Oxnard, California
Encyclopedia
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County
, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain
, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the strawberry
and lima bean
capital of California. Founded in 1903, it is the most populous city in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area. The population was 197,899 at the 2010 census, up from 170,358 at the 2000 census.
Oxnard is also a major transportation hub in Southern California
, with Amtrak
, Union Pacific, Metrolink
, Greyhound
, and Intercalifornia stopping in Oxnard. Oxnard also has a regional airport called Oxnard Airport
(OXR).
Before the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now Oxnard was inhabited by Chumash Native Americans. The first European to encounter the area was Portuguese
explorer Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho, who claimed it for Spain
in 1542. During the mission period
, it was serviced by the Mission San Buenaventura
, established in 1782.
Ranching began to take hold among Californio
settlers, who lost their regional influence when California became a US state in 1850. At about the same time, the area was settled by American farmers, who cultivated barley
and lima beans.
Henry T. Oxnard, founder of today's Moorhead, Minnesota
-based American Crystal Sugar Co who operated a successful sugar beet
factory with his three brothers (Benjamin, James, and Robert) in Chino, California
, was enticed to build a $2 million factory on the plain inland from Port Hueneme. Shortly after the 1897 beet campaign, a new town emerged, now commemorated on the National Register of Historic Places as the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District. Ironically, the Oxnard brothers never lived in their namesake city, and they sold both the Chino and the giant red-brick Oxnard factory with its landmark twin smokestacks in 1899 for nearly $4 million. The Oxnard factory operated from August 19, 1899 until October 26, 1959. Factory operations were interrupted in the Oxnard Strike of 1903
. Given the growth of the town of Oxnard, in the spring of 1898, a railroad station was built to service the plant, which attracted a population of Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican laborers and enough commerce to merit the designation of a town. Oxnard intended to name the settlement after the Greek
word for "sugar", zachari, but frustrated by bureaucracy, named it after himself.
Oxnard was incorporated as a California city on June 30, 1903, and the public library was opened in 1907. Prior to and during World War II, the naval bases of Point Mugu and Port Hueneme were established in the area to take advantage of the only major navigable port on California's coast between the Port of Los Angeles
and San Francisco Bay
, and the bases in turn encouraged the development of the defense-based aerospace
and communications industries.
In the mid-20th century Oxnard grew and developed the areas outside the downtown with homes, industry, retail, and a new harbor named Channel Islands Harbor. Martin V. ("Bud") Smith (1916–2001) became the most influential developer in the history of Oxnard during this time. Smith's first enterprise in 1941 was the Colonial House Restaurant (demolished 1988) and then the Wagon Wheel Junction
in 1947. He was also involved in the development of the high-rise towers at the Topa Financial Plaza, the Channel Islands Harbor, Casa Sirena Resort, the Esplanade Shopping Mall, Fisherman's Wharf, the Carriage Square Shopping Center, the Maritime Museum, and many other major hotel, restaurant and retail projects.
In June 2004, the Oxnard Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff imposed a gang injunction
over a 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) area of the central district of the city, in order to restrict gang activity. The injunction was upheld in the Ventura County Superior Court and made a permanent law in 2005. A similar injunction was imposed in September, 2006 over a 4.26 square miles (11 km²) area of the south side of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²). 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²) of it is land and 12.3 square miles (31.9 km²) of it (31.41%) is water.
Oxnard is located on the Oxnard Plain, an area with fertile soil. With its beaches, dunes, wetlands, creeks and the Santa Clara River
, the area contains a number of important biological communities. Native plant communities include: coastal sage scrub
, California Annual Grassland, and Coastal Dune Scrub species; however, most native plants have been eliminated from within the city limits to make way for agriculture and urban and industrial development. Also native to the region is the endangered Ventura Marsh Milkvetch
, and the last self-sustaining population is in Oxnard in the center of a recently approved high-end housing development.
.
One active fault line that transverses Oxnard is the Oak Ridge Fault, which straddles the Santa Clara River Valley
westward from the Santa Susana Mountains
, crosses the Oxnard Plain
through Oxnard, and extends into the Santa Barbara Channel
.
The fault has proven to be a significant contributor to seismic
activity in the Oxnard region and beyond. The Northridge earthquake
, a devastating magnitude 6.7 temblor that occurred on January 17, 1994, is believed to have occurred in the Santa Clarita
extension of the Oak Ridge Fault. Landslide
s and ridge-top shattering resulting from the Northridge Earthquake
were observed above Moorpark, a city just east of Oxnard.
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.2 struck at 9:53 pm centered at four miles (6 km) east-southeast of the city of Oxnard on October 16, 2009.
Another earthquake of magnitude 2.9 struck around 11:55 pm on April 28, 2010.
Another earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck around 8:20 pm on May 14, 2010.
, and 9,094 (4.6%) from two or more races. In addition, 145,551 people (73.5%) were Hispanic or Latino, of any race.
The Census reported that 196,465 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 932 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 502 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 49,797 households, out of which 25,794 (51.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 28,319 (56.9%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 7,634 (15.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4,043 (8.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,316 (6.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 395 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 7,090 households (14.2%) were made up of individuals and 2,665 (5.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.95. There were 39,996 families
(80.3% of all households); the average family size was 4.20.
The population was spread out with 59,018 people (29.8%) under the age of 18, 23,913 people (12.1%) aged 18 to 24, 57,966 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 40,584 people (20.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 16,418 people (8.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males.
There were 52,772 housing units at an average density of 1,346.0 per square mile (519.7/km²), of which 27,760 (55.7%) were owner-occupied, and 22,037 (44.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 107,482 people (54.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 88,983 people (45.0%) lived in rental housing units.
, and 4.7% from two or more races. Two-thirds of the population (66.2%) was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 43,576 households out of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.85 and the average family size was 4.16
In the city the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,603, and the median income for a family was $49,150. Males had a median income of $30,643 versus $25,381 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,288. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
of Oxnard is driven by international trade
, agriculture, manufacturing
, defense
, and tourism. Oxnard is one of the key manufacturing centers in the Greater Los Angeles Area
. The Port of Hueneme is the busiest and only deep-harbor commercial port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and is vital to trade with the Pacific Rim
economies. Companies utilizing the Port include Del Monte Foods
, Chiquita
, BMW
, Land Rover
, and Jaguar. Other key industries driving Oxnard's existence include finance, transportation, the high tech industry, and energy, particularly petroleum. Two large active oil fields underlie the city and adjacent areas: the Oxnard Oil Field
, east of the city along 5th Street, and the West Montalvo Oil Field
along the coast to the west of town. Tenby Inc.'s Oxnard Refinery, on 5th Street east of Del Norte Avenue, processes oil from both fields.
According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Some of the major companies headquartered in Oxnard are Haas Automation
, Seminis
, Raypak, Drum Workshop
, Borla Performance, Boss Audio and Robbins Auto Tops Procter & Gamble
and Sysco
maintain their West Coast
operations in Oxnard.
The Dallas Cowboys
held their pre-season training camp at River Ridge Field in Oxnard in 2001, 2004–06, and 2008 (the Cowboys trained at California Lutheran University
in nearby Thousand Oaks
from 1964–89). The Los Angeles Raiders
trained at River Ridge in the 1980s and 90s.
. The Oxnard Plain
, because of these high-quality agricultural soils, coupled with a favorable climate, is considered one of the most fertile areas in the world."
Oxnard has been known for several different crops over the years, including cucumbers, sugar beets, lima beans, Stock (the cut flower), and strawberries. In the years of Oxnard's growth during the 70's and 80's, many farms and ranches were annexed for development, and many new development plans threatened much of the plain's farmland. In 1995, a grassroots effort known as SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) was initiated by farmers, ranchers and citizens of Ventura County in an effort to save the vast agricultural asset of the Oxnard Plain
.
is well-known for its strawberries
. According to the USDA
, Oxnard is California’s largest strawberry producer, supplying about one-third of the State's annual strawberry volume. From the end of September through the end of October, strawberries are planted and harvesting occurs from mid-December through mid-July in Oxnard. The peak harvesting season in California runs from April through June, when up to 10 million pint baskets of strawberries are shipped daily. The state of California supplies over 85 percent of U.S. strawberries, with the U.S. supplying for a quarter of total world production of strawberries.
