Oxnard, California
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Image:Oxnard City Logo.jpgImage:Oxnard Skyline.JPGImage:Oxnard Street Sign.JPG Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California in terms of population, as well as one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital. Founded in 1903, it has over 200,000 citizens.
The city is home to two large U.S. Navy bases (Port Hueneme and Point Mugu), and the Port of Hueneme is the busiest commercial port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Oxnard is also a major transit hub in Southern California, with Amtrak, Union Pacific, Metrolink, Greyhound, Intercalifornias and many others stopping in Oxnard. Oxnard also has a regional airport called Oxnard Airport (OXR), but its only destination is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). There are plans to construct an international airport in the Oxnard region in the near future.
The city boasts of its weather, its beaches, its economy (home to several major companies), its ambience, and the opportunities it offers.
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History
Before the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now Oxnard was inhabited by Chumash Indians. The first European to encounter the area was Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, 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 U.S. state in 1850. At about the same time, the area was settled by European and American famers, who cultivated barley and lima beans.
In 1897, Henry Oxnard, who operated a successful sugarbeet farm with his brothers in Chino, California, was enticed to build a beet-processing plant amidst the fields. A railroad station was built to service the plant, which attracted a population of opportunity-hungry Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican laborers and enough commerce to merit the designation of a town. Oxnard intended to name to settlement after the Greek word for "sugar", but, frustrated by bureaucracy, ultimately named it after himself.
Oxnard was incorporated as a California city in 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 San Diego and San Francisco Bay, and these encouraged the development of the defense-based aerospace and communications industries and an influx of Anglo-Americans.
It was at this point that the rift between Oxnard's Anglo- and Mexican-American communities began. Agriculture had longed depended on Mexican farm labor, and farmworkers had deep roots in the community. With the rise of the local defense industry, Oxnard's white residents flocked to more affluent neighborhoods, leaving Mexican residents the old-town "La Colonia". The town was essentially segregated. Official neglect of the Mexican areas of town allowed gangs such as the "Colonia Chiques," to flourish, and violence broke out in turf disputes between rival gangs. The Oxnard police department sought to restrict gang activity through the imposition of a controversial gang injunction in June of 2004 over a 6.6 square-mile area of the city. Community activists lobbied against the injunction arguing that it was imposed with their being consulted, it amounted to racial discrimination, its provision against the use of Dallas Cowboys (who train nearby) paraphernalia was tantamount to "fashion policing" and a violation of free expression, its provision against public assembly was unconstitutional, and that it was generally too broad to be effective. The Ventura County Superior Court upheld the injunction and one year later, it was made permanent.
Oxnard today is one of the world's most racially integrated cities. While Latinos remain its largest ethnic grouping, Middle Easterners mingle freely with American Natives, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, Blacks, European Whites, and persons of any combination of all these and other groupings. Racism is relatively vestigal in Oxnard. Unfortunately, Classism persists exacerbated by hordes of wealthy retired families moving into the area. This has adversely affected Oxnard's infrastructure. Driving through Oxnard, and, indeed, all of Southern California, can be both slow and tedious.
Geography
Image:CAMap-doton-Oxnard.png Oxnard is located at 34°11'29" North, 119°10'57" West (34.191292, -119.182497)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 94.8 km² (36.6 mi²). 65.6 km² (25.3 mi²) of it is land and 29.2 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 30.83% water.
Neighborhoods
Image:Oxnard-neighborhoods-map-500x637.jpg
- Bartolo Square North
- Bartolo Square South
- Blackstock North
- Blackstock South
- Bryce Canyon North
- Bryce Canyon South
- Cabrillo
- Cal Giesler
- Carriage Square
- Channel Islands
- College Estates
- College Park
- Cypress
- Diamond Bar
- East Village
- El Eio
- El Rio West
- Five Points Northeast
- Fremont North
- Fremont South
- Golf Course
- Hill Street
- Hobson Park East
- Hobson Park West
- Hollywood Beach
- Hollywood-by-the-Sea
- Kamala Park
- La Colonia
- Lemonwood/Eastmont
- Mar Vista
- Marina West
- Orchard Park
- Ormond Beach
- Oxnard Dunes
- Oxnard Pacific
- Oxnard Shores
- Pleasant Valley Estates
- Pleasant Valley Village
- Rio Lindo
- River Ridge
- Rose Park
- Sea View
- Sea View Estates
- Sierra Linda
- Silverstrand Beach
- South Bank
- Southwinds
- Strickland
- Teal Club
- Terrace Estates
- Town Center
- Via Marina
- Villa Capri
- West Village
- Wilson
- Windsor North
Beaches
The city of Oxnard is home to over 20 miles of scenic, unspoiled and uncrowded coastline. The beaches in Oxnard are large and the sand is exceptionally soft. The sand dunes in Oxnard have been used to recreate Middle-Eastern desert dunes in many movies, the first being The Sheik 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, although its best surf is inaccessible to the general public because it breaks at the beach inside the Navy base at Point Mugu. Only those with access to the base can surf its fast-moving (and at times up to 15 foot) break. Silverstrand has excellent surf, but makes outsiders unwelcome.
Beaches in Oxnard include Mugu Rock State Beach, Ormond Beach, Hueneme Beach, Silverstrand Beach, Hollywood Beach, Mandalay Beach, Oxnard State Beach, Oxnard Shores, 5th Street Beach, McGrath State Beach and Rivermouth Beach.
Port
Port Hueneme is the only deep water port between the Port of Long Beach and the Port of San Francisco, and the only military deep water port between San Diego Bay and Puget Sound. It is operated jointly by the United States Navy and the Oxnard Harbor District. The port is a shipping and receiving point for a wide variety of goods destined for the Los Angeles Basin, and beyond including automobiles, pineapples, 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 famous "Seabees," as well as a link in the coastal radar system.
