Folsom, Simi Valley and Santa Barbara areas (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: rental, condo)

[love that sunshine!]

I'd like to move to CA from Wa. As I don"t have a job & hope to get one once I get moved,the location is open. I have a 6th grade child & I am a single 46 woman.Schools are important. Obviously safe, affordable neighborhoods are a need. A want w/be at least 1600 sq ft/2 story w/ bdrms up & a 2 car garage. Prefer a house vs a condo so he can play & won't be too noisy for neighbors I do banking (loan officer, escrow/title & construction) so hopefully I can be in an area where a job is not totally unavailable in one of those areas. Home $350k or less. Don't want (LA,SD)don't care for traffic & hope to have a calmer life.I am hoping that the outlying areas are still within reach.Prefer asian influence. Any such area(s)? I like the greater Folsom, Simi Valley & Santa Barbara areas. I KNOW I can't afford SB, but are there any outlying areas w/ good schools, safe, affordable neighborhoods? Where in CA could I get any of the above? I need your input. Can't take the rain & cold anymore!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by love that sunshine!

I need your input.

Find a job first. Do you have offers in each of those cities? Are you applying everywhere?

Everything depends on where you find a job. Once you find a job the forum can help you decide on where to live.

[heckynoodle]

Simi valley is boiling hot in the summer and lots of highway noise and traffic. Nearby Agoura,westlake probably have good schools, better than moorpark or simi. Sbar is paradise also no commuting but that rental would cost $3,500mo. Asain influece? Sfran? ...do a lot of research first...sounds like you want a comfortable home instead of just squeaking by in a high rent area. ...chico? What kinds of places do you like?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Amazing. I would be a little scared to move to another area without a job or prospects for a job if I didn't have sufficient funds to get by for a year or more. I like Santa Barbara but doubt you can get by there. Many people that work in Santa Barbara live in other areas. To tell you how expensive it is a former COO and a former Senior VP for Cottege Hospital commuted from Ventura to Santa Barbara because of the cost and both were making in the 6 figures. Simi Valley would be more economically enticing, but I am not too sure about an Asian influence in that area. Many people that live in Simi commute to Los Angeles for work, including my sister and brother in law. Chances are that wouldn't work for you either. I know nothing about the Folsom area so am of no help there.

[nmnita]

I think the job should come first, then the area and yes, Santa Barbara is pretty pricey.

I can't comment on the Asian influence. Simi Valley is a great place to raise kids and not as expensive as some areas: even then, $350,000 won't buy a whole lot. Someone said it is noisy. My brother lives there, we have never heard any unusual noise and visit quite often. It can be hot in the summer, so can Folsom..

I am sure you have done some research, it sounds like it anyway, but in case you haven't checked the overall views of these areas: Folsom and Simi Valley are both rather conservative and republican, the Santa Barbara area will be more liberal, if this makes any difference to you.

Nita

[BayAreaHillbilly]

SB would be inadvisable unless you are either independently wealthy, have a high paying job already lined up, or don't mind scraping and being very frustrated scraping in a tony place.

Folsom / Eldorado County / Placer County is probably a bit better right now price wise - Sacto is more jobful than SB.

Simi is the most jobful and but in between Folsom et al and SB price wise.

The major "Asian" hubs in this state are, in the following order (based on total #) LA (which Simi is closest to and SB a far outlier of), SF (Folsom's 2 hours away, similar to SB vs LA) and Sacto (which Folsom is right next to).

[love that sunshine!]

Given that I am not working now (Loan Officer) and I will need to transfer my skills over to another profession, I am not missing anything by moving. I have wanted to leave the cold and rain and now is a great time to do so. Home prices are down, I only have 1 child at home and my career can move. My only concern is where to go. Ca is a beautiful place so that is why I am asking about the area(s) Folsom is more affordable, but my older son will be attending UCSB. I don't need to be in Santa Barbara as it is cost prohibitive for me. What areas outside of SB (w/i 1-2 hrs) are safe, not traffic congested and affordable? Is there such a thing? Schools are important. I had someone tell me to check out Temecula. Seems like a lot of traffic there though. I have some time as I don't intend to move until summer. Ventura seems to have some crime issues. I don't really need to be in an asian area, I just thought it would be nice for my child to have some to relate to. Thank you for your help and input. I can do all the research I can online and not get anything on what a local can tell me!

[timelesschild]

How about checking out the Thousand Oaks area? There are some reasonably priced areas there, the schools are good, weather and views are great, and you could be somewhat near Santa Barbara.

[justducky2]

I lived in Simi Valley for 33 years and now I have lived near Folsom for the past 8 years! Simi is very safe, usually the first, second, or third safest city in the nation for its size, and it is within 1.5 hours of SB. Most Simi residents commute to the San Fernando Valley or LA for work. There are very few asians in Simi. Simi schools are excellent! As far as Simi weather, I do not find it any hotter than Folsom in the summer!!

My inlaws have an rv in Temecula - it is pretty far from SB, and you have to like inland/desert, it gets quite hot there in the summer, and I think the direction that most people commute is packed (much worse than from Simi.

Folsom is very nice, and has some diversity with East Indian folks and Persian folks as well - I don't know about Asian per se. I haven't heard anything bad about Folsom schools, and it is a more upscale area, not ghetto.

Good luck!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Go for Simi. You'll be reasonably near UCSB, in a safe hood, and with access to the wealth of Asian cultural and food opportunities of the heart of the Southland. Just in the SF Valley alone you'll find plenty, go over the hill and there's even more. North Hollywood and Hollywood east of the Hollywood Fwy (Thai), Monterey Park (Chinese), inner West LA (Korean) and many more. Plus the price is right.