What are your opinions of Camarillo, CA (Oxnard, Thousand Oaks: home, school district)

[katiekat_31]

I don't know what the residential life is like in Camarillo but I've been shopping there and you can find some great deals on clothing there. The same model and brand can be as much as 50% off at the outlets. I was taken there by my Fashion Buddy. She took me shopping and helped me buy new clothes that really changed my look - people really noticed at work and just hanging out. Check out FashionBuddy.net if you need any help shopping at Camarillo or in LA.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by CornerstoneEagle04

Oxnard has a lot of gangs and illegal aliens who don't give a hoot about American culture and, quite frankly, are not very nice people.

Interesting contrast here. Puny Camarillo: 13 paragraphs of intricate detail. Oxnard -- a city 300 percent bigger, the county's economic powerhouse: one disparaging sentence. Telling.

[CornerstoneEagle04]

Originally Posted by cre8

Interesting contrast here. Puny Camarillo: 13 paragraphs of intricate detail. Oxnard -- a city 300 percent bigger, the county's economic powerhouse: one disparaging sentence. Telling.

Of course I have way more written about Camarillo than Oxnard - the subject of my post is Camarillo. So why should anyone expect me to write about Oxnard's quality of living? My assessment of Oxnard is not biased - it is based on statistics.

In case anyone thinks I'm biased, below are the crime rates for both cities:



As you can see, Camarillo is below the national crime rate; Oxnard is above. Sorry, but that's what the FBI found. Camarillo is a safer city.

Please understand: I'm not bashing Oxnard, just telling it like it is. I've also been there many times. I personally would not want to live there, but that's not what makes Oxnard less safe than Camarillo. What makes Oxnard less safe than Camarillo is the large percentage of crime due to the gangs in the city.

Does this mean that there are no gangs in Camarillo? No - there are just more in Oxnard, and that's why Oxnard has more crime.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by CornerstoneEagle04

Of course I have way more written about Camarillo than Oxnard - the subject of my post is Camarillo. So why should anyone expect me to write about Oxnard's quality of living?

Camarillo, of course. It's just that Oxnard is way to big and complex to paint with a one-sentence broad brush stroke of negative flavor, as you did. I'm not trying to upset the peace; don't be mad. I'm just trying to adjust the field of view from Camarillo's angle to something more realistic. Your opinion stands in the highest regard.

Originally Posted by CornerstoneEagle04

Please understand: I'm not bashing Oxnard, just telling it like it is. I've also been there many times. I personally would not want to live there, but that's not what makes Oxnard less safe than Camarillo. What makes Oxnard less safe than Camarillo is the large percentage of crime due to the gangs in the city.

Well, with all due respect, you did bash Oxnard, particularly in the first post about its people, "who don't give a hoot about American culture and, quite frankly, are not very nice people." What's that??? But facts are facts. Oxnard's crime rate per 1,000 residents is lower than Santa Barbara, and lower than the national average for cities of similar size. According to the Oxnard PD, most of the city's crime is committed by 2 percent of the population, or by individuals from neighboring communities -- and the city is cracking down hard on those persons and their antics.

I've lived or worked in Oxnard for almost 25 years and have never had any problem with crime or nastiness. Oxnard is many times bigger than Camarillo, but that doesn't make Oxnard rotten to the core, as you imply. You don't like Oxnard. No problem. I love Sugar Town, its diversity, mix, grit, dynamics, GREAT restaurants, convenience, downtown, Amtrak, F & G Streets, festivals, weather, beaches, harbor and people. I've made many very good friends in Oxnard -- some of them of Hispanic and Mexican descent or origin, sí. They are wonderfully warm, family-oriented, INCLUSIVE people -- 180 degrees opposite your depiction of them. But I've also made other friends in Sugar Town -- Russians, Filipinos, Brazilians, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Brits, Germans, Dutch, Scandinavians, and a few Americans! (Joking! Mostly Americans.)

So, to anyone interested in Camarillo, awesome choice! But don't be afraid of Oxnard. Nothing bad will happen. Smile a little and you'll surely get one in return even if the person smiling back doesn't look or sound exactly like you.

[CornerstoneEagle04]

Well, in all fairness to Cre8, I live in Camarillo; not Oxnard. I don't live among the people Cre8 described in the above post. He obviously lives near some very nice people. Good for him! He must live in a good neighborhood.

But I can definitely say with absolute certainty that unless there is a dramatic decline in the number of illegal aliens living in Oxnard, the public's perception of the city as a gang-infested ghetto won't change.

Unlike Cre8, I have had some bad experiences in Oxnard. Has this changed the way I view the city? Yes. Does it change statistics? No. It also does not change the stereotypes people have about Mexicans (esp. illegal aliens) in my neck of the woods.

