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My husband is a pilot and has just been transferred to LAX. We will need to live within 100 miles of the airport (airline stipulation) but he will only need to commute to the airport about 6 times per month and will be arriving and leaving the airport around midnight, so traffic should not be a concern. We are coming from New Orleans but my husband is ex military so has lived all over and I am from Australia so we are pretty adaptable. We took the transfer as we need to move away from the crime in New Orleans and raise our girls in a safer environment, but we do love the culture and restaurants that New Orleans offers. We have twin 12 yr old girls who have always gone to an all girls catholic school so we are a little concerned about them switching to a co-ed/public school at their age, so we may have to consider private/catholic schools, we are not ruling out public school though. The girls activities include sports (soccer, cross country and swimming) and the arts (orchestra, musical theatre and visual arts). We enjoy dining out - all kinds of food - so we don't want to be limited to chain restaurants. We just flew in for a whirlwind visit to look at Thousand Oaks and the Mission Viejo/Irvine area hoping to decide which side of LA we preferred. Now I am more confused than ever. We have been told that Thousand Oaks is a great place for families and it has a great girls catholic school, La Reina. We did really like the area but I am concerned that it felt a little too isolated (is it?) and the beaches were not as nice as Orange County beaches. I loved the beaches, malls, restaurants of Orange County but I was surprised by the housing density and yard size in most areas, we would love a pool, and Irvine felt a little too cookie cutter. Are there other areas I should consider -- Pasadena? closer to San Diego? Laguna Niguel? We will probably rent initially - budget of $3-4000 per month or purchase price up to abt $800,000.
We are looking to make the move after Christmas and I would love any help we can get :-)
My husband is a pilot and has just been transferred to LAX. We will need to live within 100 miles of the airport (airline stipulation) but he will only need to commute to the airport about 6 times per month and will be arriving and leaving the airport around midnight, so traffic should not be a concern. We are coming from New Orleans but my husband is ex military so has lived all over and I am from Australia so we are pretty adaptable. We took the transfer as we need to move away from the crime in New Orleans and raise our girls in a safer environment, but we do love the culture and restaurants that New Orleans offers. We have twin 12 yr old girls who have always gone to an all girls catholic school so we are a little concerned about them switching to a co-ed/public school at their age, so we may have to consider private/catholic schools, we are not ruling out public school though. The girls activities include sports (soccer, cross country and swimming) and the arts (orchestra, musical theatre and visual arts). We enjoy dining out - all kinds of food - so we don't want to be limited to chain restaurants. We just flew in for a whirlwind visit to look at Thousand Oaks and the Mission Viejo/Irvine area hoping to decide which side of LA we preferred. Now I am more confused than ever. We have been told that Thousand Oaks is a great place for families and it has a great girls catholic school, La Reina. We did really like the area but I am concerned that it felt a little too isolated (is it?) and the beaches were not as nice as Orange County beaches. I loved the beaches, malls, restaurants of Orange County but I was surprised by the housing density and yard size in most areas, we would love a pool, and Irvine felt a little too cookie cutter. Are there other areas I should consider -- Pasadena? closer to San Diego? Laguna Niguel? We will probably rent initially - budget of $3-4000 per month or purchase price up to abt $800,000.
We are looking to make the move after Christmas and I would love any help we can get :-)
Are you Catholic? Creationist? Does that matter to you?
I ask because Louisiana is a lot different from the rest of the country. Louisiana Catholic schools are REAL catholic schools, and are generally the only private schools available in that state.
Most coastal places in the US have a variety of private schools from which to choose, and most in CA and elsewhere function in a secular manner, even if they may be under the banner of some religious order or another.
A lot of LA has terrible public schools (like all of Louisiana), but good school districts do exist. They will provide much better education than a Louisiana Catholic school, in any case. If you do choose private, you won't be limited to Catholic schools, like in Louisiana. You have choices here.
Yes, Thousand Oaks is in the boonies. Hot, too. I'd suggest Irvine, Laguna or some other place in Orange County or close to a beach over Thousand Oaks (OC is not actually a side of Los Angeles, but an entirely different county). Pasadena is OK, but it's far from the beach and a little boring. Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, and Marina del Rey would be worth checking out. Rancho Palos Verdes, too. Good places on the coast with good schools.
North County San Diego has some wonderful neighborhoods, but they may come close to violating your 100mile limit. Encenitas, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Del Mar- all great places with good schools.
I'd stay out of Oceanside, though- they are a rowdy crowd, loaded with the service people from Pendleton. San Diego City is 150 miles from LA.
There's endless little enclaves around that would be suitable for you and in your budget.
But having a smaller yard is a fact of life in SoCal.
If you are open to the southern San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles - Woodland Hills/West Hills or Calabasas are nice areas in my opinion. You could find nice rentals in your budget in those areas I think.
I mention those because there is a decent sized all-girls catholic school in the area - I know someone who went there.
I loved the beaches, malls, restaurants of Orange County but I was surprised by the housing density and yard size in most areas, we would love a pool, and Irvine felt a little too cookie cutter.
