Fast Facts

  • Total area: 4.6 square miles
  • Total population as of January 1, 2008: 29,539
  • Average annual rainfall: 18.7 inches
  • Average temperatures: 
    • Summer - 69 degrees
    • Winter - 55 degrees
  • 93% of residents drive to work
  • Santa Paula is a full service city providing fire, police, water and utility services. 
    • Property tax is the City's primary source of revenue and sales tax revenue is the second major revenue source
  • City's General Fund budget: $11.3 million for 2008 to 2009.
  • Santa Paula is known as the Citrus Capital of the World
  • Santa Paula was originally inhabited by the Chumash, a Native American people
  • Father Junipero Serra became active in the area during the Spanish mission period, thus the town takes its name from the Catholic Saint Paula
  • The Mexican government as part of the Santa Paula Y Saticoy land grant gave the land that would become Santa Paula away
  • The community of Santa Paula was founded in 1872
  • In 1877, a post office was established to serve the community's 200 residents
  • In 1875, Nathan Blanchard and Elisha Bradley recorded a map of their town vision and were involved in the building of Santa Paula's first flour mill and its first orange grove
  • The Southern Pacific Railroad came to Santa Paula in 1887
  • The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was constructed in 1887 and is registered as a historical landmark
  • Founder Nathan Blanchard's first orange crop appeared in 1888
  • In 1888, an oil well called Adams Number 16 hit pay, California's first gusher
  • Santa Paula was the initial headquarters of the Union Oil Company of California (Known today as Unocal)
  • Union Oil Company of California was founded in Santa Paula in 1890
  • The California Oil Museum is housed in the original 1890 headquarters of Union Oil Company. The building is an example of Queen Anne Italianate architecture
  • The City of Santa Paula was incorporated in Ventura County in 1902
  • Santa Paula Theatre Center was formerly known as the Ebell Club. The building is a historical landmark that was constructed in 1917
  • In 1928, the City was devastated by the failure of William Mulholland's St. Francis Dam
  • The Santa Paula Airport and Aviation Museum documents the long story of the local airport, which opened in 1930
  • Santa Paula has gained the nickname, "Antique Airplane Capital of the World" because of the unique collection of planes housed in the Aviation Museum