Do I ascribe to those stereotypes? No. But I do speak from personal experience, and it has been my experience that many Mexicans in this area (especially illegal aliens) don't give a darn about American culture and demand that accomodations be made for those who only speak Spanish and wish to avoid assimilating into our culture. It is an insult to every immigrant who has come here legally and made the sacrifices necessary to learn English and assimilate into American culture, in addition to those who were born and raised in America.

Just to be clear: it's not about race; it's about attitude. It's not fair to ridicule or chastise someone for something they can't change, such as race. But attitudes are fair game.

My attitude towards Ventura County as a whole is very positive; it truly is one of the safest counties in the country. I would much rather live in Oxnard than East L.A. (or anywhere in L.A., for that matter!), and certainly I would choose Oxnard over places like Baltimore or Washington D.C. But since I have the freedom to choose where I live, I'm perfectly happy in Camarillo.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by CornerstoneEagle04

...I can definitely say with absolute certainty that unless there is a dramatic decline in the number of illegal aliens living in Oxnard, the public's perception of the city as a gang-infested ghetto won't change.

Unlike Cre8, I have had some bad experiences in Oxnard. Has this changed the way I view the city? Yes. Does it change statistics? No. It also does not change the stereotypes people have about Mexicans (esp. illegal aliens) in my neck of the woods.

Do I ascribe to those stereotypes? No. But I do speak from personal experience, and it has been my experience that many Mexicans in this area (especially illegal aliens) don't give a darn about American culture and demand that accomodations be made for those who only speak Spanish and wish to avoid assimilating into our culture. It is an insult to every immigrant who has come here legally and made the sacrifices necessary to learn English and assimilate into American culture, in addition to those who were born and raised in America.

Just FYI, illegal immigration discussions have their own forum on this board in Politics and Other Controversies, but since it's been brought up, I can't help adding a little something here as it relates to the Camarillo/Oxnard banter.

Thanks for your honesty, CornerstoneEagle04. You hit the nail on the head! With words like "perceptions" and "stereotypes...about Mexicans" you exposed the core of the issue: perceptions and stereotypes. But that's no reason to lambaste an entire city of 200k population with the variety of Oxnard. Don't mean to pick on you, solely, because you're not the only one who does it. I address many posts about Oxnard over the same issue. I'm just trying to strike a measure of reality to the mix of perceptions and stereotypes. Incidentally, many Mexican immigrants don't even speak Spanish. They speak Mixtec, Oaxacan and other native dialects. The issue is very complex.

Just for context, I'm an immigrant who came to the U.S. legally from Europe. I'm now a naturalized U.S. citizen for 18 years, and I'm not offended by people whose main preoccupation is where they're next meal will come from on pittance wages earned harvesting Ventura County's fruits and vegetables. This is an EXPENSIVE county, and many of the folks who work the fields live in Oxnard because it's the ONLY city in the county that'll provide housing for them. Oxnard stands HEAD AND SHOULDERS above any other city in Ventura County when it comes to farm-worker housing. Back in the late 90s, we, the people of Ventura County, voted in SOAR -- protected ag land and open spaces. Those niceties require manual, stoop, human labor. And those humans have to live somewhere. Oxnard has been carrying this responsibility for the whole county for a long time. So the next time you zoom through the fields between Camarillo and Oxnard, I hope and wish you'll give this a thought or two.

Now back to Camarillo.

[mallthus]

I lived in the area for a number of years and have the following opinions:

Camarillo -
This is a bedroom community and most of the earlier posts some up Camarillo's pros and cons. My biggest fault with Camarillo is that there's not really a proper downtown or central business district (yes, there is a "downtown" along 101, but it's a joke). Camarillo has good suburban shopping and dinning options and, like all California cities, real estate is expensive. Schools can be hit or miss...do your research based on the schools for your address, as some are much better than others.

Oxnard -
As the largest city in Ventura County, it's no surprise that Oxnard faces some big city challenges other communities in the area don't face. Unlike Camarillo, Oxnard does have a proper downtown. Unfortunately, that downtown/Central District area is also the "worst" part of town, along with the Del Norte area and parts of the Northeast Community. Earlier posts describing gang activity and high crime are, by and large, referencing these areas. Not surprisingly, the closer you get to the water, the better the area gets. Areas like Hollywood by the Sea, Mandalay Beach and Oxnard Shores are quite nice and very safe. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions at the Elementary level, Oxnard Unified's schools are best avoided.

Port Hueneme -
I'm not sure why this small but pleasant community hasn't been mentioned. It is entirely surrounded by Oxnard and is similar in almost all ways (good and bad) to Oxnard's best areas.

