Help!! Santa Barbara or Thousand Oaks? (Los Angeles, Camarillo: home, schools, college)

[puffle]

Originally Posted by trablus

Dear Puffle:

Hello thanks for the advice. Are you living in Newbury Park?

Culture wise it seems SB is more culturally diverse correct?

As for homeless I have heard SB has a large problem, I wouldn't blame anyone since the weather there is so pleasant.

Thanks in advance.

Hi trablus, I lived in Oak Park and Westlake Village for over 12 years but quite familiar with CA. in general having grown up there. I currently live in Massachusetts and love it. The one of the good things about Newbury Park is everything there is not matchy matchy and there are no homeowner associations controlling you so everything is not beige like Oak Park and Westlake and parts of T.O. It is also cooler in temp. You can't go wrong with any of these three towns. Good luck to you and yours.

[SoCalMomma]

I live on the border of NP/TO and its a great place for families. I have a very good friend who lives in SB with kids the same ages as mine (teens now). SO I'll try to compare areas for ya:

Schools:
Conejo Valley has many High-Ranked schools. Lots of schools, so there is one that is not too far away.
S.B. not as many 'great' schools for some reason. They do have a couple charter schools, though. My friends kids went to a charter school. She liked some parts of it, but she didnt feel her kids were prepared enough for middle school.

Weather:
TO: pretty nice most of the year. Hot in summer, cooler in winter. Not much rain or fog
SB: almost always cool, 70 or so. Foggy, breezy, nice beach weather almost all year.

Crime:
TO: always ranked as one of the safest cities in the us
SB: gang & homeless problems. Car thefts, too.

Average Age:
TO: not sure what the official age is, but I'd say young families & families with teens. Its a very family-friendly area. Lots of activities for kids.
SB: Nickname is Home of the Nearly Wed & Nearly Dead. Lots of college kids, and retirees. Of course families live there, but its not the same type of feel as in TO.

Walkable downtown:
TO: none really. Lots of shopping, but not concentrated in one area. We do have a large mall that is currently being renovated/expanded. Many choices of restaurants. Not many night clubs. City kind of closes up by 10pm.
SB: great downtown area. Great beach area. Lots of places to walk & shop & eat & many bars/night clubs. You have to pay for parking, you have to fight for parking, you have to walk far from all the parking lots to where you want to go.

Housing:
TO: not cheap, but right now much more reasonable than its been in years. You can find Homes in the 500s. Rents in the mid $2000 range.
SB: more expensive. older homes, many dont have a/c or even heat. I dont know what the prices are, sorry.

Jobs:
TO: has the definite edge here - you can drive to LA if you have to, over and above whats here in the area.
SB: heard jobs are hard to find. I mean you can get a job in retail or food, but not a REAL job

I have lived in TO/NP for 30 years. The quality of life here is good. I enjoy it very much. I feel safe, my kids feel safe. We have great neighbors, people are friendly in the area. There are many things to do, see, and the beach is about 15-20 minute drive. There are LOTS of areas to live and work in TO, as someone already mentioned. So you could work in TO and live in Moorpark, or Simi, Camarillo.. easy commute (now that the 23 freeway has been expanded).

If you have any specific questions, just ask!

[Raggy dee Ann]

Originally Posted by trablus

Hello everyone. I need advice on what offer makes more sense?

My wife, child, and I we would be moving from Dallas, Texas.

One offer is in Santa Barbara and the other is in Thousand Oaks, and average starting pay is around $65,000.

The pay starting out is similar, but the Thousand Oaks offer provides for the possibility of making more money in the near term.

I am looking to determine what city is best for a young family, the opportunity for higher education (Santa Barabara has the edge possibly), and would be much more economical in renting an apartment or condo?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I voted Santa Barbara, but to be realistic you might be better off choosing Thousand Oaks or any of Ventura counties cities for job advancement and opportunities. If you really insist on coastal living you may want to consider Ventura. I moved from Studio City to Santa Barbara only because I was freelancing and could have lived anywhere in Southern California. It's a great place to live and I'd like to return. So far you've gotten some good advice from other posters, but check out www.venturacountystar.com on a daily basis to get a feel of the various towns/cities in Ventura county.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by SoCalMomma

SB: Nickname is Home of the Nearly Wed & Nearly Dead.

ROFL - haven't heard that one. Funny!

Originally Posted by SoCalMomma

Walkable downtown:
TO: none really. Lots of shopping, but not concentrated in one area. We do have a large mall that is currently being renovated/expanded. Many choices of restaurants. Not many night clubs. City kind of closes up by 10pm.
SB: great downtown area. Great beach area. Lots of places to walk & shop & eat & many bars/night clubs. You have to pay for parking, you have to fight for parking, you have to walk far from all the parking lots to where you want to go.

Should point out that what Santa Barbara lacks in car-convenience, it makes up for with good public transportation. In the downtown area, shuttles run north and south, east and west all day. The main transit hub on Chapala/Figueroa is directly next to a public parking lot and merely one block off State Street in the heart of downtown.

Parking can be difficult and I would say impossible around Christmas, but any other time of year it's not so bad. Also the City of Santa Barbara doesn't subsidize car parking nearly to the degree of other cities, so it costs a little more to park a car downtown. But IMO, this is made up for in gas savings of being able to park once and walk or ride an electric shuttle.

[garabuli]

I have a similar question...A job offer in Santa Barbara which will pay in the high 60's but they also offer an additional $10k for health benefits for my family.

The pay will be around $5,500 starting out, with the additional health benefits.

While the job in Thousand Oaks pays between:

$5,000 to $6,300 Monthly

The cost of living in both cities is quite high, but in SB one could live near work and walk to work, while in TO much of the commute would be by vehicle.

The rent in SB would be slightly higher.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Garabuli

[cottonwood2420]

Thousand Oaks.

[garabuli]

Originally Posted by cottonwood2420

Thousand Oaks.

What are your reasons for selecting Thousand Oaks over Santa Barbara?

Any advice would be well appreciated.

Thanks,

Garabuli

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by garabuli

The cost of living in both cities is quite high, but in SB one could live near work and walk to work, while in TO much of the commute would be by vehicle.

The rent in SB would be slightly higher.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Garabuli

At this point it really depends on you. Which appeals to you more -- commuting by car and doing all of your errands by car, or living is such a way that you can walk to destinations or take short hops on shuttles? If the cost is a wash and all other considerations are equal, consider the degree to which each city agrees or disagrees with you on the question of walkability vs. suburbia. That would be my approach were I in your shoes, anyway. I know people in Santa Barbara who found that they don't need a car at all and don't own one. Others keep one but seldom use it. I've also known couples who found that they could get rid of a second car. It's possible in SB. Not too easily done in TO.

[cottonwood2420]

Originally Posted by garabuli

What are your reasons for selecting Thousand Oaks over Santa Barbara?

Any advice would be well appreciated.

Thanks,

Garabuli

Because Thousand Oaks is more affordable, safer and closer to Los Angeles.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by cottonwood2420

Because Thousand Oaks is more affordable, safer and closer to Los Angeles.

Duely noting that the people living in SB are mainly those who abhor L.A. life, and escaped to the nice little laid-back town a few hours north.