I think Irvine is way too cookie cutter and it would be my last choice for a place to live in Orange County. For nice non-cookie cutter areas with the potential for a big yard check out Hacienda Heights, La Habra Heights(my current favorite place to move to), the Sunny Hills neighborhood in Fullerton, parts of Yorba Linda, Villa Park, North Tustin(Cowan Heights & Lemon Heights).
Thousand Oaks is not "hot" compared to the Valley or inland areas. Even in the last heat wave there were only 2 days of real heat, that is, the mid-90's. And it has a superior public school system, with TOHS having a Performing Arts Center. Great sports consciousness and many opportunities for the arts. Houses are large with large yards, many with pools. Very low crime, which few other SoCal areas under a million dollars can boast about. The beaches are 12 miles away going over Kanan Rd., and "not nice"? Well, that's Malibu, and most people would disagree. Zuma Beach is remarkably uncrowded most of the time, and you can actually park there, which is not the case on the beaches to the south.
Thanks so much for your replies. I will have a look at all of the areas you suggested.
We don't need to send the girls to a catholic school, as you stated, in New Orleans our private schools are primarily catholic which is how we ended up at a catholic school and public school isn't an option in our area. My main concern regarding school is the adjustment the girls will have to make when switching from an all girls catholic school to co-ed and/or public school at their age. For this reason we are considering private schools again and private schools also offer all of the sports & arts that we are looking for.
On our visit we went to Ventura and then drove Highway 1 to Santa Monica so I wasn't able to tell what beaches were closest to Thousand Oaks. The Malibu beaches were very nice! I also do like that they have a Performing Arts Center and a Youth Orchestra. The heat doesn't bother me, I am used to it here in New Orleans and California doesn't have the humidity so it's much better :-)
The Laguna Hills/Laguna Niguel area looks very nice and you seem to get a little more for your money than other areas surrounding it? Is there a reason for this? Any reasons to avoid this area?
My main concern regarding school is the adjustment the girls will have to make when switching from an all girls catholic school to co-ed and/or public school at their age.
HOO! 12 years old. Trouble ahead! No matter where they go.
The younger a kid is at the time of any big change, the better and more quickly they will adjust. This is a fact studied by sociologists and other scientists.
Co-ed vs same-sex schools is one of those "great debate" topics.
Personally, I knew a few kids who went to same-sex, private high schools and went on to good colleges...but they were advanced academically, they wanted to go specifically for the superior academics and Ivy League funnel, and spent k-8 in co-ed public schools. They also planned to go to these places starting in 6th grade and worked hard in middle school in order to meet the stringent eligibility criteria. I mean, these were mastermind kids- the top 2%. This was also in a top education state, where the public schools are better than the private schools in some other states, and the private schools are elite. So, not really comparable to Louisiana in any way.
Have you asked your daughters what they think? Starting a new school anywhere is hard for kids, but especially going from Louis. to California will be a huge culture shock for all of you.
I would suggest starting a thread in the "education" sectionfor these questions.
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On our visit we went to Ventura and then drove Highway 1 to Santa Monica so I wasn't able to tell what beaches were closest to Thousand Oaks. The Malibu beaches were very nice! I also do like that they have a Performing Arts Center and a Youth Orchestra. The heat doesn't bother me, I am used to it here in New Orleans and California doesn't have the humidity so it's much better :-)
Malibu is beautiful. Its hard to gauge because the coast of that town is something like 40 miles I think, running far beyond busy village areas near the LA side, and deep into the state parks to Oxnard. Huge. T.O. is a nice town for a family to live: great library and whatnot. But I don't consider it near the ocean- 20 miles away, more or less.
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The Laguna Hills/Laguna Niguel area looks very nice and you seem to get a little more for your money than other areas surrounding it? Is there a reason for this? Any reasons to avoid this area?
There's a lot of retirees around that area- folks age 45 and over make up nearly half the population in L.Hills. Niguel, same thing, almost half the population is over 45. In Laguna Woods next door, folks over 45 make up 75% of the population. It was once actually called "Leisure World". Dana Point, too, where the hip Grandmas and Grandpas from the Lagunas go to mingle Friday night, and where slightly over half the population is 45 or older. Can't say for sure, but it's possible the retirees might play a factor in the housing prices.
Thanks for all the great advice! We are leaning towards the OC area and will look at schools to make our choice. There don't appear to be that many private schools to choose from and most of them are small schools, as far as I could tell on the great schools website. Alternatively, the public schools are huge! The girls have mixed feelings about the move, of course, they would rather stay with their friends but are also excited about living in California. They'd also prefer to stay in an all girls school. Unfortunately, in that regard we can't duplicate what we have here in New Orleans.
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No matter where they go.
. Dana Point, too, where the hip Grandmas and Grandpas from the Lagunas go to mingle Friday night, and where slightly over half the population is 45 or older. Can't say for sure, but it's possible the retirees might play a factor in the housing prices.
