Editing Ventura County, California (section)

==Geography==
[[File:AngelesNFmap.png|thumb|right|250px|53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest land.<ref name="conservation.ca.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/news/2001%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2001-55%20LA,%20Ventural%20FMMP.aspx |title=Pace of urbanization slows in Los Angeles, Ventura counties, new doc maps show |access-date=October 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023082054/http://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/news/2001%20News%20Releases/Pages/NR2001-55%20LA,%20Ventural%20FMMP.aspx |archive-date=October 23, 2014 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|2208|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1843|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|365|sqmi}} (16.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref><ref>Erwin G. Gudde, William Bright (2004). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names.</ref>

Parts of the county are on the [[Oxnard Plain]] which includes the cities of [[Oxnard]], [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]], [[Port Hueneme, California|Port Hueneme]] and much of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]. Other cities and communities lie in the intermountain valleys of the Transverse Range. The [[Santa Clara River Valley]] is the most prominent valley, while other valleys include [[Conejo Valley]], [[Simi Valley]], [[Santa Rosa Valley]], Tierra Rejada Valley and Las Posas Valley. Other parts of the county are on small coastal mountains, such as the [[Santa Ynez Mountains]], [[Simi Hills]], [[Santa Monica Mountains]] and the Piru Mountains. 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. In local media, the county is usually split between the eastern portion, generally associated with the [[San Fernando Valley]], and the western portion, often referred to as "Oxnard-Ventura". To the east is [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]].

Because the total amount of precipitation is small, conserving water and obtaining water from additional sources outside of Ventura County are vital concerns.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Page 142">U.S. Department of Agriculture (C. Robert Elford). 1970. ''Soil Survey: Ventura Area, California''. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Page 142.</ref> The climate, though mostly mild and dry, varies because of the variations in [[topography]] through for instance differences in elevation and physical geography. The [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] is the principal waterway. [[Lake Casitas]], an artificial reservoir, is the largest body of water.

The highest peaks in the county include [[Mount Pinos]] ({{convert|8831|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}), [[Frazier Mountain]] ({{convert|8017|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}), and [[Reyes Peak]] ({{convert|7525|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) in the [[Transverse Ranges]]. The uplands are well-timbered with [[Conifer|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 unimpeded views in three directions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-02-me-26691-story.html |title=Storyteller Keeps Chumash Ways Alive in Word, Deed |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Fernandez |first=Lisa |date=August 2, 1997 |access-date=October 8, 2016}}
</ref>

The USDA [[Economic Research Service]] rated Ventura County the most desirable county to live in the 48 contiguous states, using six metrics of climate ("mild, sunny winters, temperate summers, low humidity"), topographic variation, and access to water, "that reflect environmental qualities most people prefer."<ref>{{Cite news|title = Every county in America, ranked by scenery and climate|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/17/every-county-in-america-ranked-by-natural-beauty/|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = August 17, 2015|access-date = August 20, 2015|issn = 0190-8286|first = Christopher|last = Ingraham}}</ref>