Each year Oxnard hosts the California Strawberry Festival during the summer at Oxnard College
, featuring vendors as well as food items based on the fruit such as strawberry nachos, strawberry pizza, strawberry funnel cake, strawberry sundaes, and strawberry champagne.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
On February 12, 2008 there was a shooting involving students occurred at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. Larry King
was shot in one of the classrooms where he was later taken to St Johns Hospital and died.
, which provides high school education to 20,000 students at 10 campuses in three cities (Oxnard, Camarillo
and Port Hueneme
) as well as the unincorporated areas of El Rio
, Somis
and Channel Islands
.
OUHSD
oversees Adolfo Camarillo High School
, Channel Islands High School
, Hueneme High School
, Oxnard High School
, Pacifica High School
and Rio Mesa High School
, as well as the continuation high schools Frontier, Oxnard Adult, Pacific View and Puente. Santa Clara High School is a private Catholic high school.
and nearby California State University, Channel Islands
. Additionally, California Lutheran University
, California State University, Northridge
, ITT
, University of Phoenix
and University of California, Santa Barbara
all have satellite campuses in Oxnard.
with Rudolph Valentino
. There are very few rocks or driftwood piles at most beaches, but Oxnard is known to have dangerous rip-currents at certain beaches. Oxnard is home to world-class surf at most of its beaches, but some people tend to stay away due to its history of localism.
Beaches in Oxnard include: Mugu Rock State Beach, Ormond Beach, Hueneme Beach, Silver Strand Beach
, Hollywood Beach, Hollywood-By-the-Sea, Mandalay Beach, Oxnard State Beach
, Oxnard Shores, 5th Street Beach, McGrath State Beach
and Rivermouth Beach.
(US 101) is the major highway running through Oxnard, connecting Ventura
and Santa Barbara
to the northwest, and Los Angeles to the southeast. The Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1)
heads down the coast south to Malibu. And Highway 232
(Vineyard Avenue), heads northeast, providing connections to Saticoy
and Santa Paula
.
The Oxnard Transportation Center
is served by both Amtrak
's Pacific Surfliner
and Coast Starlight
train routes, as well as Metrolink
's Ventura County Line
.
and the Oxnard Harbor District. The port is the only deep water port between the Port of Long Beach
and the Port of San Francisco
as well as the only military deep water port between San Diego Bay
and Puget Sound
.
The Port of Hueneme is a shipping and receiving point for a wide variety of resources with destinations in the larger population centers of the Los Angeles Basin
. Resources include automobiles, pineapple
s, and bananas. Agricultural products such as onions, strawberries
, and flowers are shipped.
The United States Navy
maintains a facility at Port Hueneme, in support of the naval air station at Point Mugu
to the south, with which it comprises Naval Base Ventura County. Port Hueneme is the West Coast
home of the Construction Battalion, the "Seabees", as well as a link in the coastal radar system.
, with Ventura Harbor located seven miles (11 km) north in adjacent Ventura
. Channel Islands Harbor
is located on the south shore of Oxnard and is nicknamed the "Gateway to the Channel Islands" because of the high number of operations that sail to the islands out of the harbor. Both harbors are vital fishing industry
harbors.
, founded in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
; the Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife
, founded by the late Los Angeles Times
publisher Otis Chandler
, which housed the largest collection of rare and vintage automobiles in the nation until the contents were auctioned off following Chandler's death in 2006; the Murphy Auto Museum, founded by neurosurgeon Dan Murphy
; The Heritage Square
, a collection of restored Victorian
and Craftsman
houses which were once owned by Oxnard ’s pioneer families (Heritage Square
is also home to the Petit Playhouse and Oxnard ’s award-winning Elite Theatre Company; the Ventura County Maritime Museum; The Gull Wings Children's Museum: The Henry T. Oxnard Historic District the Herzog Winery and wine cellar, the nation's largest collection of fine kosher wines; the Seabee Museum
and the The Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center, home to the New West Symphony. It is also home to the award winning Oxnard Independent Film Festival and, since 2010, the annual Channel Islands Tall Ships Festival.
" music scene are from Oxnard, including Dr. Know
, Stalag 13
, Scared Straight
, Ill Repute
, False Confession
, Ten Foot Pole
, Hostile, No Motiv
, and Habeas Corpus
. The city and neighboring Ventura both maintain a thriving punk music scene to this day, driven by a fusion of both the skater and surfer cultures. Oxnard is also home to a thriving hip hop music
scene.
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain
Oxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
and lima bean
Lima bean
Phaseolus lunatus is a legume. It is grown for its seed, which is eaten as a vegetable. It is commonly known as the lima bean or butter bean.-Origin and uses:...
capital of California. Founded in 1903, it is the most populous city in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area. The population was 197,899 at the 2010 census, up from 170,358 at the 2000 census.
Oxnard is also a major transportation hub in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, with Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, Union Pacific, Metrolink
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
, Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, and Intercalifornia stopping in Oxnard. Oxnard also has a regional airport called Oxnard Airport
Oxnard Airport
Oxnard Airport is a public airport located one mile west of the central business district of Oxnard, a city in Ventura County, California, USA. The airport covers and has one runway. Oxnard Airport is managed by the Ventura County Department of Airports.- History :Ventura County opened Oxnard...
(OXR).
History
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
explorer Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho, who claimed it for Spain
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
in 1542. During the mission period
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
, it was serviced by the Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura
Mission San Buenaventura was founded on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1782 in Las Californias, part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain. Named for a Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventure, it was the last of the missions founded by Father Serra...
, established in 1782.
Ranching began to take hold among Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
settlers, who lost their regional influence when California became a US state in 1850. At about the same time, the area was settled by American farmers, who cultivated barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and lima beans.
Henry T. Oxnard, founder of today's Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
-based American Crystal Sugar Co who operated a successful sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
factory with his three brothers (Benjamin, James, and Robert) in Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
, was enticed to build a $2 million factory on the plain inland from Port Hueneme. Shortly after the 1897 beet campaign, a new town emerged, now commemorated on the National Register of Historic Places as the Henry T. Oxnard Historic District. Ironically, the Oxnard brothers never lived in their namesake city, and they sold both the Chino and the giant red-brick Oxnard factory with its landmark twin smokestacks in 1899 for nearly $4 million. The Oxnard factory operated from August 19, 1899 until October 26, 1959. Factory operations were interrupted in the Oxnard Strike of 1903
Oxnard Strike of 1903
The Oxnard Strike of 1903 describes a labor rights dispute of that year in the California coastal city of Oxnard between local landowners and the majority Japanese and Mexican labor force.-Before the strike:...
. Given the growth of the town of Oxnard, in the spring of 1898, a railroad station was built to service the plant, which attracted a population of Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican laborers and enough commerce to merit the designation of a town. Oxnard intended to name the settlement after the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word for "sugar", zachari, but frustrated by bureaucracy, named it after himself.
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
and San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, and the bases in turn encouraged the development of the defense-based aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
and communications industries.
In the mid-20th century Oxnard grew and developed the areas outside the downtown with homes, industry, retail, and a new harbor named Channel Islands Harbor. Martin V. ("Bud") Smith (1916–2001) became the most influential developer in the history of Oxnard during this time. Smith's first enterprise in 1941 was the Colonial House Restaurant (demolished 1988) and then the Wagon Wheel Junction
Wagon Wheel, Oxnard, California
The Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant was a famous office and restaurant complex located in Oxnard, California, at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and Pacific Coast Highway. Its convenient roadside location made it a popular stop for travelers between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, particularly...
in 1947. He was also involved in the development of the high-rise towers at the Topa Financial Plaza, the Channel Islands Harbor, Casa Sirena Resort, the Esplanade Shopping Mall, Fisherman's Wharf, the Carriage Square Shopping Center, the Maritime Museum, and many other major hotel, restaurant and retail projects.
