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City FACTS
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- 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 and 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 2008/2009
- 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 flourmill 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 No. 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
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