Thousand Oaks commute? (Los Angeles, Sacramento, Irvine: low crime, homes, find a job)

[mommyfirst3]

Hi all! My husband works in IT (architect), and we were thinking of moving to Thousand Oaks. But I am curious during rush hour how long to expect the commute to an area with lots of possible jobs in IT...LA? I am unsure if Burbank work is possible, or what suggestions you all have. And if it is too far, are there any other good suburbs of LA that is good to raise kids (2 elementary, 2 high) that is not too far. Currently, we are above Sac in the foothills with low crime but my husband drives about 2 hours in the morning and 1.15 in the evening. and for me, there are no jobs unless I commute the same.

[Charles]

Where exactly is the job? (Canoga Park is technically Los Angeles, so are Boyle Heights and Westchester.)
The 101 eastbound between Calabasas and Sherman Oaks is pretty bad from about 7AM until 9ish and from 330ish to 6ish.

check www.sigalert.com for real time traffic info.
Google Maps his historical, or predictable traffic displays with the traffic, traffic and time of day feature enabled.

If he doesn't already have the job, recommend your process be find job first, then find housing.

[mommyfirst3]

Hi Charles! Thanks for responding. My husband does not have a job there yet. We thought we would try and move to Thousand Oaks and try and find a job before we move that was reasonable in commute. I just do not know how far is reasonable to look. If I knew of a lot of low crime, good school areas of LA that are not too expensive, I would just do it the other way. But I am unsure of any other possibilities other than Thousand Oaks. Right now my kids are spoiled with Northern CA school, rural where there is very little crime (40 is the number on those crime sites based on 100 average national rate), and all the parents know each other and there is no gangs.

I did try and look at that site that you gave me. Is there a way to put in a start city and an end destination and see how long it takes normally around 7-8am? I am not very computer savvy I think now! LOL

How about Thousand Oaks to Burbank? Is that less than an hour in traffic? Our Thousand Oaks to downtown LA? Any knowledge on those so I have an idea how long that normally takes?

Thank you so much.

[BRinSM]

burbank is at least an hour in traffic on the 101 from TO. Downtown LA is nearly an hour without traffic from TO. The majority of jobs your husband will be looking for are probably located on the westside of LA between Santa Monica and Century City. Those areas are roughly an hour (give or take 15 minutes) from TO during rush hour.

You can also check maps.google.com and they will give you an estimate of how long the commute will take in traffic.

if the home prices in TO are a turn off for you, you may also consider the santa clarita and simi valleys. these areas are nearly as safe but certainly cheaper than TO. however, they are also a bit further from the city, but do have very similar weather.

[mommyfirst3]

BRinSM!

Thank you so much. Your post was really helpful, so I can look at what I am looking at during rush hour. When we moved above Sac, someone told us we could get to Roseville in 45 minutes and get jobs there. It turns out all of the jobs are in Sacramento, and now my husband drives 2 hours in the morning. So, I want to do my research really well before we make any permanent decisions. Another option I was looking at it Orange County. But it is so hard without being there to see how it would be. I was thinking maybe close to Irvine or something, but then again, a high crime rate so far what little I have seen. So far I have only looked into Thousand Oaks as this seems like a good option.

[BRinSM]

south orange country (ie Irvine) is very similar to TO, but much larger and has many more jobs to boot. not only that, there is not a mountain between most cities and the coast, so the temps are also much better year round. crime is almost non existant in this area as well. homes in the more inland areas are also much more affordable since the housing crash. Nice homes can be had for well under $500k and schools are practically a non issue down there. My only concern would be for your husband actually finding a job. There is a decent sized technology industry in OC, but i have no idea how it is doing currently, probably as poorly as everyone else i would guess.

[mommyfirst3]

Hi BRinSM!

Thank you so much for your post. You actually gave me another avenue to look at. And after looking, I think that Irvine is probably a better choice. The schools seem great! Less commute. Way more jobs posted! And we love mountains, and it is close to Mount Baldy as well as closer to Lake Arrowhead, where I grew up. I appreciate it. I hadn't thought too much about OC until now. Thanks!

[user_id]

Irvine is only a lesser commute if you are working in Orange county and even then the traffic is horrific.

I've lived in both cities and they are really quite different, you can't substitute one for the other. Generally speaking Thousand oaks is more quaint, low key and lush (its surrounded by mountains, its fairly hilly, lots of trees, etc). I find Irvine and South Orange county in general rather materialistic and fake. The only reason I'd prefer it over Thousand Oaks is because its more diverse (great selection of foods, etc).

[Winston Smith]

From Thousand Oaks, drive to Moorpark and take Metrolink to Burbank.

Metrolink :: Ventura County Line

[mommyfirst3]

Thanks WInston! I think I figured it out based on what you sent. So, about 50 minutes? Not bad.