Casitas Springs, California


Casitas Springs is an unincorporated community in Ventura County, California, located 1.2 miles east of Lake Casitas. It is an old community which was recorded as Arroyo de Las Casitas in 1864. It has a population of 1,038 as of 1999, down from 1,090 in 1990 Census.
Casitas Springs is located along California State Route 33 south of Oak View.
It is known for its groves of eucalyptus trees along the highway. Casitas Springs was the former home of Johnny Cash.

History

The community was first recorded in 1864 under the name Arroyo de Las Casitas.
The same 2005 winter storms that damaged nearby La Conchita, California also damaged Casitas Springs.

Johnny Cash

Singer-songwriter Johnny Cash moved with his family to a 5,000 sq. ft. hillside home at 8736 Nye Road on a fifteen acre property in the late summer of 1961. He had been living with his wife, Vivian Liberto, and their four daughters, Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara, in Encino. Vivian hoped this move would put a stop to his growing issues with alcohol and other drugs. His time here instead resulted in the most colorful and worst of the legendary Man in Black's bad-boy behavior — the pills, the booze, the binges, the arrests, and the June 1965 forest fire above Fillmore that he said was ignited by his truck's exhaust system. Cash would often go picnicking at the local Lake Casitas and Foster Park. A local minister befriended Cash and set up the first San Quentin and Folsom Prison visits that would become a notable part of his career.
His rendition of "Ring of Fire" was a crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on the country charts and the Top 20 on the pop charts during his time here. His drug abuse as well as constant touring, affairs with other women, and his close relationship with June Carter led his wife to file for divorce in 1966 and it was granted the next year. After moving away in 1967, Cash came on several trips back to Casitas Springs to visit his children and parents.

Economy

The oldest, most rural winery in Ventura County is near the community.