Santa Clara River Valley

Valley along the Santa Clara River in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, California

This article is about the valley in Southern California. For the valley in the San Francisco Bay Area, see Santa Clara Valley.

Santa Clara River Valley

Heritage Valley

Aerial view of the Santa Clara River Valley, with CA 126 running along the northern banks of the Santa Clara River

Santa Clara River Valley

Los Angeles and Ventura counties

Geography
Country| United States
State| California
Population center| Santa Paula and Fillmore
Borders on| Oxnard Plain (southwest)
Santa Clarita Valley (east)
Coordinates| 34°22′N 118°59′W﻿ / ﻿34.37°N 118.98°W﻿ / 34.37; -118.98
Traversed by| State Route 126
River| Santa Clara River

The Santa Clara River Valley is a rural, mainly agricultural, valley in Ventura County, California that has been given the moniker Heritage Valley by the namesake tourism bureau.[1] The valley includes the communities of Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru and the national historic landmark of Rancho Camulos. Named for the Santa Clara River,[2] which winds through the valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Ventura and Oxnard, the tourist bureau describes it as ".... Southern California's last pristine agricultural valley nestled along the banks of the free-flowing Santa Clara River."[3]

## Geography[edit]

Orange groves of the Santa Clara River Valley

The Santa Clara River Valley is bordered by the Topatopa Mountains, Los Padres National Forest, and Sespe Condor Sanctuary to the north and the Santa Susana Mountains to the south. The valley stretches from the boundary of northwest Los Angeles County and the northern Santa Clarita Valley on the east to the Oxnard Plain on the west marked by South Mountain[4] on the south bank of the river. The Santa Clarita Valley is part of the upper watershed of the river.

## Climate[edit]

Morning fog in the Santa Clara River Valley, viewed from Torrey Peak near Piru, California.

The valley has been called one of the "most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California." It forms a connection between the high desert and the coast, which serves as a "wind-tunnel-like-corridor" for funneling Santa Ana winds, which spread wildfires. This served to spread the Maria Fire, one of the 2019 California wildfires. This valley has also suffered through the Saddleridge Fire in 2019, the Creek Fire and the Thomas Fire in 2017, and the Sayre Fire in 2008.[5]

### Floods[edit]

Further information: Great Flood of 1862

The failure and near complete collapse of the St. Francis Dam took place in the middle of the night on March 12, 1928. The dam was holding a full reservoir of 12.4 billion gallons (47 billion liters) of water that surged down San Francisquito Canyon and emptied into the Santa Clara River, flowing down the river valley to the ocean.

## History[edit]

A footpath through the valley was the only route linking the San Fernando and San Buenaventura missions for 18th-century Spanish missionaries. Thomas Bard launched a campaign in the 1870s to build a road through the valley as he wanted to connect the new Hueneme wharf with ore mines in Inyo County[6]

The valley is an exception to the post-war urban development that has almost entirely eliminated citrus cultivation throughout most of Southern California.

## Transportation[edit]

* Route 126 \- the main E-W highway serving the valley.
* Route 150 \- a minor E-W highway connecting Ojai to the valley.
* Route 23 \- a minor N-S highway connecting Fillmore to the Conejo Valley.
* Santa Paula Branch Line \- the railway corridor through the valley, mostly used for excursions.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Kelly, Peggy (October 15, 1999) "Funding for Montalvo Metrolink station would benefit SP Branch Line" Santa Paula Times
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Santa Clara River
3. ^ Heritage Valley Tourism Bureau official website
4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Mountain
5. ^ Fry, Hanna; Puente, Mark; Lin II, Rong-Gong; Wigglesworth, Alex (2019-11-01). "Maria fire charges toward Santa Paula neighborhoods, forcing additional evacuations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
6. ^ Lima, Christina (February 18, 1996) "Collision Course : Scenic but Dangerous California 126 Throws Drivers a Curve" Los Angeles Times

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Santa Clara River Valley (California).

