Ventura

Formed March 22, 1872 (50^th county)

Ventura County (843,843), Ventura (126,968), Oxnard (202,067)

A Modern style building houses the courthouse built in 1980 using designs from John Carl Warnecke and Associates & Daniel L. Dworsky and Associates.  There were earlier versions built in 1872 and 1913 both in Ventura, the only county seat.  The county complex includes an Administration building.  On March 22, 1872, Ventura County was created from Santa Barbara County as the 50^th county.  It is located one block south of the California State Highway 126 freeway on South Victoria Avenue.  The county and county seat are named for the Mission San Buenaventura.  The mission’s name is for its patron Saint Bonaventure. 

Ventura County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Twenty-eight Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Ventura County (judicial.)  The county is on the Pacific Ocean just to the west of Los Angeles, California.  The county center is 12.3 miles East of Ventura nearer Somis.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kern and Los Angeles counties and the Pacific Ocean and Santa Barbara County.  The blade of a wide shovel describes the shape of the county.  Ventura is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Oxnard is also in the southwest quarter of the county adjacent and south of Ventura.  Ventura is the county seat and Oxnard is the largest city.  Ventura is 15.1% of the county population while Oxnard is 24.0% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced VEN-TOO-RA.  

The area of the county is 1846 square miles.  It is 27 out of 58 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 58 in population in the state.  It has a density of 457.1 persons per square mile making it 14 out of 58 in the state.  Ventura County has 88.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 101 crosses the county east to west from Los Angeles County into Santa Barbara County.  Ronald W. Reagan, the 40^th President, is buried in this county.  This county is in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Ventura