuseum.org/visitorinfo |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=Santa Paula Art Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Sports==
The city of Ventura is home to the soccer club, [[Ventura County Fusion]], of the [[USL 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.

==Government==

Current county [[County board of supervisors|supervisors]] are Matt LaVere (District 1), Jeff Gorell (District 2), Kelly Long (District 3), Janice Parvin (District 4), and Vianey Lopez (District 5).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Supervisors |url=https://www.ventura.org/board-of-supervisors/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Ventura County |language=en-US}}</ref> Dr. Sevet Johnson is the County Executive Officer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Sevet Johnson selected as Interim County Executive Officer – Ventura County News Channel Website |url=https://news.ventura.org/en/dr-sevet-johnson-selected-as-interim-county-executive-officer/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> James Fryhoff is the sheriff of the [[Ventura County Sheriff's Department]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breitung |first=Kaare |title=SHERIFF JAMES FRYHOFF |url=https://www.venturasheriff.org/sheriff-james-fryhoff/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Ventura County Sheriff's Office |language=en-US}}</ref> Dustin Gardner is the chief of the [[Ventura County Fire Department]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chief's Message – Ventura County Fire Department |url=https://vcfd.org/about-vcfd/chiefs-message/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Federal and state representation===
Much of the county, including the cities of [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]], [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] and [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]], lie within the [[California's 26th congressional district|26th congressional district]], which is represented by {{Representative|cacd|26|fmt=pfl}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|26|access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref> Other parts of the county are in {{Representative|cacd|24|fmt=district}}, {{Representative|cacd|25|fmt=district}}, and {{Representative|cacd|30|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite web
 | url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | title = Counties by County and by District
 | publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission
 | access-date = September 24, 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930184128/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | archive-date = September 30, 2013
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> For the previous twenty five years, most of Ventura County was represented by [[Elton Gallegly]], a conservative Republican from Simi Valley, who retired in 2012.

In the [[California State Senate]], Ventura County is split between {{Representative|casd|19|fmt=sdistrict}}, and {{Representative|casd|27|fmt=sdistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web
 | url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_sd_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | title = Communities of Interest&nbsp;— County
 | publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission
 | access-date = September 28, 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054153/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_sd_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | archive-date = October 23, 2015
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

In the [[California State Assembly]], Ventura County is split between four legislative districts:<ref>{{Cite web
 | url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | title = Communities of Interest&nbsp;— County
 | publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission
 | access-date = September 28, 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054757/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip
 | archive-date = October 23, 2015
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref>
* {{Representative|caad|37|fmt=adistrict}},
* {{Representative|caad|38|fmt=adistrict}},
* {{Representative|caad|44|fmt=adistrict}}, and
* {{Representative|caad|45|fmt=adistrict}}

===Government and policing===
====County supervisors====
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 of [[Statues of Junípero Serra (Ventura, California)|Junípero Serra]] that could be hurtful to those who allege that Serra was responsible for [[California mission clash of cultures|the suppression of the culture]] of [[Chumash people]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stoelk |first=Dave |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Ventura County may soon strip controversial missionary from official seal |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/politics/2022/01/14/ventura-county-may-soon-strip-controversial-missionary-from-official-seal |access-date=January 15, 2022 |work=Spectrum News1}}</ref> The seal also had images referring to atomic energy and oil drilling that no longer represented the county industries.<ref>{{cite news |title=St. Junipero Serra could soon be removed from California county seal |publisher=[[Catholic News Agency]] |date=July 23, 2020 |first=Kevin |last=Jones |newspaper=[[Catholic Telegraph]] |url=https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/st-junipero-serra-could-soon-be-removed-from-california-county-seal/68022 |access-date=July 23, 2020
|archive-date=July 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723164133/https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/st-junipero-serra-could-soon-be-removed-from-california-county-seal/68022 |url-status=live }}</ref> A new seal was adopted that depicts Arch Rock off [[Anacapa Island]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Kathleen |date=May 25, 2022 |title=Updated county seal approved without Serra image |url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2022/05/25/new-ventura-county-seal-features-channel-island-no-mission/9857829002/ |access-date=May 26, 2022 |newspaper=Ventura County Star |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Ventura County Sheriff====
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.

