Ventura is a city on the
California coast, about one hour north of
Los Angeles and an hour south of
Santa Barbara. The full name, which you will never see on a map, is San Buenaventura, which is Spanish for "city of
good fortune." It is the county
seat.
Two of the best known landmarks in Ventura are the Ventura Pier (the longest wooden pier on the west coast) and Two Tree Hill. The pier keeps falling down due to big storms, but the citizenry keeps rebuilding it because they like it, although it no longer serves any practical purpose.
The average price of a home at the time of this writeup is about $350,000.
Weather is moderate year round (my parents do not have air conditioning in their home). Surfing is a popular activity due to great locations like Rincon. Topography runs from sea level to 3000 feet in only a few miles.
Population is approximately 110,000.
Be prepared to deal with landslides, nearby riots, bad traffic, flooding (at the trailer parks, anyway), wild fires, hippies (mostly from Ojai), and various other calamities.