Editing Piru, California

{{Short description|Unincorporated community in Ventura County, California}}
{{About|the place in California||Piru (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage.-->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
 | name                     = Piru, California
 | other_name               = 
 | settlement_type          = [[Unincorporated community]]<br>[[Census-designated place]]
 | native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
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 | motto                    = 
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 | map_caption              = Location in [[Ventura County]] and the state of California
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 | pushpin_label            = Piru
 | pushpin_map              = California
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the State of California
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<!-- Location ------------------>
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 | subdivision_name         = United States
 | subdivision_type1        = State
 | subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Ventura County, California|Ventura]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->
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 | government_type          = 
 | leader_title1            = [[California State Senate|State senator]]
 | leader_name1             = {{Representative|casd|21|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd/>
 | leader_title2            = [[California's 37th State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
 | leader_name2             = {{Representative|caad|37|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=swd>{{Cite web |url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |title=Statewide Database |publisher=UC Regents |access-date=November 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 | leader_title3            = [[California's 26th congressional district|U. S. rep.]]
 | leader_name3             = {{Representative|cacd|26|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|26|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>
 | established_title        = Town established
 | established_date         = 1887
<!-- Area------------------>
 | unit_pref                = U.S.
 | area_footnotes           = <ref>{{Cite US Gazetteer|2010|places|CA}}</ref>
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 2.836
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 | area_water_km2           = 0.040
 | area_water_percent       = 0.55
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 | elevation_footnotes      = <ref>{{Cite GNIS|1652775|Piru|access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
 | elevation_ft             = 709
 | elevation_m              = 216
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name="US Census Bureau 2020 Piru, CA Population">{{cite web |title=US Census Bureau |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Piru%20CDP,%20California |website=www.census.gov |access-date=8 September 2024}}</ref>
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 | population_total         = 2587
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<!-- General information  --------------->
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 | utc_offset_DST           = -7
 | coordinates              = {{coord|34|24|26|N|118|47|59|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 93040
 | area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
 | area_code                = [[Area code 805|805]]
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
 | blank_info               = {{FIPS|06|57372}}
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
 | blank1_info              = {{GNIS 4|1652775}}, {{GNIS 4|2409077}}
}}
[[File:Santa-Clara-River-Valley-with-Piru-Aerial-from-west-August-2014 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Piru (at center left) and the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] valley]]

'''Piru''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-piru.ogg|ˈ|p|aɪ|r|uː}}) is a small [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] historic town located in eastern [[Ventura County, California]], in the [[Santa Clara River Valley]] near the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] and [[California State Route 126|Highway 126]], about {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} east of [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]] and about {{convert|13|mi|km}} west of [[Interstate 5 (California)|Interstate 5]]. [[Lake Piru]], in the [[Los Padres National Forest]], is the main recreational attraction. The population was 2,063 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]], up from 1,196 when the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]] was enumerated. For statistical purposes, the [[United States Census Bureau]] has defined Piru as a [[census-designated place]] (CDP), which does not precisely correspond to the historical community.

==Etymology==
Although the town is located in the traditional homelands of the [[Tataviam]], the name ''Piru'' (originally pronounced "Pea-roo") derives from the [[Chumashan languages|Chumash]] word ''pí idhu-ku,''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36518243 |title=Encyclopedia of California. |date=1997 |publisher=Somerset Publishers |isbn=0-403-09862-9 |edition=1997-1998 |location=New York, N.Y. |pages=377 |oclc=36518243}}</ref> which referred to the [[tule]] [[phragmites|reeds]] growing along [[Piru Creek]] that were used in making baskets.

Also designated and delineated as "Piro", adjacent to "Piro Creek" on 19th century atlas maps, (i.e. A. L. Bancroft's 1876 map of CA, NV, AZ, UT) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~215908~5502250|title = California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona}}</ref> It was first named Piru City in 1888.<ref>Capace, Nancy (1999). ''Encyclopedia of California''. North American Book Dist LLC. Page 377. {{ISBN|9780403093182}}.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Rancho Camulos visitor center.jpg|thumb|The Rancho Camulos ranch foreman's house in Piru, before its renovation as a visitor center.|400px]]
[[File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Photographed by Norris M. Knaus, March 22, 1934. VIEW OF BLACK WALNUT TREE (125 ft. Spread) - Casa Del Rancho Camulos, State Highway 12 (5164 HABS CAL,49-PET.V,1-17.tif|thumb|View of a very large black walnut tree on the historic [[Rancho Camulos]], Piru, 1934]]