====Municipal police departments====
The incorporated cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Port Hueneme, and Santa Paula have municipal police departments.

==== Crime ====

Ventura County is home to several of the safest communities in the U.S., including [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]], [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]], [[Newbury Park, California|Newbury Park]], and [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]]. Overall, crime in the county is 33% lower than California and U.S. rates.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/thousand-oaks-other-ventura-county-cities-rank-among-safest.html|title=Thousand Oaks, Other Ventura County Cities Rank Among Safest in the Nation in 2012|work=Conejo Valley Guide {{!}} Conejo Valley Events|access-date=September 6, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

According to a 2019 report, the county is the second safest county among California's most populated counties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/conejo-valley/2019/07/17/state-region-report-has-both-good-and-bad-news-ventura-county-civic-alliances/1737436001/|title=Ventura County Civic Alliance delivers good news and bad in State of the Region Report|last=Harris|first=Mike|date=July 17, 2019|website=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and crime rates
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
| colspan="2" | 815,745
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. [http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf Table 11: Crimes &ndash; 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222315/http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf |date=December 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
| 2,021 || 2.48
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 29 || 0.04
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 116 || 0.14
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 757 || 0.93
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 1,119 || 1.37
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 7,696 || 9.43
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 2,954 || 3.62
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/><ref name="LT-note" group="note">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref>
| 11,221 || 13.76
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 1,154 || 1.41
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>
| 113 || 0.14
|}

==== Cities by population and crime rates ====
{{Confusing section|date = July 2020}}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="9" | Cities by population and crime rates
|-
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California)]. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Property crime rate<br />per 1,000 persons
|-
| [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] || 66,506 || 61 || 0.92 || 955 || 14.36
|-
| [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] || 15,298 || 24 || 1.57 || 198 || 12.94
|-
| [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]] || 35,102 || 41 || 1.17 || 330 || 9.40
|-
| [[Ojai, California|Ojai]] || 7,607 || 13 || 1.71 || 162 || 21.30
|-
| [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] || 201,797 || 603 || 2.99 || 4,071 || 20.17
|-
| [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] || 22,142 || 65 || 2.94 || 467 || 21.09
|-
| [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] || 29,899 || 91 || 3.04 || 590 || 19.73
|-
| [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] || 126,686 || 141 || 1.11 || 1,916 || 15.12
|-
| [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]] || 129,171 || 157 || 1.22 || 1,838 || 14.23
|-
| [[Ventura, California|Ventura]] || 108,511 || 310 || 2.86 || 3,885 || 35.80
|}

=== 2040 General Plan ===
In 2020, the County of Ventura updated its [[Comprehensive planning|general plan]] to the Ventura County 2040 General Plan, as mandated by the [[California Office of Planning and Research]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Plan Guidelines and Technical Advisories - Office of Planning and Research |url=https://opr.ca.gov/planning/general-plan/guidelines.html |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=opr.ca.gov}}</ref> This document establishes guidelines and a regulatory basis for development and policy-making in the county until it is updated again in 2040.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VC2040 General Plan Update - Purpose of the General Plan |url=https://www.vc2040.org/purpose-of-the-general-plan |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=www.vc2040.org}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VC2040 General Plan Update - Community Engagement |url=https://www.vc2040.org/community-engagement |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=www.vc2040.org}}</ref> 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:

* Land Use and Community Character
* Housing
* Circulation, Transportation, and Mobility
* Public Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure
* Conservation and Open Space
* Hazards and Safety
* Agriculture
* Water Resources
* Economic Vitality.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=VC2040 General Plan Update - General Plan Organization |url=https://www.vc2040.org/general-plan-organization |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=www.vc2040.org}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=County |first=Ventura |title=Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update |url=https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2019011026/2 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=ceqanet.opr.ca.gov |date=January 13, 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref> As such, the review found no significant population or housing need changes anticipated for the county during this period.<ref name=":1" />