In June 2004, the Oxnard Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff imposed a gang injunction
Gang injunction
A gang injunction is a court-issued restraining order prohibiting gang members from participating in certain activities. It is based on the legal theory that gang activity constitutes a public nuisance that prevents non-gang members from enjoying peace in their communities.-History:While Los...
over a 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) area of the central district of the city, in order to restrict gang activity. The injunction was upheld in the Ventura County Superior Court and made a permanent law in 2005. A similar injunction was imposed in September, 2006 over a 4.26 square miles (11 km²) area of the south side of the city.
Geography
Oxnard is located at 34°11′29"N 119°10′57"W (34.191292, −119.182497).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.5 km²). 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²) of it is land and 12.3 square miles (31.9 km²) of it (31.41%) is water.
Oxnard is located on the Oxnard Plain, an area with fertile soil. With its beaches, dunes, wetlands, creeks and the Santa Clara River
Santa Clara River (California)
The Santa Clara River is approximately long, located in southern California in the United States. It drains an area of the coastal mountains north of Los Angeles. The Santa Clara is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and one of only a few remaining river...
, the area contains a number of important biological communities. Native plant communities include: coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
, California Annual Grassland, and Coastal Dune Scrub species; however, most native plants have been eliminated from within the city limits to make way for agriculture and urban and industrial development. Also native to the region is the endangered Ventura Marsh Milkvetch
Ventura Marsh Milkvetch
Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus, the Ventura marsh milk-vetch is a short-lived, herbaceous perennial in the pea family Fabaceae, with dense clusters of small light yellow flowers. It has silvery white, pinnately compound leaves and flowers from June through October...
, and the last self-sustaining population is in Oxnard in the center of a recently approved high-end housing development.
Climate
The city is situated in a Mediterranean (dry subtropical) climate zone, experiencing mild and relatively wet winters, and warm, dry summers. Onshore breezes keep the communities of Oxnard cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland. The average mean temperature is 61 °F (16 °C). The average minimum temperature is 52 °F (11 °C) and the average maximum temperature is 69 °F (21 °C). Generally the weather is cool and dry, with 354 days of sunshine annually. The average annual precipitation is 15.62 in (39.7 cm).Geology
Like the rest of California, Oxnard is subject to earthquakes due to its location near the San Andreas FaultSan Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
.
One active fault line that transverses Oxnard is the Oak Ridge Fault, which straddles the Santa Clara River Valley
Santa Clara River Valley
The Santa Clara River Valley is a valley that runs from east to west through Ventura County and northwest Los Angeles County, California...
westward from the Santa Susana Mountains
Santa Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
, crosses the Oxnard Plain
Oxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
through Oxnard, and extends into the Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Channel
The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
.
The fault has proven to be a significant contributor to seismic
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
activity in the Oxnard region and beyond. The Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
, a devastating magnitude 6.7 temblor that occurred on January 17, 1994, is believed to have occurred in the Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita can refer to:* Santa Clarita, California* Santa Clarita Valley* Valencia, California...
extension of the Oak Ridge Fault. Landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s and ridge-top shattering resulting from the Northridge Earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
were observed above Moorpark, a city just east of Oxnard.
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.2 struck at 9:53 pm centered at four miles (6 km) east-southeast of the city of Oxnard on October 16, 2009.
Another earthquake of magnitude 2.9 struck around 11:55 pm on April 28, 2010.
Another earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck around 8:20 pm on May 14, 2010.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Oxnard had a population of 197,899. The population density was 5,047.4 people per square mile (1,948.8/km²). The racial makeup of Oxnard included 95,346 (48.2%) White, 5,771 (2.9%) African American, 2,953 (1.5%) Native American, 14,550 (7.4%) Asian, 658 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 69,527 (35.1%) from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 9,094 (4.6%) from two or more races. In addition, 145,551 people (73.5%) were Hispanic or Latino, of any race.
The Census reported that 196,465 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 932 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 502 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 49,797 households, out of which 25,794 (51.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 28,319 (56.9%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7,634 (15.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4,043 (8.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,316 (6.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 395 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 7,090 households (14.2%) were made up of individuals and 2,665 (5.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.95. There were 39,996 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(80.3% of all households); the average family size was 4.20.
The population was spread out with 59,018 people (29.8%) under the age of 18, 23,913 people (12.1%) aged 18 to 24, 57,966 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 40,584 people (20.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 16,418 people (8.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males.
There were 52,772 housing units at an average density of 1,346.0 per square mile (519.7/km²), of which 27,760 (55.7%) were owner-occupied, and 22,037 (44.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 107,482 people (54.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 88,983 people (45.0%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 170,358 people, 43,576 households, and 34,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,729.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,598.8/km²). There were 45,166 housing units at an average density of 1,784.2 per square mile (689.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.1% White, 3.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 7.4% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 40.4% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.7% from two or more races. Two-thirds of the population (66.2%) was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 43,576 households out of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.85 and the average family size was 4.16
In the city the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,603, and the median income for a family was $49,150. Males had a median income of $30,643 versus $25,381 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,288. About 11.4% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The economyEconomic system
An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. These agencies are joined by lines of trade and exchange along which goods, money etc. are continuously flowing. An example of such a system for a closed...
of Oxnard is driven by international trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
, agriculture, manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
, defense
Defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
, and tourism. Oxnard is one of the key manufacturing centers in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
. The Port of Hueneme is the busiest and only deep-harbor commercial port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and is vital to trade with the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
economies. Companies utilizing the Port include Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6...
, Chiquita
Chiquita
Chiquita can refer to:*Chiquita Brands International, a large produce company*Rio Chiquita, a river in Táchira, Venezuela*Chiquita , a song by Sam H. Stept*Chiquita , a book about the life of Cuban dwarf dancer and singer Espiridiona Cenda...
, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
, and Jaguar. Other key industries driving Oxnard's existence include finance, transportation, the high tech industry, and energy, particularly petroleum. Two large active oil fields underlie the city and adjacent areas: the Oxnard Oil Field
Oxnard Oil Field
The Oxnard Oil Field is a large and currently productive oil field in and adjacent to the city of Oxnard, in Ventura County, California in the United States. Its conventional oil reserves are close to exhaustion, with only an estimated one percent of the original oil recoverable with current...
, east of the city along 5th Street, and the West Montalvo Oil Field
West Montalvo Oil Field
The West Montalvo Oil Field is a large and productive oil field on the coast of Ventura County, California, in the United States, in and adjacent to the city of Oxnard. Discovered in 1947, it has produced approximately of oil, and retains about 2.2 million recoverable with current technology, in...
along the coast to the west of town. Tenby Inc.'s Oxnard Refinery, on 5th Street east of Del Norte Avenue, processes oil from both fields.
According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. John's Regional Medical Center St. John's Regional Medical Center (California) St. John's Regional Medical Center is a hospital located in Oxnard, California, USA and is operated by Catholic Healthcare West, along with its sister hospital, St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo, California . The hospital was founded in 1912. St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St... |
1,994 |
| 2 | Oxnard Union High School District Oxnard Union High School District Oxnard Union High School District is a union high school district for public schools in Oxnard, California that also serves the surrounding unincorporated areas of El Rio, Channel Islands and Somis as well as the cities of Port Hueneme and Camarillo... |
1,500 |
| 3 | Waterway Plastics | 1,300 |
| 4 | City of Oxnard | 1,167 |
| 5 | Haas Automation Haas Automation Founded in 1983 by Gene Haas, Haas Automation is a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Oxnard, California. Haas Automation manufactures CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Sales outlets, referred to as Haas Factory Outlets are located all... |
996 |
| 6 | Aluminum Precision Products | 700 |
Some of the major companies headquartered in Oxnard are Haas Automation
Haas Automation
Founded in 1983 by Gene Haas, Haas Automation is a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Oxnard, California. Haas Automation manufactures CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Sales outlets, referred to as Haas Factory Outlets are located all...
, Seminis
Seminis
Seminis is the largest developer, grower and marketer of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world. Seminis' hybrids claim to improve nutrition, boost crop yields, limit spoilage and reduce the need for chemicals...
