Ojai, California

Ojai, California
"Ojai" redirects here. For the airport in Amman, Jordan with the airport code OJAI, see Queen Alia International Airport.
City of Ojai
—  City  —
Downtown Ojai
Location in Ventura County and the state of California
Coordinates: 34°26′57″N 119°14′48″W / 34.44917°N 119.24667°W / 34.44917; -119.24667Coordinates: 34°26′57″N 119°14′48″W / 34.44917°N 119.24667°W / 34.44917; -119.24667
Country  United States
State  California
County Ventura
Government
 - Mayor Carol Smith
 - Senate Tony Strickland (R)
 - Assembly Audra Strickland (R)
 - U. S. Congress Elton Gallegly (R)
Area[1]
 - Total 4.401 sq mi (11.398 km2)
 - Land 4.386 sq mi (11.359 km2)
 - Water 0.015 sq mi (0.040 km2)  0.35%
Elevation[2] 745 ft (227 m)
Population (2010)
 - Total 7,461
 - Density 1,695.3/sq mi (654.6/km2)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 93023-93024
Area code(s) 805
FIPS code 06-53476
GNIS feature ID 1652763
Website ci.ojai.ca.us
Ojai Inn, built in 1876.

Ojai (play /ˈoʊhaɪ/ oh-hy) is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley (10 miles long by 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, approximately, or 16 kilometers by 5 kilometers), surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.

Contents

History

Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley. They called it Ojai, which derives from the Ventureño Chumash word ʼawhaý meaning "moon."[3] The area became part of the Rancho Ojai Mexican land grant made to Fernando Tico in 1837, and he established a cattle ranch. Tico sold it in 1853 to prospectors searching for oil, without much success. By 1864, the area was settled.

The town was laid out in 1874 by real estate developer R.G. Surdam and named Nordhoff, California, in honor of the writer Charles Nordhoff. Leading up to and during World War I, American sentiment became increasingly anti-German. Across the United States, German and German-sounding place names were changed. As part of this trend, Nordhoff was renamed Ojai in 1917.[4][5]

The public high school in Ojai is still named Nordhoff High School. The public junior high school, named "Matilija," formerly served as Nordhoff Union High School and still features large tiles with the initials "NUHS" on the steps of the athletic field.

The main turning point in the development of the city was the coming of Edward Libbey, early owner of the Libbey Glass Company. He saw the valley and fell in love, thinking up many plans for expansion and beautification of the existing rustic town.

After fire destroyed much of the original western-style Nordhoff/Ojai in 1917, Libbey helped design, finance and build a new downtown more in line with the contemporary taste for Colonial-Revival architecture, including a Spanish-style arcade, a bell-tower reminiscent of the famous campanile in Havana, and a pergola opposite the arcade. These buildings still stand, and have come to serve as symbols of the city and the surrounding valley. To thank Libbey for his gifts to the town, the citizens proposed a celebration to take place on March 2 of each year. Libbey declined their offer to call it "Libbey Day," and instead suggested "Ojai Day." The celebration still takes place, each year in October.

Libbey's pergola was destroyed in 1971, after being damaged in an explosion. It was rebuilt in the early 2000s to complete the architectural continuity of the downtown area. The town completed a new park, Cluff Vista Park, in 2002, which contains several small themed regions of native California vegetation.

Geography

Ojai is located at 34°26′57″N 119°14′48″W / 34.44917°N 119.24667°W / 34.44917; -119.24667 (34.449079, -119.246654)[6]. The city is generally at 745 feet (227 m) above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km2), of which, 4.4 square miles (11 km2) of it is land and 0.35% is water.

Ojai is situated in a small east-west valley, north of Ventura and east of Santa Barbara. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) inland from the Pacific coast.

Since Ojai is lined up with an east-west mountain range, it is one of few towns in the world to have a "Pink Moment" occur as the sun is setting, when the fading sunlight creates a brilliant shade of pink for several minutes on the Topatopa Bluffs at the east end of the Ojai Valley, over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above sea level. Nordhoff Ridge, the western extension of the Topatopa Mountains, towers over the north side of the town and valley at more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m). Sulphur Mountain creates the southern ranges bounding the Ojai Valley, a little under 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation.

The Ventura River flows through the Ventura River Valley, draining the mountains surrounding Ojai to the north and east and emptying into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Ventura. The Ventura River was once known for its steelhead fishing before Matilija Dam and Lake Casitas were constructed, eliminating habitat for this trout species.

The climate of Ojai is Mediterranean, characterized by hot, dry summers (sometimes exceeding 100°F) and mild winters, with lows at night sometimes below freezing. As is typical for much of coastal southern California, most precipitation falls in the form of rain between the months of October and April, with intervening dry summers.

Meiners Oaks Los Padres National Forest
Maricopa
SR 33
Santa Barbara
SR 150
U.S. 101 via SR 33		 Upper Ojai Valley
   Ojai    
Oak View
Ventura
SR 33		 Santa Paula
SR 150
SR 33-U.S. 101-SR 126
Los Angeles
U.S. 101 via SR 33

Culture

Ojai is the home of the Ojai Film Festival, which showcases independent films from around the world, founded in 2000.

The Ojai Music Festival, founded in 1947, is an annual festival of performances by some of the world's top musicians and composers, and occurs on the first weekend after Memorial Day. Notable appearances include Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Pierre Boulez, who was festival director in 2003.

The outdoor bookshop Bart's Books, subject of news programs and documentaries, has been in Ojai since 1964.

The script for the movie Head was written in Ojai by The Monkees, Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson.[7]

Ojai is home to the annual Ojai Playwrights Conference, a two week playwrights festival that brings professional writers and actors from across the country to Ojai.

