oxnard, ca (Santa Barbara, Camarillo, Eureka: apartment, rent, condo)

[thinboy]

hello, i was wondering how is oxnard, ca, becuse im thinking of moving there. since its was my brith city? is st.johns hositpal there? is romona elmentary there? also, any other info about the city would be nice.


oh i lived there untill 1989.

[ydavis]

I don't like Oxnard. Too many gangs, it's crazy.The surrounding areas, like Ventura are really nice, but I always tried to stay out of Oxnard. It's okay to go there for something, like a store, or a restaurant, but then leave and go home.

[brian_2]

Yes, all those lovely Oxnard strawberry fields being spayed with pesticides - that smell wafting on the air - priceless. Kinda like the vineyards on the central coast surrounded by eight lanes of traffic exhaust particulate settling on the grapes - yum!

[Winston Smith]

I realize this is a bit late in coming, but I thought it'd be worth balancing the picture on Oxnard. A few people wrote somewhat negatively of the town. It's true, Oxnard has its problems, but then again it's twice as big as Ventura, and three times as big as Camarillo (the neighboring towns). You just have to be judicious on where you choose to live in Oxnard. North Oxnard is expensive, as are the beach areas. The beach has apparently been plagued with burglaries as of late. But you can find relatively reasonable housing in many nice -- low-crime -- neighborhoods on the west side of town just innland from the beach.

My biggest complaint about Oxnard is the traffic and short-cited city policies regarding transportation planning (i.e. not enough public transpo, bikable, walkable streets, etc). Another complaint: noise in the neighborhoods. You often hear loud music from neighbors, mini-moto bikes up and down the street, and now with the 4th of July impending, a barrage of illegal fireworks. The city does recognize all three as quality-of-life issues and is dealing with them from law- and code-enforcement angles. Beyond that, there is a lot going on in Oxnard these days to deal with some of the city's negatives. The city is seriously cracking down on gangs and graffiti, for one. The downtown is undergoing a very nice rehabilitation. The city is trying.

What I like most: CLIMATE AND WEATHER! I put up with all of the negatives because of the weather. In that regard, Oxnard (and west Ventura County generally) has it made with most days sunny and temps in the 60s to mid-70s with a fresh ocean breeze from Point Conception. The absolute best in Southern California.

One thing you might consider, and this is completely a personal thing depending on how you feel about it, is Oxnard's ambition to become a "premier" west-coast city. Oxnard is growing, fast. And, it is growing up. Oxnard is planning several high-rise (dare I say NYC-style) condo/office buildings. Again, some people like this, some hate it, but it is coming to Oxnard, so just ask yourself how you'd feel about living in a place with these kinds of growth ambitions.

[ahem]

I live in Santa Barbara but work in Oxnard and think Oxnard has wonderful people. There is a great mix of ancestries and people live and work together.

[gringo istmeño]

I live on the coast of the mexican state of Oaxaca with my wife (local girl) and our son, Wiyot. I teach ESL at the local university and love life here, but we are thinking of coming up to california to live and work (I`m from Eureka) and we are liking Oxnard for various different reasons. I was hoping to get a quick rundown on rents in different parts of Oxnard (smaller 2 bedroom, private yard?) How does rent compare with Ventura? It has to be one of those two cities, can`t go further inland. Anyone? Thanks a lot.

[brian_2]

Really good informational post on Oxnard cre8. My mention of the Oxnard strawberry fields was a generalized slam on the heavy use of chemicals on crops, and was unfair in inferring Oxnard = agriculture. Oxnard isn't just an agriculture town of course. I have visited parts of Oxnard (early-mid 1990's) in the past that were very pleasant. Your 9/2 post on Oxnard is useful, and a plus to this forum.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by brian_2

My mention of the Oxnard strawberry fields was a generalized slam on the heavy use of chemicals on crops

You're right, brian_2, agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, blowing chem-polluted dust) is a concern, period, but even more so where urbanized areas and ag land live side by side, as in Ventura County. Ag-industry pollution is on the radar screen at the county level, so I suspect it's becoming a prominent issue for the area.

[Roundtruck]

I live in the area and I must say I do whatever I can so that I don't have to venture very far into Oxnard. Shootings or stabbings almost every day! There are areas that have the lowest rent in the county, but I don't want to be anywhere near them. The better areas like North Oxnard, and near the beach have become terribly expensive. One could live in Ventura or Camarillo for near the same price. The gang activity is spreading to other parts of the county as well, but nothing yet compares to Oxnard. The weather is wonderful, and there are tons of great people there. There are many businesses there because of lower operating costs than the rest of the county. It is a shame it has become so violent. The pollution level of the beaches is rising too. I'm afraid the negatives outweigh the positives way too much for me.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by gringo istmeño

I was hoping to get a quick rundown on rents in different parts of Oxnard...Ventura.

Rents can vary across the Oxnard/Ventura area as a whole, but expect to pay between $1,200 and $2,000 or so for an average 2 bedroom apartment (beach/view areas can be more). A good place to start checking rents and vacancies is the online edition of the Ventura County Star newspaper www.venturacountystar.com (registration required, though otherwise free to read online).