Westlake Village vs. Agoura Hills vs. Calabasas vs. Thousand Oaks vs. Oak Park (Los Angeles: to rent, how much)

[bmorr7]

My wife and I are living on the Westside of Los Angeles with our four young children and have grown tired of the overcrowding and high stress so we're looking to move out to an area that has great public schools, nice welcoming community atmosphere, friendly people, and young families.

I work in Westwood so I realize that the commute will be a challenge so I plan to leave the house early in the morning (no later than 6 a.m.) and try to arrange my schedule to return home each day at 3-4 p.m. to hopefully avoid some of the afternoon traffic.

Our price range for a home is 700-900,000 (we're hoping for 5 bedrooms and 3000-3500 square feet) and we're considering the following towns.

1. Westlake Village
2. Agoura Hills
3. Calabasas
4. Thousand Oaks
5. Oak Park

Our wish list for a town includes:

1. Great public schools
2. True community vibe where people feel like they live in a home town
3. Friendly and family oriented and welcoming to new families
4. Safe environment for young children
5. Good community resources like public libraries, parks, etc.
6. Some young families

I was wondering what people think about the towns mentioned above and how they stack up on the items on our wish list. We're also happy to consider another town that fits the bill but the five above seem to us to be our best bets.

Thank you so much and happy holidays to all!

[user_id]

Originally Posted by bmorr7

Our price range for a home is 700-900,000 (we're hoping for 5 bedrooms and 3000-3500 square feet) and we're considering the following towns.

Though you can get plenty of nice homes in these areas for $700~$900k, finding something that is 3000~3500 square feet unless its a hideous Mcmansion...will be difficult.

Originally Posted by bmorr7

1. Great public schools
2. True community vibe where people feel like they live in a home town
3. Friendly and family oriented and welcoming to new families
4. Safe environment for young children
5. Good community resources like public libraries, parks, etc.
6. Some young families

1.) All the cities have good schools.
2.) Don't really think any of them have a "home town" vibe...though its certainly more "home town" that LA.
3.) True for all the cities.
4.) True for all the cities.
5.) True for all the cities.
6.) Well there are certainly "some", but the demographics tend to be on the older side, I think that is especially true of the westlake village area (which happens to the wealthiest area).

Anyhow, the Conejo Valley is pretty much one big community, I don't think it matters too much which city you pick, it will probably come down to what sort of home you're looking for more than anything. Though, I would note that Calabasas is only partially in the Conejo Valley, the other half is part of the San Fernando Valley.

[DaniellaG]

I don't have kids and am new to Thousand Oaks area but where I live is very close to WL which is very nice too. Thousand Oaks from the people I have met is friendly. There is a very nice large library but also a smaller one in Newbury Park. The mall,other shops,restaurants,movies,theater is right there so you won't have to drive far. WL has a nice outside type plaza mall,movies etc.I have also heard and looked a little myself in Oak Park that they have really good schools.
Calabasas I heard is warmer in the summers then some areas listed.
When I was looking at places to rent someone brought up the fact of Ventura vs LA taxes. I am not sure the difference in how much but just thought I would bring that up.

[MovingFromTexas]

I've heard that young folks from Oak Park aren't as "refined" (in terms of language, dress, etc.) as those from Calabasas or Agoura. I'm interested to see if others have found that to be the case. The times I've visited the schools in Oak Park (and sometimes Westlake Village as well), I've seen quite a few students using fithly words and dressing inappropriately. Do others see such differences between Oak Park and the other towns like Westlake Village/Calabasas/Agoura Hills in regard to such behavior and attire?

[user_id]

Originally Posted by MovingFromTexas

I've heard that young folks from Oak Park aren't as "refined" (in terms of language, dress, etc.) as those from Calabasas or Agoura.

Really don't know what you mean by "refined", but considering that Agoura Hills and Oak park are neighboring communities its hard to imagine how there could be any major differences.

Originally Posted by MovingFromTexas

I've seen quite a few students using fithly words and dressing inappropriately.

You're going to find that at any school you look at in the area, after all, not all parents have the same idea about "refinement" that you do....

[waitressinthesky]

As a former "unrefined" Oak Park kid (grown now), I will say that Oak Park's schools are good, and the community is quite small. All of these towns are super close together, so it's not going to make that big of a difference, IMO. I actually think Oak Park kids are just as materialistic as the other kids you'll find in those other areas. (Not all of the kids; I just mean kids who grow up in Oak Park tend to get new cars for their 16th, like wearing designer clothing...) Good family communities, nonetheless.

