City of Moorpark | ||
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General law city | ||
The Moorpark Metrolink station
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Location in Ventura County and the state of California |
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Location in the United States | ||
Coordinates: 34°16′51″N 118°52′24″W / 34.28083°N 118.87333°WCoordinates: 34°16′51″N 118°52′24″W / 34.28083°N 118.87333°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | California | |
County | Ventura | |
Founded | 1887 | |
Incorporated | 1983-07-01 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Council-Manager | |
• Mayor | Janice S. Parvin | |
• State Senator | Henry Stern (D) | |
• Assemblymember | Jacqui Irwin (D) | |
• U. S. Congress | Julia Brownley (D) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 12.799 sq mi (33.149 km2) | |
• Land | 12.579 sq mi (32.580 km2) | |
• Water | 0.220 sq mi (0.569 km2) 1.72% | |
Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) | |
Population (April 1, 2010) | ||
• Total | 34,421 | |
• Estimate (2013) | 35,149 | |
• Density | 2,700/sq mi (1,000/km2) | |
Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | |
Zip Code | 93021-2804 (General Delivery), 93020 (P.O. Box) | |
Area code(s) | 805 | |
FIPS code | 06-49138 | |
GNIS feature ID | 1652754 | |
Website | www |
Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900 when the application for the Moorpark Post Office was approved and Inocencio C. Villegas was named Moorpark's first postmaster on August 8 of that year. The townsite of Moorpark was owned and surveyed by Robert W. Poindexter and his wife, Madeline. The town has experienced a great amount of growth since the late 1970s. The population was 34,421 at the 2010 census, up from 31,415 at the 2000 census.
Moorpark has 19 parks, all with a variety of amenities. Park hours for unlit facilities are from 6:00 a.m. to sunset. Lit facilities are from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The City's Dog Park is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. DST. The City's Skatepark is open from 10:00 a.m. to sunset on school days, and 8:00 a.m. to sunset on all other days.
Park facilities, including picnic pavilions, ball fields, soccer fields, and tennis courts can be reserved for private use.
The origin of the name "Moorpark" is unknown, but several sources have been suggested. Of these most sources agree that its origin was Admiral Lord Anson's estate Moor Park in Hertfordshire, England where he introduced the apricot in 1688. It is mainly believed that the town of Moorpark is named after the Moorpark apricot, which used to grow in the area. One other theory of the name is that when the Southern Pacific Railroad was surveying the local land in the 19th century for its railway, someone in the party said that the area, with its sloping hills, looked like the Scottish Moors. Hence the name Moorpark.
The valley where Moorpark is located was originally inhabited by the Chumash. A Chumash village named Quimisac was located in what is now known as Happy Camp. The area was later part of the large Rancho Simi land grant given in 1795 to the Pico brothers (Javier, Patricio, and Miguel) by Governor Diego de Borica of Alta California.