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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Ventura County 2040 General Plan Update - We've Settled! |url=https://www.colabvc.org/portfolio/general-plan/ |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=CoLAB VC |date=July 31, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=County of Ventura reaches settlement with CoLAB regarding 2024 General Plan – Ventura County News Channel Website |url=https://news.ventura.org/en/ventura-county-colab-settlement/ |access-date=March 15, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Ventura County, California|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>|source2=<ref group=note>This total comprised 2,055 votes for [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (who was official Republican nominee in California), 426 votes for [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] [[Eugene V. Debs]] and 169 votes for [[Prohibition Party]] nominee [[Eugene W. Chafin]].</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|158,901|217,424|11,379|California}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|162,207|251,388|9,230|California}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|132,323|194,402|29,382|California}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|147,958|170,929|8,825|California}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|145,853|187,601|7,587|California}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|160,314|148,859|4,020|California}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|136,173|133,258|13,261|California}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|109,202|110,772|31,220|California}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|94,911|99,011|73,725|California}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|147,604|89,065|2,804|California}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|151,383|66,550|2,529|California}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|114,930|56,311|19,409|California}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|82,670|68,529|4,201|California}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|95,310|49,307|6,188|California}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|59,705|47,794|8,762|California}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|40,264|57,805|169|California}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|35,074|35,334|315|California}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|26,342|26,276|149|California}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|24,534|21,967|256|California}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|13,930|18,100|1,019|California}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|11,071|16,342|131|California}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|11,225|15,182|227|California}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|7,579|13,384|235|California}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|6,908|10,903|724|California}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|9,017|3,717|117|California}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|5,705|911|2,139|California}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|5,231|1,305|347|California}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|3,980|2,835|398|California}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|71|2,108|2,654|California}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|1,864|1,181|250|California}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|1,995|840|289|California}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|1,708|1,333|149|California}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|1,553|1,465|63|California}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|1,283|958|512|California}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|1,107|906|43|California}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|749|603|36|California}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|599|522|4|California}}
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 to [[Barack Obama]]'s victory in the county in [[2008 United States presidential election in California|2008]], the last Democrat to win a majority was [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]] in [[1964 United States presidential election in California|1964]], though Democrat Bill Clinton carried the county by a plurality in both of his victories in [[1992 United States presidential election in California|1992]] and [[1996 United States presidential election in California|1996]].

On March 3, 2008, Democratic registration surpassed Republican registration and the former's edge has grown since.<ref>[http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/05/blue-county-democrats-take-lead-in-county Democrats take lead in county registration : Local News : Ventura County Star<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306155948/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/05/blue-county-democrats-take-lead-in-county/|date=March 6, 2008}}</ref> The cities of [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]], [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]], and [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand 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.<ref>McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. Page 77. {{ISBN|9781929365098}}.</ref>
 
{{Hidden begin|titlestyle=background:#ccccff;|title=Gubernatorial elections results}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0;"
|+ Gubernatorial elections results
|-
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2022|2022]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.5% ''127,709''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.5%''' ''153,226''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2018|2018]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|44.4% ''137,393''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''55.6%''' ''171,729''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2014|2014]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.9% ''93,797''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.1%''' ''106,072''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2010|2010]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''49.3%''' ''128,082''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|45.3% ''117,800''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2006|2006]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''61.0%''' ''134,862''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|34.3% ''75,790''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 2002|2002]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''47.2%''' ''91,193''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|43.2% ''83,557''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1998|1998]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.8% ''91,093''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.0%''' ''110,226''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1994|1994]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''62.4%''' ''136,417''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|33.4% ''73,163''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1990|1990]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''57.6%''' ''106,234''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.9% ''68,139''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1986|1986]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''67.2%''' ''118,640''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|31.1% ''54,893''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1982|1982]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''55.2%''' ''99,130''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|42.4% ''76,094''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1978|1978]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.6% ''57,777''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.8%''' ''75,173''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1974|1974]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''50.5%''' ''60,122''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|47.2% ''56,189''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1970|1970]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''58.6%''' ''63,790''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|38.9% ''42,350''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1966|1966]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''60.9%''' ''58,068''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|39.1% ''37,224''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[California gubernatorial election, 1962|1962]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.2% ''31,899''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.5%''' ''37,777''
|}
{{Hidden end}}