=== Physical geography ===
[[File:Vc bioregions.gif|thumb|left|Map of Ventura County with physiographical [[place name]]s]]
[[File:Point Mugu September 2013 013.jpg|thumb|right|Coastline at [[Point Mugu State Park]]]]
There are {{convert|555953|acres}} outside of national forest land in Ventura County, which means that 53 percent of the county's total area is made up of national forest. Of the land outside of national forest land, approximately 59 percent is agricultural and 17.5 percent urban.<ref name="conservation.ca.gov"/> 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, California|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.
[[File:Simi-Valley-Aerial-from-west-with-mountains-August-2014.jpg|thumb|right|[[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] in the [[Simi Valley|valley of the same name]], in the southeast corner of the county]]
The coastal plain was formed by the deposition of sediments from the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] and from the streams of the Calleguas-Conejo drainage system. It has a mean elevation of {{convert|50|ft|spell=in|abbr=out}}, but at points south of the Santa Clara River, the elevation is as much as {{convert|150|ft}}, and at points north of the river, as much as {{convert|300|ft}}. The coastal plain is generally known as the [[Oxnard Plain]] with the part that centers on Camarillo lying east of the Revelon Slough is called Pleasant Valley. Most of the arable land in the county is found on the coastal plain. Small coastal mountains rim Ventura County on its landward side. They range in elevation from {{convert|50|ft}} along the coast south of the coastal plain, to about {{convert|3100|ft}} in the Santa Monica Mountains. The Santa Ynez Mountains, the [[Topatopa Mountains]], and the Piru Mountains make up the northern boundary of the coastal plain, the Santa Susana Mountains are alongside the eastern boundary of the county, and the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains are along the southern border with [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/03/11/wildlife-corridor-proposal-vote-ventura-county-board-supervisors/3131339002/|title=Wildlife passage proposal goes to Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=March 11, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref> South Mountain and [[Oak Ridge (California)|Oak Ridge]] are low and long mountains that separate [[Santa Clara River Valley|Santa Clara Valley]] from the Las Posas Valley and [[Simi Valley]]. The Camarillo Hills and the Las Posas Hills extend from [[Camarillo, California|Camarillo]] to [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] and separate the Las Posas-Simi area from the Santa Rosa Valley and Tierra Rejada Valley.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Pages 142–143">U.S. Department of Agriculture (C. Robert Elford). 1970. ''Soil Survey: Ventura Area, California''. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. Pages 142–143.</ref>
[[File:Mount Pinos.jpg|thumb|right|Summit of [[Mount Pinos]], the highest point in the county]]
[[File:Emma-wood-beach.jpg|thumb|left|[[Emma Wood State Beach]] is located west of the City of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]].]]
The intermountain valley of the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] is the most prominent valley in the county and trends east–southwest. The Santa Clara River drains an area of {{convert|1,605|mi2|km2}} and flows from its headwaters in Los Angeles to where it empties into the Pacific. Its principal tributaries are [[Piru Creek]], Santa Paula Creek, and [[Sespe Creek]]. The valley of the [[Ventura River]] is a narrow valley north of [[Ventura, California|Ventura]]. [[Ojai Valley]] is connected to the Ventura River Valley by San Antonio Creek. The small [[Upper Ojai, California|Upper Ojai Valley]], east of Ojai Valley and {{convert|300|to|500|ft|m}} higher, drains to the [[Ventura River]] on the west and to Santa Paula Creek on the east. Ojai and Upper Ojai Valleys are surrounded by mountains and are rich agricultural areas. The Ventura River flows south and drains an area of {{convert|226|mi2|km2}}. Over South Mountain and Oak Ridge, south of the Santa Clara River, are Las Posas Valley and Simi Valley. Las Posas Valley extends eastward from the [[Oxnard Plain]] almost to Simi Valley, which is in the east end of Ventura County. The city of [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]] is bounded on the east by the Santa Susana Mountains and on the south by the Simi Hills. To the south, over the Camarillo- and Las Posas Hills, are Santa Rosa- and Tierra Rejada Valleys, which extend from Camarillo eastward for {{convert|10|mi|km|spell=in}}. In the hills south of Santa Rosa Valley is the broad Conejo Valley. Santa Rosa Valley, Conejo Valley, Simi Valley, and Tierra Rejada Valley are drained by [[Calleguas Creek]] and its principal tributary, Conejo Creek. These creeks originate in the [[Santa Susana Mountains|Santa Susana]] and [[Santa Monica Mountains]].<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Page 142"/>

The county's diverse {{convert|43|mi|km|adj=on}}<ref>Ginsberg, Joanne S. (1991). ''California Coastal Access Guide''. University of California Press. Page 185. {{ISBN|9780520050518}}.</ref> coastline features a variety of terrain. There are many State beaches: [[Emma Wood State Beach|Emma Wood]], [[San Buenaventura State Beach|San Buenaventura]], [[McGrath State Beach|McGrath]], and [[Mandalay State Beach]]. Other beaches include [[Channel Islands Beach, California|Channel Islands Beach]], [[Solimar Beach, CA|Solimar Beach]], [[Oxnard Beach Park]], and [[Silver Strand Beach]]. While [[Point Mugu State Park]] is known for its steep coastal terrain with little beach access, nearby [[County Line Beach]] in the south coast community of [[Solromar, California|Solromar]] is part of the fabled [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] coastline. Ventura County has plenty of other surf spots along the coast including the notable surf spot, [[Rincon (surfspot)|Rincon Point]], on the Santa Barbara County-line.

The [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]] in Ventura County are [[Anacapa Island|Anacapa]] and [[San Nicolas Island|San Nicholas Islands]].

