# Ojai ## Definition **Ojai** is a city in Ventura County, California, in the Ojai Valley, northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles long and 3 miles wide and borders the Los Padres National Forest to the north. The town, originally called Nordhoff, was renamed Ojai in 1917 after Rancho Ojai, whose name comes from the Ventureño Chumash word for "moon." Ojai was incorporated on August 5, 1921, and had 7,637 residents at the 2020 census. ## Krishnamurti in Ojai The philosopher [[wiki/Jiddu Krishnamurti|Jiddu Krishnamurti]] first came to Ojai in 1922 with his brother Nityananda and kept his home there for the rest of his life, returning from Madras in January 1986, shortly before his death on February 17, 1986. His houses on McAndrew Road in the East End now form the Krishnamurti Foundation of America's campus: the [[wiki/Krishnamurti Retreat|Krishnamurti Retreat]] at Arya Vihara and the Krishnamurti Center and Library at Pine Cottage. The Oak Grove School, which Krishnamurti founded in 1975, is also in the valley. ## Bryant McGill in Ojai - **August 31, 2012:** [[photo journey/2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai|Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai]], a Photo Journey photograph at the [[wiki/Krishnamurti Retreat|Krishnamurti Retreat]] on McAndrew Road. - **2013:** [[journal/2013-07-12 - My Dear Daughters - One Day When You Look Back|My Dear Daughters - One Day When You Look Back]], a poem dated "Ojai. 2013." with a photograph from the Ojai bike trail. - [[journal/2023-06-12 - Silence and Non-Observation|Silence and Non-Observation]] recalls the time he spent at Krishnamurti's home in Ojai. ## Relationships - **located in:** Ventura County, California. - **landmark:** [[wiki/Krishnamurti Retreat|Krishnamurti Retreat]]. - **resident:** [[wiki/Jiddu Krishnamurti|Jiddu Krishnamurti]] (1922–1986). - **personal history:** [[photo journey/2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai|2012-08-31 - Bryant at Krishnamurti's Former Home in Ojai]]; [[journal/2013-07-12 - My Dear Daughters - One Day When You Look Back|My Dear Daughters (2013)]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [Ojai, California | Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojai,_California), consulted 2026-10-23: county, valley dimensions and setting, Nordhoff renaming (1917), name origin, incorporation (August 5, 1921), 2020 population. - [Krishnamurti and the Ojai Valley | Ojai Valley Museum](https://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/ojai-history-blog/krishnamurti-and-the-ojai-valley), consulted 2026-10-23: Krishnamurti's 1922 arrival, Oak Grove School (1975), return in January 1986 and death on February 17, 1986. - [Krishnamurti Foundation of America home page](https://kfa.org/), consulted 2026-10-23: the Oak Grove School, "founded in 1975 by Krishnamurti." - [Krishnamurti Retreat | Krishnamurti Foundation of America](https://www.kfa.org/krishnamurti-retreat/) and [Krishnamurti Educational Center](https://kfa.org/krishnamurti-educational-center/), consulted 2026-10-23: the McAndrew Road campus. - Google Photos metadata for the Photo Journey photograph and the vault's journal entries, for Bryant's time in Ojai.