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View Poll Results: Which would you choose...Santa Barbara or Thousand Oaks?
Santa Barbara 16 55.17%
Thousand Oaks 13 44.83%
Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 05-05-2009, 12:21 PM
 
Location: Brisbane, Australia
961 posts, read 2,557,675 times
Reputation: 213

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston Smith View Post
I voted for Santa Barbara for you, but honestly, Thousand Oaks might win out on some levels. Santa Barbara is a beautiful area, but it has its drawbacks:

1. Housing is very expensive.
2. Opportunities are limited - lose your job, another might not come around quickly, competition for jobs is stiff, and commuting to a job outside of the SB area is a pain-and-a-half.
3. You have a young family - Santa Barbara has a gang problem, rivalries fester in the schools and prove violent and fatal in the streets; keep a close watch on your kids.
4. Compact city, easy walking in many areas, good public transpo, bike commuting is encouraged.

Thoughts on Thousand Oaks:
1. Housing is also expensive, but opportunities for something affordable are more likely than in SB.
2. You'd be closer to job opportunities in L.A. if needed.
3. Crime is low and schools are very good.
4. It's car-culture, suburbia and sprawl, lousy public transpo.

Both cities offer edu opportunities: UCSB in SB. In TO you're close to Cal Lutheran and CSUCI.
This is great information for someone who is also considering both SB and TO. I had no idea that there were gang problems in SB.
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Old 05-05-2009, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Brisbane, Australia
961 posts, read 2,557,675 times
Reputation: 213
Quote:
Originally Posted by puffle View Post
As another suggestion....Newbury Park is even more affordable than T.O. and it's neighbor.Any culture at all would be a long haul from S.B. to Los Angeles and horrible traffic. Can't recall seeing any homeless in T.O. as opposed to S.B.
You make some very good points.
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Old 05-05-2009, 05:39 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,294,910 times
Reputation: 11039
TO.

65K per year and you and your family will feel poor in SB. Don't even consider SB unless you are reliably able to pull down at least 130K / year, ideally 200K. It's a rich man's town. There is a very weak middle class there. Whereas, TO is solid bourgeois, in the most complementary sense of the word. A solid middle class place, or at least what passes for one in Kaleefornia.
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Old 05-05-2009, 06:15 PM
 
Location: Brisbane, Australia
961 posts, read 2,557,675 times
Reputation: 213
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalMomma View Post
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!
Could you please comment on the politics of the area? Would you consider it more liberal or more conservative? TIA!
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