Couple questions about Thousand Oaks. (Los Angeles, Simi Valley: real estate, apartments, condo)

[Pariah]

So I am browsing information online about Thousand Oaks, as I have heard it is a safe, nice area. True? I'm looking at some real estate websites and it seems like the prices of homes have a huge range..the lowest I've seen is $399k, the highest so far (and I'm sure it gets higher) is $17 mil. All in one area? Is that accurate? We're on the edge of a neighborhood here like that, with a mix of houses ~$300k up to the millions, so it seems believable to me (sorry, I'm really skeptical about reading things online!). Is the area overall safe, or are the cheaper homes in a sketchier part? Are there apartments in the area, and are they decent (ie, no bug infestations, generally safe, limited people into loud partying, etc)? We have a young son and we're set on homeschooling, so I'm not really concerned about the schools in the area. Anything I should know about the area?

Thanks!

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Something you should know about Thousand Oaks and really the entire 805 area code area is that....let me put it this way..............if California was a human, Thousand Oaks is where you would insert the enema.

[Pariah]

Do you mean it is a bad area? Or the people are bad? Or...? I don't get whatever you're going for with your comment, sorry!

[Roma]

Just ignore that rude comment he made. That should tell you what kind of person he is, making such a disgusting comment like that.

Thousand Oaks is not bad. It's one of the safest cities in America with great schools. It is family oriented. Close to the beach.

[cricket_factor]

Originally Posted by Pariah

So I am browsing information online about Thousand Oaks, as I have heard it is a safe, nice area. True? I'm looking at some real estate websites and it seems like the prices of homes have a huge range..the lowest I've seen is $399k, the highest so far (and I'm sure it gets higher) is $17 mil. All in one area? Is that accurate? We're on the edge of a neighborhood here like that, with a mix of houses ~$300k up to the millions, so it seems believable to me (sorry, I'm really skeptical about reading things online!). Is the area overall safe, or are the cheaper homes in a sketchier part? Are there apartments in the area, and are they decent (ie, no bug infestations, generally safe, limited people into loud partying, etc)? We have a young son and we're set on homeschooling, so I'm not really concerned about the schools in the area. Anything I should know about the area?

Thanks!

I live in a nice clean, quiet apartment building in Thousand Oaks with no bug infestations. I've lived there for four years with no "drunken neighbor" incidents. I think the majority of people in my building are trying to make a living and get ahead (and get out of apartment building life!).

I was born in the San Fernando Valley, attended kindergarten through high school in Thousand Oaks, and my parents have lived in Thousand Oaks since 1962. They won't live anywhere else. They moved from the Midwest in the fifties and have been here ever since.

I think you will be very pleased with Thousand Oaks.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

I worked in Thousand Oaks for a couple of years and really hated the city. It lackes just about everything that I like in cities like Sherman Oaks and Studio City. Although I consider myself rather conservative, T.O. is just a bit too conservative for my liking. Think Barsow California if the property values would jump up a bit. Then you would have Thousand Oaks.

I guess I have been spoiled by Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City where you find a great diversity of people, languages, cultures, etc. I find T.O. (and Simi Valley and Moorpark) to be a bit "red-necky" where you'll find a number of people who cashed in the equity of their homes but didnt "buy up" in their ways. Its rare that you'll find very many foreign made cars (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes) in T.O. as it seems most people opt for the Chevy, Ford, Hummer, Cadillac types.

[cricket_factor]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

Its rare that you'll find very many foreign made cars (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes) in T.O. as it seems most people opt for the Chevy, Ford, Hummer, Cadillac types.

I think you need to come back and spend just an hour in the mornings at the corner of my building, DaBeez. Those cars are in plentiful supply across the street at the Christian school, where all the parents are dropping off their children.

I work in Simi Valley and the parking lot of my building is populated with Lexuses, Beemers and Mercedes.

[richie894]

Thousand Oaks is very safe and has good schools. It is in the top 10 of all USA cities for safety. It is typical American surburbia and is about 99% white. It is becoming very crowded now though, with a lot of new houses being built. I usually find the restuarants at weekends are very busy and you will be in for a long wait, unless you have a reservation.

You can probably pick up a 2 bedroom condo for $350k. A house can be $1m+.

[Pariah]

Thanks for all the input.

I don't care what kind of cars people drive, but diversity is very important and the lack of it here is a reason why we want to leave. We're very liberal and it would be great to meet like-minded people, but I certainly don't plan on limiting our friendships to our particular neighborhood.

It lackes just about everything that I like in cities like Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

What else do you like about those places, besides more diversity?

[LaoTzuMindFu]

I apologize for my "lacke" of correct spelling and my perceived rudeness in my earlier post.

The diversity is a HUGE part of why I love it. Just walk into any Starbucks (and there are many) and you'll likely overhear conversations in English, Hebrew, Farsi, Russian, German, Portugese, French, Romanian, Japanese, not so much Spanish. People are friendlier and much more open. There are great street fairs and farmers markets, people will smile and say hello to you when you walk by them while shopping at Trader Joes and Whole foods, plenty of bookstores, cafes, restaraunts serving food from all over the world, there are trendy eclectic stores, yoga, you can have dinner sitting next to William Shatner, breakfast sitting next to Alec Baldwin, brunch next to Coach Wooden, its much more centrally located to all of the great Los Angeles destinations, great Little League for your son (Encino Little League - I coached my son's team there for three years), there are new gyms, spas, a great sense of safety, community and a feeling that although everyone is different, everyone is one and the same. I could go on and on.