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Old 05-30-2011, 03:00 PM
 
7 posts, read 10,887 times
Reputation: 10

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I am looking to relocate to CA with my husband, who's in the music biz and my two small kids. My husband and I both work from home, but he will have to go to LA every now and then (maybe a couple times a month?) but always late at night.

LA county is out of our price range, and I think I'd prefer to be a bit away from the congestion of the city. I've been reading through the boards and it seems that VC, and specifically, Ventura might be the place for us, but I have a few questions.

Is it what you'd consider a walkable town? We have NOTHING in walking distance from where we live now and would love to be able to walk or bike to local shops or restaurants.

How are the schools? I have one in 2nd grade and another starting kindergarten in a couple years.

I'm not sure how to phrase this into a question, but where we live now (Baltimore) is VERY judgmental, conservative, and for lack of a better term, is a town of haters! One of the things I love about places in LA / Cali that I've been is that people seem to feel comfortable being / doing what they want. It seems more liberal and accepting. Is this the case in Ventura, or VC as a whole? I like that people can be and are whatever kind of weirdo they want to be and no one seems to care

Of course we'd prefer to be near the beach, but as we're currently 3 hours from it now, TO is not inland in my book

Speaking of TO, that was another place on my list, with Simi Valley, and Newberry Park, but it seems like there's really no walkability in those areas.

Basically I want to be somewhere with a lot to do outdoors, be able to walk to at least a few places, and would love it to be in a artsy, liberal atmosphere within 30 min to the beach.

Sorry this was such a ramble, and TIA for any advice.
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Old 05-30-2011, 06:40 PM
 
Location: Florida
23 posts, read 50,498 times
Reputation: 26
Default Sounds like a match

Hi it definitely sounds like VC is the perfect fit for you and your family. It has everything you describe you want in a place.
Also, I recently went to Baltimore for the first time ( husbands cousin is out there) and though Maryland is nice and green, lots of beautiful rolling hills, I totally got that vibe. Very conservative, judgemental and if I may add whitewashed. I love all people but I like to see alot more of all people KWIM. Guess that is just what I am used to in california.
Good luck with your move, I know how stressful, scary, exciting, etc. making such a big move can be. I did it a few times, from California to Hawaii, back again and then to Florida. Hope to end up back in California.

Let us know how it goes!
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:23 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,761,592 times
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Baltimore to Ventura? You will think you've died and gone to heaven.

Not all of LA County is expensive (Palmdale).

What are you looking for as far as housing?
Buy or rent? Budget?

Most but not all of Ventura's schools look pretty good:

California School Performance Maps
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Old 05-30-2011, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
12,460 posts, read 20,087,251 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by londonmonkey View Post
Is it what you'd consider a walkable town? We have NOTHING in walking distance from where we live now and would love to be able to walk or bike to local shops or restaurants.
No, its not a walkable town. Ventura is a suburban community, though there is a small "downtown" but most housing isn't walkable to it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by londonmonkey View Post
How are the schools? I have one in 2nd grade and another starting kindergarten in a couple years.
Hit and miss and this criteria is going to conflict with your first, namely, the areas that are most "walkable" don't have good schools.

Quote:
Originally Posted by londonmonkey View Post
One of the things I love about places in LA / Cali that I've been is that people seem to feel comfortable being / doing what they want. It seems more liberal and accepting.
Ventura County is not liberal, if you exclude the Hispanic vote the county would be solidly red. Ironically, the demographic (Hispanic) that shifts the county away from bright red is more socially conservative than the elements that make it red. Simi Valley is the most conservative city in Ventura County.

Quote:
Originally Posted by londonmonkey View Post
Speaking of TO, that was another place on my list, with Simi Valley, and Newberry Park, but it seems like there's really no walkability in those areas.
Newbury Park is part of Thousand Oaks, and yes, both of those places are lacking in terms of walkability. But like Ventura both of these cities have areas that are more walkable than others, but again like Ventura the areas with good schools aren't walkable.

Anyhow, I don't think you're going to match all your criteria and I wouldn't rule out Los Angeles County, you're going to find far more walkable communities there than in Ventura County and some of them do have decent schools.
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Old 05-30-2011, 09:42 PM
 
699 posts, read 1,344,700 times
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Many neighborhoods in Midtown Ventura are quite walkable. We live in this area and walk to school, church, YMCA, grocery store (Trader Joe's), some neighborhood cafes and Target. For everything else (including the beach and downtown Ventura), we bike. The water is a short jaunt away (1.5 miles).