=== Voter registration statistics (2013) ===
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and registered voters
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website]. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>
| colspan="2" | 815,745
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. [http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727173649/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf |date=July 27, 2013 }}. Retrieved October 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note>Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>
| 431,154
| 52.9%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 166,462
| 38.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 155,180
| 36.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic&ndash;Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| <span style="color: #800080;">'''+11,282'''</span>
| <span style="color: #800080;">'''+2.6%'''</span>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;American Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 11,072
| 2.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Green<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 2,324
| 0.5%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 2,700
| 0.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 926
| 0.2%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 13
| 0.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 5,733
| 1.3%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
| 86,744
| 20.1%
|}
{{Clear}}

==== Cities by population and voter registration ====
{{Confusing section|date = July 2020}}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="8" | Cities by population and voter registration
|-
! City
! data-sort-type="number" | Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/><br /><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | D&ndash;R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
|-
| [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] || 64,340 || 63.2% || 33.1% || 43.2% || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-10.1%'''</span> || 7.8% || 18.6%
|-
| [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] || 14,863 || 42.7% || 47.0% || 27.8% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+19.2%'''</span> || 7.7% || 20.0%
|-
| [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]] || 34,100 || 58.6% || 33.8% || 40.8% || <span style="color: #800080;">'''-7.0%'''</span> || 7.8% || 20.2%
|-
| [[Ojai, California|Ojai]] || 7,496 || 65.9% || 46.0% || 27.3% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+18.7%'''</span> || 9.1% || 20.2%
|-
| [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] || 194,972 || 36.4% || 51.6% || 22.5% || <span style="color: #0000ff;">'''+29.1%'''</span> || 6.4% || 21.5%
|-
| [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] || 21,717 || 40.4% || 47.5% || 25.2% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+22.3%'''</span> || 8.1% || 21.8%
|-
| [[Ventura, California|San Buenaventura (Ventura)]] || 105,809 || 61.1% || 42.4% || 32.3% || <span style="color: #2b00d6;">'''+10.1%'''</span> || 8.5% || 19.4%
|-
| [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] || 29,248 || 39.8% || 53.4% || 23.7% || <span style="color: #0000ff;">'''+29.7%'''</span> || 6.6% || 18.5%
|-
| [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] || 122,864 || 57.8% || 30.3% || 44.7% || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-14.4%'''</span> || 8.2% || 19.6%
|-
| [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]] || 125,633 || 62.4% || 31.9% || 41.8% || <span style="color: #d6002b;">'''-9.9%'''</span> || 8.0% || 21.0%
|}

== Education==
===K-12 education===
School districts include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06111_ventura/DC20SD_C06111.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Ventura County, CA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 25, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06111_ventura/DC20SD_C06111_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

Unified:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Conejo Valley Unified School District]]
* [[Cuyama Joint Unified School District]]
* [[El Tejon Unified School District]]
* [[Fillmore Unified School District]]
* [[Las Virgenes Unified School District]]
* [[Moorpark Unified School District]]
* [[Oak Park Unified School District]]
* [[Ojai Unified School District]]
* [[Santa Paula Unified School District]] - Includes some areas for PK–12 and some for 9–12 only
* [[Simi Valley Unified School District]]
* [[Ventura Unified School District]]
{{div col end}}

Secondary:
* [[Oxnard Union High School District]]

Elementary:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Briggs Elementary School District]]
* [[Hueneme Elementary School District]]
* [[Mesa Union Elementary School District]]
* [[Mupu Elementary School District]]
* [[Ocean View Elementary School District]]
* [[Oxnard Elementary School District]]
* [[Pleasant Valley School District (California)|Pleasant Valley Elementary School District]]
* [[Rio Elementary School District]]
* [[Santa Clara Elementary School District]]
* [[Somis Union Elementary School District]]
{{div col end}}

===Libraries===

==== Public libraries ====
{{Main|Ventura County Library}}
[[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: [[City of Camarillo Public Library|Camarillo]], Moorpark, [[Oxnard Public Library|Oxnard]], Santa Paula, Simi Valley, and [[Grant R. Brimhall Library|Thousand Oaks]].

