City of Ventura Information

The City of Ventura is a coastal community officially named San Buenaventura that was founded in 1782 with the establishment of Mission San Buenaventura. Located along the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, the City was incorporated in 1866. The City of Ventura is a full-service municipality serving 109,000 residents within the 32 square mile city limits. Nearly 600 staff members focus on delivering key services to our businesses, residents and visitors to ensure Ventura remains a fiscally stable, economically vibrant, safe, clean and desirable community. Ventura has a diverse mix of more than 12,000 businesses and a robust workforce of more than 53,000. Progressive businesses like Patagonia, The Trade Desk and Petunia Pickle Bottom are headquartered in Ventura. The City of Ventura makes economic development a priority and is committed to providing local businesses with the resources they need to thrive and expand here. Ventura is the region’s leader in the healthcare and public administration sectors with three medical institutions and the County’s government center headquartered here. A growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and a dynamic startup community make Ventura a strategic location to start a business. The City business incubator graduated a number of successful companies, including The Trade Desk, MomentFeed, Connexity, and GiddyUp. Ventura is an exciting location for a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, sailing, surfing, and more. Ventura has a rich history of people who have lived in the area for at least 10,000 years. Influences of the Chumash as well as Spaniards, Europeans, Chinese and early voyagers remain a significant part of the City's diverse art, architecture and cultural heritage. A boom from 1910 to 1930 resulted in an eclectic architectural mix of red brick storefronts, terra cotta "Beaux-Arts" buildings, Victorian and Spanish Revival style homes in the city.