While technically not a city, Oak View, California, started life as a bedroom community. This small town seemingly popped up almost overnight sometime in the late 1940s, in a narrow valley between Mira Monte to the north and Casitas Springs to the south. It was inhabited mostly by local oil workers who worked in nearby Ventura. Other than neighboring Ojai, Oak View is the only town with a "downtown" sector distinguished from the rest of the area in which it's located. Many businesses located in this small hamlet have successfully stood the test of time, managing to remain open despite, at times, poor economic conditions.
As of the 2010 census, 4,060 people called this unincorporated space home, and today, many young professionals and families reside here in the valley's shadow. The unemployment rate is a low 3%, and almost a full third of the population has a bachelor's degree or higher. The area's proximity to the beach allows for an easy cruise to reach the sand without the exorbitant price tags normally attached to the oceanfront property.
The community of Oak View is about as tight-knit as can be. As described on the towns' website, the Oak View Civic Council works with the community to advance civic, educational, cultural, social, and philanthropic goals. The small town has plenty to do, such as the Taft Gardens and Nature Preserve, described by visitors as uniquely beautiful, peaceful, and "a hidden gem." They have an "Art in Nature" program, which encourages artists to explore the relationship of humans to their environment and depict the variety of cultural and natural resources of the local ecosystem and wildlife.
The Old Creek Ranch Winery is a favorite among wine connoisseurs, nature lovers, and those with love for beauty and an appreciation for a good tour. This gorgeous vineyard, ranch, and winery is not a quick-stop wine spot, and it can be easy to lose track of time basking in the ambiance of the landscape and sunny weather while sipping a delicious vintage. During Prohibition, they sold jugs of wine using a dead drop system, collecting dollar bills left pinned to a clothesline as payment. Locals once warned that they were going to be raided by the FBI and were able to dump all the wine that was more than the one-family production limit that was Federally imposed at the time. Since then, there have been several owners, but the wine is still as delicious as when Mr. Riva harvested his first grapes.
Just like most of California, Oak View has beautiful, balmy weather more days than not. When you live in a place that looks like a postcard, you'll find nuisance pests barging onto your property and making themselves at home. Crawl spaces, trees, even under your lawn are considered prime real estate when you're a mole, squirrel, mouse, or gopher. If you live in this picturesque little hamlet, Mira Monte, Lake Casitas, Ojai, or the surrounding areas and you've got wildlife ruining your property,
contact 101 Gopher & Pest Control for an estimate today.
