Ventura county or San Fernando valley? (Thousand Oaks, Woodland: rentals, neighborhoods, buying)

[binta]

I'll be relocating to work in Ventura county & the San Fernando valley which will involve a lot of driving from Simi valley some days to Woodland hills other days.
Right now I can't figure out where to live with regards to traffic & also which cities are safer. I'm currently thinking of Thousand Oaks, Woodland Hills or Calabasas ( but not limited to these). Which way is traffic worse or is it bad regardless? What's the 101 like early morning?
I'd also appreciate any help with which cities in your opinion would be more suitable..No kids so I'm not worried about schools but I'd like a family area as my family visit very often.

[Charles]

Renting or buying?
Budget?
Where (what intersections) will you be working at? I'm confused with "relocating to work in Ventura county & the San Fernando valley which will involve a lot of driving from Simi valley some days to Woodland hills other days". Please explain. Does this mean the primary location is in Simi and occaisionally the job will be in WH? Will you normally be returning to Simi in the afternoon? Confused?

Single? Married? (just trying to get an idea of what neighborhoods you might feel more comfortable in)

What does "early morning" mean? What times do you have to be where?

You can see for youself on

www.sigalert.com

The 101 eastbound from the Calabasas grade eastward is bad after about 730AM, in fact, after 700AM, especially during those times of the year when the sun is right in the drivers' eyes.

[binta]

hey Charles,

I'll be renting for now but hope to buy in the near future. My jobs requires me to work in various stores which are spread out in the ventura county and san fernando valley...i.e 1 day I may be working at the simi valley/moorpark store and the next at the woodland hills store. Hence my request for help in choosing an appropriate neighborhood which wouldn't entail me being stuck in traffic most of the day. My work day is usually 9am-9pm so hence my question on which way the traffic's worse so I can set out early. Currently single but I don't mind living in family areas as I have a large family who visit often. From previous searches I've found out Simi is a pretty boring place to live(correct me if I'm wrong) while Woodland Hills seems to be general winner..Please enlighten me on these and any other areas..

[Charles]

Still need answers to the same questions. What intersections? What budget?

If lower budget and working in east Simi, then maybe consider West Hills, Canoga Park, Chatsworth. It would be an easy drive to Woodland Hills via Fallbrook, Valley Circle, or Shoup. It would be an easy drive to Simi via Box Canyon or Woolsey/Black Canyons or Topanga.

If higher budget then consider east Thousand Oaks, Oak Park or west Simi (Wood Ranch). You can get to Simi via 23/118 or Erbs/Olsen/Royal. You can get to Woodland Hills but at that time the 101 east will be pretty bad - it is (pretty much) the only way east from the Conejo Valley.

Look at Sigalert.com - Personalized Traffic Reports during your expected commute times to get an idea of what traffic will look like.

Use HousingMaps to map craigslist rentals.

[binta]

Thanks Charles!