The Changing South

image by http://usahangout.com/2010/05/california-strawberry-festival-2010-california-strawberry-festival-oxnard/

Oxnard has several cultural things to do. First there are the museums, the Carnegie Art Museum which was the Oxnard Public library when founded by Andrew Carnegie. Heritage Square which are Victorian inspired houses that are now turned into restaurants and other into businesses. The Oxnard Performing Art Center, were many comedian give shows, and home to many theatre plays.  Oxnard is also home to many festivals like the multicultural festival, the salsa festival in July were you can come and sample some of the hottest salsas. The strawberry festival, which is in May every year is were you can sample strawberry beer, strawberry popcorn and even strawberry nachos, however, don’t forget the fresh strawberries. In December there is a tradition to go to see the decorated houses on F Street and G street were you can see million of Christmas lights, Christmas carolers, and enjoy a delicious cup of hot cocoa.

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http://activerain.com/blogsview/128818/ventura-county-events-for-month-of-july

Appalachia and the Ozarks

image by http://www.visitoxnard.com/visitors/beaches-waterfront/

Oxnard may not have mountains, but there are many beaches. The city is home to over twenty miles of beautiful coastline beaches.  The beaches here are known for world class surf, but the best waves are at the Point Mugu base which are not accessible to everyone. Some of the beaches located in Oxnard are:

·         Mugu Rock State Beach

·         Ormond Beach

·         Hueneme Beach

·         Silver Strand 

·         Hollywood Beach

·          Mandalay Beach

·         Oxnard State Beach

·         Oxnard Shores

·         5th Street Beach

image by http://www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/programs/tech_serv/ocean/results.html

the Bypassed East

Oxnard is surrounded by various mountains like the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and the Topatopa Mountains.  The Oxnard Plain area is home not only to Oxnard but to Camarillo, Santa Paula and Ventura as well. With the fertile soil the plains are ideal for growing produce like broccoli, citrus, and tomatoes. However, the Oxnard Plain are known for their strawberries making it the “Strawberry Capital of the World". In the Oxnard Plain we find the Santa Clara River flowing through the Plain, which it is one of the rivers that has remain in it natural state.
image by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard_Plain

The North American Manufacturing Core

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Oxnard’s economy is mainly driven by agriculture, manufacturing and international trade. The port of Hueneme is the only deep-harbor commercial port between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Oxnard is a key manufacturer to Los Angeles area. Companies the use the port are Chiquita products, Del Monte Foods and Jaguar among others car companies. On the other hand, Oxnard also has two oil fields, one is on 5^th Street Oxnard Oil Field and the other is along the west coast West Montalvo Oil Field. Oils from both fields are refined and processed by Tenby Inc.'s Oxnard Refinery, on 5^th Street.

image by http://www.edibleportland.com/2007/05/strawberrycurra.html

Since Oxnard is located in the Oxnard Plain consider to have high quality soils.  These fertile soils help cultivate different crops. Several crops grown over the year are sugar, beets, lima beans, cucumbers, and of course strawberries.  “According to the USDA, Oxnard is California’s largest strawberry producer, supplying about one-third of the State's annual strawberry volume.” Strawberries are planted from April and harvested in September and October and again in December, but the best strawberries are in the summer.  California is responsible for about 85 percent of the United States strawberries.

Megalopolis

Oxnard may not be as big as other cities but is the 21^st biggest city in California and 121^st biggest city in the United States. The population is estimated to be about 200,000 people. In the 2000 census, it was estimated that were was 170,358 people and 34,947 families residing in the city. Not to mention that there were 43,576 households in Oxnard alone.  Out of the households 46.1% had children under the age of eighteen living with them. The income per capital for the city is $15,288 and about 15.1% of the population is below poverty levels.

Oxnard has a diverse population from Hispanics to Pacific Islander the culture is rich. Hispanics make the 71.1% of the population, followed by whites 15.1%  and Asians make 6.6% of the population. The last part of the population is made by African Americans 2.8% and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders .02%.

