Ojai is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the Ojai Valley, northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles (16 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide, surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.
The town is known mostly for its hotels and services catering to tourism, recreation including strong hiking, and spiritual retreats, as well as for a strong farmers' market on Sundays and an abundance of local organic agriculture. It also has an abundance of small businesses specializing in local and ecologically friendly art, design, and home improvement—such as galleries and a solar power company—as chain stores (other than a few gas stations) are forbidden by Ojai city law to encourage local small business development and keep the town unique.
The city's self-styled nickname is "The Shangri-La of Southern California", referring to the similarities between the health-and-spirituality-focused region and the mystical sanctuary of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon.
