moorpark or thousand oaks? (Simi Valley, Vista: apartment complexes, renting, condos)

[pembaz98]

Heya everyone. I will be moving to thousand oaks this june. I will be going to CLU and have few queries on apartment renting. One of the apartment is Hillcrest Park apartments and is in Newbury Park and the other one is Waterstone apartments and is in Moorpark. The question I have is which apartment should I choose? The decision has to be made with these stuff in mind like location type?, transportation to school?, commuting to LA?, locality?, aparmtent quality? Hillcrest or Waterstone?

The other thing is has anyone seen these two apartments? If anyone has, please let me know which I should choose and which is better? I am renting a one bedroom apartment.

Please be prompt with your reply. I would be grateful if you would.

[Humanoid]

I don't know about the particular apartment complexes you mentioned but in general Newbury park is nicer than Moorpark. Moorpark has gone downhill a bit over the years.

Also, in each case you can easily get to the 101 which will take you to LA or CLU. Although Newbury Park is a bit closer.

[Roma]

Hi, I know of Hillcrest Park in Newbury Park. I do not know of Waterstone.

I actually lived at Hillcrest Park Apts for a awhile. They allow pets (dogs). It is a huge apartment complex. I think they have 600 units. They have several pools and a very small gym. They have several laundry rooms (clothes can get stolen though) so watch your laundry. I've heard of cars being broken into and stuff like that. It is across the street from Amgen (bio tech company). Ralph's is down the street. The Mall just a little further. Easy commute to CLC. Be careful because next to Hillcrest Park are these condos that are bad and have high crime in them. It can spill over to Hillcrest Park (they jump the fence/wall). I've seen it.

All in all I would recommend it for the price. DO NOT get an apartment in the back (that is where a lot crime happens). Try to stay up front or in the middle. As in anywhere, Know your surroundings and be smart and aware of the possibilities when going to and from your car at night though. I am a female and I lived there by myself. If you notice anything odd call the police or the office. Believe me, the police know the complex and the office is well aware of the what goes on there.

Also get an upstairs unit, not downstairs!!! Believe me on this. You will hear every single foot step and noise from the people living above you. This is a very old complex so the walls are not the best. You even hear the toilet flush in the unit next to you. So upstairs only!.

Always lock your doors and windows and slider. ALWAYS! Even if you live upstairs. Put a stick in your slider too. I also had these gadgets on my windows (extra locks).

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by pembaz98

The decision has to be made with these ... in mind like ... transportation to school?, commuting to LA?, locality?

Can't help you much with apartments' info, but regarding transportation, perhaps. City bus services in both Thousand Oaks and Moorpark are quite poor. These are very car-centric cities. I think the city leaders added a few bus routes as feel-good novelties . That said, the following resources might help you:

VISTA express bus (Simi, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Westlake): Ventura County Transportation Commission - VISTA East (http://www.goventura.org/vista/east_n.htm - broken link)

Moorpark & TO city buses: City of Moorpark Bus Ride Guide | City of Thousand Oaks - Transportation Programs

Moorpark has rail connections to LA (Metrolink and Amtrak Surfliner): Metrolink :: Welcome | Amtrak - Schedules

Good luck!

[newlandlord]

It is very weird. and the traffic between LA and the valley is horrible. It takes me 45+ minutes to drive from downtown LA to Encino - a total of 15 measliy miles. .... I hate it.

If you can... try to move to studio city. it is right in the middle and very centrally located... plus more movie stars.

[Charles]

Newbury Park will be an easier drive. The 23 SB in the AM is pretty bad even though they are adding a third lane in each direction.
Moorpark will be a little cooler in summer.

[Gael Force]

Actually, depending on where you live in Moorpark, the commute to CLU may be shorter than from Newbury Park. Moorpark road can be accessed from Tierra Rejada Road and by taking this route, you avoid the congested 23, as well as the 101. Simply follow Moorpark Road into Thousand Oaks (a 2-3 mile drive from the south end of Moorpark) and make a right on Olsen Road.

As far as which place is a better place to live depends. For example, Newbury Park is considered the "slum" of Thousand Oaks. The south end of Moorpark (Tierra Rejada area) is absolutely stunning! Beautiful housing tracts, parks, walking, hiking, and biking trails, etc., but it's very expensive! Downtown Moorpark is a dump and most who live on the south end (up on the hill) do their shopping in nearby Thousand Oaks.

Another area you may want to consider is the Wood Ranch area of Simi Valley. There are lots of upscale apartments there and the community is right off Olsen Road.

I've lived in Ventura County for 32 years and what I can say is that Moorpark has come a long way. Moorpark was once a little farming town, but has now become a rather upscale bedroom community. As a matter of fact, Money Magazine rated Moorpark as one of the best places to live in the United States (2007). Newbury Park, on the other hand, has gone down hill! I hope this helps.

[Charles]

My comments in red.

Originally Posted by Gael Force

Actually, depending on where you live in Moorpark, the commute to CLU may be shorter than from Newbury Park. Moorpark road can be accessed from Tierra Rejada Road and by taking this route, you avoid the congested 23, as well as the 101. Simply follow Moorpark Road into Thousand Oaks (a 2-3 mile drive from the south end of Moorpark) and make a right on Olsen Road.

True. I didn't think of south Moorpark versus Dos Vientos (extreme west TO, NB).

As far as which place is a better place to live depends. For example, Newbury Park is considered the "slum" of Thousand Oaks.

Slum? Sure some parts of older Newbury Park are older but "slum" and "anywhere in the Conejo Valley" don't belong in the same sentence, especially when those "slums" are $350-$400 per square foot. I lived in both Moorpark Campus Park 1988-97 and Thousand Oaks Lang Ranch 1997-2005.