History of Ventura County
- Formed in 1873 from Santa Barbara County
- Chumash Indians 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”
- Geography
- Covers an area of 1,873 square miles, including 43 miles of coastline
- 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 (view map)
- 7.5 miles of shoreline are public beaches and 411 acres are State beach parks
- The Los Padres National Forest accounts for 860 square miles of the northern portion of the county (46% of the county’s land mass)
- Elevation ranges from sea level to the highest point on Mount Pinos at 8,831 feet
- Ranks 26th in land size among California’s 58 counties
Gateway to Channel Islands National Park, one of only four designated national marine sanctuaries composed of five tranquil islands located a few miles off the Ventura County coast, comprising a 250,000-acre wilderness preserve/marine sanctuary
Climate
- Coastal areas offer a Mediterranean climate often described as the best in the world, with average annual temperatures of 74.2 degrees
Ventura County’s mountains, valleys and seashore give the area SIX different micro-climates, more than any other county in the nation
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