Yes, it’s true and the old timers used to talk openly about the Banana Belt of Ventura County. It was located along the sloping areas along the Santa Clara River, down near the ocean around Saticoy. This is a unique micro-climate and probably has the only commercial banana farm in the western United States. The small area is a ribbon of land nestled near the oceanfront community of La Conchita, just north of Ventura California. La Conchita is a small community located on U.S. Route 101, just southeast of the Santa Barbara county line.
The area is considered perfect for growing bananas, is rimmed with eastern cliffs that keep the ocean breezes circulating. The colder night air from the inland mountains is blocked from settling in. It’s much milder here on winter nights..almost 8-10 degrees warmer. The cliffs are the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest and they provide the “air drainage” needed to keep the frost at bay.
Limited banana varieties will grow in other areas of Ventura County, but require more water and fertilizer.