Silver Strand Beach facts for kids
Silver Strand Beach is a cool beach neighborhood in Ventura County, California. It's tucked away between the Channel Islands Harbor to the north and the entrance to the Port of Hueneme to the south. A big part of the community also sits next to the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme. These harbors and the Navy base almost completely surround Silver Strand. This makes it feel pretty separate from the nearby city of Oxnard. You can usually only get there by one main road, Victoria Avenue.
The U.S. Census Bureau groups Silver Strand with two other old neighborhoods, Hollywood Beach and Hollywood by the Sea. Together, they form a place called Channel Islands Beach for counting people.
Because of its special spot near deep ocean water, you might see lots of amazing sea animals here. Look out for dolphins, seals, and even jellyfish! Silver Strand is also home to a base for the United States Coast Guard in Oxnard.
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What is Silver Strand Like?
People often call Silver Strand "The Strand." It's mostly a collection of homes built after World War II. You'll find single-family houses, some buildings with multiple homes, and even some newer houses right on the beach.
There are two small areas with shops and restaurants. The main one is around Roosevelt Boulevard. Here you can find small restaurants, a yoga studio, and a few other small businesses. Another small shopping area is at the south end of the beach. It has a local place where you can buy beer and wine.
The Channel Islands Beach Community Services District helps manage things like water and power for Silver Strand. This district also helps other beach communities to the north.
Why So Many Names?
Silver Strand has a few different names and spellings! When it was first named in 1924 as part of the Hollywood Beach area, it was spelled as one word: Silverstrand. But in the official rules for the Ventura County coast, it's written as two words: Silver Strand.
A Look Back: Silver Strand's History
The Silver Strand Beach community started way back in 1924. That's when the Hollywood Beach area began to be developed in Ventura County. Silver Strand was officially mapped out in 1925. Hollywood by the Sea, another nearby area, was mapped in 1926. Hollywood by the Sea is right next to Silver Strand, on the east side of Victoria Avenue.
The big harbor you see today was built in the 1960s. It was built where much of Hollywood by the Sea used to be. The very first Hueneme lighthouse, built in 1874, was also near the south end of the neighborhood. But when the Naval Construction Battalion Center was built, it blocked direct access to Hueneme. It also took over the southern five blocks of Silver Strand.
The Story of the Shipwreck
In 1970, a fancy old cruise ship called the La Jenelle was anchored off Silver Strand. It was waiting for money to be fixed up. But on April 13, strong winds pushed the ship close to the entrance of the Port of Hueneme. Only two crew members were on board, and they couldn't stop the wind and big waves. The ship got pushed onto a sandbar near the beach and then flipped over.
Since the ship was more than 50 years old, its owners left it. It quickly started to break apart in the ocean waves. To keep people safe, the Navy cut off the top part of the ship that was sticking out. Then, they filled the ship's hull (the bottom part) and the area around it with rocks and sand. This created a breakwater. A breakwater is like a wall that protects the port from big waves. It also became a popular spot for fishing at the south end of the beach! You can still see parts of the ship's deck and hull from the south jetty. If you're out on the ocean, you can even see the whole ship.
Exploring Silver Strand Beach
Silver Strand Beach is a sandy beach about one-mile-long (1.6 km). It's also about 150-yard in width (140 m). The beach is bordered by jetties (rock walls) at both the north and south ends. Both jetties have small parking lots and some restrooms.
In February 2014, construction started near the north jetty's parking lot. They were building a new two-story lifeguard tower with restrooms. This new tower replaced an old one from 1967 that was damaged by a storm in 2002.
The ocean here has a sandy bottom. Sometimes, you might find strong currents called rip tides or an undertow. Lifeguards are on duty every day during the summer months. They are off duty from September to May.
Surfing at Silver Strand
The isolated location of Silver Strand and its history with Navy workers have given it a reputation for "localism" among surfers. This means that the local surfers, often called SSL (Silver Strand Locals), are very protective of their waves. They were even featured in a documentary called The Swell Life.
Music Born Here
Silver Strand Beach is known as the birthplace of a type of hardcore punk music called Nardcore. The city of Oxnard was a big center for hardcore punk music in Southern California in the early 1980s. Many of the bands that started this music style were from Silver Strand. Some of the most famous ones include Dr. Know, Stalag 13, Ill Repute, and Agression.
