Santa Paula

Santa Paula sits in the Santa Clara River Valley about 15 miles east of Ventura, surrounded by lemon and avocado orchards. It was an early hub of the California citrus and oil industries (Union Oil Company was founded here in 1890), and its historic downtown, Victorian homes and murals still show that heritage.

For buyers, Santa Paula offers a small-town feel and generally lower prices than the coastal cities, with new construction in the master-planned Harvest at Limoneira neighborhood on the east side alongside older homes near downtown.

• Main Street downtown has local restaurants, shops and historic buildings, with community events through the year.
• The California Oil Museum is housed in Union Oil's original headquarters building.
• The Santa Paula Airport is a historic general-aviation field with an aviation museum.
• The restored train depot and murals around town reflect the city's history.

The county's Steckel Park along Santa Paula Creek, north of town on SR-150, has camping, picnic areas and creek access. The Los Padres National Forest rises north of the city, and SR-150 continues on a scenic drive to Ojai. City parks serve the neighborhoods.

• Santa Paula Unified School District serves the city, including Santa Paula High School, along with middle and elementary schools.
• Thomas Aquinas College, a small Catholic liberal-arts college, is just outside town on SR-150.
• The main Ventura College campus is about 20 minutes away.

Confirm the school assignment for a specific address with the district.

• Downtown and the historic north side: Victorian, craftsman and Spanish-revival homes near Main Street.
• Harvest at Limoneira: a newer master-planned community on former ranch land with parks and new construction.
• East and south Santa Paula: mid-century and newer single-family neighborhoods.
• Orchard and ranch properties in the surrounding unincorporated areas.

• Highways: SR-126 runs west to Ventura and the 101 and east through Fillmore to I-5 in Santa Clarita; SR-150 heads north-west to Ojai.
• Approximate drive times (light traffic): Ventura 20 min, Ojai 25 min, Oxnard 25 min, Santa Clarita 35 min, downtown Los Angeles about 1 hr 10 min.
• Transit: VCTC Intercity buses run along the SR-126 corridor.

Electricity: Southern California Edison (SCE) owns the lines, reads the meter and sends the bill (sce.com, 1-800-655-4555). Santa Paula is a newer Clean Power Alliance (CPA) member and defaults to the 100% Green Power tier; CPA publishes separate rate sheets for Santa Paula. Customers can switch tiers or opt out at cleanpoweralliance.org or 888-585-3788.

Natural gas: Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) (socalgas.com, 1-800-427-2200). Some rural and hillside homes use propane instead, so check the listing.

Water: City of Santa Paula (805-933-4211, option 1).

Sewer: Ventura Regional Sanitation District (805-389-9406).

Trash and recycling: Athens Services under the City franchise (805-933-0100).

Internet: Spectrum (cable) is the most common wired option; Frontier or AT&T offer DSL or fiber depending on the neighborhood, and fixed-wireless (T-Mobile, Verizon) and satellite services fill gaps. Look up the exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map.

Providers can change from one street to the next. Before you close, confirm each service for the exact address with the provider (or ask us and we will help).