=== Indigenous ===
The area was originally inhabited by the [[Tataviam people|Tataviam]], who often established villages along near permanent water sources at lower elevations, including [[Piru Creek]] and the Santa Clara River. The Tataviam village of ''Piiru'' was the original village of the area. There was also a nearby shared village between the Tataviam and [[Chumash people|Chumash]] of ''Kamulus'' in the corridor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Inc |first=Arthur D. Little |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3vxCAAAAIAAJ |title=Alternative Site Analysis |date=1978 |publisher=A.D. Little |pages=399 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Piru Creek]] was generally known as the place where the [[Chumash people|Chumash]] and Tataviam shared the land with one another, being on the respective edges of each of their lands.<ref name=":1" /> Important plant foods for the Tataviam included [[yucca]] stalks and hearts, acorns, sage seeds, [[juniper]] and [[Holly-leaf cherry|holly leaf cherry]] berries. The yucca hearts were collected in the spring each year and roasted in [[earth oven]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u582AQAAMAAJ |title=Angeles National Forest (N.F.), Antelope-Pardee 500-kV Transmission Project: Environmental Impact Statement |date=2007 |pages=43 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Rancho and settler town ===
The town was founded in 1887 by [[David C. Cook]] from [[Elgin, Illinois]], a wealthy publisher of [[Sunday School]] [[tract (literature)|tracts]] and supplies who bought the [[Rancho Temescal]] Mexican land grant from the sons of [[Ygnacio del Valle]].<ref name="church">Johnson, Brett (December 24, 2011) [http://www.vcstar.com/lifestyle/tiny-piru-church-has-big-history-and-movie-star "Tiny Piru church has big history and movie-star looks"] ''[[Ventura County Star]]''</ref> Wanting to establish a "Second Garden of Eden" in this part of the Santa Clara River Valley, Cook specified, tradition says, that the acreage be planted with fruits identified with the Biblical garden—apricots, dates, figs, grapes, olives and pomegranates. That same year, he built his first home, a [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival]] structure, at the southwest corner of Main and Center Streets.{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}

The [[Coast Line (UP)|coast rail line]] was built through the valley in 1887. Because a small depot was already going to be built in nearby [[Rancho Camulos|Camulos]],<ref>{{Cite GNIS|270247|Camulos |access-date=December 15, 2014}}</ref> [[Charles Crocker]] of [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] refused to build a depot in Piru. This so annoyed Cook that he built his own depot and hired a stationmaster. Cook laid out the town around the railroad in 1888.{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}

The [[United States Post Office Department|U.S. Post Office Department]] established the Piru Post Office on June 14, 1888.<ref name=webpmt.usps.gov>{{cite web |title=Post Offices by County |work=[[United States Postal Service|USPS]] |url=http://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt007.cfm?PostOfficeCounty=Ventura&stat_state_name=CALIFORNIA |access-date=July 1, 2011}}</ref><ref name=Storke>{{cite book|title=A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo And Ventura, California| author=Storke, Mrs. Yda Addis|publisher=Lewis|location=Chicago|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialbiogra00stor|page=[https://archive.org/details/memorialbiogra00stor/page/183 183]|year=1891}}</ref>{{rp|page=194}}<ref group=note>Ventura County settlements with a Post Office in 1890 included [[Bardsdale, California|Bardsdale]], [[Rancho Camulos|Camulos]], [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]], [[Ojala, California|Matilija]], [[Montalvo, Ventura, California|Montalvo]], [[Newbury Park, California|Newbury Park]], [[El Rio, California|New Jerusalem]], Piru City, Punta Gorda, [[Simi Valley, California|Simi]], [[Camarillo, California#Springville|Springville]], and [[Conejo Valley|Timberville]]. Larger Post Offices in [[Ventura, California|Ventura]], [[Port Hueneme, California|Hueneme]], [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]], [[Saticoy, California|Saticoy]], and [[Ojai, California|Nordoff]] provided money order service (Ventura also handled International exchange).</ref> Legend has it that the change in pronunciation was brought about by conductors of [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] trains, who would shout out, "Pie-roo!" when pulling into town.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |last5= |last6= |last7= |last8= |first8= |last9= |date=1990-06-20 |title=PIRU : What's in a Name? Mispronunciation |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-20-me-65-story.html |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Another story tells of a Piru restaurant known for good pies. The owner hung a sign proclaiming, "We Put The Pie In Piru."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Piru, California • Beyond Nevada Expeditions |url=https://beyond.nvexpeditions.com/california/ventura/piru.php |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=beyond.nvexpeditions.com}}</ref>