Harbors
Oxnard is home to two harbors: Channel Islands Harbor and Ventura Harbor. 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 and the fish caught off the Oxnard coast is served in restaurants around the world.
Agriculture
According to the Camarillo General Plan PDF: "The areas studied showed a high percentage of Group I soils, primarily located on the relatively flat Oxnard Plain. 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."
In the years of Oxnard's booming 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 was initiated by farmers, ranchers and citizens in an effort to save the vast agricultural asset of the Oxnard Plain.
The Oxnard Plain is well-known for its strawberries. "Ventura County is California’s largest strawberry producer, supplying about one-third of the State’ annual strawberry volume." USDA strawberry PFD. (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 stawberries.) Oxnard is one of several cities (including Watsonville, California) that claim the title of "Strawberry Capital of the World".
Climate
The weather conditions are considered by many to be the some of the best in the world, particularly for vegetable growing. Perhaps no other place is as temperate or as consistently sunny and dry.
The city is situated in a Mediterranean, or dry subtropical climate zone, experiencing mild winters that are warmer than average, and mild summers that are cooler than average. Onshore breezes keep the communities of Oxnard cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland. The average mean temperature is 75 degrees. Average minimum temperature is 52.4 degrees and the average maximum temperature is 90 degrees. In the winter, rain is a possibility. Generally the weather is cool and dry in all seasons, with 354 days of sunshine a year.
Famous people from Oxnard
- Michelle M. Serros: author of the 1998 short story and poetry collection "Chicana Falsa : And Other Stories of Death, Identity, & Oxnard" ISBN 1573226858 and the 2000 book "How To Be A Chicana Role Model" ISBN 1573228249
- Madlib: California-based hip hop producer, rapper, and DJ. Noted for his work and collaborations in the indie hip-hop scene.
- Fernando Vargas: 5-time middleweight boxing Champion. Vargas was born in Oxnard's La Colonia and trained at La Colonia Youth Boxing Club on 1st Street.
- Victor Ortiz: A young professional boxer, originally from Garden City, Kansas, who has become Oxnard's new Goldenboy. Going professional in 2004, 18-year-old Ortiz currently has ten wins and 6 knock-outs. He trains daily at La Colonia Youth Boxing Club and graduated in June of 2005 from Pacifica High School. In 2004, Ortiz was the subject of a short documentary film called "VICTORY", that describes his rise from an unstable childhood to a successful pro boxer. The film can be seen here.
- Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez: creators of the Love and Rockets alternative comics series. The fictional city, Hoppers, or Huerta, in the comics is based on Oxnard.
- Walter Brennan died in Oxnard.
- The actor Jeffrey Combs was born in Oxnard.
- The actor Lee Van Cleef died in Oxnard
- Albert Ibarra co-founder of Mostyless Entertainment.
- Archie Sandoval co-founder of Mostyless Entertainment.
- Brandon Cruz, child actor on The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Bad News Bears, and many other shows, has been a lifelong Oxnard resident, maintaining a home at Silver Srand Beach. He is also among the founders of the early Nardcore scene, singing for seminal Oxnard punk band, Dr. Know, since 1982. His family extends from Silver Strand, Oxnard Shores, to La Colonia and Paula Street. Cruz is one-quarter Hispanic.
- Jacob Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds graduated from Channel Islands High School
- Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers graduated from Rio Mesa High School
- Terry Pendleton 1991 Baseball MVP graduated from Channel Islands High School
- Steve Trachsel of the New York Mets was born in Oxnard
- Ken McMullen was born in Oxnard
- Blaine Saipaia of the St Louis Rams graduated from Channel Islands High School
Music
- Many bands in the punk "Nardcore" music scene are from Oxnard, California, including Dr. Know, Agression, Stalag 13, Scared Straight, Ill Repute, False Confession, Rat Pack, The Rotters, RKL, AFU, No Motiv, In Control, Missing 23rd, Heavy Artillery and Habeas Corpus.
- Jumpy Boy Records founded in 1998 has been a premier recording studio. Founded by Albert Ibarra and Archie Sandoval.
Trivia
- The one episode Battletoads animated television program was set in Oxnard.
- The character Oxnard Montalvo in the Nickelodeon animated series The Angry Beavers is an homage to both Oxnard and Montalvo, a section of nearby Ventura.
- When former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura (real name James Janos), who took his stage name from a road atlas of California, became the governor of Minnesota, famous Minnesotan humorist Garrison Keillor wrote a satirical "mock biography" of Ventura, called Me, by Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente, using the name "Oxnard" as the surname of Ventura's doppelganger.
- Oxnard was once mentioned on the show Rocket Power.
- For many years, the Chamber of Commerce used the motto "Oxnard, more than just a pretty name" in their advertising.
Demographics
A May 1, 2005 California Department of Finance estimate shows the city's population at just over 200,000, with the Oxnard-Ventura Metropolitan Area at nearly half a million people. As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 170,358 people, 43,576 households, and 34,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,598.8/km² (6,729.7/mi²). There were 45,166 housing units at an average density of 689.0/km² (1,784.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.08% White, 3.78% African American, 1.26% Native American, 7.39% Asian, 0.41% Pacific Islander, 40.36% from other races, and 4.72% from two or more races. 66.22% of the population were 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. 15.1% of the population and 11.4% of families were below the poverty line. 18.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
External links
- City of Oxnard website
- Oxnard Library District
- Henry T. Oxnard Historical District
- Oxnard Dept of Tourism
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