Oxnard, California

The City of Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County in terms of population, as well as one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with it's distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital. It was incorporated as a city in California in 1903, and named after the Oxnard brothers who opened a sugar factory on it?s plains in 1882. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 170,358, but a May 1, 2005 California Department of Finance estimate shows the city's population at just over 200,000, with the Oxnard-Ventura Metropolitan Area at nearly half a million people.

History

The earliest inhabitants of the Oxnard areas were the Chumash Indians who lived in round, thatched houses and were known for their well constructed plank canoes and fine basket work.

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After a number of Spanish explorations, Jose de Galvez, utilizing powers bestowed upon him by King Charles III, appointed Father Junipero Serra to head missions in Alta California. Mission San Buenaventura was the half-way point between the San Diego and Monterey missions and was established in 1782. Pueblo life and sprawling ranchos began to spring up around the site of the mission, and Californio families exerted their influence until the State of California was added to the Union in 1850.g the mid nineteenth century, immigrants began to pour in from the East Coast and Europe.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Jose de Galvez - King Charles III - Father Junipero Serra - Alta California - Mission San Buenaventura - Pueblo - Californio - State of California - East Coast - Europe

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The major industry, agriculture, produced great crops of barley and lima beans. Achille and Henry Levy opened an agricultural brokerage business in 1882, and finally a bank, which encouraged and assisted farmers. Then, in 1897, ranchers Albert Maulhardt and Johannes Borchard believed sugar beets would be a profitable crop for the area, and invited Henry Oxnard to construct a local factory to process the harvests. Oxnard and his three brothers operated the American Beet Sugar factory in Chino, California and encouraged by a pledge of 18,000 acres (73 km²) of sugar beets from local farmers, built a factory in the heart of the rich fields. The Southern Pacific Railroad constructed a spur right to the factory site so the processed beets could be shipped out.

Related Topics:
1882 - 1897 - Chino, California - Southern Pacific Railroad

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A town quickly sprang up near the factory. Almost overnight businesses and residences appeared around the town square, called the "Plaza", and schools and churches emerged almost as rapidly. The City of Oxnard was incorporated in 1903, taking its name from the Oxnard brothers who had founded the sugar beet factory.

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The factory attracted many Chinese, Japanese and Mexican workers to Oxnard and the sugar beet industry brought diversification to agriculture. Major crops then included beans, beets, and barley, and businesses in town consisted of general merchandise, restaurants, laundries, saloons, and banks. Oxnard built its first public library, a classically styled, Andrew Carnegie gift, on the north-west corner of the plaza in 1907. The building stands today as a county historical landmark and is the only remaining structure from the early days of the plaza.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Japanese - Mexican workers - Andrew Carnegie - 1907 - Historical landmark

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Agriculture has remained the major industry, but Oxnard has witnessed a steady population increase beginning in the 1940s. The establishment of military bases at Port Hueneme and Point Mugu during World War II, and the rise of electronic, aerospace, and other manufacturing industries have contributed to the growth of the city and surrounding areas.

Related Topics:
1940s - Port Hueneme - Point Mugu - World War II

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