Ojai is known for its boutique hotels, recreation opportunities, hiking, and farmers' market of local organic agriculture.

Chain stores are prohibited by city ordinance to encourage local small business development and retain the town's character.

[11][12][13] The city's self-styled nickname is "Shangri-La" referencing the natural environment of this health and spirituality-focused region as well as the mystical sanctuary of the 1937 film adaptation of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon.

[14] Ojai sits on the traditional territory of the Chumash, a Native American people who inhabited the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what are Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south and the Channel Islands.

Tico operated a cattle ranch on the land and moved his large family to an adobe in the lower valley.

In 1866, Scott's nephew Thomas Bard used a steam-powered cable-tool drilling rig on the north side of Sulphur Mountain.

[30] A nine-day Pineapple Express with rainfall intensity reaching 6.2 inches (16 cm) per day caused floods destroying the rail line in January 1969.

Visitors enjoyed dining, music concerts, horseback riding, and hunting and fishing trips into the back country.

He fell in love with the valley, bought property in the Foothills tract in 1909, and built a Craftsman-style house designed by Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey.

[33] Steeped in City Beautiful ideals, Libbey began thinking about what could be done to beautify the existing rustic town.

In 1916, he hired the architectural firm of Frank Mead and Richard Requa of San Diego to transform Nordhoff into the Spanish-style town center seen today.

The first started in Matilija Canyon on June 16 and burned 60 buildings in its path, including many homes and the Foothills Hotel.

[citation needed] The Ojai Valley lies within the Topatopa Mountains on the north and south and is actively shaped by a web of earthquake faults.

Nordhoff Ridge, the western extension of the Topatopa Mountains, towers over the north side of the valley at more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m).

[47] The Ventura River was once known for its steelhead fishing before Matilija Dam and Lake Casitas were constructed, eliminating habitat for this trout species.

The high mountains above the Ojai Valley and further east are drained by Sespe Creek, which empties into the Santa Clara River at Fillmore.

During dry spells with continental air, morning temperatures, due to Ojai's valley location, can drop well below most of Southern California, with the record being 13 °F (−10.6 °C) on January 6–7, 1913.

In contrast, Ojai is far enough from the sea to minimize marine cooling, and very hot days can occur during summer, with the record being 119 °F (48.3 °C) on June 16, 1917 – when it fell as low as 65 °F (18.3 °C) in the morning due to clear skies and dry air.

As is typical for much of coastal Southern California, most precipitation falls in the form of rain between the months of October and April, with intervening dry summers.

Ojai is a tourism destination known for its boutique hotels, recreation opportunities, hiking, and farmers' market of local organic agriculture.

[56] Chain stores are prohibited by city ordinance to encourage local small business development and keep the town unique.

[63][64] Ojai's culture is heavily focused on ecology, health and organic agriculture, NIMBYism,[65][66][67] walking/hiking, spirituality, music and local art.

[68] On July 8, 1999, former Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad, one of the twelve men who walked on the Moon, died of injuries suffered from a motorcycle accident in Ojai.

Notable appearances include Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Pierre Boulez, who was festival director in 2003.

To the west, the Lake Casitas Recreation Area offers camping, picnicking, hiking, boating, fishing, and has a water park.

The center was formerly the Boyd Clubhouse which was built in 1903 and located on the south side of Ojai Avenue east of Libbey Park.

It is the oldest tennis tournament west of the Mississippi River (founded in 1896) and has been an early competition for many players who went on to earn one or more Grand Slam titles.

Annually, in early April, the town hosts a bicycle race that draws professional and amateur teams from around the country.

The "Garrett Lemire Memorial Grand Prix" began in 2004 as a tribute to a 22-year-old cyclist from Ojai who died racing his bicycle in Arizona the previous year.

The race is held on a one-mile (1.6 km) circuit that circumnavigates Libbey Bowl in the heart of downtown Ojai.