1. Westlake -- high end, expensive, a bit more going on; larger schools (than Oak Park, anyway)
2. Agoura Hills -- a bit more socioeconomically diverse, bigger HS
3. Calabasas -- feels a whole lot bigger than Oak Park to me; very high in... mostly
4. T.O. -- definitely more diverse than Westlake/Oak Park... much bigger...
5. Oak Park -- (as stated above)

[bmorr7]

Waitressinthesky - if you were moving to this area with school age kids, where would you want them to go to school and why? Also, do you have any thoughts on the high number of Oak Park students who transfer in from other districts? Is this a good or bad thing for the schools?

It is very helpful to hear from someone who graduated from school in the area. Appreciate your input.

[waitressinthesky]

Honestly, I don't think you can go too wrong living in any of these cities. Thousand Oaks and Calabasas are a little different than Agoura, Oak Park and Westlake, which are smaller (Oak Park being the smallest by far), but they're all safe places with good schools. I haven't always heard the best things about some of the high schools in Thousand Oaks, but that's probably just because T.O. High School is bigger than the others, as far as I know. I had friends at Agoura and Westlake, and knew a few kids from the other schools, and they all ended up at UCs or better.

With all the cities, it's a fairly homogenous population. At Oak Park HS, it was pretty much white people (Jewish/Protestant/etc.) and Asian people, with a small smattering of Indian people and others here and there. I remember very few hispanic people or black people. Personally, as I grew older, I knew I didn't want to live somewhere that non-diverse, but I am happy that I got such a nice education that more than prepared me for my studies at the UC. Housing is expensive, so you won't see much socio-economic diversity in Oak Park, either (same being true of Westlake, especially, as well as the other communities).

[Alan Gregg]

to User ID or Moving from Texas, I have lived in both Westlake Village and Oak Park and have found no differences as the the refinement of or lack thereof in Oak Park. Oak Park is a small close knit community with top notch blue ribbon schools set in a beautiful rural valley of suburban syle homes. It is on a par with Westlake, probably a bit more prestigious than Agoura Hills, and a little less prestigious than Calabasas. Otherwise, most of the Conejo Valley melds into eachother and the constituent towns are more alike than they are different.

[socalmommie]

Originally Posted by bmorr7

My wife and I are living on the Westside of Los Angeles with our four young children and have grown tired of the overcrowding and high stress so we're looking to move out to an area that has great public schools, nice welcoming community atmosphere, friendly people, and young families.

I work in Westwood so I realize that the commute will be a challenge so I plan to leave the house early in the morning (no later than 6 a.m.) and try to arrange my schedule to return home each day at 3-4 p.m. to hopefully avoid some of the afternoon traffic.

Our price range for a home is 700-900,000 (we're hoping for 5 bedrooms and 3000-3500 square feet) and we're considering the following towns.

1. Westlake Village
2. Agoura Hills
3. Calabasas
4. Thousand Oaks
5. Oak Park

Our wish list for a town includes:

1. Great public schools
2. True community vibe where people feel like they live in a home town
3. Friendly and family oriented and welcoming to new families
4. Safe environment for young children
5. Good community resources like public libraries, parks, etc.
6. Some young families

I was wondering what people think about the towns mentioned above and how they stack up on the items on our wish list. We're also happy to consider another town that fits the bill but the five above seem to us to be our best bets.

Thank you so much and happy holidays to all!

Because you've isolated areas with excellent schools districts (separate from LAUSD), I can see you've already geared your search to meet your #1 priority, great public schools. All are safe for young kids.

Westlake Village & Newbury Park are neighborhoods within the city of Thousand Oaks, so they're all within the same school district. That said, Westlake is traditionally the more expensive of the trio - all are excellent areas to live & very much have a hometown feel... I grew up in Newbury Park & despite the massive growth it has undergone in the past 20 years, I still feel like Thousand Oaks as a whole (including NP) has retained its smalltown feel.

I can't speak for Oak Park/Agoura/Calabasas, but I truly love the Thousand Oaks Library - right off Janss Road, it's a beautiful building adjacent a newer public park space & they have an incredible children's library. There are lots of young families in all of those areas.

My personal preference is Thousand Oaks, but I know several people who love the smaller, tightknit vibe of Agoura/Oak Park. Although they don't have their own shopping center (traveling to either Woodland Hills or Thousand Oaks for "mall shopping"), they do each have excellent schools & beautifully planned neighborhoods.

I disagree with one of the earlier posters that your budget will only buy you a hideous McMansion. If you're leaving L.A., there are of course trade-offs & you'd be looking to leave quirky, cute houses for properties that are a little larger & more recently built. Most of the community planning has been incredibly well thought out & well done - just driving through the neighborhoods & checking out open houses, you'll find the areas that feel right to you.

Good luck!