Any good areas in Oxnard? (San Diego, Oceanside: to rent, violent crime, how much)

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Frank_Black

We will be moving to Ventura County and planning to rent a house for at least a year before buying. My job will be in Ventura. We have been looking at rental properties in Ventura, Camarillo, and Oxnard. I know Oxnard has a bad rep as far as crime goes, but are there any nice, safe neighborhoods in Oxnard. How about near Mandalay Beach, Hollywood Beach, Oxnard Beach, or Channel Islands Harbor? Our budget for a rental is around $3000-$3500.

Oxnard's crime is low. Plenty of good neighborhoods. My personal favorite is Wilson near downtown.

FYI, the beach areas are often targeted by thieves, smash-and-grab type crimes. Just because it's expensive doesn't necessarily make it safe. Lots of vacation rentals that sit vacant, and the likes of "tweakers" know this and occupy for as long as they can.

"Inland" west-side neighborhoods between Victoria and Ventura Roads are nice, unpretentious and very low crime. Kids on bikes, good-humor ice-cream trucks, families, lively.

Northeast is new but "detached condo" hell (IMO).

Riverpark is nice but expensive, and may be facing a flood-zone remapping.

College Park in southeast Oxnard is another favorite of mine. Lots of good things happening there these days.

Best of luck in your search.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Frank_Black

After driving around Oxnard, Ventura, and Camarillo for the 3rd time in the last few months, I have narrowed my choices down to Ventura (1st choice) or Camarillo (2nd choice). School is not a deciding factor for me as my kids will be going to private school. After driving around Oxnard including the "nice areas", I realized that it's not the type of place I can proudly call home. I also realized that even if I lived in Oxnard, I would still spend most of my time in Ventura or Camarillo. This is of course based on my observation and preferences and I don't mean to offend any Oxnard residents.

I used to feel exactly like you until I got to know Oxnard. I now appreciate it more than both Ventura and Camarillo from the standpoint of things going on in the city and the variety of people I meet and have made friends with. (Since the mid 80s, I've lived in all three cities and worked in Ventura, Oxnard and Port Hueneme.)

On the other hand, being the largest city between Los Angeles and San Jose, I don't think anyone in Oxnard will be offended if you decide to crowd up some other place instead. . All in good fun ribbing, of course. Don't mean to offend... Good luck to you.

ETA: The next time you're in Ventura and having a leisurely ride on the Main Street Bridge bike path, take a peek beneath it. You will see that city's dark underbelly. Third world....

[user_id]

Originally Posted by Winston Smith

ETA: The next time you're in Ventura and having a leisurely ride on the Main Street Bridge bike path, take a peek beneath it. You will see that city's dark underbelly. Third world....

Oh...c'mon.....

[Frank_Black]

ETA: The next time you're in Ventura and having a leisurely ride on the Main Street Bridge bike path, take a peek beneath it. You will see that city's dark underbelly. Third world.... [/quote]

If you're talking about the homeless people, I am not bothered by it. I lived in San Diego for over 20 years and have been to San Francisco many times. They are 2 of my favorite cities and have a lot of homeless people. It doesn't take away from what makes those cities wonderful places to live and visit.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Frank_Black

If you're talking about the homeless people, I am not bothered by it. I lived in San Diego for over 20 years and have been to San Francisco many times. They are 2 of my favorite cities and have a lot of homeless people. It doesn't take away from what makes those cities wonderful places to live and visit.

May not bother a lot of people, but that's not exactly my point. It's a third-world situation, like what you see in Mexico: abject poverty and human misery directly next to (or beneath, in Ventura's case) a community that's turned a blind eye to a very serious problem for many reasons. We could probably start a whole new discussion thread about why it's a problem we shouldn't ignore. But all that aside, I'll say this: to live in Ventura, it takes being able to either ignore or put up with homelessness, particularly downtown, along the Promenade, Pier, parks and bikepaths. It's gotten a lot shabbier over the past several years. When I lived in downtown Ventura it was bad enough, but nothing like now. You don't see homelessness as vividly anywhere else in Ventura County. But anyway, see it for yourself. It's easy to do. Duck under the Main Street bridge -- trash, graffiti, shopping carts strewn all over the place, elaborate camps against every bridge abutment, out into the river. It's a whole community living and dying at the doorstep of the Ventura Visitor's Bureau and City Hall. Shame!

