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Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast, and forms the
northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest places in the country every year.
As of the 2000 census, the county had a population of 753,197. A more current California Department of Finance
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estimate places the population at 813,052. The county seat is the city of Ventura (formally known as San Buenaventura). Ventura County's largest city is the City of Oxnard, with a population of 190,000.
For thousands of years, the
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area was home to the Chumash tribe of Native Americans.
In 1782, the Mission San Buenaventura was founded, named after Saint Bonaventure. Buenaventura is composed of two Spanish words, buena meaning "good" and ventura meaning "fortune." The town
that grew up around the mission is named San Buenaventura, which came to be known as Ventura.
Ventura County was formed from the southern part of Santa Barbara County in 1872.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ventura County surged to the forefront of the smart growth movement through a series of voter initiatives that barred development on large swaths of open space surrounding its cities. These measures have limited sprawl, allowing the county to maintain its status as one of California's leading
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agricultural areas and limiting air pollution in its narrow valleys. However, residents' unwillingness to embrace greater population density has led to a severe housing shortage, to the extent that in 2004, the county's new housing bureau chief resigned due to his inability to purchase a home in the county on his $80,000 salary. As is the case in many areas of California, the struggle to meet the demand for housing while preserving its rural character dominates the county's politics.