Ventucopa, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ventucopa, California
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Unincorporated community
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Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Santa Barbara |
ZIP code |
93252
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Ventucopa is a small place in Santa Barbara County, California. It is not a city with its own government. Instead, it is called an unincorporated community. This means it is part of the county, but it does not have its own mayor or city council.
Ventucopa is in the southeastern part of the Cuyama Valley. About 92 people live there. It sits high up, at about 2,896 feet (883 meters) above sea level. The area is mostly for farming and is close to the Cuyama River.
This community is special because it is near where four counties meet. These counties are Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Kern. Ventucopa is also surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest on three sides.
The name Ventucopa was created in 1926. A local person named Dean Parady thought of it when the town was getting a post office. The name combines parts of "Ventura County" and "Maricopa." This is because Ventucopa is located between the town of Maricopa and Ventura County. The ZIP Code for Ventucopa is 93252, and its phone area code is 661.
Ventucopa's Location and Surroundings
Ventucopa is found on the southern part of California State Route 33. This road is also known as Maricopa Highway. The community is near a southern branch of the Cuyama River. This river often dries up during certain times of the year.
Ventucopa is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Cuyama. Cuyama is another community located in the western part of the Cuyama Valley.
What's in a Name? The Meaning of Ventucopa
The name Ventucopa is a special kind of word called a portmanteau. A portmanteau is a word made by blending the sounds and meanings of two other words. In this case, Ventucopa comes from the names of two nearby places: Ventura and Maricopa. These two places are also located along Highway 33, with Ventura to the south and Maricopa to the north.
How to Get to Ventucopa: Roads and Routes
Getting to Ventucopa can be a bit tricky from other parts of Santa Barbara County. This is because of how the county borders were drawn. To travel to other communities within Santa Barbara County, you usually have to drive through another county first.
- If you are coming from the south, you can go through Ventura County. You would use the southern Maricopa Highway, which is California State Route 33. This route takes you through Ojai to Highway 101.
- If you are coming from the north, you can go through San Luis Obispo County. You would use the western Cuyama Highway, which is California State Route 166. This route takes you to Santa Maria and then to Highway 101.
- If you are coming from the San Joaquin Valley or Interstate 5 in Kern County, you would use the eastern Maricopa Highway. This is also part of California State Route 166.