By the way, this is not a popular thing to say about Ventura, a city I like in many ways. But for some reason the city has a hard time looking itself in the mirror when it comes to this aspect of itself. It reminds me of Santa Barbara during the years when that city blamed Lompoc, Santa Maria and Ventura County for Santa Barbara's own gang problem. That didn't work either.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by Winston Smith

It's a third-world situation, like what you see in Mexico: abject poverty and human misery directly next to (or beneath, in Ventura's case) a community that's turned a blind eye to a very serious problem for many reasons.

You appear to be describing some areas of Oxnard, which "like what you'd see in Mexico" in more ones than one.

Much of the homeless population in Ventura isn't due to some failure of society, instead they are people that want to be homeless and well....if you're going to be homeless you may as well live on the beach.

[LadyKLO]

Originally Posted by Frank_Black

After driving around Oxnard, Ventura, and Camarillo for the 3rd time in the last few months, I have narrowed my choices down to Ventura (1st choice) or Camarillo (2nd choice). School is not a deciding factor for me as my kids will be going to private school. After driving around Oxnard including the "nice areas", I realized that it's not the type of place I can proudly call home. I also realized that even if I lived in Oxnard, I would still spend most of my time in Ventura or Camarillo. This is of course based on my observation and preferences and I don't mean to offend any Oxnard residents.

No offense taken...what nice areas of Oxnard did you go to? I am curious.

[the city]

Originally Posted by user_id

You appear to be describing some areas of Oxnard, which "like what you'd see in Mexico" in more ones than one.

Much of the homeless population in Ventura isn't due to some failure of society, instead they are people that want to be homeless and well....if you're going to be homeless you may as well live on the beach.

Not everyone wants to be homeless, some have mental disabliites and some are veterans and some became homeless and had no clue how to get out and stayed there. Sometimes it feels like churches are the only group of people trying to help the homeless in Ventura.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by the city

Not everyone wants to be homeless, some have mental disabliites and some are veterans and some became homeless and had no clue how to get out and stayed there. Sometimes it feels like churches are the only group of people trying to help the homeless in Ventura.

I never suggested that everyone wants to be homeless, I suggested that a lot of the homeless folks in Ventura (and other beach cities as well) are "lifestyle homeless" folks. That is, they are homeless by choice...

Regardless, Oxnard is home to for more poverty Ventura. There are areas of Oxnard (by no means the majority), that resemble 3rd world shantytowns. Although there are numerous middle class areas of Oxnard, its hard to erase the bad (due to poverty) areas from consideration and I'm guessing that is what the OP experienced. And things really aren't getting any better.... For example:

- Oxnard has around half of the counties food-stamp recipients...around 27,000 people. Similarly, Oxnard has around half of the county's CalWorks (a welfare program) recipients.
- Unemployment in Oxnard is 4~5% higher than other Ventura County cities.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/...e/?partner=RSS

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by user_id

You appear to be describing some areas of Oxnard, which "like what you'd see in Mexico" in more ones than one.

Which areas are you referring to, Mr. Oxnard Expert? Be specific. I cannot think of any place in Oxnard that comes close to seeing the degree or concentration of human misery found under the Main Street bridge -- nor in such close proximity to "the good life" on top of the bridge.

The "shanty towns" of Oxnard's 90s and earlier times have largely been replaced with standard-grade housing, mostly for farm workers, a benefit felt throughout Ventura County.

One of the most striking differences that I noticed moving from Ventura to Oxnard was the lack of homeless camps and drunk and deranged people harraning you for money in parks and other public places. In Ventura, I could not walk from my downtown apartment to the store without having to fend off homeless drunks just hanging around everywhere. My girlfriend refused to leave the apartment on foot after dark.

I recently took a bike ride up the Ojai Trail and was truly appalled by the homeless camps and drunk people arguing and fighting every so many few feet between Main Street and Casitas Springs. It's gotten worse over the past 10 or so years, in my estimation. Then again, maybe I just hit the trail on an unlucky day.