Moving from NJ - need to narrow down town in Ventura County area (Los Angeles: real estate, rent)

[lagerfox19]

We are a 40 something couple with two kids almost high school age looking to relocate to California, hopefully within reach of LA because we have family there. We work internet, so won't need to commute. We would like warm weather and to be at least semi-close to the beach if possible. Our main priority, however, is good schools with a lot of sports and a safe community with a laid back vibe. We don't need a rockin' nightlife - just someplace with good restaurants, hiking/biking trails, beach, some festivals or farmers markets and low key stuff is fine for us. I don't shop at Norstrom or Saks, I don't drive a fancy car and I don't like row houses or strip malls. Really like a place good for kids with a main street and a homey feel.

Currently we like where we live in Bergen County NJ in a town I like that I often refer to as "Pleasantville". Cute little safe town with good schools but almost no diversity at all (a downside for us). We have a large house with a large yard. We think Bergen County, NJ where we live is very expensive, but from the posts here, is incredibly cheap compared to California. We won't be able to afford a house over $600,000. I can tell that yards are not a thing in California, but will need at least a 3 bedroom house. Probably, will rent at first - or maybe for a long while. I have been reading about Ventura, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Camarillo, but getting frightened that none of these places have decent neighborhoods which are affordable or that an affordable place at our budget even exists in Cali.

Ventura - Gets good marks, etc. It sounded good until a lot of the posts on here made it sound like there was a lot of homeless people and drug addicts cluttering up the streets and there were only a few pockets of nice places to live disbursed around very bad or ugly areas and that you would have to pay near a million to live in one of the nicer areas. Some schools are very good and some not so good. Some people claim it is great weather and others claim to wear a jacket in July and have to put up with fog rolling in daily. Which is it?

Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks same thing? Great schools and safe but incredibly expensive? Camarillo slightly less expensive? Ojai sounds like it might have too much crime? Maybe a little chilly?

Looking for opinions and ideas.

[nightlysparrow]

Diversity in the county is limited. Ventura and Oxnard are the most so, but nothing compared to New Jersey. Here's the county census breakdown:

Ventura County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

If prices in the east county are not in your budget, look at Simi Valley. Very good schools, family friendly, lots of sports, very low crime, easy access to LA and the beach is over Topanga Canyon, a street right to the east of Simi.

[cjwhite75]

I think Oxnard will be your best bet. I'm originally from Chicago, and I've lived in Ventura County since 2001 (7 years in Camarillo, and 7 in Oxnard). Oxnard probably has the most diversity out of any city in Ventura County. The houses are more than likely less expensive than Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, etc. Of course, there are million dollar homes in Oxnard, but for the regular neighborhoods; the prices for a 3bedroom are between $320k to $450k.

The RiverPark section in Oxnard may be a good fit for your situation. There are tons of 3 bedroom homes there that sells in the $300s. There are tons of stores (Wholefoods, Target, REI, etc), restaurants (Lazy Dog, The Yard House, etc), a Movie Theater, a 24 hour Fitness (it's really open 24/7), and a lot more, with more stores and eateries opening up. The entire RiverPark area is new to Oxnard, and is still being built-out. There are parks throughout the community. People are constantly out walking and jogging. It's a very nice neighborhood. I guess I'm biased because I live there. I've met neighbors from different parts of the country, as well as from over seas.

So, if you're leaning towards Oxnard; RiverPark shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, you probably should look there first.

[nightlysparrow]

Read this thread first before thinking about Riverpark.

//www.city-data.com/forum/ventu...-i-come-2.html

[acpii]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Read this thread first before thinking about Riverpark.

//www.city-data.com/forum/ventu...-i-come-2.html

Nice thread!

Originally Posted by cjwhite

There are tons of stores...

Well, let's not get carried away. There are a handful of stores (not least of which is a California Welcome Center - Oxnard) and more and more being added. Even someone as ignorant as me about real estate can get the feeling that RP is place that people will want to get into so getting in now might be a good idea.

To the OP, the streets and the shops that line The Collection are a fabricated and contrived "main street" if you get what I mean, but it still has useful everyday shopping via Target and Whole Foods.

I'm curious lagerfox19 why you mentioned "diversity". Did you mean ethnic diversity? What is your ethnic background?

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by lagerfox19

We are a 40 something couple with two kids almost high school age looking to relocate to California, hopefully within reach of LA because we have family there. We work internet, so won't need to commute. We would like warm weather and to be at least semi-close to the beach if possible. Our main priority, however, is good schools with a lot of sports and a safe community with a laid back vibe. We don't need a rockin' nightlife - just someplace with good restaurants, hiking/biking trails, beach, some festivals or farmers markets and low key stuff is fine for us. I don't shop at Norstrom or Saks, I don't drive a fancy car and I don't like row houses or strip malls. Really like a place good for kids with a main street and a homey feel.