==== Academic libraries ====
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&nbsp;Memorial Library and Carrie Estelle Doheny Memorial Library, [[St. John's Seminary (California)|St. John's Seminary]] (Camarillo)
* Evelyn and Howard Boroughs Library, [[Ventura College]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.venturacollege.edu/departments/student-services/library/about-the-library-0|title=About the Library {{!}} Ventura College|website=www.venturacollege.edu|language=en|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>
* John Spoor Broome Library, [[California State University Channel Islands]] (Camarillo)
* [[Moorpark College]] Library
* [[Oxnard College]] Library
* Pearson Library, [[California Lutheran University]] (Thousand Oaks)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.callutheran.edu/library/about/|title=Pearson Library: About|website=California Lutheran University|language=en|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>
* St. Bernardine of Siena Library, [[Thomas Aquinas College]] (Santa Paula)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thomasaquinas.edu/a-liberating-education/st-bernardine-siena-library|title=St. Bernardine of Siena Library|date=July 7, 2011|work=Thomas Aquinas College|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

==== Other libraries ====
The [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] is located in Simi Valley.

Ventura County Law Library, located in the Ventura County Government Center, makes current legal resources available to judges, lawyers, government officials, and other users.

==Transportation==

===Major highways===
[[File:Pacific Coast Highway in Solromar.jpg|thumb|Pacific Coast Highway ([[California State Route 1|CA 1]]) in [[Solromar, California|Solromar]]]]
[[File:CA 23 overlap US 101 Ventura Freeway.jpg|thumb|Overlap [[California State Route 23|SR 23]]/[[U.S. Route 101|US 101]] (Ventura Freeway)]]

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*{{jct|state=CA|US|101}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|1}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|23}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|33}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|34}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|118}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|126}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|150}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|232}}
*{{jct|state=CA|SR|257|locaion1=proposed}}
{{div col end}}

===Public transportation===
Ventura County is served by [[Amtrak]] and [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] trains along the [[Coast Line (Union Pacific Railroad)|main coast rail line]], as well as [[Greyhound Lines]],
[[Gold Coast Transit]] (formerly South Coast Area Transit), and [[Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority|VISTA]] buses. The county also runs the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), which operates various bus routes between cities across the county. The cities of [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have their own small bus systems.

Park authorized commercial service operators provide access to the five islands of [[Channel Islands National Park]].<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/island-transportation.htm "Island Transportation"] National Park Service:Channel Islands National Park. Accessed November 5, 2013</ref>

===Airports===
*[[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.
*[[Camarillo Airport]], formerly a US Air Force Base, is a general aviation airport located south of the City of Camarillo. It is the current base of operations of the [[Ventura County Sheriff's Department]] Aviation Unit and the home of the VCSD's Training Facility and Academy, the [[Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Center]]. The Camarillo Airport also serves as the base of operations for the [[Ventura County Fire Department]] and facilitates the [[Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy]] and the [[Ventura County Reserve Officers Training Center]].
*[[Santa Paula Airport]] is a privately owned airport open to the public for general aviation.

