Manhole Covers of Fillmore, California

Created 18 July 2006

This page was last updated on 25 November 2008
All photos copyrighted by David L. Magney 2006

This is a study of manhole covers of Fillmore, Ventura County, California.

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Manhole Covers of Fillmore, Ventura County, California

Fillmore is a small city in the Santa Clara River Valley portion of Ventura County. Agriculture, mostly citrus, is the main industry of Fillmore. Fillmore is bounded on the south by the Santa Clara River, by Sespe Creek on the west, the Los Padres National Forest on the north, and ag lands on the east. Two highway pass through Fillmore, California State Routes 23 and 126, with SR23 having its northern terminis at its junction with SR126.

Fillmore is a small agricultural/railroad city at an average elevation of around 463 feet above sea level. Fillmore was named after J.A. Fillmore, a Southern Pacific Railroad Company superintendent. This place was the site of a Chumash village, then part of the Rancho Sespe Mexican land grant. Fillmore was founded in 1888, and incorporated in 1914.

Fillmore currently has a population of about 14,949 people (2000). Fillmore citizens are composed of 53.5% Caucasians, 6.66% Hispanics, 1% Asians, and 1.4% Native American. The median household income for Fillmore residents is $45,510 and the per capita income is $15,010. About 12% of the residents of Fillmore older than 25 years hold a bachelor's or higher degree. The national average of adults holding a bachelor's or higher degree is 22.3%. The average commute time for working Fillmore residents is 31 minutes, indicating that a large percentage works out of town. Oil production and agriculture are the primary factors driving the economy of Fillmore. The first orange grove was planted in 1889. Tourism is a minor component of the economy, but Fillmore has established the Fillmore & Western Railway Company as a tourist draw, providing a dinner run between Fillmore and Santa Paula, at a fast pace of about 10 MPH.

Fillmore was severly shaken by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which toppled many of the older buildins in the older part of town, and knocked many homes off their foundations. Additional information about Fillmore can be found at Fillmore Info and at the Official Fillmore site, and the history of the port is at Fillmore History site. Fillmore will be getting new manhole covers soon that include the name and logo of the city.

Here is the latest and newest manhole cover in Fillmore (taken by David Burkhart), which is to be installed in a new housing development on the southeast edge of town. This cover bears the city seal.

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