questions about westlake village area (Los Angeles, Santa Ana: for sale, real estate, insurance)

[gkgeisness]

I'm trying to find the best place to settle down and currently this area is #3 on my list. please help me by answering a few questions:

are there areas where homes have a nice sunset view?
is it hot and smoggy like LA or does the ocean temper the air there?
is there fear of landslides and fires everywhere, or can a person live in areas
that are safe?
how long of a drive is it to the beach?
and finally, are there new homes (post-lead in paint and pipes)?

thank you!

[Cali_Okie_Girl]

Originally Posted by gkgeisness

I'm trying to find the best place to settle down and currently this area is #3 on my list. please help me by answering a few questions:

are there areas where homes have a nice sunset view?
is it hot and smoggy like LA or does the ocean temper the air there?
is there fear of landslides and fires everywhere, or can a person live in areas
that are safe?
how long of a drive is it to the beach?
and finally, are there new homes (post-lead in paint and pipes)?

thank you!

1. it depends..of course there will be nice sunsets...and maybe up in the foothill area higher would be very pretty
2. no its not...the oean temper is cold, its the pacific but i dont think it temper the air. i dont quit get the question
3. no...we had a fire here about 4 years ago i think maybe 3..didnt cause any mudslides..i wouldnt worry about them there. Its safe not many fires or mudslides every happen in Westlake
4. umm i would think maybe 30 mins..from Oak Park, Agoura Hills its 15-20 mins and from Agoura to Westlake its maybe 10 mins so i'd say about a 30 mins drive maybe 25.
5. there might be you just need to go on the interent newspaper and look...if so, there usually expensive

hopefully that helps

[Charles]

My responses in "Go for it" Green

Westlake Village is that part of the community around Westlake Lake the resides in Los Angeles County. That portion of the community that resides in Ventura County is Thousand Oaks. Westlake Village used to be the Russell Ranch.

Here is a picture of Westlake Village before it was developed:

Originally Posted by gkgeisness

I'm trying to find the best place to settle down and currently this area is #3 on my list. please help me by answering a few questions:(By the way, what are Numbers one and two?)

are there areas where homes have a nice sunset view?

Yes.

is it hot and smoggy like LA or does the ocean temper the air there?

Probably a little warmer than downtown LA, much warmer than than the coastal areas (within five miles of the beach), but cooler than the San Fernando Valley. Not smoggy usually.

is there fear of landslides and fires everywhere, or can a person live in areas
that are safe?

Most areas (like 98%) are safe from both landslides and fires. There are some homes built into the hillsides that potentially could be destroyed by a wildfire. The fire department is pretty strict about vegetation growing near these houses though.

how long of a drive is it to the beach?

About 20-30 minutes.

and finally, are there new homes (post-lead in paint and pipes)?

The first houses were built around 1968 or so - the first neighborhood was actually called "First Neighborhood" - it is still there.

Here is a picture of that First Neighborhood, 1968. View looking southwest across the intersection of Agoura Road and Lakeview Canyon Road. The Westlake Inn is under construction in the foreground.





thank you!

[gkgeisness]

very cool. thanks for the answers. my number one slot is or was carmel valley in san diego county and number two was newport beach, but it's off my list at this point. I really love the malibu beaches and the sm mtns. and I love that Westlake is near all of the essentials unlike malibu (in my opinion). And the schools and safety ratings also are excellent.

[jessemh431]

1. Any place in the hills will have a view of the sunset, especially the westward facing slopes that open up to the Thousand Oaks valley.
2. It's not usually smoggy, except for when Santa Anas come, but then everywhere is. It's not uncommon to exceed 100* in Westlake Village, but it's much rarer than in other places such as Woodland Hills. It averages probably 10* warmer in the summer, about the same in spring, a little warmer in fall, and maybe 5* cooler in the winter. Due to the mountains, they don't get that cool breeze.
3. Nope, well at least extremely rarely.
4. Maybe 30-45 minutes depending on what beach at what time.
5. I'm sure there are new homes, but they will be very expensive.

