MOVING CAUTIOUSLY: It’s easy to see why...

MOVING CAUTIOUSLY: It’s easy to see why a lot of Ventura County residents haven’t changed residences since 1990--they can’t sell their houses. . . . But why were so many staying put before then, in those heady days of rapidly rising prices? . . . “I think a lot of us thought prices would just keep on going up,” real estate agent Marty Harder said. . . . The proportion of Ventura County residents who haven’t moved--46%--is a bit higher than the state average of 44%.

FLAG-WAVERS: Ventura County towns have city seals and city flowers. Some even have city mottoes, such as Camarillo’s democratic maxim, “The people are the city,” and Fillmore’s fanciful “Fortune favored Fillmore.” . . . Now Moorpark may join the several cities with official flags (B5). . . . Long may they wave, says Dan Lanshe of American Eagle Flag & Banner in Ventura, which charges $50 and up to make a city banner. “This sounds like a good trend to me.” The store stock includes a tiny $2 version of Ventura’s flag.

ROUGH LANDING? That dispute over landing fees at LAX (A1) also has implications for Oxnard Airport. Both airlines serving the Oxnard terminal--United Express and American Eagle--fly only to LAX, where most passengers connect with other flights. . . . An LAX shutdown “would have an extremely negative effect on Oxnard passengers,” said Jonathan Ornstein of United Express. . . . LAX proposed raising the cost of landing a United Express 19-seater from $30 to $100. Oxnard’s fee: $9.90. “We don’t pay fees. Passengers do.”

MUSEUM PIECES: Ventura County may not get Southwest Museum’s array of Native American artifacts (B1), but the Ventura County Museum of History and Art already has one of the largest collections of Chumash remnants, curator Tim Schiffer says. . . . About 35,000 visitors a year view Chumash shell money, grinding stones and baskets by Candelaria, last of the famed Chumash basket weavers. . . . Due in 1995: an exhibit on Chumash spirituality.

Staying Put

Nearly half of Ventura County residents live in the same house as in 1985: Same house as 1985: 281,236 Moved within county: 176,161 Moved from another county: 92,632 Moved from another state: 43,231 Moved from abroad: 22,219 Source: U.S. Census