Thousand Oaks: Weather, Dating, Salary Questions. (Anaheim, Riverside: low income, apartment complexes, rentals)

[HarborEastGuy]

I am looking at a Job Posting for Thousand Oaks and have a few questions.

1. I am male/single 30s/straight. Is the dating scene bad in the Thousand Oaks area?
I know it's a suburb so I wonder if I would be sunk living here. I don't really want to
drive more than 20-25 minutes to work.

2. Currently I live in a "newer" yuppie style 900sqft 1br+den with stainless steel appliances.
I pay $2,000mo. What would it cost to rent something newer/yuppie in Thousand Oaks?

3. I am a Software Developer. Is 110k a low salary given the astronomic cost of living in
Thousand Oaks? What is the typical salary number tossed around for professionals ?
To be sure, with the nicer 2000sqft houses costing over 600k, I would not be a home owner.

4. How hot are the summers? I lived in Irvine for a year in 2006 and it was very nice. I can
remember heading over to Riverside and thinking it was really hot. Although where I live
now is 90 and humid in the summers so maybe now Riverside might not seem so hot.

5. How is the air quality? I remember LA and Riverside were horrible, Anaheim was better, and Irvine
had really good air quality. Which Orange County city is TO most like in terms of air quality??

Thanks for helping..

[RoaminRebel]

Thousand Oaks resident for 8 years here.

Originally Posted by HarborEastGuy

I am looking at a Job Posting for Thousand Oaks and have a few questions.

1. I am male/single 30s/straight. Is the dating scene bad in the Thousand Oaks area?
I know it's a suburb so I wonder if I would be sunk living here. I don't really want to
drive more than 20-25 minutes to work.

The demographic here is mostly white, upper class families. Very low crime. A few years ago, the night club scene had a decent vibe, but alot of the younger folks seemed to move on and a few of the clubs closed. If you go out alot you will begin to see some of the same people. Many of the young people left I feel because they couldn't find entry level professional jobs. Many of the remaining ones seem to be working service jobs and living with their wealthy parents. But this is a generalization and if you get involved with activities you can definitely find some good dating material. I did! Traffic locally is not bad at all!

2. Currently I live in a "newer" yuppie style 900sqft 1br+den with stainless steel appliances.
I pay $2,000mo. What would it cost to rent something newer/yuppie in Thousand Oaks?

Rent prices fluctuate with demand but to get what you're talking about its about 2K, but if you compromise a bit you can find something still decent as low as 13-1400 and spend the rest of the money on something fun (or save for retirement since SS will be a joke when we're old). When I was single, I was hardly ever home to look at my appliances.

3. I am a Software Developer. Is 110k a low salary given the astronomic cost of living in
Thousand Oaks? What is the typical salary number tossed around for professionals ?
To be sure, with the nicer 2000sqft houses costing over 600k, I would not be a home owner.

This is not bad actually. T.O. is a planned community that has maxed out in development. This is why home prices have exceeded professional salaries. Of course, there are people who live in T.O. Westlake who make millions/year...

4. How hot are the summers? I lived in Irvine for a year in 2006 and it was very nice. I can
remember heading over to Riverside and thinking it was really hot. Although where I live
now is 90 and humid in the summers so maybe now Riverside might not seem so hot.

Very pleasant in comparison to the valley. It doesn't get too hot.

5. How is the air quality? I remember LA and Riverside were horrible, Anaheim was better, and Irvine
had really good air quality. Which Orange County city is TO most like in terms of air quality??

Much better than any of the places you mentioned.

Thanks for helping..

[rgb123]

1. I'm female so take this with a grain of salt. I've never really agreed with people that you need to live in the urban core of a city to date and be single. I think its a ridiculously old notion since most people live in suburbs anyway and its not like driving 30 minutes for a date (since most of us meet people through online dating or meetups now vs. real life interactions in an urban core) is going to ruin your love life. If anything I think an address in a nice area actually HELPS your chances with women. No girl likes to go to some shady unsafe area for a date.

2. $2000 is about right for that area to get into something nice (1 bedroom) for larger its about the low end for something nice. I moved to TO when I first moved here and found most of the apartment complexes are nice they are situated in the low income areas of town. My car got broken into the first night and I had a nice apartment with a secured garage. I'd spend some quality time looking for a nice rental with at least $2000 in mind and consider looking for private rentals (homes)

3. I'm not sure. I work in technology but am only one of a few in CA from my company. I feel my salary is on the low side for CA but its in that arena, I feel like that is a fair salary if you have experience.

4. I live in Ventura which is down the grade (and might be of interest to you as I think it is a better fit for singles, the downtown area). Summer here is cool, sometimes too cool for me. I have heard TO gets very hot but I don't think it gets nearly as hot as Riverside nor for as long, I believe its probably not too different than Irvine. People have told me I'd like it better since Ventura gets too cold for me. Usually when I drive up the "hill" its 10 or 15 degrees warmer up there (or colder depending on the season) but its not like the desert.

5. Air Quality in this area is above and beyond anything in LA County from what I can tell (even up there in TO) down here in Ventura its perfect.

