Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program
1984 to 2002 TIME SERIES

Oxnard, Ventura County

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In this Image

Changes in this area include conversions from irrigated farmland (green) to urban (red) during this period. Information on these changes was gathered from air photos, local comments, and field reconnaissance. Area shown is approximately 7.5 miles in each direction. 

Ventura county has been among the 'Top Ten Urbanizing Counties' as mapped by FMMP during almost every update cycle since mapping began in 1984.

A brief history of Oxnard

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County with a population of approximately 160,000, making it the 20th largest city in California. It is situated 62 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles on the Oxnard Plain, a 180 square mile area of the richest agricultural land in California. The city takes its name from the Oxnard family, who developed a sugar beet factory as one of the first local industries. The American Sugar Beet Co. closed its doors in 1958 because vegetables had replaced sugar beets as the primary local field crop.

The Oxnard area has a very mild climate, conducive to agriculture year-round with an average mean temperature of 61 degrees. Oxnard has many nicknames such as “Lima Bean Capital,” “Sugartown,” and “Strawberry Capital” which attest to the changing face of agricultural production in the area. It is host city to the California Strawberry Festival in May and a Salsa Festival in July. Oxnard is also known as the “Land of Everlasting Summer” and the “Gateway to the Channel Islands.”

Oxnard’s greatest historical surge of growth was during the World War II era. The U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center, home to the “fighting Seabees,” (the engineering/construction arm of the U.S. Navy) was established at the harbor and the first U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center was constructed at Point Mugu in 1946. Oxnard Air Force Base was established in 1952. Since then, Oxnard has continued to grow at a rapid pace, with an almost 50% increase in population from 1980 to 2000 (from about 108,000 to 160,000).

California Department of Finance  |  Oxnard Public Library