The Avenue is a neighborhood along Ventura Avenue, on the east side of the Ventura River valley. It has some of the oldest and lowest-income areas of Ventura, though there is some newer development at the north end, past Stanley Drive. However, it is a very pretty area, with homes set in a narrow valley with a view out to the sea.
The term "The Avenue" has been used to describe the area since at least 1890, but there were less houses and more orchards back in that time.
Some businesses have been along the Avenue for so long that they are institutions, like Avenue Hardware, an old-fashioned hardware store.
