Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, or Moorpark? Your Thoughts. (Los Angeles, Santa Clarita: real estate, apartments)

[LocalGirl1234]

Hi there,

We are looking to relocate to the Ventura County area. After much research and several road trips through California, this area appears to have great weather, lower crime, and relatively affordable home prices. We wouldn't move until we have a job offer however; with that aside, could you comment on these areas? Which would be best for a young family with two working adults? What is the general vibe of each? Pros & cons?

We appreciate your input!

[nightlysparrow]

Where you are going to work makes a slight difference due to freeway access if you plan on a commute. Simi and Moorpark are closer to the 118, and T.O. to the 101, but each can reach the other freeway by the 23.

T.O. is the best for shopping, Simi second. Moorpark and Simi have rail access (Metrolink and Amtrak). T.O has the status. T.O. is the prettiest. Moorpark is the most rural-adjacent. Simi has a lot of sports. T.O. has the best library, city services. T.O is the most expensive for real estate, although there are sections of west Simi and a little of east Moorpark that are high, too. The house size in T.O. is large, even for the older houses. There are more smaller houses and apartments in Simi. T.O. has best access to the ocean via the canyons. All three have good schools, T.O. may be slightly better. Weather is all the same, but Simi gets the hottest. All have wildfire risk. All are extremely low crime.

[LocalGirl1234]

Thanks for the info nightlysparrow!

[kttam186290]

Moorpark and Simi Valley are the same town, for all intents and purposes.

Thousand Oaks is probably more expensive than Simi/Moorpark.

Both areas are relatively safe and home to lots of LAPD personnel. I would say that Thousand Oaks is probably more of a white collar city, whereas, Simi is more blue collar. Thousand Oaks has more boutiques and higher-end stores.

Simi has more of a "ranch" feel to it, to me. Thousand Oaks, on the other hand, is more chic.

Both are typical of L.A. second-ring suburbia.

Another area that is similar, and which you may be interested in, is Santa Clarita, which is north of Simi Valley. Santa Clarita reminds me of a combination of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

Santa Clarita is in L.A. County but it gives you easy access to Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley at the same time.

All of these areas - Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley/Moorpark and Santa Clarita -- have great schools!

[BRinSM]

i wouldn't consider thousand oaks affordable on any level. however, all cities mentioned by OP are bedroom communities of LA and require a difficult drive in significant traffic if you work in the city. i wouldn't live in any of those places if it required a commute east of the 405 or south of mulholland, but that's just me. if that isn't the case then all those cities are good for a young family. your budget will decide where you ultimately decide to live.

[nightlysparrow]

"Bedroom community" no longer fits Thousand Oaks---except for an airport, almost everything is locally available. It has its own city hall, entertainment center, multiple shopping centers with nearly all chain stores represented, restaurants, major hospital and emergency room, DMV, police, 4-year university, Social Security office, medical clinics, banks, auto dealers, post offices, movie theaters, teen center, senior center, and city-run library. It is the headquarters for a number of corporations, including Amgen, Sage Publications, J.D. Power and Associates, and Dole Foods, Jafra Cosmetics, and Baxter have major branches in town.

The terms "bedroom community" and even "suburb" might be fine for some parts of the U.S., but IMO, not for SoCal. Where does L.A. start and end? Is Culver City a suburb? Malibu? The entire Valley? Are cities with their own city hall exempted? What about declared cities like San Fernando? When you think about it, those labels make no sense.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

"Bedroom community" no longer fits Thousand Oaks---except for an airport, almost everything is locally available. It has its own city hall, entertainment center, multiple shopping centers with nearly all chain stores represented, restaurants, major hospital and emergency room, DMV, police, 4-year university, Social Security office, medical clinics, banks, auto dealers, post offices, movie theaters, teen center, senior center, and city-run library. It is the headquarters for a number of corporations, including Amgen, Sage Publications, J.D. Power and Associates, and Dole Foods, Jafra Cosmetics, and Baxter have major branches in town.

The terms "bedroom community" and even "suburb" might be fine for some parts of the U.S., but IMO, not for SoCal. Where does L.A. start and end? Is Culver City a suburb? Malibu? The entire Valley? Are cities with their own city hall exempted? What about declared cities like San Fernando? When you think about it, those labels make no sense.

The city of Los Angeles is the anchor city and the "suburbs" are a three-tiered ring of cities that surround the main city. So, yes, Thousand Oaks is still an L.A. suburb and always will be unless L.A. gets completely wiped off of the map.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by mattk92681

The city of Los Angeles is the anchor city and the "suburbs" are a three-tiered ring of cities that surround the main city. So, yes, Thousand Oaks is still an L.A. suburb and always will be unless L.A. gets completely wiped off of the map.

Ventura is closer to Thousand Oaks than L.A., and is a mission city just as old as L.A., and Thousand Oaks is in Ventura County, not L.A. County.

And what is it that L.A. is "anchoring?"