* USGS.gov: The Santa Clara River Valley
* County of Ventura.gov: Santa Clara River Watershed
* Santa Clara River Watershed Committee (SCRWC) website

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Ventura County, California, United States

County seat: Ventura

Cities|

* Camarillo
* Fillmore
* Moorpark
* Ojai
* Oxnard
* Port Hueneme
* Santa Paula
* Simi Valley
* Thousand Oaks
* Ventura

Ventura County map

CDPs|

* Bell Canyon
* Casa Conejo
* Channel Islands Beach
* El Rio
* Lake Sherwood
* Meiners Oaks
* Mira Monte
* Oak Park
* Oak View
* Piru
* Santa Rosa Valley
* Santa Susana
* Saticoy
* Somis

Unincorporated
communities|

* Bardsdale
* Buckhorn
* Camp Bartlett
* Camp Scheideck
* Casitas Springs
* Dulah
* Faria
* La Conchita
* Limoneira
* Lockwood Valley
* Mussel Shoals
* Newbury Park
* Ojala
* Ortonville
* Point Mugu
* Sea Cliff
* Silver Strand Beach
* Solromar
* Upper Ojai
* Wheeler Springs

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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State of California

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Most populous
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California portal

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Ventura County, California, United States

County seat: Ventura

Cities|

* Camarillo
* Fillmore
* Moorpark
* Ojai
* Oxnard
* Port Hueneme
* Santa Paula
* Simi Valley
* Thousand Oaks
* Ventura

Ventura County map

CDPs|

* Bell Canyon
* Casa Conejo
* Channel Islands Beach
* El Rio
* Lake Sherwood
* Meiners Oaks
* Mira Monte
* Oak Park
* Oak View
* Piru
* Santa Rosa Valley
* Santa Susana
* Saticoy
* Somis

Unincorporated
communities|

* Bardsdale
* Buckhorn
* Camp Bartlett
* Camp Scheideck
* Casitas Springs
* Dulah
* Faria
* La Conchita
* Limoneira
* Lockwood Valley
* Mussel Shoals
* Newbury Park
* Ojala
* Ortonville
* Point Mugu
* Sea Cliff
* Silver Strand Beach
* Solromar
* Upper Ojai
* Wheeler Springs

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* California portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Santa Clara River Watershed

Tributaries|

* Castaic Creek
* Piru Creek
* San Francisquito Creek
* Sespe Creek

Communities|

* Acton
* Agua Dulce
* Bardsdale
* Castaic
* Castaic Junction
* El Rio
* Elizabeth Lake
* Fillmore
* Green Valley
* Lake Hughes
* Oxnard
* Piru
* Sand Canyon
* Santa Clarita
* Santa Paula
* Saticoy
* Stevenson Ranch
* Val Verde
* Valencia
* Ventura

Landmarks|

* Angeles National Forest
* Bouquet Reservoir
* California State Route 126
* Castaic Lake
* Castaic Lake State Recreation Area
* Dry Canyon Reservoir
* Elizabeth Lake
* Hughes Lake
* Lake Piru
* Los Angeles Aqueduct
* Los Padres National Forest
* McGrath State Beach
* Mentryville
* Mint Canyon Formation
* Munz Lakes
* Oxnard Plain
* Placerita Canyon State Park
* Pyramid Dam
* Pyramid Lake
* Rancho Camulos
* Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia
* Rancho San Francisco
* Rancho Santa Clara del Norte
* Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy
* Rancho Sespe
* Santa Clara River Trail
* Santa Clara River Valley
* Santa Clarita Valley
* San Emigdio Mountains
* San Francisquito Canyon
* St. Francis Dam
* San Gabriel Mountains
* Santa Susana Mountains
* Saticoy Oil Field
* Sespe Wilderness
* Sierra Madre Mountains
* Sierra Pelona Ridge
* Six Flags Magic Mountain
* Soledad Canyon
* Topatopa Mountains
* Vasquez Rocks

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Israel
* United States

34°22′0″N 118°59′0″W﻿ / ﻿34.36667°N 118.98333°W﻿ / 34.36667; -118.98333

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