Somis, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Somis, California
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Fulkerson Hardware has a long history of serving this agricultural community
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 Somis, California
Location in California
Somis, California
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Ventura |
| Established | 1892 |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 3,179 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
93066
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| Area code(s) | 805 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1661469; 1670906 |
Somis (pronounced SO-mis) is a small community in Ventura County, California. It's called an unincorporated community because it doesn't have its own city government. Instead, the county helps manage it.
Somis was started in 1892 by two people, Thomas Bard and D.T. Perkins. They built it on a piece of land that used to be a large Mexican ranch called Rancho Las Posas. Somis is located in the beautiful Las Posas Valley. The U.S. Census Bureau also calls Somis a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area grouped together for counting people and collecting statistics.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Somis comes from the Chumash people. They were the Native Americans who lived in this area long ago. The word śo mís in their language means "water of the scrub oak."
Records from 1795 and 1796 mention a Chumash village called Somes. This village was located near where Lake Casitas is today, before the dam was built.
A Look Back in Time
Just like many farms nearby, Somis grew crops like corn, wheat, and barley. These crops were sent to other places using a wharf (a kind of dock) built in Hueneme in 1871.
Later, it became even easier to ship farm products. A railroad line was built from Los Angeles to San Francisco. It passed right through the valley, and a train stop was made near Somis. The community's name was officially spelled "Somis" when the railroad arrived in 1899.
Where is Somis?
The local school is a very important part of the community. It serves the town and the farms around it. Somis is mostly a farming area, but it has some important places. You can find a hardware store, a market with a Mexican cafe, a post office, and an elementary school. There are also several shops, a small animal hospital, and many large homes and ranches.
Even though Somis doesn't have its own city government, it's kept safe by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. The Ventura County Fire Department also helps protect the area.
Roads and Travel
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Somis Road (SR 34) is the main road in town. It has a few shops and businesses, plus a county fire station. Somis Road crosses State Route 118 (Los Angeles Avenue) just north of town.
The railroad tracks run next to Los Angeles Avenue between Somis and Moorpark. At the south end of Somis, the tracks turn and run parallel to Somis Road. This is where the original train stop for shipping farm goods was located. The tracks continue south to the Camarillo station.
The Camarillo station is the closest place to catch a train. You can ride Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Or you can take Metrolink's Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to East Ventura.
Somis Road turns into Lewis Road about one mile south of town. This area is also the northern edge of the City of Camarillo.
Living in Somis
The Somis ZIP code, 93066, covers a large area. It includes many farms. To the south, it touches the edge of housing areas in Camarillo. To the north, it reaches the top of South Mountain. This ZIP code is about 11 miles wide from east to west.
In 2015, Forbes Magazine said Somis had one of the most expensive ZIP codes in the United States. In 1999, Somis also had the highest average home prices in Ventura County.
Weather in Somis
Somis has a nice climate, often called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers. The average monthly temperatures usually stay below 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).