, Raypak, Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
, Borla Performance, Boss Audio and Robbins Auto Tops Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and Sysco
SYSCO
Sysco Corporation is the global leader in marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, hotels and inns, and other foodservice and hospitality businesses...
maintain their West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
operations in Oxnard.
The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
held their pre-season training camp at River Ridge Field in Oxnard in 2001, 2004–06, and 2008 (the Cowboys trained at California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
in nearby Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
from 1964–89). The Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
trained at River Ridge in the 1980s and 90s.
Agriculture
According to the Camarillo General Plan: "The areas studied showed a high percentage of Group I soils, primarily located on the relatively flat Oxnard PlainOxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
. The Oxnard Plain
Oxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
, because of these high-quality agricultural soils, coupled with a favorable climate, is considered one of the most fertile areas in the world."
Oxnard has been known for several different crops over the years, including cucumbers, sugar beets, lima beans, Stock (the cut flower), and strawberries. In the years of Oxnard's growth during the 70's and 80's, many farms and ranches were annexed for development, and many new development plans threatened much of the plain's farmland. In 1995, a grassroots effort known as SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) was initiated by farmers, ranchers and citizens of Ventura County in an effort to save the vast agricultural asset of the Oxnard Plain
Oxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
.
Oxnard strawberries
The Oxnard PlainOxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...
is well-known for its strawberries
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
. According to the USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, Oxnard is California’s largest strawberry producer, supplying about one-third of the State's annual strawberry volume. From the end of September through the end of October, strawberries are planted and harvesting occurs from mid-December through mid-July in Oxnard. The peak harvesting season in California runs from April through June, when up to 10 million pint baskets of strawberries are shipped daily. The state of California supplies over 85 percent of U.S. strawberries, with the U.S. supplying for a quarter of total world production of strawberries.
California Strawberry Festival
Each year Oxnard hosts the California Strawberry Festival during the summer at Oxnard College
Oxnard College
Oxnard College is a California-state funded community college located in Oxnard, California. It was established in 1975. It serves the Oxnard Plain cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, and the town of Port Hueneme. The college offers two year degrees, as well as career and technical education programs to...
, featuring vendors as well as food items based on the fruit such as strawberry nachos, strawberry pizza, strawberry funnel cake, strawberry sundaes, and strawberry champagne.
Local government
According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $336.8 million in Revenues, $308.9 million in expenditures, $2,267.1 million in total assets, $496.8 million in total liabilities, and $206.9 million in cash and investments.The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
| City Department | Director |
|---|---|
| City Manager | Edmund F. Sotelo |
| Assistant City Manager | Karen Burnham |
| Police Chief | Jeri Williams |
| Fire Chief | Joe Milligan |
| Director of Housing | Sal Gonzalez |
| Director of Finance | Jim Cameron |
| Director of Recreation and Community Services | Vacant |
| Director of Development Services | Matt Winegar |
| Director of Public Works | Rob Roshanian |
| Director of Human Resources | Michelle Tellez |
| Director of Library | Barbara Murray |
Education
The city of Oxnard is served by 54 public school campuses which provide education to more than 53,000 students in grades K-12. If all Oxnard public school districts were unified into one district, similar to cities such as New York and Los Angeles, it would be the 71st largest school district in the United States.Elementary and junior high schools
The city of Oxnard and surrounding communities are served by four different school districts which oversee education for students grades K-8. They are:- Hueneme School DistrictHueneme School DistrictHueneme School District is a school district headquartered in Port Hueneme, California, United States.The district serves most of Port Hueneme, portions of Oxnard, and portions of unincorporated Ventura County....
: Serves 7,600 students at 11 campuses in South Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Oxnard beach neighborhoods. - Oxnard School District: Serves 18,000 students at 21 campuses throughout Oxnard.
- Oceanview School District: Serves 3,000 students at 6 campuses in South Oxnard.
- Rio School District: Serves 5,000 students at 8 campuses in North Oxnard and El Rio.
On February 12, 2008 there was a shooting involving students occurred at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. Larry King
E.O. Green School shooting
The E.O. Green School shooting was the February 12, 2008, killing of Lawrence "Larry" Fobes King who was a 15-year-old gay student at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California, United States...
was shot in one of the classrooms where he was later taken to St Johns Hospital and died.
High schools
All public high schools in Oxnard are operated by the Oxnard Union High School DistrictOxnard Union High School District
Oxnard Union High School District is a union high school district for public schools in Oxnard, California that also serves the surrounding unincorporated areas of El Rio, Channel Islands and Somis as well as the cities of Port Hueneme and Camarillo...
, which provides high school education to 20,000 students at 10 campuses in three cities (Oxnard, Camarillo
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...
and Port Hueneme
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...
) as well as the unincorporated areas of El Rio
El Rio, California
El Rio is a small unincorporated census-designated town in Ventura County, California, USA, on the northeast side of the 101 Freeway and Oxnard, and south of the Santa Clara River...
, Somis
Somis, California
Somis is an unincorporated area of Ventura County, California, just north of the Camarillo city limits. Its generally recognized boundaries are the areas around the intersection of Somis Road and Los Angeles Avenue , the latter being the dividing line between uptown and downtown. Its official...
and Channel Islands
Channel Islands Beach, California
Channel Islands Beach is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 3,103 at the 2010 census, down from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Channel Islands Beach is located at ....
.
OUHSD
Oxnard Union High School District
Oxnard Union High School District is a union high school district for public schools in Oxnard, California that also serves the surrounding unincorporated areas of El Rio, Channel Islands and Somis as well as the cities of Port Hueneme and Camarillo...
oversees Adolfo Camarillo High School
Adolfo Camarillo High School
Adolfo Camarillo High School is a high school located at 4660 Mission Oaks Boulevard in Camarillo, California. It was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1996 and in 2009 and a National Blue Ribbon School in 1998. It is part of the Oxnard Union High School District. The land was...
, Channel Islands High School
Channel Islands High School
Channel Islands High School , is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California. It is known as the "Home of the Raiders". The school colors are powder blue and gold. CIHS is under the jurisdiction of the Oxnard Union High School District. It had a student population of 2,608 during the 2006-2007...
, Hueneme High School
Hueneme High School
Hueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
, Oxnard High School
Oxnard High School
Oxnard High School, or OHS as it is commonly referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, Ventura County, California, United States...
, Pacifica High School
Pacifica High School (Oxnard, California)
Pacifica High School, referred to as Pacifica or PHS, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. It opened in 2001.-History:...
and Rio Mesa High School
Rio Mesa High School
Rio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo...
, as well as the continuation high schools Frontier, Oxnard Adult, Pacific View and Puente. Santa Clara High School is a private Catholic high school.
Colleges and universities
Oxnard is served on the collegiate level by Oxnard CollegeOxnard College
Oxnard College is a California-state funded community college located in Oxnard, California. It was established in 1975. It serves the Oxnard Plain cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, and the town of Port Hueneme. The college offers two year degrees, as well as career and technical education programs to...
and nearby California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University Channel Islands is a four-year public university located in Camarillo, California, in Ventura County. CSUCI opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of CSU Northridge...
. Additionally, California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
, California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
, ITT
ITT Technical Institute
ITT Technical Institute is a for-profit technical institute with over 130 campuses in 38 states of the United States. ITT Tech is owned and operated by ITT Educational Services, Inc. , a publicly traded company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. ITT Educational Services, Inc...
, University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
and University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
all have satellite campuses in Oxnard.
Neighborhoods
- Del Norte District
- El RioEl Rio, CaliforniaEl Rio is a small unincorporated census-designated town in Ventura County, California, USA, on the northeast side of the 101 Freeway and Oxnard, and south of the Santa Clara River...
- El Rio WestEl Rio, CaliforniaEl Rio is a small unincorporated census-designated town in Ventura County, California, USA, on the northeast side of the 101 Freeway and Oxnard, and south of the Santa Clara River...
