Oxnard is a city in Ventura County that is located in southwestern California, on the Pacific Coast near the Santa Clara River. It is a retail, commercial, and light industrial center. Agriculture is the city’s principal economic activity. Oxnard has a community college and is a gateway to Channel Islands National Park. Points of interest in the city include the Cultural Heritage District, containing numerous Ventura County historical landmarks; the Carnegie Art Museum; and the Ventura County Gull Wings Children’s Museum. Located nearby are the Point Mugu Naval Air Station and the headquarters of the United States Navy construction battalion (known as the Seabees) at Port Hueneme.

The community was laid out in 1898 around a sugar beet refining plant, established by Henry Oxnard and his brothers, for whom the city is named. Oxnard incorporated as a city in 1903. The city’s population grew significantly in the 1940s as a result of the naval bases at Port Hueneme and Point Mugu.