In 1890, Cook built a lavish [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne Style]] home a few blocks northwest of his original home, which came to be known as the [[Piru Mansion]]. A strict [[Methodism|Methodist]], he provided for construction of a church on the north side of Center Street, just west of Main. The church front is used in the movie ''[[J. W. Coop]]'' starring [[Cliff Robertson]] (1972). His home at Main and Center became the Piru Hotel. Cook sold out to the Piru Oil and Land Company in 1900 after being cured of his ailments and realizing a profit due to recent oil discoveries.<ref>[http://gis.ventura.org/RecordMaps/mr/005/005mr004.pdf "MAP of PIRU: the property of the PIRU OIL and LAND CO."] 5 MR 4. ''Ventura County Recorder'' Retrieved November 6, 2014, from [http://gis.ventura.org/CountyView/ CountyView GIS].</ref>

For her novel ''[[Ramona]]'' (1884), [[Helen Hunt Jackson]] had used nearby [[Rancho Camulos]] as one of the settings. Portions of the 1910 [[silent film|silent movie]] [[Ramona (1910 film)|of the same name]], starring [[Mary Pickford]], were shot there. During the production, Pickford, [[D. W. Griffith|D.W. Griffith]] and others of the cast and crew, stayed at the Piru Hotel. The hotel later became known as the Mountain View Hotel. The name was later changed to the Round Rock Hotel, because of a large, round boulder located in the northeast corner of the front yard.<ref name=":0" />

=== 20th century ===
Juan José Fustero (b. ca. 1836), who called himself "the last full-blooded Piru Indian," died on June 30, 1921.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Indian Juan Jose Fustero {{!}} The Fillmore Gazette|url=http://www.fillmoregazette.com/community/indian-juan-jose-fustero|access-date=2021-12-17|website=www.fillmoregazette.com}}</ref> In 1961, a plaque to honor him was placed in Piru Canyon near the place where he lived most of his life.

On December 17, 1922, Jenks Harris, a would-be cowboy actor, and a gang of partners in crime, which included another actor and the president of the Pacific Autoplane Company, robbed the bank in Piru of $11,000. He said, when later caught in Los Angeles, that he conceived of the idea while on location at Piru with the film company [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] and stated he committed the robbery to pay his parents' mortgage. The gang was each sentenced from one year to life in prison at [[San Quentin State Prison|San Quentin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=SCVHistory.com {{!}} Piru {{!}} Bank Robbed, Banker Kidnapped by Movie Cowboy's Bootlegging-Human Trafficking Gang, 1922 |url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lat121222bank.htm |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=scvhistory.com |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1950s, the Round Rock Hotel became the Round Rock Rest Home for elderly tenants, which it remained until 1989.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=WILLIAMS |first=KATHLEEN |date=1991-07-13 |title=LANDMARKS / COUNTY HISTORICAL SITES : Hotel's Past Is Worth Checking In To |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-13-me-1779-story.html |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The architectural style and pastoral setting made it a draw for the film industry. It was used in as a set in films such as ''[[The Five Heartbeats]]'' (1991) and ''The Silhouette.'' (1990).<ref name=":0" /> It then became the Heritage Valley Inn.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hong |first=Peter Y. |date=2003-05-11 |title=Heritage Valley's play for the past |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-11-tr-escape11-story.html |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> It is no longer functioning as an inn.

==== Disasters ====
Piru was struck by two major disasters in the 20th century. On the night of March 12, 1928, the [[St. Francis Dam]], to the east in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]], broke, sending a torrent of water through the Santa Clara River Valley and causing the deaths of approximately 400 people, a number of whom were in Piru. The [[Northridge earthquake]] of January 17, 1994, destroyed several buildings in the historic downtown area.

==Geography==
Piru is located at {{Coord|34|24|26|N|118|47|59|W|type:city}} (34.407297, −118.799675).<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>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|2.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which 99.45% of it is land and 0.55% is water.

Elevation: {{convert|692|ft|m}}.

Piru is located in the [[Santa Clara River Valley]].

