Since first published almost 35 years ago, The Acorn newspaper continues to focus on three very important questions: Is it local? Is it local? Is it local?

This commitment to local news has helped The Acorn grow from an Agoura Hills coupon shopper into five award-winning weekly publications now delivered to more than 144,000 homes throughout eastern Ventura and western Los Angeles counties.

While some newspapers shy away from announcing their total circulation numbers—almost all have seen a dramatic drop over the past two years—we print ours on the front page.

The Acorn and the Thousand Oaks Acorn are delivered to homes free every Thursday. The Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley issues come out on Fridays.

To ensure both readers and advertisers that we really do reach all of those homes and businesses each week, we have our circulation numbers independently confirmed by Verified Audit Circulation. The Northern California-based company, started in 1951, documents the circulation figures for hundreds of free and paid publications throughout the country.

In October, the Acorn newspapers received their annual report card from Verified Audit, and the results confirmed not only that the circulation is what we say it is, but also that our readers loyally turn to their favorite hometown newspaper every week for their local news.

According to Verified Audit, the company randomly interviewed 225 people throughout the cities we serve. The report found that the Acorn newspapers reach about 78.5 percent of the homes in the ZIP codes within our circulation area. The report also showed that almost 92 percent of those who received the Acorn said they usually read it.

What’s more, the Thousand Oaks Acorn recently was named as the most popular source for local news and information in a Community Attitude Survey undertaken by city staff.

Heading into the new year, we at the Acorn newspapers promise to continue our commitment to covering the people and places that make our cities so great, and that’s something you as a reader can count on.