You just described Ventura to a "t". Literally. We walk downtown several times a week, and almost every weekend. At least once a month--it seems--we are surprised to find Main St. closed off for some fair, market, or other special community festival. The farmer's market downtown supplies about 70% of our vegetables, weekly. The restaurants are pretty good for such a small town

Cute little safe town with good schools but almost no diversity at all (a downside for us). We have a large house with a large yard.

We're the same as you, just about a decade younger. Ventura is only diverse if you count hispanics as different from "whites". There are some Asian visitors from UCSB, and a few blacks scattered around, but that's about it. We're a "mixed-race" couple, and it doesn't bother us (because one is white), but Ventura is pretty monochrome compared to all of LA. Compared to individual neighborhoods in LA, though, it's about the same. People self-segregate as a fact of life.

We won't be able to afford a house over $600,000. I can tell that yards are not a thing in California, but will need at least a 3 bedroom house. Probably, will rent at first - or maybe for a long while. I have been reading about Ventura, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Camarillo, but getting frightened that none of these places have decent neighborhoods which are affordable or that an affordable place at our budget even exists in Cali.

We recently bought a 4+2, 1 mile from the beach, in a GREAT neighborhood, with good schools and a [long] walk to the downtown strip, for under 600K. However, since we bought, the "zestimate" of our place has gone up more than 100K, and an identical place next door sold for well above 600K.

In Ventura, in midtown, you can still get something like what you're looking for around 500K. You'll have to bike or drive to downtown, but the beach could still be sorta walking distance and everything is reachable by bike. Midtown is pretty nice, but without the walkable strip of downtown.

East Ventura has good schools and less expensive houses. You might get under 500K in a nice neighborhood. You'll be car-dependent out there, though.

Ventura - Gets good marks, etc. It sounded good until a lot of the posts on here made it sound like there was a lot of homeless people and drug addicts cluttering up the streets and there were only a few pockets of nice places to live disbursed around very bad or ugly areas and that you would have to pay near a million to live in one of the nicer areas.

There are a lot of homeless people and transients, due to the mild weather, and possibly the railroad. They are pretty much harmless background, and have recently started avoiding the downtown strip and the beach park by the pier. (Maybe this is due to selective Police enforcement?) There is one park downtown that is overrun with them right by the post office. If you don't like a bohemian campground, then it's easy to avoid. They generally don't venture far from downtown and West Ventura, where they camp in the riverbed "hobo jungle". I doubt you'll have a problem with them in your neighborhood, but you will see them when you visit downtown.

There are no ugly areas, though Ventura Avenue is probably the least safe neighborhood. It's still beautiful with great weather and a easy walk to the beach.

Some schools are very good and some not so good. Some people claim it is great weather and others claim to wear a jacket in July and have to put up with fog rolling in daily. Which is it?

Both. Depending on the wind and weather, it can be 55 and drizzling in July or 90 and sunny in January. We used to refer to it as the land of eternal fall, because a typical day starts out overcast and in the 50's, barely kisses the 70's at midday, then has chilly winds off the ocean in the afternoon, requiring at least a windbreaker, but great for flying kites.

Overall, the weather is great, but not stellar like Santa Barbara. SB avoids the afternoon onshores and marine layer that sometimes make mornings and afternoons a little gray in Ventura. The magnet schools are great, the rest are so-so.

Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks same thing? Great schools and safe but incredibly expensive?

Add boring, car-dependent, and "keeping up with the joneses" to that list, IMO, though I've never lived there.

Camarillo slightly less expensive?

Camarillo is nice, but unremarkable. There's not much of a downtown. It's really a bedroom community.

Ojai sounds like it might have too much crime? Maybe a little chilly?

Looking for opinions and ideas.

All I can say is that we fell in love with Ventura when we were living in Los Angeles and the SFV. We visited often on weekends, and eventually moved here and commuted in to the valley.

Then we left to travel the world. In all our travels, we never found a better place--though some came close (Hamburg, Naxos, Taipei) for us to live. So we came back and put down roots, and we've never been happier.

[acpii]

Originally Posted by wac_432

In all our travels, we never found a better place--though some came close (Hamburg, Naxos, Taipei) for us to live.

What an endorsement for the City of Ventura!

[nightlysparrow]

This in yesterday's paper:

Fault line under Ventura may produce catastrophic earthquake, tsunami | abc7.com

[the city]

The Collection is a mall. Oxnard still has a downtown of it's own. Simi Valley, Moor Park, Thousands Oaks are the only Ventura county cities without downtowns.

Oxnard:
http://www.downtownoxnard.org/

http://www.thecollectionrp.com/

Ventura:
http://downtownventura.org/

http://www.shoppacificview.com/

Camarillo:
https://camarillo-oldtown.com/

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=20

[majoun]

Originally Posted by lagerfox19

Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks same thing? Great schools and safe but incredibly expensive?
.

Thousand Oaks used to be the safest city in the state. It's had a big increase in crime although from a very low base, and while still relatively safe and with low violent crime has plenty of property crime, as you'd expect right next door to LA County.