===Climate===
This region experiences hot and dry summers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monthly Weather Forecast for Piru, CA - weather.com |url=https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/a47d1e9a5eee4cdeee1bd301326a270214fa9a42e4b56cd91f58f0dd4ec8f51e |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=The Weather Channel |language=en-US}}</ref>  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Piru has a [[Mediterranean climate#Hot-summer Mediterranean climate|hot-summer Mediterranean climate]], abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate and Topology of California |url=https://www.coastal.ca.gov/coastalvoices/resources/Biodiversity_Atlas_Climate_and_Topography.pdf |website=California Coastal Commission}}</ref>

==Economy==
Piru has the highest percentage of agricultural workers and second-highest percent of manufacturing workers in [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]]. 32% have occupations in manufacturing, while 28% are employed in the agricultural sector.<ref>McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. Page 77. {{ISBN|9781929365098}}.</ref>

Piru had the lowest median home prices in [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]] in 1999.<ref>McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. Page 106. {{ISBN|9781929365098}}.</ref>

==Demographics==

=== 2020 ===
The 2020 United States census reported that Piru had a population of 2,587.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Search Results |url=https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Piru%20CDP,%20California |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=The United States Census Bureau |language=EN-US}}</ref>

===2010===
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0657372|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715032446/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0657372|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Piru CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Piru had a population of 2,063. The population density was {{convert|727.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Piru was 1,063 (51.5%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 16 (0.8%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 43 (2.1%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 11 (0.5%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0 (0.0%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 830 (40.2%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 100 (4.8%) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1,748 persons (84.7%).

The Census reported that 2,063 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 523 households, out of which 292 (55.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 329 (62.9%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 69 (13.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 39 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (5.5%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 2 (0.4%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 67 households (12.8%) were made up of individuals, and 25 (4.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.94. There were 437 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (83.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.34.

The population was spread out, with 676 people (32.8%) under the age of 18, 243 people (11.8%) aged 18 to 24, 569 people (27.6%) aged 25 to 44, 420 people (20.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 155 people (7.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.

There were 561 housing units at an average density of {{convert|197.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, of which 302 (57.7%) were owner-occupied, and 221 (42.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%. 1,202 people (58.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 861 people (41.7%) lived in rental housing units.

===2000===
As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,196 people, 308 households, and 263 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|514.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 328 housing units at an average density of {{convert|141.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 53.51% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.25% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 3.01% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.67% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 38.38% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.18% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 67.89% of the population.

There were 308 households, out of which 52.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 9.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.88 and the average family size was 4.11.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 35.1% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,490, and the median income for a family was $40,703. Males had a median income of $32,303 versus $17,159 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,337. About 16.4% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.5% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Infrastructure==
[[File:Lac Piru (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Lake Piru]], 2009]]
Ventura County Waterworks District No. 16 provides sewer service to the more densely populated historic town center around the railroad line on the west side of [[Piru Creek]]. The district's service area also includes a small area east of the creek and certain areas south of the settlement along Main Street.<ref>[http://www.ventura.org/wcvc/prop84/docs/Implementation1/12_Disadvantaged_Community_Assistance_1of3.pdf "Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County Proposition 84 IRWMP Implementation Grant Application"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101053930/http://www.ventura.org/wcvc/prop84/docs/Implementation1/12_Disadvantaged_Community_Assistance_1of3.pdf |date=November 1, 2014 }} Attachment 12 – Disadvantaged Community Assistance. [[Ventura County, California|County of Ventura]]</ref>

==Education==
[[Fillmore Unified School District]] operates Piru Elementary School.<ref>[https://piru.fillmoreusd.org/ Home]. Piru Elementary School. Retrieved on May 6, 20–18. "3811 E Center St, Piru, CA 93040"</ref> The district also operates Fillmore Middle School and [[Fillmore High School]] in [[Fillmore, California|Fillmore]].

==Use as filming location==
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Piru has been used for shooting film and television productions over the years, including ''[[Desert Fury]]'' (1947). Location scenes were shot with the northwest side of Center Street, at Main, used as the exterior of Fritzi Haller's saloon and casino; the Piru Mansion was used as the Haller home and the historic Piru bridge, crossing [[Piru Creek]] on the east side of town, was used as the locale of the car crash. (Some of the exterior scenes were also filmed in the Old Town section of [[Cottonwood, Arizona]], especially where Burt Lancaster enters the Old Town jail, extant though enlarged.) Piru was also used in the scene in ''[[A Star Is Born (1954 film)|A Star Is Born]]'' (1954) starring [[Judy Garland]] and [[James Mason]] where [[Jack Carson]]'s character, Libby, finds them after they are married. Piru was also featured in the 1966 film ''[[Incident at Phantom Hill]]''.<ref>Schneider, Jerry L. (2014). ''Western Movie Making Locations Volume 1 Southern California''. Lulu Press, Inc. Page 165. {{ISBN|9781312711556}}.</ref>

