This densely populated narrow 1.3-mile-long strip (2.1 km) along the coastal edge of the Oxnard Plain was subdivided using the glamor of Hollywood to sell lots in the mid-1920s since the sand dunes had been used for movies.

[5] Adjacent development has left this sandy beachfront neighborhood hemmed in by Channel Islands Harbor and Naval Base Ventura County.

[6] The harbor mouth separates them into two communities resulting in a round-about travel route around the harbor between them although the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District provides local utilities services to the entire neighborhood.

[7] The Special-purpose district has an elected Board of Directors which provides a forum for the unique concerns of the community.

For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Channel Islands Beach as a census-designated place (CDP).

A few of the lots remained on the north side of the harbor mouth with the intact Hollywood Beach subdivision.

Although still unincorporated, this neighborhood is adjacent to the harbor and additional housing, both of which are in the City of Oxnard.

The Silver Strand Beach subdivision is along most of the shoreline south of the harbor entrance which is near but without access to the Port of Hueneme.

[12] This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C).

[13] The 2010 United States Census[30] reported that Channel Islands Beach had a population of 3,103.