Port Hueneme (pronounced
"Y NEE MEE"), is located on the central California coast, 60 miles north
of Los Angeles and 50 miles south of Santa Barbara. Neighboring communities
include Oxnard, Ventura, and Camarillo. This little beach beauty that overlooks
the Channel Islands is small but mighty and well worth the effort to find
and explore. With the force of approximately 2,000 military and civilian
personnel located adjacent to the city at NAVSEA Port Hueneme Surface Warfare
Center Division, Point Mugu Naval Base and California Air National
Guard six miles southeast of Port Hueneme and the
only deep water harbor between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area
at the Port of Hueneme, this community means business.
All work and no play at the beach
is impossible. Port Hueneme contains 4.5 square miles with a beautiful
beach and pier at a 50-acre Hueneme Beach Park. This is where the
community enjoys picnic areas, barbecue pits, a snack
bar building with patio area, public restrooms and ample public parking.
Annual celebrations include a summer Beach Fest and Port
Hueneme Harbor Days, which honors the Thomas Bard and the Bard Family,
recognized as city founders.
Long before the industrial revolution
tranformed the coastal landscape, it is believed that Chumash Indians were
the primary inhabitants of this region. Hueneme is a Chumash word
meaning "half-way" or "resting place." Chumash nation Canalinos Indians
likely stopped at Point Hueneme as they passed between today's Point Mugu
and the mouth of the Santa Clara River. The 'Point' is the closest spot
(11 miles) from which to cross the Santa Barbara channel transiting between
the mainland and Anacapa Island.
In 1876, Thomas Bard constructed
a wharf to serve as a port for shipping of food stuffs and goods grown
and produced in this rich agricultural area known as the Gold Coast. Taking
advantage of Hueneme Canyon, a 1500-foot (Bard's) wharf was constructed
in 1872 to lighter goods between the coast and ships off shore.
By the early 1920s, lemons outstripped
lima beans and sugar beets as the number one crop. In 1922, two giant Sunkist
lemon-packing plants were built and Sunkist became one of the port village's
largest employers. A much needed port was crucial in the role
of fulfilling a region's commercial interests. The port finally came to
pass by Thomas Bard's son, Richard, who is credited with leading a charge
for approval and formation of Oxnard Harbor District in 1937.
Since that time, California has
felt the threat of war several times. Only 60 miles away from Port Hueneme
in Santa Barbara, you can see a marker commemorating an actual
Japanese attack. Military presence and remnants of such are visible throughout
the state, with facilities such as NAVSEA Port Hueneme taking its
place as one of five locations that include San Diego, White Sands, New
Mexico; Louisville, Kentucky; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Source: www.phdnswc.navy.mil
Port Hueneme is home to the only
city-owned and maintained beach park in Ventura County. Compared to Quimby
Act Standards, the city's 90 acres of park land exceeds the statewide norm
by more than one-third. Local facilities include a community center, library,
historical museum, athletic center, and cultural arts center.
Getting to Port Hueneme can be tricky.
We, at BEACHCALIFORNIA.COM saw our destination from above in a commercial
plane. We tried to drive there and ended up at Silverstrand Beach, across
the way. We've posted a map and instructions for those who want to
find the city, as well.
Highway
101 - Northbound:
Exit Vineyard Avenue
Turn Left - go over freeway
Continue on Vineyard. Stay in Right
lane.
Straight through light at Oxnard
Blvd.
Continue on Vineyard to Ventura
Road.
Turn Left onto Ventura Road.
Continue on Ventura Road, approximately
8 miles.
Ventura Road ends at a Stop sign.
At the stop sign, turn left and
the beach will be on your right.
Highway 101 - Southbound:
Exit Wagon Wheel Road
Turn right coming off the freeway
at the first light
(yielding to traffic).
Turn left at the second light,
and you will be on Ventura Road.
Continue on Ventura Road, approximately
8 miles.
Ventura Road ends at a Stop sign.
At the stop sign, turn left and
the beach will be on your right.
Oxnard
aerial view
Beach Resort - Embassy Suites - Mandalay
Beach
Nearby Cities Hotels:
Agoura Hills
, Camarillo
,
Carpinteria ,
Fillmore ,
Malibu ,
Ojai ,
Oxnard ,
Port Hueneme
, Simi
Valley ,
Thousand
Oaks ,
Ventura ,
Westlake
Village