Piru stood in for a fictional town Clarksberg, California<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb3tnmeGjek [[The California Kid]] movie on YouTube</ref> in the 1974 [[television movie|TV movie]] ''[[The California Kid]]''. Piru was used as a location for the 1974 ''[[Rockford Files]] ''episode 'Caledonia, It's Worth a Fortune.' It was used for exterior shots in the 1975 [[Filmation]] children's series ''[[The Ghost Busters]]''. ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' filmed "Angel's on Vacation" in Piru in 1979. Scenes in ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'' and ''[[Monk (TV series)|Monk]]'' were filmed in Piru. In the 1981 made-for-TV horror film ''[[Dark Night of the Scarecrow]]'', several of the primary locations in the film, including the café, post office and service station, are in Piru.<ref name=church/>

In ''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]'' (1983), the scenes of the rest home in the "Kick the Can" segment were filmed at the historic building that is now the Heritage Valley Inn. [[Dolly Parton]] and [[Sylvester Stallone]] filmed scenes for ''[[Rhinestone (film)|Rhinestone]]'' (1984), in Piru. Also ''Silent Night Deadly Night 3'' was filmed here, in 1984.

The town served as the fictional San Remos countryside in the movie ''[[Cobra (1986 film)|Cobra]]'', starring [[Sylvester Stallone]], [[Reni Santoni]] and [[Brigitte Nielsen]].

With the exception of a few scenes, the entire comedy ''[[Happy, Texas (film)|Happy, Texas]]'' (1999) was filmed in Piru. It was also used for scenes of ''[[Bubble Boy (film)|Bubble Boy]]''. The exterior of Piru United Methodist Church was used in ''[[Big Momma's House]]'' (2001). The chase scene in ''[[Enough (film)|Enough]]'' (2002) starring [[Jennifer Lopez]] was filmed in Piru along with scenes from ''[[Torque (film)|Torque]]'' (2004) and the final scene for ''[[Van Helsing (film)|Van Helsing]]'' (2004).

The 2005 movie ''[[The Amateurs]]'' starring [[Jeff Bridges]] was largely filmed in Piru – as was much of the television movie ''[[The Love War]]'' (1970) starring Jeff's father [[Lloyd Bridges]], with [[Angie Dickinson]] (with Piru serving as location ''and'' setting). The town has also served for some of the scenes on TV's ''[[Reno 911!]]'' and for scenes set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, in ''[[True Blood]]''.<ref name=church/>

In the [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] movie ''[[Race to Witch Mountain]]'' (2009) starring [[Dwayne Johnson|Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]], scenes where he and the [[extraterrestrials in fiction|alien]] boy and girl go into a small town, Stony Creek, where they have repairs done on his [[taxicab|taxi]] and go to a restaurant/country music club, were actually shot in Piru, which continues to be a popular location with film companies.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

Piru Mansion was used as the home of [[Ellis Wyatt]] in ''[[Atlas Shrugged: Part I]]'' (2011), the first segment in a three-part movie adaptation of the novel by [[Ayn Rand]]. Piru was also used to film the 2011 music video "[[Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)]]" from the band [[Foster the People]] and featuring actress [[Gabourey Sidibe]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

The [[Dexter (season 6)|''Dexter'' season 6]] episode "Nebraska" which aired in 2011 was partially filmed in Piru, with Piru standing in for parts of Nebraska.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1890885/locations|title=Dexter (TV Series) Nebraska (2011) Filming & Production|publisher=[[IMDb]]|accessdate=November 24, 2021}}</ref>

The 2013 music video for the hit ''[[Wake Me Up (Avicii song)|Wake Me Up]]'' by [[Avicii]], starring the Russian model Kristina Romanova and the young Californian model Laneya Grace.

''[[Water for Elephants (film)|Water for Elephants]]'' was also filmed in Piru<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-apr-17-la-ca-reese-witherspoon-20110417-story.html|title=Reese Witherspoon gets a little disordered|last=Sperling|first=Nicole|date=April 17, 2011|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> as well as [[Alicia Keys]]' ''Unthinkable'' music video.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

The 2014 action-drama film ''[[Swelter (film)|Swelter]]'', starring [[Jean-Claude Van Damme]], [[Lennie James]], and [[Alfred Molina]], was filmed entirely in Piru, per the DVD credits, with the town substituting for [[Baker, Nevada]].

The 2017 movie ''[[Lucky (2017 American film)|Lucky]]'', starring [[Harry Dean Stanton]], was filmed in Piru.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.trainweb.org/chris/piru.html TrainWeb.org – First Train to Piru in Years!]

{{Ventura County, California}}
{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
{{Santa Clara River}}

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[[Category:Census-designated places in Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1887]]
[[Category:History of Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]
[[Category:1887 establishments in California]]