• Hispanic - 127,200 (71.1%)
• White alone - 27,010 (15.1%)
• Asian alone - 11,723 (6.6%)
• Two or more races - 7,017 (3.9%)
• Black alone - 5,032 (2.8%)
• American alone - 401 (0.2%)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 386 (0.2%)
• Other race alone - 69 (0.04%)

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Oxnard-California.html#ixzz12VML1pqG

Foundations of Human Activity

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www.santapaulamurals.org/
mural2-chumash.htm

Oxnard was inhabited by Chumash Indians before the Europeans arrived, they were known for their well constructed canoes and fine basket work. After a number of explorations, Oxnard was claimed by the Spanish explorers. King Charles III selected Father Junipero Serra to lead the missions in Alta California. Mission San Buenaventura was the half-way point between San Diego and Monterey. In 1782, pueblos and “ranchos” were established near the missions, were families were influences by the missions. It was not until 1850 when California was added to the union. During the mid nineteenth century European and east coast immigrants began to settle in the west. In 1897, ranchers Albert Maulhardt and Johannes Borchard invited Henry Oxnard and his three brothers to come and build a sugar beet factory. Then in 1803 the city of Oxnard was incorporated into California.

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www.kelt.com/
hippo/travels/
missions/
santa_clara.html

Geographic Patterns of the Physical Environment

Climate data for Oxnard (Camarillo), California
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	66 (18.9)	66 (18.9)	66 (18.9)	67 (19.4)	68 (20)	70 (21.1)	73 (22.8)	74 (23.3)	74 (23.3)	73 (22.8)	70 (21.1)	66 (18.9)	69.3 (20.72)
Average low °F (°C)	46 (7.8)	47 (8.3)	48 (8.9)	50 (10)	53 (11.7)	56 (13.3)	59 (15)	60 (15.6)	59 (15)	55 (12.8)	49 (9.4)	45 (7.2)	52.2 (11.22)
Precipitation inches (mm)	3.43 (87.1)	3.9 (99)	3.03 (77)	0.71 (18)	0.2 (5)	0.04 (1)	0.04 (1)	0.08 (2)	0.35 (8.9)	0.35 (8.9)	1.38 (35.1)	2.13 (54.1)	15.6 (396)

As stated by the United States census bureau the city of Oxnard is 65.6 square kilometers of land and 29.2 square kilometers of water. About 30.83% of Oxnard is made of water. The city climate is Mediterranean climate zone making for wet and warm, dry summers. The breeze from the beaches keep the city cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The average maximum temperature is 61 degrees and minimum temperature of 52 degrees, therefore making for an enjoyable weather all year long.

image by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ventura_County_California_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Oxnard_Highlighted.svg

Oxnard has rich fertile soil, with beaches, creeks and the Santa Clara River. Oxnard also has native plants like the coastal sage scrub, but most of the plants have been eliminated to make room for agriculture and industrial development.

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ventura-county-relo.com

Like other cities in California, Oxnard is subject to earthquakes because is located near the San Andreas Fault. Some of the recent earthquakes in Oxnard were a 3.2 at 9:53 p.m. on October 16, 2009, a 2.9 around 11:55 p.m. on April 28, 2010 and a 3.9 that struck at 8:20 p.m. on May 14, 2010.

image by http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001207.html
chart by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard,_California

Regions and Themes

Oxnard is one largest cities in California. The city is located in the western edge of the Oxnard Plain. Oxnard is known for the rich agriculture, making the city the strawberry and lima bean capital of California.

 image by jcromer.com

The city of Oxnard got its name in 1903 from the founder Henry T. Oxnard, his original name was the greek word for sugar “zachari” but because of bureaucracy he named it after himself.

image by ventura-county-relo.com

Oxnard is also a major transportation core in California with a regional airport, the Amtrak, Metro link, Union Pacific, and the Greyhound.