The Best Place - Camarillo, Port Hueneme, Oxnard or Ventura (Santa Paula: for sale, real estate market)

[macsret]

Originally Posted by PnutButter

There are many many Federal (civil servant) and military retirees in Oxnard. I've worked on the base for 35 years and know many of them. Their decision to stay put in Oxnard after retirement, speaks for itself I'd say.

Best of luck in your search!

Quote:
" There are many many Federal (civil servant) and military retirees in Oxnard. I've worked on the base for 35 years and know many of them. Their decision to stay put in Oxnard after retirement, speaks for itself I'd say.

Best of luck in your search!"

PnutButter,
Great and I mean GREAT post. You're just the type of person I'm looking for to help me with so many of my questions.

I fully understand about the different areas, crime and that any smart person/family will inquire, exactly what I'm doing here and will update it as needed, as to the 'Places' not to live.

I believe that you have a very good feel for the military retiree retiring in that area. Can such retiree live, with a decent quality of life, on USN ret pay + VA disability pay + Social Security? Hopefully, Could/would either on forum or off forum you will be so kind as to let me know the answer to that question.

Thanks so very much.

jOE

[jkbatca]

Originally Posted by macsret

We, my wife and I (retirement age, are still trying to get some fairly indepth and personal opinions, sorry to harp on our questions but we really need some CD Forums style input about the following:

1. Cost of Living - A very important factor as we will be living on a fairly fixed income, about $5,000 mo take home / after taxes. Appreciate you opinions on what kind of life style we would / could have on that amount. Could we afford to rent a 3 br/2+ bath house or a condo, living on that?

2. Crime, another important issue, have read many posts on the subject but none seem to go into very much detail, hope someone will. Which city is the over all worse / best?

3. Health issues - How would you rate the hospitals in these cities and which city has the best hospital(s).

Believe me your opinions are going to be really appreciated and helpful. We are considering either moving to one of these cities or Albuquerque NM.

Thank You, and hope we aren't making a pest of ourselves.

Many others have already pretty much said it all, but here's my $0.02. This is how I see it, and your mileage may vary...

1) Cost of living. First, having lived in Ventura County, worked for various gov't contractors and civil service at Port Hueneme, I"m quite familiar with a few retired Navy people around here. They all were stationed here or worked as a contractor here for quite a while and bought houses when houses were $30K to $70K. I see many people who are close to retirement now move out of the area due to cost of living. The point is the general demographics around here will probably change as time goes on. To what, I don't know...

It's not just rent / mortgage that's the cost of living, now it's gas. Unless you can get to EVERYTHING you need by walking or bus, you'll be driving a bit around here. And gas can eat into a fixed income around here quite rapidly (especially when it's near $5.00/gal here). In Camarillo, my in-laws (retired Navy) used the dial-a-ride (City of Camarillo) to get around, and many other seniors do as well, so find out about those options. As for absolute "can I afford this", cannot help you there, though, sorry.

2. Crime Tracker: Ventura County Star Only does homicides, but accurate and unbiased look at problem areas. I've lived in all areas mentioned, and this should give you an idea of where to avoid without getting into any "bias arguments". I'll say this and then duck , some areas just have one or two areas to avoid, while others have many more places to avoid and they may be only a couple of blocks away from the good areas.

3. All areas have great hospitals (St. John's in Oxnard / Camarillo). If it were me, and I've lived in all areas, I would personally move to Camarillo. There's a lot of seniors here and there's a LOT of support for them. Not to say other places don't have that, I'm sure they do. However, and I'm speaking from what my mother-in-law and her friends received in support, there's a LOT of support in Camarillo. For example, there's the dial-a-ride, there's this: Southern California's award-winning Camarillo Health Care District and there's Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District. Lots of assisted living places going up around here. Plus there's this area Leisure Village Camarillo Home - Official Website of LVA which is near where I live, and I would live there if I had a choice where to retire!

Hope this helps

[ZhugeLiang]

Originally Posted by cre8

Gonna' step in here and refute this claim. Both Oxnard and PH are turning into five-star cities. Don't believe me? Visit Oxnard downtown, Seabridge, Riverpark and the host of other new and redeveloped areas coming around. If you happen upon a blighted old shopping center, stick around a few months because it'll be replaced with something new and shiny. Both cities are very focused on fixing things these days. The notion of these two cities as run down is an outdated 80s and 90s mindset. Sorry for the barge-in.

Ventura is fun, I used to live there, but the homeless population staking claims at the end of the pier and around the waterfront is really getting out of hand. In Ventura, stick to midtown.

Five star, you've got to be ******* kidding me. Your standards aren't very high, no offense.

I highly doubt things have turned around that fast. I lived in that area up until late 2006, and the only thing good about PH is a restaurant called Mandarin House. The rest of it I don't much care for.

The 'Nard is OK, but still not great. What you see on Rose Ave. is all there is to The 'Nard, the rest is all farmland and suburban grade ghetto. Five stars? Again, depends on what your standards are.

Camarillo is a good family town/community. Again, Ventura rocks. Pierpont and Downtown are fun without Santa Barbara's pretentiousness.

[macsret]

jkbatca,

Ok, then the question remains, can a new arrival with a take home income of $60k a year have a decent life in the Oxnard Plain? That means more than simply existing, actually being able to bank a fair amount. I know... what is a "fair amount", just give it your best shot.

I do agree that there is much more included in the "cost of living" and that is precisely the point. Could you personally live your life style on $60k per year>

Crime - Yep, one must thoroughly check out the area and all surrounding areas, possibly by zip code or by actual street, to make an informed decision

The hospitals all seem to be excellent. We are not and will not be REAL senior citizens as I believe the state code defines them. When we get there I will be 66 y/y (years young) and my wife a teenager of only 48 y/y.

