City, Ventura County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 93015, 93016
Small
inland city, population 15,641,
that nonetheless catches ocean breezes. Fillmore sits at the foot of mountains
at the edge of the Oxnard Plain, the large long stretch of mostly flat land
that opens to the Pacific and includes the cities of Oxnard, Santa Paula,
Camarillo and Ventura. www.mccormacks.com
Click for regional or detailed map
Named
after a railroad bigwig and in recognition of the role the railroads played in
the 19th century. They were the freeways of their day and where they opened
depots, towns sprang up. Fillmore has a rail museum, throws an annual rail
festival and, through the Fillmore and Western Railway, runs steam trains on
short excursions.
Fillmore
has a striking and ornate city hall and a quaint downtown bordered by cottages,
bungalows and old homes. Many movies, commercials and television shows
(recently "The West Wing") have used Fillmore as a backdrop.
In the
winter, snow sometimes decorates the mountains. Fillmore High, home of the
Fillmore Flashers, was built in the mission style. A World War I cannon sits in
front of the veterans' memorial building.
Despite
its history, Fillmore is very much a modern town. Two thirds of its housing was
built after 1960.
The town's
layout is simple: The old buildings can be found in and around Central Street. www.mccormacks.com
As you
move away from Central, especially on the west side, the homes get
progressively newer. The newest show the modern touches: tile roofs, more
bedrooms, tending more to two stories, three-car garages. Walls surround the
new tracts, the better to control traffic and dampen noise. Utility lines for
the most part have been buried.
Pretty,
well-maintained town. Trees line many streets.
The state
in 2008 counted 4,405 housing units, of which 3,182 were single detached homes,
281 single attached, 616 apartments or condos, 326 mobile homes. Since year
2000, the city has built about 400 homes and this has helped raise school
enrollments.
Town with
many young families. Median age of residents is 30. Children under 18 make up
32 percent of the population.
Orange groves
at the edge of town. Strong country feeling. The hills surrounding most of the
town have not been developed and from the east Fillmore is approached by a long
river valley almost devoid of housing. Scenic. www.mccormacks.com
Old town
has a movie house and shops. Many of the stores have been renovated or in some
way fixed up.
The larger
stores are strung along Ventura Street (Highway 126) and include a Rite Aid
(pharmacy), a supermarket and fast-food restaurants.
Not an
easy commute but a lot depends where your job is. If it is in the booming Santa
Clarita Valley (Six Flags Magic Mountain), then you're looking at 20 to 25
miles. If it's in the San Fernando Valley or close to the L.A. Civic Center,
try 50 to 75 miles, many of them over congested freeways.
Education
by Fillmore Unified School District. Compared to other schools in the state,
Fillmore's are scoring in the 20th to 60th percentile.
In 2000,
voters narrowly defeated a construction-renovation bond. Retooled, a $10
million bond was resubmitted to voters in 2004 and passed. The money was used
to upgrade electrical fixtures and technology, make general repairs and build
another school to relieve crowding. Mountain Vista Elementary School opened in
2006, the first new school in 50 years. www.mccormacks.com
Fillmore
contracts with the sheriff's department. Zero homicides in 2005, one in 2004,
two in 2003, zero between 2002 and 1996. Counts for previous years are one,
zero, one, zero.
Soccer,
baseball, basketball, football, the typical kids' sports. Slow pitch softball
for adults. Hiking and biking trails. Arts and crafts, dance, activity and
workout classes. Equestrian center just outside town. Boys and Girls Club.
Library. Golf course nearby. Three parks in or near town. State fish hatchery
to the east.
Bing,
bang, boom! On the Fourth of July, Fillmore sells fireworks, the only city in
the county to do so. The sales raise funds for local groups. Chamber of
commerce (805) 524-0351.
• Miles of
open country to the west and especially the east of Fillmore, all the way to
the L.A. County line. At the line, a giant development called Newhall Ranch is
to be constructed. This probably will increase development pressures on the
Fillmore area.
• In 2004,
the city gave the OK to build 750 homes, still to be built. Many protested the
homes, said they would destroy or weaken Fillmore's small-town character. Others think Fillmore needs more people
and jobs. Arguments may intensify when more housing is proposed. www.mccormacks.com
• County
Medical system in 2006 built a clinic in Fillmore.
• Condors,
giant birds with a wing span of nine feet, fly in the hills and mountains north
of Fillmore. Protected specie, close to extinction.
City web
site: www.fillmoreca.com