- River Park (Formerly Town Center)
- Strickland
- Nyeland Acres
- El Rio
- Central District/Downtown Oxnard
- Bartolo Square North
- Bartolo Square South
- Cal Giesler
- Downtown
- Durley/Kamala Park
- Five Points Northwest
- Fremont South
- Hill Street
- Hobson Park East
- Hobson Park West
- Wilson
- Northeast District
- East Village
- La Colonia**Rio Lindo Park
- Rose Park
- West Village
- Northwest District
- Cabrillo
- Carriage Square
- Fremont North
- Golf Course
- Orchard Park
- River Ridge
- Sierra Linda
- South Bank
- Teal Club
- Wagon WheelWagon Wheel, Oxnard, CaliforniaThe Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant was a famous office and restaurant complex located in Oxnard, California, at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and Pacific Coast Highway. Its convenient roadside location made it a popular stop for travelers between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, particularly...
- Windsor North
- Southcentral District
- Blackstock North
- Blackstock South
- Bryce Canyon North
- Bryce Canyon South
- Cypress
- Ormond Beach (North)
- Pleasant Valley Estates
- Pleasant Valley Village
- Redwood
- Southwinds
- Southeast District
- Diamond Bar
- College Estates
- College Park
- Lemonwood/Eastmont
- Mar Vista
- Ormond Beach (South)
- Oxnard Pacific
- Terrace Estates
- Tierra Vista
- Villa Capri
- Southwest District
- Channel IslandsChannel Islands Beach, CaliforniaChannel Islands Beach is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 3,103 at the 2010 census, down from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Channel Islands Beach is located at ....
- Hollywood BeachChannel Islands Beach, CaliforniaChannel Islands Beach is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 3,103 at the 2010 census, down from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Channel Islands Beach is located at ....
- Hollywood-by-the-SeaChannel Islands Beach, CaliforniaChannel Islands Beach is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 3,103 at the 2010 census, down from 3,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Channel Islands Beach is located at ....
- Mandalay Beach
- Marina West
- Oxnard Shores
- Sea Air
- Seaview Estates
- Silver Strand BeachSilver Strand BeachSilver Strand Beach is a beach neighborhood within the city of Oxnard, California, United States, that separates Channel Islands Harbor to the north from the Port of Hueneme to the south. The eastern side of the beach is entirely composed of the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme...
- Via Marina
- Channel Islands
Beaches
The city of Oxnard is home to over 20 miles (32.2 km) of scenic, relatively uncrowded coastline. The beaches in Oxnard are large and the sand is exceptionally soft. The sand dunes in Oxnard, which were once much more extensive, have been used to recreate Middle-Eastern desert dunes in many movies, the first being The SheikThe Sheik (film)
The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
with Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
. There are very few rocks or driftwood piles at most beaches, but Oxnard is known to have dangerous rip-currents at certain beaches. Oxnard is home to world-class surf at most of its beaches, but some people tend to stay away due to its history of localism.
Beaches in Oxnard include: Mugu Rock State Beach, Ormond Beach, Hueneme Beach, Silver Strand Beach
Silver Strand Beach
Silver Strand Beach is a beach neighborhood within the city of Oxnard, California, United States, that separates Channel Islands Harbor to the north from the Port of Hueneme to the south. The eastern side of the beach is entirely composed of the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme...
, Hollywood Beach, Hollywood-By-the-Sea, Mandalay Beach, Oxnard State Beach
Oxnard State Beach
-History:The City of Oxnard has over 20 miles of coastline. The beaches in Oxnard are large and the sand is very soft. The sand dunes in Oxnard are massive. There are very few rocks or driftwood at many of the beaches, but Oxnard is known to have dangerous rip-currents on some beaches during...
, Oxnard Shores, 5th Street Beach, McGrath State Beach
McGrath State Beach
McGrath State Beach is a protected beach park located in the city of Oxnard, California. It is located five miles south of Ventura on Harbor Boulevard....
and Rivermouth Beach.
Road and rail
The Ventura FreewayVentura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. From Ventura to its intersection with the Hollywood Freeway in the southeastern San...
(US 101) is the major highway running through Oxnard, connecting Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
to the northwest, and Los Angeles to the southeast. The Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1)
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
heads down the coast south to Malibu. And Highway 232
California State Route 232
State Route 232 is a state highway in Ventura County, California. It serves as a connector between SR 1, US 101, and SR 118.-Route description:...
(Vineyard Avenue), heads northeast, providing connections to Saticoy
Saticoy, California
Saticoy is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Ventura County, California. It lies in the Santa Clara River Valley, south of the intersection of Wells Road and the Santa Paula Freeway, on the east side of Ventura, and north of the Santa Clara River at the head of the delta...
and Santa Paula
Santa Paula, California
Santa Paula is a city within Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 29,321 at the 2010 census, up from 28,598 at the 2000 census...
.
The Oxnard Transportation Center
Oxnard (Amtrak station)
The Oxnard Transportation Center is an Amtrak and Metrolink rail station in the community of Oxnard, California. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, Amtrak's Coast Starlight from Los Angeles Union Station to Seattle, Washington, and Metrolink's Ventura...
is served by both Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Pacific Surfliner
Pacific Surfliner
The Pacific Surfliner is a Amtrak regional passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo....
and Coast Starlight
Coast Starlight
The Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, to Union Station in Los Angeles, California. The train's name was formed as a merging of two of Southern Pacific's train names, the Coast...
train routes, as well as Metrolink
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
's Ventura County Line
Metrolink Ventura County Line
Metrolink's Ventura County Line is a commuter rail line serving Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. Service on this line began in 1992 as one of Metrolink's original three lines, with service from Moorpark to Los Angeles Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles...
.
Port
The Port of Hueneme is located south of Oxnard and is jointly operated by the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the Oxnard Harbor District. The port is the only deep water port between the Port of Long Beach
Port of Long Beach
The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest container port in the USA. It adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for U.S.-Asian trade, the port occupies of land with of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California...
and the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
as well as the only military deep water port between San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
and Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
.
The Port of Hueneme is a shipping and receiving point for a wide variety of resources with destinations in the larger population centers of the Los Angeles Basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
. Resources include automobiles, pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s, and bananas. Agricultural products such as onions, strawberries
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
, and flowers are shipped.
The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
maintains a facility at Port Hueneme, in support of the naval air station at Point Mugu
Point Mugu, California
Point Mugu , California is an unincorporated area and geographical promontory on the Pacific coast in Ventura County, near the town of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term Muwu, meaning beach, which was first mentioned by Cabrillo in...
to the south, with which it comprises Naval Base Ventura County. Port Hueneme is the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
home of the Construction Battalion, the "Seabees", as well as a link in the coastal radar system.
Harbor
Oxnard is home to one harbor: Channel Islands HarborChannel Islands Harbor
Channel Islands Harbor is a combined shore-protection project and small craft harbor located at the southern end of the Santa Barbara Channel in the town of Oxnard, California. The US Army Corps of Engineers formed the harbor in 1960 by scooping out sand dunes and wetlands and depositing the...
, with Ventura Harbor located seven miles (11 km) north in adjacent Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
. Channel Islands Harbor
Channel Islands Harbor
Channel Islands Harbor is a combined shore-protection project and small craft harbor located at the southern end of the Santa Barbara Channel in the town of Oxnard, California. The US Army Corps of Engineers formed the harbor in 1960 by scooping out sand dunes and wetlands and depositing the...
is located on the south shore of Oxnard and is nicknamed the "Gateway to the Channel Islands" because of the high number of operations that sail to the islands out of the harbor. Both harbors are vital fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
harbors.
Culture and the arts
Oxnard offers several cultural institutions. These include the Carnegie Art MuseumCarnegie Art Museum (Oxnard, California)
The Carnegie Art Museum, formerly known as the Oxnard Public Library and the Carnegie Cultural Arts Center, is a Neo-Classical building and art museum located adjacent to Plaza Park in Oxnard, California, United States. It opened in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library and was later converted into an...
, founded in 1907 as the Oxnard Public Library by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
; the Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife
Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife
The Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife, more commonly referred to as The Vintage Museum or The Chandler Museum was the primary showcase for the collections of Otis Chandler since its foundation in 1987...
, founded by the late Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
publisher Otis Chandler
Otis Chandler
Otis Chandler was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions...
