Moving to Ventura with kids (Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks: rentals, homes, neighborhood)

[pedsrn222]

My family is looking to move from Santa Clarita, Ca to somewhere between Ventura and Santa Barbara due to my husband's job relocation in Goleta. I'm just wondering what are some better areas vs. areas to avoid when looking for rentals? We have a toddler and we love to be able to walk/bike to things. Thanks

[OpenSky]

Originally Posted by pedsrn222

My family is looking to move from Santa Clarita, Ca to somewhere between Ventura and Santa Barbara due to my husband's job relocation in Goleta. I'm just wondering what are some better areas vs. areas to avoid when looking for rentals? We have a toddler and we love to be able to walk/bike to things. Thanks

Hello and welcome,

Walk/bike "to things" I assume includes parks, shopping, family activities?

We learned very quickly that there is a distinct "old vs. new" construct within Ventura that may have you in a quandry as you look for a place to plant. The east end (everything east of Victoria) is familiar to Santa Clarita as a post-1980 suburban stucco box community. Ventura essenatially grew west to east with each neighborhood averaging a few decades newer than the next. So the character of the town is quite distinct between each neighborhood.

We've found that midtown offers the best mix of access to "things" (beach, parks, shopping, schools, restaurants) sans car - while also having a good mix of families. Downside is it is mostly SFR homes, and the rentals go rather quickly. I strongly suggest driving the area between the College and Seaward, traversing the streets north (Foothill/Poli) to south (into the neighborhood around Blanche Reynolds) over the course of a couple of weekends. Our very favorite pocket is in the northwest corner between Loma Vista and Foothill/Poli, west of VCMC. But you can also find rentals from time to time between Telegrah and Loma Vista a stone's throw away.

This area of the city is walkable to Trader Joes & the Pacific View Mall, cafes along Telegraph, Blanche Reynolds or Loma Vista for schools/parks - and a very easy bike ride to the beach or downtown. There's also the Ventura Transit Center, which offers a convenient way to get to special events in town (or a safe ride back from a night with cold adult beverages).

There are also a number of threads that address this - I encourage you to use the search function to broaden your understanding of the area.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want more specifics offline.

Good luck.

[waitressinthesky]

I grew up in Thousand Oaks but went to Santa Barbara for school (lived in Goleta and SB proper during my lovely years in SB). In the SB area, I absolutely loved living near the mission on Alameda Padre Serra... expensive area (good thing I found a cheap rental). The area up near the hills is gorgeous, and it was a 2-mile walk to downtown. Be aware that it's not pet friendly if you're renting (then again, most of California isn't), and rent in SB proper (and even Goleta) will be expensive.

I liked Ventura OK, though I never lived there, and agree with the previous poster that there's a ton of variety from neighborhood to neighborhood.

[OpenSky]

I highly recommend Carpinteria also - as long as you are OK with being in a mostly rural, small beach town.

If that's your thing, Carpinteria is one of my favorites (though I'd put Leucadia and Cambria on that list too).