Looking for all sorts of input (Oxnard, Camarillo: living in, gangs, move to)

[fishermanswife]

My finance myself and our 18 month old daughter are planning to make the move this fall to ventura county for his fishing job. We are from the seattle area where the drug problem is awful. I know all areas have rough spots, but I just want some feedback of what living in ventura or surrounding areas is like. Is the meth problem bad in any of those towns? Is there a lot of gangs? Ive also heard that there is a lot of activities for kids and families which would be nice for us. We are looking to get away from all the negativity around here and focus on our family. Im just looking to hear what you all think about ventura ojai moorpark or camarillo. Thank you!

[Perry Mason]

Like everywhere, there are scattered drug problems throughout the county, but it's handled pretty well by local authorities. Oxnard has most of the gang activity, most everywhere else is has less or none at all. For a fishing job, Ventura would probably be the best bet, because it's on the coast. Ojai is nice and quiet, but it's up in the mountains and about 30 minutes from the coast. Camarillo and Moorpark are good places too, but also are about 30 minutes from the coast. I'd say Ventura is the most affordable, the others can be expensive.

[fishermanswife]

Thank you for your input, Ive been reading on here for a bit and I know every one asks the same questions it seems like, but I appreciate that. My fiance struggles with substance abuse, so were trying to get away from all the trigger points here which is damn near everywhere, and move to a new place where we can focus on family and his job and just have a clean start, so thats why I would like to find an area with less drugs and crime. Thanks again.

[fishermanswife]

I was a little suprised by some input about ojai which is where I was most interested, supposidly the meth problem is really bad there and have been busted for meth labs up there. From all the reasearch ive done I was a little schocked and was wondering if they were thinking of somewhere else haha.

[Garden gal]

There is some meth in Ojai. If this is an issue for your fiancé stay away from Oak View and Meiners Oaks. We live in Meiners Oaks and love it, as we like the proximity to hiking, etc. but if you wanted some meth you could find it probably pretty easily. There are a variety of people in Ojai, parts of it are very upscale, parts earthy/hippie and then there is the confederate flag flying, yards full of junk, methie contingency. Overall it is a really nice quiet area to raise a family, but it is fairly expensive.