Believe me you did help, stirred the Old Memory Banks and provided personal insight. You tell me... did you help? You bet you did.

jOE
Angeles City

[Charles]

Originally Posted by PnutButter

We decided many years ago that we weren't leaving the County when we retired, so the cost of downsizing was part of the long-term plan.

Mugu. 1973-Present

Wow, that is a long time. I was out at the beach in the SITS lab and Trailer 52 for Grumman and then building 553 at the top of 11th street.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

Five star, you've got to be ******* kidding me. Your standards aren't very high, no offense.

I highly doubt things have turned around that fast. I lived in that area up until late 2006...

Standards not too high, and no I'm not kidding. There were fairly sizable overhauls at city hall in 2004 and 06, which injected new energy into the city. You left in 2006 so perhaps you haven't experienced the new downtown or walked around Seabridge. Nor have you seen the happenings around Riverpark, the in-progress Whole Foods marketplace, parks, walkable destinations. Give it another four years when the OP retires and I think all of us will be surprised at the turnaround in Oxnard even from today.

I stopped by and had a sandwich at Subway downtown yesterday late afternoon. It was Friday and the downtown was bustling with kids and people going to the movies, hanging out at the fountain, eating ice cream, sipping coffee and socializing at the outdoor plaza, classical music piped in throughout the whole area. Others gathered at at the Woolworth Building, while yet others lazied in Plaza Park soaking up the great Oxnard ocean weather. (Southern CA is in the grip of a merciless heatwave right now, so the only sane place to be is near the coast.) The downtown clubs were gearing up for evening crowds of salsa dancing and festivities. In 2006 you would not have seen such a spectacle downtown. Sugartown is a much different city today than even two years ago.

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

The 'Nard is OK.... What you see on Rose Ave. is all there is to The 'Nard...

Now you're the one kidding me. Rose Avenue, Walmart, Sam's Club and that area? That's the WORST part of the whole city!

[PnutButter]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

The 'Nard is OK, but still not great. What you see on Rose Ave. is all there is to The 'Nard, the rest is all farmland and suburban grade ghetto.

I doubt you'll find many Oxnard residents that would agree that statement. Quite the opposite I'd say, especially since it's the most congested area of Oxnard. It's a nice area of newer homes, but traffic is horrible.
As to the farmland....wouldn't it be nice if there were MORE farmland?

mac...it's difficult to say whether one could live on an income of $5K/month. Much depends on your lifestyle, what you like to do for entertainment, where you plan to live, how large of a house you plan to buy/rent, etc. And of course, the prices of houses/rent right now will, I'm sure, be much more 4-5 years down the road.

Now...you can rent a nice 3+2 single story in a North Oxnard neighborhood btwn $1,800 and $2,300, some a bit less and some a bit more. A nice larger 4+2 will be btwn $2,200 and $2,500. This isn't on or near the beach where rents are significantly more.

If you are retired military, Port Hueneme is near and has an excellent exchange, movie theatre, as well as most other military benefits due retirees.

Fresh fruit and vegetables can be found year round with quality far beyond what most get.

Because Oxnard is a coastal city, it's rare that you'll find air conditioning in a home as it's not needed more than a few times a year.

As I mentioned before, Oxnard is very diverse, with the majority of the population being Hispanic. If you prefer a multi-cultural city with different types and nationalities of people, you'll find that in Oxnard. As you move into surrounding areas, you'll find more of a caucasian population.

I hope you find the home that fits your family and makes you happy in retirement. Much of life is what you make of it. I believe you'll be happy in most any city in Ventura County!

[Cze]

I live in Oxnard and my wife and kids are moving to Camarillo in July. I would say that Oxnard is a good city. Yeah you don't want to live in Colonia, which is a section of Oxnard that gets a bad rap. But if you live in North Oxnard, then it'll be good for you.

There's a change of scenery happening in Oxnard with new developments, which is great. It'll bring more money into the city and more businesses too. Now the reason we're moving to Camarillo is simply because we prefer Camarillo than Oxnard. Camarillo is more quiet, less traffic, cleaner and has a more tranquil feel to it.

The only bad part is that Camarillo is more expensive than Oxnard. A 3 bed, 2 bath single family home in Camarillo would run you about $2300, but in Oxnard you can find one for about $1850.

But check back with us in 3 1/2 years, since you're not planning on making the jump until 2012.

~Cze

[macsret]

Originally Posted by PnutButter

mac...it's difficult to say whether one could live on an income of $5K/month.

Did you mean $5k before taxes, what I meant was we will have just over $5k NET. Does that make a difference, hope so?


[quote=PnutButter;4187382]Now...you can rent a nice 3+2 single story in a North Oxnard neighborhood btwn $1,800 and $2,300, some a bit less and some a bit more. A nice larger 4+2 will be btwn $2,200 and $2,500. This isn't on or near the beach where rents are significantly more.

PnutButter, certainly do appreciate the excellent reply. Believe you gave an honest yet very encouraging picture.

You bet I will be checking in... in about 31/2 years, actually I plan to monitor this forum almost daily, when possible.

jOE
Angeles City
Philippines

[macsret]

Originally Posted by Cze

The only bad part is that Camarillo is more expensive than Oxnard. A 3 bed, 2 bath single family home in Camarillo would run you about $2300, but in Oxnard you can find one for about $1850.

Cze, thank you and that really helps me to do some math. I will get this right this time... I will check back with you in about 3 1/2 years. Hope to get some more good info from you as you find it or remember it.

Good luck with your move, best to you and yours.

jOE
Angeles City
Philippines