Ventura vs Santa Cruz - What is your vote?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

Can anyone compare these two towns? Which one do you think is a better place to raise kids and why? We like Santa Cruz because it is liberal and has great air quality, but the schools leave much to be desired. Also, there is a major homeless problem as well as increasing gang activity so we are considering other areas. Thanks in advance.

Hi Jaynetarzana,

I used to surf Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara all the time when living in SoCal. I like those areas. But just like anywhere they have their pros/cons. A close friend of our family lived in Oxnard and I had other friends from different parts of Ventura. There have been some gang proplems there in the past especially in Oxnard. Although I am not sure how much spills over into the nicer parts of Ventura. Hollywood-by-the-Sea is where our friends lived and true localism occurs - threats and violence toward outsiders. There were biker gangs and other narcotics issues back then. Of course Santa Cruz has its share of this stuff. Oxnard was worse and Ventura seemed better in that regard. But they are right next door to each other. Yet I guess the same could be said for Watsonville and Aptos.

The weather is warmer in Ventura than SC. They both get a bit more fog than SD but not as much as Monterey or SC.

Check out this map based school rating site. It looks like there are some good public schools near the intersection of the 126 and 101.
California School Performance Maps.

Air Quality may be an issue. Check out this recent article on Ventura County:
Ventura County gets an F grade in air quality. The coast should do better than the county at large. But it did reference sea vessels being a problem as well.

To me Ventura and SC are similar in a lot of ways, Classic California Surfer Beach towns. You get your fair share of hippies, stonners, homeless, and yuppies as well. Neither is perfect by a long shot. But they can fun places to visit. SC is much greener and has the NorCal feel. Ventura feels more like SoCal but on the fringes - not quite as uptight.

Of course you know my vote.

Derek

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Hi Jaynetarzana,

I used to surf Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara all the time when living in SoCal. I like those areas. But just like anywhere they have their pros/cons. A close friend of our family lived in Oxnard and I had other friends from different parts of Ventura. There have been some gang proplems there in the past especially in Oxnard. Although I am not sure how much spills over into the nicer parts of Ventura. Hollywood-by-the-Sea is where our friends lived and true localism occurs - threats and violence toward outsiders. There were biker gangs and other narcotics issues back then. Of course Santa Cruz has its share of this stuff. Oxnard was worse and Ventura seemed better in that regard. But they are right next door to each other. Yet I guess the same could be said for Watsonville and Aptos.

Gangs in Oxnard/Ventura are nowhere near as bad as they once were, even just a few years ago. Crime in both cities is well below the national average for cities of their size. Crime in Oxnard per 1,000 residents is lower than Santa Barbara. Violent crimes (rapes, assults, etc.) are way below Santa Barbara. Crime overall is at a 16-year low according to the PD. Both cities are dynamic and changing rapidly. It's difficult to describe the changes, but for anyone who's been away for a while, returning might be sobering experience. Areas of change include downtown Ventura, north Oxnard, the Channel Islands Harbor area, downtown Oxnard. Other areas, too, but the aforementioned are getting a lot of attention. And, if I can add, mostly good changes, IMO.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Winston Smith

Gangs in Oxnard/Ventura are nowhere near as bad as they once were, even just a few years ago. Crime in both cities is well below the national average for cities of their size. Crime in Oxnard per 1,000 residents is lower than Santa Barbara. Violent crimes (rapes, assults, etc.) are way below Santa Barbara. Crime overall is at a 16-year low according to the PD. Both cities are dynamic and changing rapidly. It's difficult to describe the changes, but for anyone who's been away for a while, returning might be sobering experience. Areas of change include downtown Ventura, north Oxnard, the Channel Islands Harbor area, downtown Oxnard. Other areas, too, but the aforementioned are getting a lot of attention. And, if I can add, mostly good changes, IMO.

Its good to hear that things finally are improving. I know there is a long history of problems there especially in Oxnard. Hopefully that trend will continue.

Derek

[tristajensen]

AH! Ventura~ Love it, miss it!