=== Climate ===
[[File:Sunset Over The Topatopa Mountains - From Santa Clarita.jpg|thumb|right|Sunset over the [[Topatopa Mountains]] in northern Ventura County]]
Ventura County has a considerable range in climate because of differences in topography between one part of the county and another. Rainfall is limited in summer and crops have to be irrigated. The average annual temperature is near 60&nbsp;°F at low elevations near the ocean, in the 50s over most of the northern two-thirds of the county, and less than 45&nbsp;°F in the [[Topatopa Mountains]]. The annual range in temperature is between 70&nbsp;°F and 80&nbsp;°F on the Coastal Plain and as much as 100&nbsp;°F in the interior. For July, the average maximum temperature is between 70&nbsp;°F and 80&nbsp;°F on the Coastal Plain but exceeds 90&nbsp;°F in the upper part of the Ventura- and Cuyama River Valleys. For January, the average minimum temperature is near 40&nbsp;°F on the coast but in the lower 30s and upper 20s in the northern parts of Ventura County. No temperature data are available for the highest point in the county, [[Mount Pinos]]. The length of the growing season ranges more than 300 days near the coast to less than 175 days in the coldest part in northern Ventura County. In both the northern and southern ends of the county, the annual precipitation totals between ten and fifteen inches. In the Topatopa Mountains, the annual total is more than thirty-three inches. The drier parts of the county get less than five inches of rain annually, and the higher and wetter parts get more than 60 inches annually. Measureable amounts of rainfall in Ventura County are reported on thirty to thirty-five days annually, and half an inch or more on six to twelve days annually. In the northern parts of Ventura County, snowfall averages five inches or more per year, and along the northern border and Mount Pinos, more than twenty inches.<ref name="Agriculture 1970. Pages 142–143"/>

====Air quality====
{{See also|Ventura County Air Pollution Control District}}
[[Automobile emissions]] account for most of the [[air pollution]]. Other sources include [[chemical plant]]s, [[Filling station|gasoline stations]], paint and [[Environmental impact of cleaning agents|cleaning products]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/28/the-environmental-protection-agency-ventura-county-california/3787966002/|title=Ventura County wrongly criticized in EPA air warning, local official says|last=Wilson|first=Kathleen|date=September 28, 2019|newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|language=en|access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Santa Barbara County, California]] — west
* [[Kern County, California]] — north
* [[Los Angeles County, California]] — east

===National protected areas===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Angeles National Forest]] (part)
* [[Channel Islands National Park]] (part)
* [[Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge]]
* [[Los Padres National Forest]] (part)
* [[Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area]] (part)
* [[Dick Smith Wilderness]] (part)
{{div col end}}

===Rivers===
[[File:Arroyo-Simi-Biking-Trail-seen-from-Frontier-Park-Simi-Valley.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Walkway by [[Arroyo Simi]] in [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]]]]
[[File:Ventura River Swimming-Hole.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Swimming hole in the [[Ventura River]]]]
Rivers in Ventura County include:

*[[Los Sauces Creek]]
*[[Madrianio Creek]]
*[[Padre Juan Canyon]]
*[[Ventura River]]
**[[Manuel Canyon]]
**[[Cañada Larga]]
**[[Cañada de Alisos]]
**[[Coyote Creek (Ventura County)|Coyote Creek]]
***[[Lake Casitas]]
****[[Laguna Creek (Lake Casitas)|Laguna Creek]]
****[[Willow Creek (Lake Casitas)|Willow Creek]]
****[[Santa Ana Creek]]
*****[[Roble-Casitas Canal]]
****[[Poplin Creek]]
***[[Deep Cat Lake]]
***[[East Fork Coyote Creek]]
***[[West Fork Coyote Creek]]
**[[Matilija Creek]]
***[[Rattlesnake Creek (Matilija Creek)|Rattlesnake Creek]]
***[[Lime Creek (California)|Lime Creek]]
***[[Murietta Creek]]
***[[Middle Fork Matilija Creek]]
***[[Upper North Fork Matilija Creek]]
**[[North Fork Matilija Creek]] (This and Matilija Creek form the Ventura River's headwaters.)
*[[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]]
**[[Sespe Creek]]
**[[Piru Creek]]
**[[Castaic Creek]]
*[[Calleguas Creek]]
**[[Arroyo Simi]]
**[[Arroyo Conejo]]