What's to like about Oxnard? (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: sales, home, buying)

[user_id]

Originally Posted by the city

user_id is an example of why I am leaving my current area. This mentality of I can't live around poor-working class people because of the problems they bring.

Except of course I said no such thing, instead I said I prefer not to live in working-class communities because I don't identify with such people. Living around people that you have little in common is rather awkward and can at times lead to conflict.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I would say that I love Oxnard because of the many nationalities that are living in the city. I would say that I love Oxnard because we do have our share of middle class, lower middle class, economically advantaged and even some that have 7 and 8 figure net worths. I would say that I love living in Oxnard because it is fun to live in a vibrant, diversified, and growing city For me it would be such a bore to be around a single kind of people. Living around people that you have so much in common is rather limiting and can at times lead to boredom. Who wants to be in a place where everyone is chasing the same goals?

[LadyKLO]

Originally Posted by Winston Smith

Am reading this a couple of days late. Did you go? We walked both F and G streets about a week ago.

I did go and I enjoyed it...I think I might check out the Tall Ships next weekend in the harbor!

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

I would say that I love Oxnard because of the many nationalities that are living in the city. I would say that I love Oxnard because we do have our share of middle class, lower middle class, economically advantaged and even some that have 7 and 8 figure net worths. I would say that I love living in Oxnard because it is fun to live in a vibrant, diversified, and growing city For me it would be such a bore to be around a single kind of people. Living around people that you have so much in common is rather limiting and can at times lead to boredom. Who wants to be in a place where everyone is chasing the same goals?

Awesome post!!!

[user_id]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

Who wants to be in a place where everyone is chasing the same goals?

Umm....having common ground with those in your communities doesn't mean, in any sense, that everybody in the community has the "same goals".

Anyhow, Oxnard isn't a particularly diverse city under any measure, I don't know why this keeps getting repeated. Oxnard is less, not more, diverse than California as a whole. Hispanics make up the majority of the city (75%) and white/Hispanics make up the vast majority (over 90%). With a median household income of around 50k (lower than the state median), the city is solidly working-class as well. So Oxnard may be more diverse than a small city in the "heart land", but in terms of California its pretty uniform.

[LadyKLO]

Happy New Year Oxnard and our friends around Ventura County......

[the city]

Originally Posted by user_id

Except of course I said no such thing, instead I said I prefer not to live in working-class communities because I don't identify with such people. Living around people that you have little in common is rather awkward and can at times lead to conflict.

That is still prejudice. I'm sure a poorer person and yourself can find stuff in common. And look back your posts, they do come out jaded.

Originally Posted by user_id

Umm....having common ground with those in your communities doesn't mean, in any sense, that everybody in the community has the "same goals".

Anyhow, Oxnard isn't a particularly diverse city under any measure, I don't know why this keeps getting repeated. Oxnard is less, not more, diverse than California as a whole. Hispanics make up the majority of the city (75%) and white/Hispanics make up the vast majority (over 90%). With a median household income of around 50k (lower than the state median), the city is solidly working-class as well. So Oxnard may be more diverse than a small city in the "heart land", but in terms of California its pretty uniform.

Oxnard has 145,551 Hispanics and that includes the ones that may be undocumented and it's about 73.5%.

Oxnard still has 95,346 Caucasians and that's about 48.2%. 14,550 7.4% Asian, and also 69,527 35.1% from other races and I heard there is a good amount of Indians and Filipinos in Oxnard.

I'd call that diverse.

Can I see your data where you got the average income for Oxnard? I'd say that average is not bad and also yes Oxnard has alot of working class folks, but also a good percentage of wealthy folks too. Oxnard is getting Whole Foods, REI, and several other high end shops in a new mall. Not to mention the nice car dealerships we already mentioned the city has. There is people with money in Oxnard.

Oxnard has a bunch of great private schools too and Rio Mesa High School is pretty good. Oxnard, Pacifica, and Channel Islands have low API scores, but that's because those schools are full of students who don't have families that can help them succeed to their full potential.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by the city

That is still prejudice. I'm sure a poorer person and yourself can find stuff in common.

Yes I'm sure we could find stuff in common, like me may both like oranges. But, in general, we aren't going to find important things in common......and its not really like I need to pontificate about this matter. I have, after all, experienced thousands of working-class folks throughout my life.

Originally Posted by the city

Oxnard has 145,551 Hispanics and that includes the ones that may be undocumented and it's about 73.5%. Oxnard still has 95,346 Caucasians and that's about 48.2%.

Caucasians and Hispanics aren't exclusive categories, many of the ~95k Caucasians are Hispanic. And no, I wouldn't call a city that where the vast majority is white and Hispanic diverse. But as I said, it depends also what you are comparing it to...

Originally Posted by the city

Can I see your data where you got the average income for Oxnard?

Firstly, I didn't mention the average income for Oxnard rather I mentioned the median income. The median tells you more about the distribution than the average does. Secondly the data is from the US census, but I cited the wrong year. Its now around 55k. If you look at education it paints the same picture though, only 15% of Oxnard residents have bachelors or greater and 40% don't even have high school education.

In terms of whole foods, etc...these aren't built yet and they aren't exactly stores for the wealthy. The developments you are mentioning aren't going to impress moneyed individuals, they will just find them crass. Furthermore, as I said before these stores will pull demand from the entire Oxnard plain...in some cases (e.g., dealerships) the demand is pulled from a even wider area.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Do the numbers mention the fact that many retired people live in Oxnard and own their homes. Looking on my street alone their are 20 homes. Of the 20 homes 12 are owned by people that are retired that bought them in the 1960's or 1970's. One woman on our street is also retired. She inherited her home from an aunt. That home is also paid for and was bought new in 1962. Of the remaining 7 homes 2 inherited them, one from a grand parent and the other from their parents. The remaining 5 homes are people like me that are paying for the homes. I am guessing but am positive that the income of my home is well above the income of any one on the street. Still we all live similar lives. The thing is that 15 home owners don't have a mortgage and don't need the income that I need to survive. Maybe someone needs to take a pole to see how much money someone has at the end of the day and not what the medium or average income is.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

Looking on my street alone their are 20 homes. Of the 20 homes 12 are owned by people that are retired that bought them in the 1960's or 1970's. One woman on our street is also retired. She inherited her home from an aunt....

And this is why you shouldn't look at your street alone, its not a statistically relevant sample and can lead to very inaccurate conclusions.

Contrary to what you seem to be suggesting, Oxnard is younger than average so according to your reasoning the income statistics for the city are pushed higher, not lower, as a result. According to the 2010 census only 8% of Oxnard residents are 65+ or order, in comparison its 15% for Thousand Oaks.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Saying that many are younger and many of those younger people buy homes. How do you figure that they can afford to buy a home on $55,000 a year? In the newer growing areas of Oxnard and on the North Side where I live you have single families living in single family homes. You have single moms and single dads living in homes. They buy these homes to live in. Is it possible to make the payments on a $300,000 home with an income of $55,000?

Saying that, my knieborhood seems to be an example of homes in my area.