The community is served by The Ojai and Ventura VIEW, Ojai Valley News and The Ojai Post.

On July 8, 1999 former Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad, one of only twelve men to ever walk on the surface of the moon, died of injuries suffered from a motorcycle accident in forming light rain in Ojai.[8]

In fiction

Ojai is the setting for the 2010 comedy film Easy A and for part of Michael Scott's book The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Ojai is the location of the fruit orchards of the fictional Ojai Foods, central to the conflict and drama of the Walker family in the ABC series Brothers & Sisters.

The title characters of TV series The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man (Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin) are described in the series as having been childhood sweethearts in Ojai.

Notable current and past residents

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census[10] reported that Ojai had a population of 7,461. The population density was 1,695.3 people per square mile (654.6/km²). The racial makeup of Ojai was 6,555 (87.9%) White, 42 (0.6%) African American, 47 (0.6%) Native American, 158 (2.1%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 440 (5.9%) from other races, and 218 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,339 persons (17.9%).

The Census reported that 7,281 people (97.6% of the population) lived in households, 48 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 132 (1.8%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,111 households, out of which 876 (28.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,396 (44.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 366 (11.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 128 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 151 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 25 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 992 households (31.9%) were made up of individuals and 496 (15.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 1,890 families (60.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.95.

The population was spread out with 1,520 people (20.4%) under the age of 18, 515 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 1,446 people (19.4%) aged 25 to 44, 2,547 people (34.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,433 people (19.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 768.5 per square mile (296.7/km²), of which 1,717 (55.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,394 (44.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 4,243 people (56.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,038 people (40.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 7,862 people, 3,088 households, and 1,985 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,773.0 people per square mile (685.2/km²). There were 3,229 housing units at an average density of 728.2 per square mile (281.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.01% White, 0.60% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 6.26% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.84% of the population.

There were 3,088 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for households in the city was $44,593, and the median income for a family was $52,917. Males had a median income of $40,919 versus $30,821 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,670. About 7.9% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

Ojai Valley Museum, 2009

The town of Ojai and its surrounding area is home to many unique recreational activities. Los Padres National Forest borders the town on the north, and many backcountry areas within the forest are accessible from Highway 33, which is the major highway through town south to north. Matilija Creek is a favorite spot to enjoy splashing under waterfalls, backpacking, and soaking in a hot spring. To the west, the Lake Casitas Recreation Area offers camping, picnicking, and hiking as well.

The valley has several public courts in the downtown Libbey Park. There are also two major golf courses: the Soule Park Golf Course, and the noted Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course.

Annually, in early April, the town hosts a bicycle race that draws the top professional and amateur teams from around the country. The "Garrett Lemire Memorial Grand Prix" began in 2004 as a tribute to a 22-year-old cyclist from Ojai who died racing his bicycle in Arizona the previous year. The race is held on a one-mile (1.6 km) circuit that circumnavigates Libbey Bowl in the heart of downtown Ojai. Proceeds from event promote cycling safety as well as education in local schools.

In early June, often coinciding with the Music Festival, the Ojai Wine Festival is held at Lake Casitas. Over three thousand wine lovers come to sample the products of over 30 wineries. Proceeds go to charity.

Education

Public schools

  • Ojai Unified School District
  • Chaparral High School
  • Matilija Junior High School
  • Meiners Oaks Elementary School
  • Mira Monte Elementary School
  • Nordhoff High School
  • San Antonio School
  • Summit Elementary School
  • Topa Topa Elementary School

Libraries

Public Libraries: Ventura County Library - 14 locations with three branches in the Ojai Valley: Ojai Library, Oak View Library, and Meiners Oaks Library.

Other schools

In addition to its public school system, the Ojai Valley is home to several private boarding schools:

The Ojai Valley is also home to the Montessori School of Ojai, a private day school, Laurel Springs School, which specializes in distance education and home-schooling, and Global Village School, a progressive K-12 homeschooling program.

The Summer Science Program was formerly hosted at the Besant Hill School (2000–2009) and at The Thacher School (1959–1999).

Camp Ramah in California is in the hills of Ojai.

References

  1. ^ U.S. Census
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ojai, California
  3. ^ Harrington, John Peabody. The Papers of John Peabody Harrington in the Smithsonian Institution 1907-1957. Kraus International Publications, 1981, 3.89.66-73
  4. ^ Meltzer, Betty Kikumi (2005-08-21). "Looking for Charles Nordhoff". Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.). 
  5. ^ Wigglesworth, Angela (1998-08-29). "Rediscovering the Lost Horizon: Shangri-la Does Exist - It's in California and It's Idyllic, says Angela Wigglesworth". Financial Times (London (UK)): p. 18. 
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  7. ^ Head at the Internet Movie Database
  8. ^ Wikipedia: Pete Conrad
  9. ^ "Local Screenwriter Dies". Ventura Breeze. 2011-01-20. http://ventura.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=47312. Retrieved 2011-01-26. 
  10. ^ All data are derived from the United States Census Bureau reports from the 2010 United States Census, and are accessible on-line here. The data on unmarried partnerships and same-sex married couples are from the Census report DEC_10_SF1_PCT15. All other housing and population data are from Census report DEC_10_DP_DPDP1. Both reports are viewable online or downloadable in a zip file containing a comma-delimited data file. The area data, from which densities are calculated, are available on-line here. Percentage totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. The Census Bureau defines families as a household containing one or more people related to the householder by birth, opposite-sex marriage, or adoption. People living in group quarters are tabulated by the Census Bureau as neither owners nor renters. For further details, see the text files accompanying the data files containing the Census reports mentioned above.
  11. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

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