, which housed the largest collection of rare and vintage automobiles in the nation until the contents were auctioned off following Chandler's death in 2006; the Murphy Auto Museum, founded by neurosurgeon Dan Murphy
Dan Murphy
Dan Murphy is best known as the guitarist for the American band, Soul Asylum. He is also a member of Golden Smog.-History:...
; The Heritage Square
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a Storybook Victorian theme park shopping village at Golden, Colorado. It was originally built as Magic Mountain in 1957-59 by a group spearheaded by prominent Wheat Ridge businessman Walter Francis Cobb and Denver sculptor John Calvin Sutton. They hired Marco Engineering,...
, a collection of restored Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
houses which were once owned by Oxnard ’s pioneer families (Heritage Square
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a Storybook Victorian theme park shopping village at Golden, Colorado. It was originally built as Magic Mountain in 1957-59 by a group spearheaded by prominent Wheat Ridge businessman Walter Francis Cobb and Denver sculptor John Calvin Sutton. They hired Marco Engineering,...
is also home to the Petit Playhouse and Oxnard ’s award-winning Elite Theatre Company; the Ventura County Maritime Museum; The Gull Wings Children's Museum: The Henry T. Oxnard Historic District the Herzog Winery and wine cellar, the nation's largest collection of fine kosher wines; the Seabee Museum
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
and the The Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center, home to the New West Symphony. It is also home to the award winning Oxnard Independent Film Festival and, since 2010, the annual Channel Islands Tall Ships Festival.
Music
Hip Hop producer Madlib and bands in the punk "NardcoreNardcore
Nardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
" music scene are from Oxnard, including Dr. Know
Dr. Know (band)
Dr. Know is a punk band which began as a Nardcore band and now has roots in Los Angeles, CA.They are one of the founding figures of the "Nardcore" punk movement from Oxnard, CA. The band was started by Kyle Toucher, Ismael Hernandez, and Robin Cartwright in early 1981, and after auditioning a few...
, Stalag 13
Stalag 13
Stalag 13 was a post-World War II POW camp in Nuremberg, Germany, that held former SS military personnel. It imprisoned 15,000 SS members....
, Scared Straight
Scared Straight (band)
Scared Straight was a Nardcore Punk band from Simi Valley, California.The band was formed in 1983 by a group of friends and was originally called S.O.F, Scott Radinsky, Mike Thompson, Gary Gallanes and Dennis Jagard, who wanted to start a band and enter a "Battle of the Bands" competition at a...
, Ill Repute
Ill Repute
Ill Repute is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California, formed in 1981. They are noted for popularizing the "Nardcore" sound in the mid-1980s hardcore punk scene, and recorded for Mystic Records....
, False Confession
False Confession
False Confession was a hardcore punk band in the early 1980s that emerged in the Oxnard, California area. They were one of the founding members of the "Nardcore" punk movement.Their first 7" EP Left to Burn was released by Mystic Records in 1984...
, Ten Foot Pole
Ten Foot Pole
Ten Foot Pole is an American punk rock band, formerly on Epitaph Records.-History:Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 as Scared Straight.Scared Straight was a Nardcore Punk band from Simi Valley, California...
, Hostile, No Motiv
No Motiv
No Motiv is a punk rock band from Oxnard, California signed to Vagrant Records. As of 2006, No Motiv were the 'oldest' Vagrant band, having been with Vagrant Records longer than any other artist on the Vagrant roster. The current No Motiv line up includes former bassist Roger Camero behind the...
, and Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus (band)
Habeas Corpus was a hardcore punk band that emerged from the Nardcore scene in the early 1980s. One of the region's first straight edge bands, Habeas Corpus combined Misfits-style horror punk with the early 80s Southern California surf/skate sound...
. The city and neighboring Ventura both maintain a thriving punk music scene to this day, driven by a fusion of both the skater and surfer cultures. Oxnard is also home to a thriving hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene.
Political and cultural
- César ChávezCésar ChávezCésar Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
: Farm worker, political activist and union leader, lived in the Colonia area of Oxnard during his childhood. Several streets and schools in the Oxnard area and surrounding areas bear his name. - Lupe AnguianoLupe AnguianoLupe Anguiano is a civil rights activist known for her work on women's rights, the rights of the poor, and the protection of the environment. In 2007 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project....
: Former nun and civil rights activist known for her work on women's rights, the rights of the poor, and the protection of the environment. - William D. Soo Hoo: William `Bill" Soo Hoo was born in Oxnard in 1924, attended Oxnard schools and joined the U.S. Army in 1943. Upon his return to Oxnard at the end of the war, Soo Hoo began a career of community service serving on the Grand Jury, the Oxnard City Council in 1962, and was elected mayor of Oxnard in 1966. He was the first Asian to serve as mayor in Southern California.
- William P. Clark -born, American politician, served under President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
as the Deputy Secretary of State from 1981 to 1982, United States National Security AdvisorNational Security Advisor (United States)The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
from 1982 to 1983, and the Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
from 1983 until 1985. - Nao TakasugiNao TakasugiNao Takasugi was an American politician from California, a member of the Republican Party, and a survivor of the Japanese American internment camps.-Early life:...
: California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
and mayor of Oxnard - Manuel M. Lopez: Dr. Manuel M. Lopez was born in Oxnard, CA in 1927. He was elected to the City Council from 1978 to 1992, and elected Mayor of Oxnard in 1992 to 2004.
Business people
- Martin V. ("Bud") Smith: Developer and philanthropist. The most significant developer in the Oxnard area. Built the Financial Plaza Towers and financed construction of CSUCICalifornia State University, Channel IslandsCalifornia State University Channel Islands is a four-year public university located in Camarillo, California, in Ventura County. CSUCI opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the California State University system, succeeding the Ventura County branch campus of CSU Northridge...
's school of business and economics. His first real estate project was the Wagon Wheel Motel & Restaurant and Wagon Wheel Junction.
Athletes and sportspeople
In alphabetical order by last name:- Bobby AyalaBobby AyalaRobert Joseph "Bobby" Ayala was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos. He showed promise as a bullpen pitcher for the Mariners, but then struggled and was eventually released.Ayala went to high school at Rio Mesa in Oxnard, California...
: Former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher for the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. Graduated from Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo...
. - Lorenzo BookerLorenzo BookerLorenzo Booker is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
: Running back for the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
football team. - Keary ColbertKeary ColbertPatrick Keary Jerel Colbert is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
: Wide receiver for the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
; All time reception leader for USC TrojansUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
; Graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
. - Jacob CruzJacob CruzJacob Antonio Cruz , is a professional baseball player for the Potros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League. Cruz, who is of Mexican American descent, played outfield in Major League Baseball from -...
: Outfielder for the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
; graduated from Channel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High School , is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California. It is known as the "Home of the Raiders". The school colors are powder blue and gold. CIHS is under the jurisdiction of the Oxnard Union High School District. It had a student population of 2,608 during the 2006-2007...
. - Tim CurranTim CurranTim Curran is a musician, retired professional surfer and a spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation. During his successful surfing career, he was one of the best surfers on the World Championship Tour, and was consistently in contention for the world championship...
: Professional surfer; Graduated from Oxnard High SchoolOxnard High SchoolOxnard High School, or OHS as it is commonly referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, Ventura County, California, United States...
. - Lou CvijanovichLou CvijanovichLou Cvijanovich was the boys basketball coach for Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, California from 1958-1999. He is the winningest high school basketball coach in California history, with 829 wins....
: Winningest coach in California high school history. Coached Santa Clara High SchoolSanta Clara High School (Oxnard)Santa Clara High School, or SCHS as it is commonly referred to, is a private, Catholic four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Opening in September 1901. The school is the oldest high school in Ventura...
to 829 wins from 1958–1999. - Charles DillonCharles DillonCharles J. Dillon was an English actor-manager and tragedienne.In 1840, he appeared at the City Theatre, London, as Hamlet, giving a performance which attracted some critical attention. He toured extensively, to improve his reputation. Becoming actor-manager of the Theatre Royal, Wolverhampton in...
