A Tale of Two Cities : Demographics: Once both farming communities, Moorpark is now the county's richest town while Santa Paula struggles as the poorest.

There wasn't much difference between it and Moorpark except for the crops the farmers grew. Moorpark's specialty was apricots.

But as Santa Paula has struggled to preserve its rural identity, Moorpark's apricot fields have given way to high-priced housing developments.

The two cities, which both have slightly more than 25,000 residents, now are worlds apart.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Moorpark has become the richest city in Ventura County and Santa Paula is the county's poorest.

As smog- and traffic-weary Angelenos sought refuge in the east county city, Moorpark pushed its median household income to more than $60,300.

Meanwhile, as a poorer flood of new immigrants settled into the Santa Clara Valley, Santa Paula struggled to make ends meet with a median household income just above $31,600.

Moorpark Grows Up

Moorpark was consumed by growth during the 1980s--gaining about 17,000 residents, more than any other city in Ventura County.

When the dust settled, officials and residents found that the city had not only grown larger but also more affluent.

But for all its new-found wealth, some critics say, the city lost something along the way. While growing in affluence, it also became segmented by geography, class and race.

While the older downtown area populated mostly by middle- and low-income Latinos languished, development raced up the hillsides of Moorpark to the south, pushing the city's median home value to $276,800.

Some residents say Moorpark's friendly atmosphere is slowly diminishing as homeowners and officials bicker over the city's direction.

"It already looks like everywhere else that has developed," said Eugene C. Gallick, an artist who has lived in the working-class downtown area since 1978. "It's just like Woodland Hills, only newer."

Mayor Paul W. Lawrason Jr. said he was at a meeting last week when he ran into officials from Thousand Oaks--the city that traditionally has had the highest median household income. Mayor Frank Schillo stopped to congratulate Lawrason on Moorpark's new standing as the county's richest community.

"It really surprised me that our income was so high," Lawrason said. "We bantered a little about it."

But speaking of the rapid development that led to the increased wealth, he added:

"This is not something to joke about. This is a serious situation . . . the growth was out of control for a bit."

Although the city was named after the Moorpark apricot, today all apricot groves have been consumed by development.

The center of town has shifted from High Street, a dusty avenue that looks like a set for a Western movie, to bustling Los Angeles Avenue, a thoroughfare lined with new strip malls and fast-food restaurants.

Last year, there was a mild protest about the changing nature of Moorpark that was directed at the city's annual parade and festival, which was beefed up to include a carnival. The theme of the protest was: "Who took the country out of Moorpark Country Days?"

As a sea of new stucco homes with terra-cotta roofs replaced the farms in Moorpark, the infrastructure of the city couldn't keep pace. While expensive residential houses line the hillsides, other parts of the city have a rundown look.

"We're still paying for the rapid growth," Lawrason said. "We lack the infrastructure."

For example, the city has no large shopping mall, no theaters, no bowling alleys, few convenience stores and little industry.

Despite the protests of longtime residents, residential growth is expected to continue.

Two weeks ago, the City Council tentatively revised its long-term planning guidelines to allow the area to nearly double in population to almost 50,000 over the next two decades.

The city's growth plan calls for four proposed projects to be built within the present city limits, while the fifth and largest--Messenger Investment Co.'s Hidden Creek Ranch--would require the city to annex another 4,000-acre site. That would boost the size of Moorpark from 12 square miles to about 18.

"Many things attract people to the community," said former Councilwoman Eloise Brown. "We're away from the urban sprawl. We had the image of a small urban community, even when we were growing."

Lawrason and other officials maintained that the increase would not substantially impact the way the community is now. He said the growth will be carefully managed.

In addition to increasing residential units, city officials also want to revitalize the downtown area and bring together residents in the older parts of town and the new developments on the hill.

They hope to attract more jobs to the community, allowing people the option of working in the city. The average Moorpark citizen now spends 28 minutes commuting to work, and nearly 38% work in another county, according to the census data.