And our neighborhood public school, Loma Vista, is outstanding.

East Ventura is suburban, only a few nabes are walkable. Downtown Ventura schools are lacking. The College District, which roughly surrounds Ventura College, has arguably the best academic school in VUSD -- Poinsettia. There are some nabes near that school that are walkable to Arroyo Verde Park and shopping.

As far as your other criteria, you will find this area matches what you're describing quite nicely.

I might also suggest Ojai, which is quite liberal, contains very walkable neighborhoods, and is an easy drive to the water.

As a general rule, just about every town has walkable communities (to varying degrees) they just need to foot with your other priorities.

Last edited by HSP1161; 05-30-2011 at 10:38 PM..
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Old 05-30-2011, 10:48 PM
 
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
12,460 posts, read 20,087,251 times
Reputation: 4365
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenSky View Post
As a general rule, just about every town has walkable communities (to varying degrees) they just need to foot with your other priorities.
Yeah, if you buy a house near a strip-mall you can pretend as if your suburban home is in a walkable city.

As a whole Ventura, like other suburban cities, isn't walkable.
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Old 05-30-2011, 10:50 PM
 
7 posts, read 10,887 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for all the good info!

[quote=Charles;19376484]Baltimore to Ventura? You will think you've died and gone to heaven.

Not all of LA County is expensive (Palmdale).

What are you looking for as far as housing?
Buy or rent? Budget?

Most but not all of Ventura's schools look pretty good:

Yes, Heaven. I grew up in maryland, in a pretty nice area, Ellicott City (which has been named Money Mag. best place to live) but I currently live in Balt. county and while I wouldn't call it hell, SOCAL is definitely heaven to me in comparison. I will check out Palmdale. Is that the only non-crazy expensive area you recommend in LA?

We are looking to rent first to be sure where we want to be. As far as budget, looking to spend no more than 2500 for rent and then when we by, hopefully in the low to mid 400K's

faithhope7, we are opposite of whitewashed here in NW Balt. County, but like you, I enjoy diversity. We are a mixed race family and prefer our surroundings to come in all colors

Opensky, what you describe is exactly what I'm looking for. I certainly don't intend to give up my car, I'd just like to have the option to walk SOMEWHERE if I want. I think I saw midtown ventura recommended on another thread. What do you think is the price range (rent and buy)for that area for a modest 4 bdrm SFH?
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Old 05-31-2011, 07:55 AM
 
699 posts, read 1,344,700 times
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4br rent should be $2200-$2750, depending on location and condition.

Nice 4br homes with yards will vary from $450-$500k, with ocean views tacking on a premium above that. I've seen fixers sell below that range, but they go quickly.

Make sure the house feeds the right school -- being close isn't a guarantee!

Here's a tool you should bookmark:
http://www.venturausd.org/childwelfare/HTMLobj-282/6-09_Street_Directory-portrait.pdf (broken link)
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Old 05-31-2011, 08:54 AM
 
29 posts, read 43,913 times
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Default re: Palmdale

Just so you know, Palmdale is desert. I can't comment on the physical walkability but during the summer you won't WANT to walk anywhere.
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Old 05-31-2011, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Dalton Gardens
2,852 posts, read 6,485,150 times
Reputation: 1700
I wouldn't call Palmdale walkable, either, and personally I find it to be kind of dumpy, especially with all the meth labs in that area. At one time it was a nice, inexpensive option for families, but now...avoid it!

Simi Valley is where I grew up and currently live. I returned here after living out of state for 9 years and then in the UK for 8 years. One really nice aspect of Simi Valley, when compared with cities and towns in Los Angeles...I can drive from one end of the valley to the other much quicker than I could drive two blocks in the San Fernando Valley. The traffic and the atmosphere in Los Angeles county is very unpleasant.

If you enjoy the outdoors one thing you will find throughout Ventura County are plenty of hiking trails, from very easy to expert level. I hike three times a week, anywhere from 2 to 5 miles at a time, and I have not yet run out of new hiking trails in Simi Valley/Santa Susana. Check out my photos in our Photos section in this forum The Coneho Valley is also a nice area for local hikes when you want to stay closer to home. Another option to check out would be Moorpark, or, as someone else suggested, Ojai, which has a real artsy community.
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