91361, Real Estate Listings and 91361 Single Family Home for Sale - Realtor.com

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

1. It's not usually smoggy, except for when Santa Anas come, but then everywhere is.

Not sure this is correct. I think the Santa Ana winds improve the air quality by not letting the inversion layer trap the smog.

Principles of Air Quality Management - Google Book Search

[puffle]

Originally Posted by gkgeisness

I'm trying to find the best place to settle down and currently this area is #3 on my list. please help me by answering a few questions:

are there areas where homes have a nice sunset view?
is it hot and smoggy like LA or does the ocean temper the air there?
is there fear of landslides and fires everywhere, or can a person live in areas
that are safe?
how long of a drive is it to the beach?
and finally, are there new homes (post-lead in paint and pipes)?

thank you!

Lived in Westlake Village for over six years. Fear of fires are mostly off Potrero Rd. and the hills behind T.O. Blvd. There was a fire just last year in Westlake Village off Agoura Rd. and Hampshire Rd. Fires and mudslides are a way of life in Ca. Thousand Oaks is a bit cooler than WLV in the summer being closer to the ocean. The nights are very nice. No smog problems and the beaches have a number of ways of getting to them. Lots of new, very expensive homes that all look alike. No originality in Westlake..it's a planned community with homeowner associates that control everything. Lots of beige. Do you want to know what the teens are like there, or specific schools, what the people are like, any culture, how long does it take to get out of WLV in the morning or evening or weekends to go north of south??? Lot's more to an area than weather,sunsets and natural disasters. Is it pretty...yes, from a generic point of view. Do you have an Escalade,Lexus, Mercedes, or any other high prices vehicle? If yes, than you will fit right in, in fact, you will just disappear because everyone else does too. Well, most everyone. I use to love Westlake when I first moved there in 1990. I did find it a little weird that there were no people of color there. Very white bread and as a single person, very dull. It was great with a baby/toddler with all the parks and mommy and me groups, but having a teen there is tough with all the drugs, keeping up with the Jones' mentallity, the latest in everything have to haves and if you do not have an endless supply of money, then that makes it all the more tough.

[gkgeisness]

wow! one reason that I was interested in TO/WLV is because it looked more laid back, upper-middle or middle class, suburbia. I don't want to compete with the Jones and more importantly, I don't want to raise kids in that atmosphere. I thought it would be uber safe for teens. I guess I was wrong. please give more info if you have time. The schools are top rated, but parents and students complain about test scores being too important and such. I go out there a ton to shop in camerillo and to hike/explore the SM mtns and although I hate the prefab 1970's-1980's homes, I figured that I could sacrifice cute neighborhoods for more important things. But if it not a great place to raise kids (and not have to move when they turn a certain age) then forget it!

thanks so much!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by gkgeisness

I don't want to compete with the Jones and more importantly, I don't want to raise kids in that atmosphere.

Oh, if that's the case then for sure you need to look at Newport Beach and Carmel Valley. While you are at it, check out Beverly Hills too.

Seriously, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks are two of the nicest places in Southern California to live and raise kids. One of it's (I lump them together) biggest drawbacks is its distance from jobs in LA. However, there are plenty of jobs (Biotech, Financial Services, Insurance, High Tech, Dole, Countrywide, Teradyne, Amgen, ....) in a commutable distance from the West San Fernando Valley to Ventura.

As far as weather is concerned, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks weather is about the same.

Drugs? What schools don't have drugs? But at least at Westlake, TO, and NP High Schools the kids on drugs are heading to Stanford.

If white people bother you then maybe you won't like it. Never bothered me.

[jessemh431]

WLV/TO is definitely laid back, at least compared to the rest of LA. It's extremely safe, sort of quiet, beautiful, and the schools and community life are great.