OIL CONNECTION: The oil industry may be...
OIL CONNECTION: The oil industry may be bubbling back to life in Ventura County (B4). But don’t expect the same impact oil had in the 1920s, when the Ventura Avenue oil field was developed. . . . In 10 years, the population of Ventura, Santa Paula and Fillmore doubled as oil workers poured in. Even 40 years ago, the industry paid half of the county’s personal property taxes. Today’s figure: 5%. . . . The current boomlet has parallels to the ‘20s: In both cases, innovators figured out more economical ways to bring oil to the surface.
A Declining Industry
Oil production in Ventura County, in thousands of barrels: 1915: 872 1950: 34,205 1960: 40,983 1970: 23,624 1975: 22,481 1980: 17,458 1985: 15,170 1990: 13,794 Source: State Department of Conservation
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