Overall I think Ventura County in general is going to be better in the air quality/traffic/weather departments (if you don't want too hot and smoggy) than OC or LA

maybe a little more challenging in the dating and finding a swanky place department

[nightlysparrow]

Will reinforce what was already answered:

1. Most dating is online. If you want clubs, Ventura is better. Westlake Village has a small upscale dining/bar scene, Agoura Hills skews younger. The Canyon Club there is a cool venue: http://www.canyonclub.net/
2. There are no apartments in the urban sleek style. Mostly watered-down Spanish or "contemporary" which is NOT modern. But, 2K will get you one of those with 2 bedrooms/2 baths and a pool, gym, etc.:Archstone Thousand Oaks Plaza Apartments in Ventura County |Archstone Apartments And crime is ridiculously low (rgb123 just has weird karma ) (sorry rgb, you know I like you).
3. Salary is decent. And banks would love to give you a mortgage for 600k based on it.
4. Not that hot here IMO (the west San Fernando Valley 20 miles to the east can be 15 degrees hotter). A week or two of 90+degree afternoons, that's it. And it is always cool at night, which is way different from the rest of the US. Low humidity. You can always drive the 12 miles over to Malibu if you want to go to the beach.
5. There have been no air quality alerts...can't even remember one, it's been so long. Lots of blue sky and sunshine. Ventura has better air, but it's a cooler/chilly foggy seacoast climate, not a temperate Mediterranean/valley climate.

[HarborEastGuy]

Thanks for the info. I applied for the job today so we will see.

Archstone Thousand Oaks Plaza looks pretty complexy with older kitchens.
I would have to see if I could find a condo rental that is a little more updated.
Would Newbury or West Lake have newer more upscale apartments or are the
prices getting up there? If so, names/URLs ??

When I lived in Irvine, I rented near the 5 which was 10 miles inland. Too close to
the ocean and the morning dampness/overcast makes not want to get out of bed.
The drier 70-85 range like inland Irvine had was better for me. I'd be up 6:30AM
no problems. Near the ocean I can't wake up.

[rgb123]

Compared to other areas of the US, in my experience its just harder to find rentals online. I lived in one of the TO Archstone's actually when I moved. They do have a nice 30 day guarantee so if you are not happy within 30 days you can move out no questions asked.

My theory is just that the housing stock in this area is not as good (plentiful) as other areas of the US which means fewer good rentals in general and the prices are high. But it just takes some good research and looking around. In other words, I'd find a good temporary rental when you get here, then find your place.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Will reinforce what was already answered:

1. Most dating is online. If you want clubs, Ventura is better. Westlake Village has a small upscale dining/bar scene, Agoura Hills skews younger. The Canyon Club there is a cool venue: The Canyon Club - Concert and Event Center - LA Tickets - Home
2. There are no apartments in the urban sleek style. Mostly watered-down Spanish or "contemporary" which is NOT modern. But, 2K will get you one of those with 2 bedrooms/2 baths and a pool, gym, etc.:Archstone Thousand Oaks Plaza Apartments in Ventura County |Archstone Apartments And crime is ridiculously low (rgb123 just has weird karma ) (sorry rgb, you know I like you).
3. Salary is decent. And banks would love to give you a mortgage for 600k based on it.
4. Not that hot here IMO (the west San Fernando Valley 20 miles to the east can be 15 degrees hotter). A week or two of 90+degree afternoons, that's it. And it is always cool at night, which is way different from the rest of the US. Low humidity. You can always drive the 12 miles over to Malibu if you want to go to the beach.
5. There have been no air quality alerts...can't even remember one, it's been so long. Lots of blue sky and sunshine. Ventura has better air, but it's a cooler/chilly foggy seacoast climate, not a temperate Mediterranean/valley climate.

LOL perhaps I was just meant to move down the grade and that gave me the excuse overall I love this area for there are so many diverse choices!

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by HarborEastGuy

Archstone Thousand Oaks Plaza looks pretty complexy with older kitchens. I would have to see if I could find a condo rental that is a little more updated.

The drier 70-85 range like inland Irvine had was better for me. Near the ocean I can't wake up.

That Archstone was built in 2002. There's a newer one in Agoura Hills, I think 2006.

For $2400, you can get 2009 in T.O., but this one is rare:
3250 Foothill Drive Unit: 1, Thousand Oaks, CA 91361 - Home for Rent - realtor.com®

But, not much newer anywhere around. Ventura County has limited growth. But the weather is what you seek.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

That Archstone was built in 2002. There's a newer one in Agoura Hills, I think 2006.

For $2400, you can get 2009 in T.O., but this one is rare:
3250 Foothill Drive Unit: 1, Thousand Oaks, CA 91361 - Home for Rent - realtor.com®

But, not much newer anywhere around. Ventura County has limited growth. But the weather is what you seek.

that is a nice one. There are some newer and more modern places in DT Ventura but its really just starting to take off. It annoyed me that when I was looking two years ago the coolest places were for low income people (Wev I think...)

[rgb123]

sorry...wav

https://www.facebook.com/thewav