==Communities==

===Cities===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]]
* [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]]
* [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]]
* [[Ojai, California|Ojai]]
* [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]]
* [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]]
* [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]]
* [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]]
* [[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]]
* [[Ventura, California|Ventura]] (county seat)
{{div col end}}

===Unincorporated communities===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Bardsdale, California|Bardsdale]]
* [[Bell Canyon, California|Bell Canyon]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Buckhorn, Ventura County, California|Buckhorn]]
* [[Casa Conejo, California|Casa Conejo]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Casitas Springs, California|Casitas Springs]]
* [[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]]<ref name="CDP" group=note>For statistical purposes, defined by the United States Census Bureau as a [[census-designated place]] (CDP).</ref>
* [[Dulah, California|Dulah]]
* [[El Rio, California|El Rio]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Faria, California|Faria]]
* [[La Conchita, California|La Conchita]]
* [[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Lockwood Valley, California|Lockwood Valley]]
* [[Meiners Oaks, California|Meiners Oaks]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Mussel Shoals, California|Mussel Shoals]]
* [[Newbury Park, California|Newbury Park]]
* [[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Oak View, California|Oak View]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Ortonville, California|Ortonville]]
* [[Piru, California|Piru]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Point Mugu, California|Point Mugu]]
* [[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Sea Cliff, California|Sea Cliff]]
* [[Silver Strand Beach]]
* [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Solromar, California|Solromar]]
* [[Somis, California|Somis]]{{r|CDP| group=note}}
* [[Upper Ojai, California|Upper Ojai]]
* [[Wheeler Springs, California|Wheeler Springs]]
{{div col end}}

===Population ranking===

The population ranking of the following table is based on the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] of Ventura County.<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |website=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 27, 2021}}</ref>

'''†''' ''county seat''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!City/Town/etc.
!Municipal type
!Population (2020 Census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 1
|'''[[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]]''' 
| City
| 202,736
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 2
|'''[[Thousand Oaks, California|Thousand Oaks]]''' 
| City
| 126,966
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 3
|'''[[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]]''' 
| City
| 126,356
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 4
|'''†''' '''[[Ventura, California|Ventura (San Buenaventura)]]''' 
| City
| 110,763
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 5
|'''[[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]]''' 
| City
| 70,741
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 6
|'''[[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]]''' 
| City
| 36,284
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 7
|'''[[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]]''' 
| City
| 30,657
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 8
|'''[[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]]''' 
| City
| 21,954
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 9
|'''[[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]]''' 
| City
| 16,419
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 10
|'''[[Oak Park, California|Oak Park]]''' 
| CDP
| 13,898
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 11
|'''[[Ojai, California|Ojai]]''' 
| City
| 7,637
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 12
|'''[[El Rio, California|El Rio]]''' 
| CDP
| 7,037
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 13
|'''[[Mira Monte, California|Mira Monte]]''' 
| CDP
| 6,618
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 14
|'''[[Oak View, California|Oak View]]''' 
| CDP
| 6,215
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 15
|'''[[Meiners Oaks, California|Meiners Oaks]]''' 
| CDP
| 3,911
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 16
|'''[[Santa Rosa Valley, California|Santa Rosa Valley]]''' 
| CDP
| 3,312
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 17
|'''[[Casa Conejo, California|Casa Conejo]]''' 
| CDP
| 3,267
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 18
|'''[[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]]''' 
| CDP
| 2,870
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 19
|'''[[Piru, California|Piru]]''' 
| CDP
| 2,587
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 20
|'''[[Bell Canyon, California|Bell Canyon]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,946
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 21
|'''[[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,759
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 22
|'''[[Somis, California|Somis]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,429
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 23
|'''[[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,160
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 24
|'''[[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]]''' 
| CDP
| 1,133,
|}

== In popular culture ==
[[Lake Sherwood, California|Lake Sherwood]] is named for its use as the location for Sherwood Forest in the 1922 film ''[[Robin Hood (1922 film)|Robin Hood]]'', starring Douglas Fairbanks.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Behlmer | first = Rudy | title = The Adventures of Robin Hood | location = Madison, Wisconsin | publisher = Univ of Wisconsin Press | year = 1979 | page = 32 | isbn = 0-299-07940-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013556/locations|title=Robin Hood (1922)|website=[[IMDb]]|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref> The 1938 film, ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (film)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'', starring [[Errol Flynn]], also had a major scene shot on location at "Sherwood Forest".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/locations|title=The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)|website=[[IMDb]]|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>

On July 23, 1982, actor [[Vic Morrow]] and two child actors (My-Ca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Ye Chen) were filming a helicopter scene for ''[[Twilight 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.

