La Conchita, California
| La Conchita | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 La Conchita
|
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| Coordinates: 34°21′50″N 119°26′53″W / 34.36389°N 119.44806°WCoordinates: 34°21′50″N 119°26′53″W / 34.36389°N 119.44806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Ventura |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 338 |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 93001 |
| Area code(s) | 805 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1661263 |
La Conchita is a small unincorporated community in western Ventura County, California, on U.S. Route 101 just southeast of the Santa Barbara county line. The ZIP Code is 93001, and the community is inside area code 805.
On January 10, 2005, a major landslide occurred in the town of La Conchita, California. The 2005 landslide killed 10 people, and destroyed or damaged dozens of houses. The landslide recurred on part of a previous landslide in 1995.
"La Conchita", Spanish for little conch shell, was first used as the name of a spur on the Southern Pacific railroad line in the 1880s and it was a name generally used to describe a broader area than the present day village. During this time until 1923, the small beach settlement was named "Punta" and the street names still carried today (San Fernando, Ojai, Bakersfield, Carpinteria, etc.) commemorated the home town areas of the railroad workers who settled in the town while building the Southern Pacific line. The name change and designated area then known as La Conchita are crucially important to any understanding of the region today and its geologic history. Up through the 1930s as historically documented, the area from Bates Road down to Mussel Shoals (then known as Mussel Rock) was referred to as La Conchita.
Prior to the establishment of the village of Punta, the coastal area was named Punta Gorda. "Punta Gorda", Spanish for massive point, referred to the outstanding feature of this coastal area, a large rock promontory. A monk who stopped at the Mission San Buenaventura in 1817 first mentioned the site. The history of the hamlet of La Conchita is closely tied to developments in the Rincon Point area. The name "The Rincon" was also routinely used to designate the area from Carpinteria's Rincon Point to Ventura's Sea Cliff. From 1850 until 1873 when Ventura County was established, Punta Gorda was part of Santa Barbara County.
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