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, but its only destination is Los Angeles International Airport. 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.
Oxnard is located at 34°11'29" North, 119°10'57" West (34.191292, -119.182497).
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.
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 census of 2000, there are 170,358 people, 43,576 households, and 34,947 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,598.8/km2 (6,729.7/mi2). There are 45,166 housing units at an average density of 689.0/km2 (1,784.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 43,576 households out of which 46.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% are married couples living together, 14.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% are non-families. 14.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.85 and the average family size is 4.16.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $48,603, and the median income for a family is $49,150. Males have a median income of $30,643 versus $25,381 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,288. 15.1% of the population and 11.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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 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.
Source:
OxnardCalifornia.com
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