Ventura County California real estate
Ventura County website
Ventura County was formed in 1873 from parts of Santa Barbara County. The original inhabitants were the Chumash Indians who were native inhabitants. Early Spanish settlers described the area as the “land of everlasting summers” and named the region “San Buenaventura”, which means “good fortune”. Ventura County is located northwest of Los Angeles County, and bordered by Kern County to the north, Santa Barbara County to the west, and the Pacific Ocean on the southwest.
Ventura has a current population of 742,000 residents which makes it the 12th most populous county in the State of California. The median household income in Ventura County exceeds both national and state levels; median family income in 1999 was estimated at $61,944 with 63.8% of households in Ventura County with $35,000+ income.
The county offers outstanding school districts with State and National Academic Decathalon winning high schools. The 1st place win went to Moorpark High School in 1999 and in 2000, Simi Valley High School received 2nd place. The cities of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley consistently rank at the top of the FBI’s annual ranking of safest cities in the nation with populations of 100,000+.
Numerous year-round activities range from enjoying the beach to a concert in the park, sailing to the Channel Islands, or hiking in the Los Padres National Forest, camping and fishing at one of the lakes, golfing at a championship course, surfing at some of the best beaches in the State, or horseback riding on a mountain trail. Ventura County is also home to many great cultural opportunities which include: the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is located in Simi Valley, the Fillmore and Western historic railway offering train rides, the San Buenaventura Mission, the Union Oil Museum in Santa Paula, art galleries featuring the work of world famous artists in Ojai and a state-of-the-art Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks offering symphony, ballet and a variety of quality theatrical performance.