Ventura -
Having lived in Ventura myself, I'm biased, but I feel like it has the best mix of "small town" and "community" in coastal Ventura County. As with Oxnard, there are areas to be avoided, but there are no areas in Ventura that could genuinely be called "unsafe". The downtown area has been the subject of many years of gentrification and is now home to many interesting small shops and great restaurants. Heading south-east from Downtown, the mid-town area is home to many neighborhoods of well-maintained 20th century homes. With a very few exceptions, Ventura's public schools are excellent. The only significant downsides are the commute to Camarillo (about 20-30 minutes, although there's not any traffic at rush hour in this direction) and fact that housing here is more expensive than in either Oxnard or Camarillo (proof you get what you pay for?).

Hope that helps folks looking at this area!

[Pier]

Originally Posted by West5

Smoggy? Smalltown feel? Strong community? etc?

Recently, during the Fiat Banknote Funny Money Realty Bubble, the Corrupt Politicians of Camarillo approved a giant tract house development -- Village at the Park.

Plopped down upon a flat, farm field, this San Fernando Valley-like eyesore ruined Camarillo. Worse, the Corrupt Politicians allowed this mistake to add about 8,000 residents within a few square miles.

Behold this monster and then go down the street to Old Town Camarillo where some smart developer built good-living, authentic townhouses during the early part of the decade.

What's Good about Camarillo?

Camarillo Factory Outlets -- You find many stores in what amounts to an shopping mall for keep up with the Joneses Brand Name show-offs. The owners of Chelsea Outlets owns this shopping mall and 41 other of these "factory" outlets in the USA.



The new Public Library --

Although part of the lousy Ventura County Library District, this new library has a great Children's part. The buildcraft reflects an Old West hotel.

CSU Channel Islands --

Recently opened in the great old mental hospital that once housed musician Charlie Parker, as the years pass, more students and more professors mean more cash spent withing Camarillo. Following on this cash are more eateries, pubs, clothes shops.

Pt. Magu and Channel Island City Beaches --

From Camarillo, you drive through cilantro fields to get to the PCH and the shoreline. You drive south to places like Point Magu, south-by-southwest to places like Port Hueneme Pier Beach and west to Channel Island City beaches.

What's Special about Camarillo?

Seizure Village -- This exclusive retirement neighborhood floods Santa Rosa Road with Mr. Magoo drivers.

Sea Fog and Mist -- Eventhough Camarillo sits at the far end of the Oxnard Plain, for much of the year, sea fog rolls in at nights and lingers until mid-morning. This helps to keep Camarillo greener and cooler than much of So Cal.

[Cze]

People have their own opinions and that's great, so here I go with mine's. Camarillo is a safe, super clean, family oriented community. It is more expensive than Ventura, Oxnard... Actually it belongs in the category with Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake...

It has nice neighborhoods, from Mission Oaks, Spanish Hills, Sterling Hills, Old Town, etc. It's a true family oriented community, where you can take stroll with your family for a nice evening walk, or on the weekends, go to the park and enojoy your day.

Camarillo has the shopping, actually by the fall of 2008, perfect for the Holidays, more shopping will be open. A new promenade is being built, not even three minutes from the outlet mall, and it will have great retail shopping, great restuarants, more enterainment choices, as well as a big 250 room luxury hotel.

I'm from Chicago, so naturally I'm a city person, but my wife and kids find Camarillo the ideal city for us. We're very satisfied with life here.

[Papaskunk]

Originally Posted by B16Vtec

Oh and if your mexican an u like the cowboys ur not alowed to where a jersy or anything that says Cowboys on it. And you can't be out past 10 talking with other mexicans (gang injunction 4 los colonias gang).

This couldn't be further from the truth. I work in Oxnard and we wear jerseys to work every Friday, and a Mexican guy wears a Cowboys jersey. And he doesn't even get in fights with the Raiders fans.

One possible downside to Camarillo that hasn't been mentioned yet is the abundance of HOA's. Many of these are very strict as to the color you can paint your house, size of hedging, etc. Not all of Camarillo is like this, however.

I would actually disagree with an earlier post regarding Camarillo traffic. It can get fairly backed up on the 101 in Calabasas, which can creep through Thousand Oaks and down the grade to Camarillo. If you are commuting to Oxnard or Ventura, you're golden, but if you're going east, you will hit some traffic. Granted, it's not the 405, but it does feel kind of silly to be sitting in traffic when you have farmland on both sides of the freeway.

I'll go ahead and put in my $0.02 and say that Oxnard is plenty safe, even if it isn't as pretty as Camarillo. I would much prefer to live in Ventura or Camarillo, but I would rather live in Oxnard than many parts of LA.

One other distinct advantage Camarillo has over its neighbors is its relative lack of power lines. Most of the city feels newer because of this.