Ventura Pier, pier in Ventura

Ventura Pier is a wooden pier on the Pacific Ocean in Ventura, California, first built in 1872 and now 1,600 feet long. Its flat deck rests on rows of dark vertical pilings, with a solid railing at the shore end, a flagpole near that end, and a small square structure at the far tip. It is a Ventura Historic Landmark.

The first piling of the Ventura Wharf was driven on May 18, 1872, after citizens met at Spear's Hall in 1871; Arcadia Camarillo broke a bottle of wine over it, and the wharf opened that October. An 1886 oil pipeline from Pico Canyon sent crude through the wharf to San Francisco. The steamer Coos Bay was wrecked against it in 1914, and from 1938 to 1995 it was the longest wooden pier on the California coast at 1,958 feet.

The pier's name changed over time: first Ventura Wharf, then San Buenaventura Wharf, now Ventura Pier, and it is Ventura Historic Landmark No. 20. Interpretive panels along the deck cover the pier's history, local marine life and birds, the Channel Islands and the Chumash Indians. Anglers fish from the deck for jacksmelt, mackerel, perch, halibut and crabs at cleaning stations, and no fishing license is required.

The pier is owned and operated by the City of Ventura, which acquired it in 1993. Benches and restrooms are on the deck, and cleaning stations for fishers stand along it, with signs listing size and species limits. At the base, a west-side playground and an east-side kiosk renting bicycles, surreys and beach equipment sit beside the San Buenaventura State Beach and the Omer Rains Coastal Bikeway.

Each year, the pier hosts Pier Under the Stars, an event where over 800 residents and guests gather for local food, wine tastings, and live music along the waterfront. The silent auction held during this event raises funds directly to support the pier's ongoing care and preservation efforts.