: Wide receiver for Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
; Played for Ventura CollegeVentura CollegeVentura College is a California-state funded community college located in Ventura, California, USA. Established in 1925, the college has a campus with an enrollment of 14,456 students. The college is part of the Ventura County Community College District....
and Washington StateWashington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
; graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
in 04 - Scott FujitaScott FujitaScott Anthony Fujita is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
: National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
linebacker for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Graduated from Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo...
and University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. - Robert GarciaRoberto Garcia CortezRoberto García Cortez, , is a retired Mexican-American professional boxer in the Lightweight division and is currently considered one of the best trainers in boxing. He is also the former IBF Super Featherweight Champion and was trained by his father Eduardo Garcia at the popular La Colonia Youth...
: Retired professional boxer; former IBFInternational Boxing FederationThe International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Super Featherweight Champion. - Phil Giebler (race car driver) was the recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award for 2007.
- Jim HallJim Hall (race car driver)Jim Hall is a former racecar driver and constructor from the United States. He competed in Formula One from to , participating in 12 World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship races....
: Race car driver; two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. - Jeremy JacksonJeremy Jackson (fighter)Jeremy Rea Jackson is an American mixed martial artist from California.-Career:Jackson's first professional MMA fight was on September 9, 2001 against Jake Shields in the Gladiator Challenge 6: Caged Beasts...
: Pro UFC fighter, Winner : King of the Mountain 2004 :Contestand Ultimate Fighter 4 : The Comeback. - Ronney JenkinsRonney JenkinsRonney Jenkins is an American football player from Los Angeles, California. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Ronney Jenkins is a relatively small football player, but he is noted for his tremendous speed.-High school career:...
: 2001 NFL Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
kick returner for the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
. - Marion JonesMarion JonesMarion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
disgraced, disqualified multiple Olympic Gold medalist, attended and ran for Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo... - Dave LautDave LautDavid Lester Laut was an American shot putter. He was born in Findlay, Ohio.He won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles...
:(born December 21, 1956 in Findlay, OhioFindlay, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
died August 27, 2009 in Oxnard, California ) was a retired American shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
ter. - Whitney LewisWhitney LewisWhitney Lewis is a former American College Football player. Lewis started his college career at University of Southern California in 2003, but transferred to the University of Northern Iowa after his sophomore season. Lewis graduated from St. Bonaventure High School in 2003 and played in that...
: Former USC TrojansUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and current University of Northern IowaUniversity of Northern IowaThe University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
wide receiver. Won the 2003 Glenn Davis AwardGlenn Davis AwardThe Glenn Davis Award is given out annually since 1987 by the Los Angeles Times to the best high school football player in the Los Angeles area. It is named after Glenn Woodward Davis, the 1946 Heisman Trophy winner, who prepped at Bonita High School in La Verne, California and Cal Poly Pomona in...
for top football player in Southern California. - Carlos Martinez: Professional boxer.
- Kristal MarshallKristal MarshallKristal Marshall is an American model, beauty queen, and former professional wrestler best known for her work in World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown! brand and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion working as Kristal Lashley the kayfabe wife of Bobby Lashley and his real life...
: professional wrestler formerly with the World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. - Paul McAnultyPaul McAnultyPaul Michael McAnulty is a Major League Baseball infielder. He played college baseball at Long Beach State.-San Diego Padres:...
: Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder with the San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. - Ken McMullen: former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third-baseman with the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
was born in Oxnard. - Victor OrtízVictor OrtízVictor Ortiz is an American professional boxer of Mexican descent and the former WBC welterweight champion.He was previously in the light welterweight division, where he held the USBA & NABO title....
: Professional boxer. - Corey PavinCorey PavinCorey Allen Pavin is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 150 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1986 and 1997.-Biography:...
: Professional golfer; successful career includes winning the 1995 U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. Graduated from Oxnard High SchoolOxnard High SchoolOxnard High School, or OHS as it is commonly referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, Ventura County, California, United States...
. - Terry PendletonTerry PendletonTerry Lee Pendleton is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas...
1991 MVP of Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
; graduated from Channel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High School , is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California. It is known as the "Home of the Raiders". The school colors are powder blue and gold. CIHS is under the jurisdiction of the Oxnard Union High School District. It had a student population of 2,608 during the 2006-2007...
. - Josh PinkardJosh PinkardJosh Pinkard is an American football cornerback, currently unsigned, who was most recently with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League...
: Free Safety for the two-time national champion University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Trojans football team. Graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
. - Brandon RiosBrandon RiosBrandon Lee Ríos is an undefeated Mexican-American/Native American boxer and the current WBA lightweight champion. Brandon is trained by former IBF super featherweight champion Roberto García.-Amateur career:...
: Professional boxer, the current WBAWorld Boxing AssociationThe World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
World lightweight champion. - Jacob RogersJacob RogersJacob Rogers is a retired American football offensive tackle in the National Football League who is currently working in private business in Ventura, Ca.-Early years:...
: Offensive Tackle for the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Three year starter and All-American at USC. Graduated from Oxnard High SchoolOxnard High SchoolOxnard High School, or OHS as it is commonly referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, Ventura County, California, United States...
. - Blaine SaipaiaBlaine SaipaiaBlaine Saipaia [Sy-puh-EE-uh] is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Colorado State.-External links:*...
: of the St Louis Rams graduated from Channel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High School , is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California. It is known as the "Home of the Raiders". The school colors are powder blue and gold. CIHS is under the jurisdiction of the Oxnard Union High School District. It had a student population of 2,608 during the 2006-2007...
. - Paul StankowskiPaul StankowskiPaul Francis Stankowski is an American professional golfer who has played on both the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour....
: Professional golfer; graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
. - Kevin Thomas: Former National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
cornerback for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, graduated from Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo...
. - Josh TowersJosh TowersJoshua Eric Towers is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher, who currently plays for the Camden Riversharks in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball...
: Pitcher for the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. Graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
and Oxnard CollegeOxnard CollegeOxnard College is a California-state funded community college located in Oxnard, California. It was established in 1975. It serves the Oxnard Plain cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, and the town of Port Hueneme. The college offers two year degrees, as well as career and technical education programs to...
. - Steve TrachselSteve TrachselStephen Christopher Trachsel , nicknamed "The Human Rain Delay", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is known for the long amount of time he takes to deliver the ball to home plate in between pitches. Games in which he pitches are known to be considerably longer than most games, leading...
: of the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
was born in Oxnard and attended Hathaway Elementary in Oxnard. - Fernando VargasFernando VargasFernando Vargas is a retired Mexican American boxer and two-time world champion, who won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. His nicknames include "Ferocious", "The Aztec Warrior" and "El Feroz"...
: 2-time light-middleweight boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion. Graduated from Channel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High SchoolChannel Islands High School , is a secondary school located in Oxnard, California. It is known as the "Home of the Raiders". The school colors are powder blue and gold. CIHS is under the jurisdiction of the Oxnard Union High School District. It had a student population of 2,608 during the 2006-2007...
. - Dmitri YoungDmitri YoungDmitri Dell Young is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Young is 6'2" and 275 pounds...
of the Washington NationalsWashington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
graduated from Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo...
. - Mark BerryMark Berry (baseball)Mark Berry is the third base coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He has held that position since . He has spent 27 seasons in the Reds organization as a player, coach, and manager.-Early life:...
: 3rd Base Coach for the Cincinnati Reds graduated from Hueneme High SchoolHueneme High SchoolHueneme High School, or HHS as it is more often referred to, is a public four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. The school was founded in 1959 and sits in the heart of South Oxnard...
. - Sergio Gabriel MartinezSergio Gabriel MartínezSergio Gabriel Martínez is an Argentine professional boxer and the current The Ring middleweight champion....
: Professional Middleweight Boxer based in Oxnard,California
Actors
- Walter BrennanWalter BrennanWalter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
died in Oxnard. - Ryan Brown, in a reality television series, Flipping OutFlipping OutFlipping Out is a reality television series that debuted on July 31, 2007 on Bravo in the United States and HGTV in Canada. Subsequently, it debuted on cable network Arena in Australia on September 4, 2009. For the first season it also re-aired on sister network CNBC...