In 1963, the [[Korean War]] story ''[[The Young and the Brave]]'', featuring a brave and resourceful young boy, was filmed in rural areas of Ventura County. Also, in 2000, the movie ''[[Swordfish (film)|Swordfish]]'' filmed the final bank scene on East Main Street in Ventura. The building they used is the white building on the corner. {{Coord|34.280823|-119.294599|display=inline}}

In 2009, the VH1 television show ''[[Tool Academy (U.S. TV series)|Tool Academy]]'' was filmed in Ventura County.

The movie ''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'' filmed the scene where Marty returns to the year 1985 in the [[DeLorean time machine|time-traveling DeLorean]] at the railroad crossing at [https://maps.google.com/maps?q=South+Ventura+Road,+Port+Hueneme,+CA&hl=en&ll=34.144725,-119.195062&spn=0.001934,0.00284&sll=34.289381,-119.294009&sspn=0.010921,0.022724&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=34.145082,-119.195448&panoid=viQ7b1orivqImkMyiFYrxg&cbp=12,288.7,,0,6.2 S Ventura Rd & Shoreview Dr] in Port Hueneme.

Many films, including ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]'', ''[[Sideways]]'', ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'', ''[[Erin Brockovich (film)|Erin Brockovich]]'', ''[[The Aviator (2004 film)|The Aviator]]'', and ''[[The Rock (film)|The Rock]]'' were partly filmed in Ventura.

Downtown Ventura hosts the [[Ventura Theatre|Majestic Ventura Theater]], an early 20th-century theatre which is situated about two blocks away from city hall. It is the region's most prominent local [[music]]al venue and hosts [[concert]]s regularly. The theater has hosted many internationally notable musician and bands such as [[Gregg Allman]], [[John Prine]], [[Glenn Frey]], [[The Doors]], [[Devo]], [[Joe Walsh]], [[King's X]], [[Van Halen]], [[X (U.S. band)|X]], [[Paramore]], [[She Wants Revenge]], [[Pennywise (band)|Pennywise]], [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]], [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Drakeo the Ruler]], [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]], [[The Game (rapper)|The Game]], [[DJ Quik]], [[Lamb of God (band)|Lamb of God]], [[Social Distortion]], [[Bad Religion]], [[Thrice]], [[Avenged Sevenfold]], [[Fugazi]], [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]], [[Tom Petty]], [[America (band)|America]], [[They Might Be Giants]], and [[Modest Mouse]], as well as local artists such as [[Army of Freshmen]] and [[Big Bad Voodoo Daddy]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Greater Los Angeles|California}}
*[[Los Angeles Times suburban sections#Daily sections|''Los Angeles Times'' suburban sections]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Ventura County, California]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* 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. [https://archive.org/details/historysantabar00shergoog Volume 1] | [https://archive.org/details/historysantabar01shergoog Volume 2]
* Yda Addis Storke, [https://archive.org/details/memorialbiogra00stor ''A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California...'']. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1891.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Ventura County}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.uscounties.org/cffiles_web/counties/county.cfm?id=6111 Ventura County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402125652/http://www.uscounties.org/cffiles_web/counties/county.cfm?id=6111 |date=April 2, 2012 }} on the [http://www.naco.org National Association Of Counties]

{{Geographic Location
| Centre    = Ventura County, California
| North     = [[Kern County, California|Kern County]]
| Northeast =
| East      = [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]
| Southeast = [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]
| South     = ''[[Pacific Ocean]]''
| Southwest =
| West      = [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara County]]
| Northwest =
}}

{{Cities of Ventura County, California}}
{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
{{California}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|34.36|-119.15|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Ventura County, California| ]]
[[Category:1873 establishments in California]]
[[Category:California counties]]
[[Category:Counties in Southern California]]
[[Category:Greater Los Angeles|.]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1873]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in California]]