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California State...
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California Counties
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California Counties
The U.S. state of California is divided into fifty-eight counties.
On January 4, 1850, the California constitutional committee recommended the formation of 18 counties. They were
Benicia, Butte, Fremont, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Monterey, Mount Diablo, Oro, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego, San
Francisco, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Sutter. On April 22, the counties
of Branciforte, Calaveras, Coloma, Colusi, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Trinity, and Yuba were added. Benicia was
renamed Solano, Coloma to El Dorado, Fremont to Yola, Mt. Diablo to Contra Costa, San Jose to Santa Clara, Oro
to Tuolumne, and Redding to Shasta. One of the first state legislative acts regarding counties was to rename
Branciforte County to Santa Cruz, Colusi to Colusa, and Yola to Yolo.
The last California county to have been established is Imperial County in 1907. |
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Ventura County, California
Ventura County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Ventura
Year Organized: 1873
Square Miles: 1,846 |
Court House: 800 S Victoria Avenue
County Courthouse
Ventura, CA 93009-0001
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
In 1782 the Mission San Buenaventura was founded as San
Buenaventura (now known as Ventura). Buenaventura is composed of two Spanish
words, buena meaning "good" and ventura meaning "fortune."
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
By 1849, a constitution had been adopted for the California territory. The new Legislature met and
divided the pending state into 27 counties. At the time, the area that would become Ventura County was
the southern part of Santa Barbara County
On January 1, 1873, Ventura County was officially split from Santa Barbara County, bringing a flurry
of change. That same year, a courthouse and wharf were built in San Buenaventura. A bank was opened and
the first public library was created. The school system grew, with the first high school opening in 1890
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara,
San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California
by Yda Addis Storke
Published in 1891 in Chicago by the Lewis Publishing Co.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,208 square miles (5,719 kmē),
of which, 1,845 square miles (4,779 kmē) is land and 363 square miles (940 kmē) (16.43%) is water.
Anacapa Island of Channel Islands National Park and San Nicolas Island are located in the county.
Most of the population of Ventura County lives in the southern portion of the county. The major
population centers are the Oxnard Plain and the Simi and Conejo Valleys.
North of Highway 126 the county is mountainous and mostly uninhabited, and contains some of the most
unspoiled, rugged and inaccessible wilderness remaining in southern California. Most of this land is in
the Los Padres National Forest, and includes the Chumash Wilderness in the northernmost portion,
adjacent to Kern County, as well as the large Sespe Wilderness and portions of both the Dick Smith
Wilderness and Matilija Wilderness (both of these protected areas straddle the line with Santa Barbara
County). All of the wilderness areas are within the jurisdiction of Los Padres National Forest.
The highest peaks in the county include Mount Pinos (8831', 2697 m), Frazier Mountain (8017', 2444 m),
and Reyes Peak (7525', 2294 m), all except Reyes Peak in the San Emigdio Mountains (Pinos and Frazier
Mountain are sometimes assigned to the Tehachapis). The uplands are well-timbered with coniferous
forests, and receive plentiful snow in the winter.
Mount Pinos is sacred to the Chumash Indians. It is known to them as Iwihinmu, and was considered to be
the center of the universe; being the highest peak in the vicinity, it has a spectacular view, unimpeded
in three directions.
The Santa Clara River is the principal waterway. Lake Casitas, an artificial reservoir, is the largest
body of water.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Kern County
- East: Los Angeles County
- Southwest: North Pacific Ocean
- West: Santa Barbara County
Cities and Towns:
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- Agoura Hills |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Camarillo |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Fillmore |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Moorpark |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ojai |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Oxnard |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Port Hueneme |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- San Buenaventura (Ventura) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Santa Paula |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Simi Valley |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Thousand Oaks |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ventura
(County Seat) |
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- Westlake Village |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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Online High Schools
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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