, grew up at the beach in Oxnard - John CarradineJohn CarradineJohn Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, lived in Oxnard for many years - James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, Hollywood film director, producer and screenwiter, created TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
and Avatar - Charlie ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, actor, had a beach home - Lee Van CleefLee Van CleefLee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
died in Oxnard. - Jeffrey CombsJeffrey CombsJeffrey Alan Combs is an American actor known for his horror film roles and his appearances playing a number of characters in the Star Trek franchise.-Early life:...
, actor - Brandon CruzBrandon CruzBrandon Edwin Cruz is an American former child actor and currently a punk rock musician, and also works in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. In the late 1960s, the freckled-faced Cruz came to prominence by playing Tom Corbett's charming and conniving son, Eddie Corbett, in the comedy-drama The...
, child actor and lead singer of the punk band Dr. KnowDr. KnowDr. Know may refer to :*Dr. Know , a punk band from Oxnard, California*Dr. Know , stage name of guitar player Gary Miller from the band Bad Brains*Dr. Know , a TV program on the Discovery Health Channel...
, has family and a beach home in Oxnard. - Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Carol Lombard, had a beach house at Hollywood Beach, Oxnard - John Curtis Holmes, the pornographic film phenomenon of the 1970s had his ashes scattered at sea off the coast of Oxnard in 1988.
- George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
, actor, has a beach home in Oxnard - Donna ReedDonna ReedDonna Reed was an American film and television actress.With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the tramp Lorene in the war drama From Here to Eternity. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas...
, actress, The Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
, Dallas (TV series)Dallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, had a beach home at the Colony, Mandalay Beach, Oxnard - Pat SajakPat SajakPat Sajak is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
, host of television game show, Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, had a beach home in Oxnard - Bob StephensonBob Stephenson (actor)Robert J. "Bob" Stephenson is an American film actor, television actor, film producer and screenwriter who is probably best known as Sheriff Jimmy Taylor on the CBS TV series Jericho....
, actor, film producer and screenwriter - Rudolph ValentinoRudolph ValentinoRudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
, actor, had a beach home - Isiah Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy, former NFL player
Authors
- GilbertGilbert HernandezGilberto Hernández, born February 1, 1957, in Oxnard, California, usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also known by the nickname Beto , is an American comics writer/artist...
, JaimeJaime HernandezJaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
, and Mario HernandezMario HernandezMario Hernandez is an American writer, artist, and sometime publisher of comics. Along with his younger brothers Gilbert and Jaime he co-created the acclaimed independent comic book Love and Rockets.- Biography :...
: creators of the black & white independent comicComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Love and Rockets. - Jayne Iafrate, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, graduated from Oxnard High School.
Musicians and entertainers
- MadlibMadlibOtis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
: Oxnard-based record producer, musician, rapper, and DJ noted for his work and collaborations in the jazz and hip-hop scenes - DJ BabuDJ BabuDJ Babu is a Filipino-American DJ. One-third of the hip hop group Dilated Peoples , Babu is also a member of the Beat Junkies DJ crew, and together with rapper Defari forms the duo the Likwit Junkies. DJ Babu, Evidence and Pharoahe Monch also feature in the song H! Vltg3 on Linkin Park's...
: Filipino AmericanFilipino AmericanFilipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
disc jockey for the Beat JunkiesBeat JunkiesThe World Famous Beat Junkies is a Hip hop crew of DJs specializing in Turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J-Rocc....
and Dilated PeoplesDilated PeoplesDilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit... - Down AKA KiloDown AKA KiloJuan Martinez , better known by his stage name Down AKA Kilo, is an American rapper from Oxnard, California.Martinez was born in Oxnard; his parents were illegal immigrants from Mexico. Growing up, he listened to Cypress Hill and N.W.A and began rapping at age 13...
: Rapper - James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
: Three-time Academy Award-winning film director - Homer KellerHomer KellerHomer T. Keller was an American composer of contemporary classical music.He graduated from Oxnard Union High School in Oxnard, California in 1933, after which he attended the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Howard Hanson, obtaining B.M. and M.M. degrees...
, composer (1915–1996) - Ill ReputeIll ReputeIll Repute is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California, formed in 1981. They are noted for popularizing the "Nardcore" sound in the mid-1980s hardcore punk scene, and recorded for Mystic Records....
, hardcore punk band and leaders of the NardcoreNardcoreNardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
movement - Michael LeeMichael Lee (keyboardist)Michael Lee is a keyboardist and composer in Los Angeles. He has worked as keyboardist programmer, and technical consultant with Meredith Brooks, Melissa Etheridge, and David Foster. He has also worked with several Contemporary Christian music artists, including Michelle Tumes, Avalon, and BeBe...
: Keyboardist and composer; graduated from Rio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High SchoolRio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of Northern Oxnard, River Park, Nyeland Acres, and El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo... - Oh NoOh No (rapper)Oh No is an underground hip hop artist from Oxnard, California who has released several albums on Stones Throw Records.-Biography:...
: Hip-Hop rapper, producer and brother of Madlib who is signed to Stones Throw RecordsStones Throw RecordsStones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20.... - Sonny BonoSonny BonoSalvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
& CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
: Record producers, singers, actors and politicians. Famous for Sonny & CherSonny & CherSonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
rock duo, had a beach home in Oxnard Shores, Oxnard - SpinzSpinzScott Lykins, professionally known as Spinz, is a multi talented rapper, producer, actor and songwriter born in Oxnard, California. A former member of Hollywood bad boy Brad Renfro entourage and the former frontman of the legendary L.A. band Dirt Farmers...
: Hip-Hop rapper, producer, actor, label owner - Rich MooreRich MooreRich Moore is an American animation director and a business partner in Rough Draft Studios, Inc., where he serves as Sr. Vice President of creative affairs. He is one of a handful of artists who in the early 90s redefined prime time television animation with his work on The Simpsons...
: Academy Award-winning animation director (The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
), and co-owner of Rough Draft StudiosRough Draft StudiosRough Draft Studios, Inc. is an animation studio based in Glendale, California, United States, with its sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. RDS was founded in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California by Gregg Vanzo...
, Inc. - The WarriorsThe Warriors (band)The Warriors is an American hardcore punk band originally from Tehachapi, CA. Due to member changes, The Warriors are now primarily based in Oxnard, CA. Their work is heavily influenced by the work of '90s bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Snapcase, a unique sound during a period that had...
: hardcore band - Pakelika: member of Kottonmouth KingsKottonmouth KingsKottonmouth Kings is an American rap rock group from Placentia, Orange County, California. Kottonmouth Kings officially formed in 1994, and describe themselves as "psychedelic hip-hop punk rock"...
-solo emcee-actor-entertainer -graduated from oxnard high - David Grohl Owns a beach home in Silver Strand
- Shirley VerrettShirley VerrettShirley Verrett was an African-American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato...
World-renowned American Operatic Mezzo-Soprano, 1931–2010 - Brittanya O' Campo Model,Tv Personality, Rock Love Bus, I Love MoneyI Love MoneyI Love Money is an American reality television series airing on VH1, and is a spin-off of Flavor of Love, Charm School, I Love New York, Rock of Love, Real Chance of Love, For the Love of Ray J, Daisy of Love and Megan Wants a Millionaire. Former contestants on these shows compete in physical and...
- Tony Cortez lead singer of Ill ReputeIll ReputeIll Repute is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California, formed in 1981. They are noted for popularizing the "Nardcore" sound in the mid-1980s hardcore punk scene, and recorded for Mystic Records....
and the so-called "Mayor" of NardcoreNardcoreNardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
See also
- Largest cities in Southern CaliforniaLargest cities in Southern CaliforniaThis is a list of the 60 largest cities in Southern California by population. Official definitions of cities are defined according to the concept of city proper. The list ranks the regions urban municipal units according to population...
- Oxnard Air Force BaseOxnard Air Force BaseOxnard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within current city limits, approximately west of central Camarillo, California...
External links
- Official website
- Oxnard City Portal
- Oxnard @ The Official Conejo Valley Website, a Web site with local history, events, and community information.
- Oxnard Transportation Center
- Oxnard Library District
- Henry T. Oxnard Historical District
- Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Neighborhood Councils Information