Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Ventura County
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-24-2011, 07:28 PM
 
4 posts, read 12,715 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

I was wondering if any Ventura locals could help me?

I was offered a job in Westlake Village and I'm currently living in San Clemente , Orange County which makes the commute impossible, We're a young couple in our 30's with two dogs, one large breed and I love to surf in my free time.

All I know about Oxnard is from driving up there twice to check it out, so far I really liked the area of the Ventura Fairgrounds and Emma Wood State Beach and the pier, I also checked out the strand but it took me like 20min just to get back on the 101.

Don't really care for bars, hip places or anything, just want a peaceful place not too far from surfing, that would be ok with dogs, looking to spend up to $1800 for a 2/3 bedroom, should I consider Camarillo or Thousand Oaks? they seemed very far from the water.

How about the commute in morning traffic?, I don't really mind driving an hour if I had to.

Thank you very much.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-24-2011, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Arizona
512 posts, read 943,537 times
Reputation: 1229
I lived on the Strand and commuted to Westlake Village for 11 years UGH!!! Hard to plan your day when your commute can be 35 mins to 1 1/2 hours EACH way. One accident on the 101 and it slows it down and triggers 2 or 3 more accidents. Driving the "farm" roads, Pleasant Valley Road and getting on the freeway in Camariilo really helps. I was lucky to have carpoolers usually 3 or 4 of us so that make the ride fun. Needless to say, I now work from home and am much happier. I have so much free time now without that horrible commute!

Take a look at the Mission Oaks area in Camarillo. I have many friends who live there and they love it. The beach is not that far, just a short drive down Las Posas Rd. Good Luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-24-2011, 09:57 PM
 
699 posts, read 1,337,309 times
Reputation: 194
The areas you described (Emma Wood, pier, fairgrounds) are all considered Ventura, a separate city from Oxnard.

We moved this way from OC and are very familiar with San Clemente.

Ventura proper is your answer. Yes, Camarillo is nice, but it's more Irvine than San Clemente.

On your drive back, park near Main Street (near, say, Fir St) and just walk the downtown area. There's a vibe and a proximity to the ocean you won't find anywhere else in the area. Dog friendly? Ohmygosh yes. We walked downtown Sat night with our dog and were invited into a number of shops with the dog. Some have water dishes already set out! Ventura is extremely dog friendly.

Surf-wise, you have Rincon and Surfer's Point, some of the best in California (read this).

And yes, just like the situation you have now by being bound by the 5, folks in Ventura are essentially bound by the 101.

It's the price you pay for being at the beach.

But you already knew that ;-)

So to answer your question... I commute from Ventura to the west valley (another 15-20 mins further from Westlake Village) and it averages an hour. You'll be right at 45 mins each way, with a slightly longer commute going home. Traffic bunches up at the Conejo grade near Camarillo.

Camarillo's weather is great - sunnier than Ventura during May-June. Thousand Oaks is a desert (by comparison) with temps frequently hitting 100 in the summer.

Last edited by HSP1161; 01-24-2011 at 10:13 PM.. Reason: Clarification
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Haslet...where the cows meet suburbia
85 posts, read 173,002 times
Reputation: 42
There's a lovely little beach community at the end of Seaward. It's a quick hop to jump on the 101, and not too far from Main Street or the Point. Unfortunately Westlake is quite a commute from Ventura, no matter where you live. If you live in Oxnard by Strand, or even Hollywood Beach, you'll have to deal with all the town traffic before you hit the freeway traffic. If you want to avoid all the traffic, then you'll need to live in Camarillo, but then you'll be a bit away from the beach. Not to mention, Camarillo doesn't really have the "surfer" vibe that you'll find living in the Ventura/Oxnard beach communities. Basically, take your pick: surfing or the commute.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 11:42 AM
 
Location: In a room above Mr. Charrington's shop
2,916 posts, read 11,042,929 times
Reputation: 1765
Quote:
Originally Posted by travis71 View Post
I was offered a job in Westlake Village
...

All I know about Oxnard is from driving up there twice to check it out, so far I really liked the area of the Ventura Fairgrounds and Emma Wood State Beach and the pier, I also checked out the strand but it took me like 20min just to get back on the 101.

Don't really care for bars, hip places or anything, just want a peaceful place not too far from surfing....

How about the commute in morning traffic?, I don't really mind driving an hour if I had to.

Thank you very much.
What do you consider "too far from the water"? Ox/Ven - Westlake Village is a very tedious commute. From Ventura or north Oxnard, the only real choice is U.S. 101. If there is a problem with it, you are pretty much stuck. On Fridays, and particularly ahead of holiday weekends, the northbound 101 going home can be completely stopped.

On the other hand, you could consider Port Hueneme or southwest Oxnard. Silverstrand is nothing but a surfer's hamlet. In that case, you have other options - Hueneme and Portrero Roads, for example. Then if things are really bad or you just want a diversion, you can use Highway 23, Mulholland Highway, PCH. I've done that in the past. The extra 20 minutes it took to go over the mountains and along the coast was nice and worth it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 12:14 PM
 
4 posts, read 12,715 times
Reputation: 11
Thank you very much for all the help, now I have a lot more to go on with .

Too far from the water I thought would be places like Simi Valley, Agoura Hills closer to Westlake Village with less traffic but way too inland for me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 03:20 PM
 
Location: In a room above Mr. Charrington's shop
2,916 posts, read 11,042,929 times
Reputation: 1765
Quote:
Originally Posted by travis71 View Post
Thank you very much for all the help, now I have a lot more to go on with .

Too far from the water I thought would be places like Simi Valley, Agoura Hills closer to Westlake Village with less traffic but way too inland for me.
In that case, consider Camarillo. Would be about 1/2 way between WLV and the ocean.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 03:54 PM
 
699 posts, read 1,337,309 times
Reputation: 194
If the OP likes San Clemente proper and wants the surf environs, he will definitely not like Camarillo (as my spuse says, "there's no 'there there' "). He strikes me as a T-Street dweller, not one who would consider Talega.

But the extra 20-30 mins to go 10 miles is a pain, no doubt.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 04:02 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
964 posts, read 2,640,835 times
Reputation: 578
I guess it depends on how often he goes surfing? Every day? Once a week? What time of day? Rush hour? Off hours?

Bounce that against commuting five days a week.

If he surfs once a week, then live in the Conejo Valley. Every day at 6AM before work, then Ventura. Couple times a week, maybe Camarillo or Conejo Valley.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2011, 04:08 PM
 
699 posts, read 1,337,309 times
Reputation: 194
Quote:
Originally Posted by proudmommy View Post
I guess it depends on how often he goes surfing? Every day? Once a week? What time of day? Rush hour? Off hours?

Bounce that against commuting five days a week.

If he surfs once a week, then live in the Conejo Valley. Every day at 6AM before work, then Ventura. Couple times a week, maybe Camarillo or Conejo Valley.
It's a lifestyle with surfers. They want to know that they can go surfing in the morning then go to work.

That's not tenable when you're inland.

I'm not one myself, but I'm surrounded by them in my family and my wife's family.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > Ventura County

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top