Wondering about Santa Clarita Valley

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

The LA market won't be effected nearly as bad as other places.

It won't be "effected" at all, although it may be affected.

Affect vs. Effect Difference - Never Get Confused Again | Diffen

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Agree with ryanms3030, appreciation past year in the discussed areas:

Santa Clarita: 4.9%
Thousand Oaks: 5.2%

Santa Clarita may be realistic for us since we will be older when we would move. What I will want in my 50's is not the same as the person I was when I lived in NYC or growing up in SF. I know SC is kind of "out there" but maybe I won't mind. I think my husband would love being close to beaches he could swim in. We are a little over an hour away from the coast here in Oregon but the water isn't really swimmable without a wetsuit. The schools get pretty good to excellent ratings so I am unsure why it gets mixed reviews. Price wise... it would be a good place for us. I was hoping to find a place with a smaller community feel but SC has over 200,000 residents. I wonder if it's a large area with residents spread out so there is a smallish town feel. There is very little info on SC on line compared to TO. I also like how close SC is to the Burbank Airport. I would like to visit SC this summer but we make it to TO this trip. I have been reading articles on The NYT for years now and I know the real estate prices are just going to keep going up. I keep reading that the artists from Williamsburg are moving to Downtown Los Angeles. Just my opinion but LA proper is attracting the kind of residents that NYC used to attract. I know the burbs will slso remain popular. Lots to check out this summer, I guess.

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

It won't be "effected" at all, although it may be affected.

Affect vs. Effect Difference - Never Get Confused Again | Diffen

Thank you Hooked on Phonics

[ryanms3030]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Santa Clarita may be realistic for us since we will be older when we would move. What I will want in my 50's is not the same as the person I was when I lived in NYC or growing up in SF. I know SC is kind of "out there" but maybe I won't mind. I think my husband would love being close to beaches he could swim in. We are a little over an hour away from the coast here in Oregon but the water isn't really swimmable without a wetsuit. The schools get pretty good to excellent ratings so I am unsure why it gets mixed reviews. Price wise... it would be a good place for us. I was hoping to find a place with a smaller community feel but SC has over 200,000 residents. I wonder if it's a large area with residents spread out so there is a smallish town feel. There is very little info on SC on line compared to TO. I also like how close SC is to the Burbank Airport. I would like to visit SC this summer but we make it to TO this trip. I have been reading articles on The NYT for years now and I know the real estate prices are just going to keep going up. I keep reading that the artists from Williamsburg are moving to Downtown Los Angeles. Just my opinion but LA proper is attracting the kind of residents that NYC used to attract. I know the burbs will slso remain popular. Lots to check out this summer, I guess.

If you'll be retired someplace like Oxnard where its cheaper and on the beach or even Ojai would be much better. Santa Clarita is family suburban, it's not that far out there. Close enough that you get all the traffic LA has to offer and enough people that its busy and crowded plus you get the Magic Mountain crowd too.

Personally, I'll probably move to the Oregon coast when I retire

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by ryanms3030

If you'll be retired someplace like Oxnard where its cheaper and on the beach or even Ojai would be much better. Santa Clarita is family suburban, it's not that far out there. Close enough that you get all the traffic LA has to offer and enough people that its busy and crowded plus you get the Magic Mountain crowd too.

Personally, I'll probably move to the Oregon coast when I retire

Ojai sounds great but our varied and extensive criteria has us looking at places within an hour from an airport, great school district, still close to a city for the amenities as we would be in our 50's so long way from retirement, and a place that our son, who is autistic, would be happy and living a full life. That is the main reason for considering a move to our home state, CA. My siblings and a few of my husband's siblings live in the Bay Area and I have no family here in OR. If I was in CA and I needed my family for anything they would be a drive away, a long drive, but no planes required. Portland to SF is 10 hour drive without stopping in ideal traffic. I just worry that as I get older and my son's needs increase I may want to be closer to family. Plus, we have extended family in So- Cal. We either move before my older child goes to high school or after but don't want to move during her HS years. Conundrum.��

[mnnysocalmn]

SC is very family oriented and has a small town, community feel. However, traffic has been getting worse and worse and it is really hot, in the summer it's often 101+. The beach is about an hour away. Ventura, which is good but some of the stuff surrounding some of the beaches, restaurants and stuff, is run down. Malibu can take 2 hours each way.

It's amusing you're trying to analyze politics in a giant metropolis like LA. SCV is filled with wannabe LA types, commuters, and wannabe OC types.

Rather than the political vibe -- you should analyze the ghetto vibe. SCV is getting more and more of it, imho. I'm not talking about diversity. I love diversity. I'm talking about ex-convicts with neck tattoos. Although, most are pretty well-behaved. Also, there is a slight homeless problem and meth problem. There is also crime -- they try to hide it but it's there.

Thousand Oaks is great but boring. There is nothing to do. There are not even strip mall restaurants. Housing is insane, like a dump is $750,000. The schools are probably better than SCV. Everyone raves about schools here but really -- not so much. It depends on what your standards are.

SCV seems to be filled with a lot of people holding on to the early 1990's. It's not the 90's anymore. It's 2016. Also, there is no culture in SCV. You have to drive to do things other places offer like museums. It's not Pasadena (which is about an hour drive).

Those are the negatives, there are a lot of positives. Valencia is masterplanned but it's really pretty -- green trees and grass and white rose bushes. Much of the SCV is desert. The people are a lot friendlier than LA people. Everyone is generally very nice and easy going. If you are a homebody and only want to run to Target and Home Depot -- you'll be content. When you have little toddlers, compared to LA, SCV is heaven. But there's a lot of stressed out people and alternatively, people who have money and do their thing.