Thousand Oaks vs. Moorpark vs. Simi (Simi Valley, Camarillo: low crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[Nicoleelizabeth7]

House hunting in the area. Our top choice is Thousand Oaks, however with rising home costs and very low inventory we're having a hard time finding things we like in our price range. We are a young family, we have a 2 year old and one due in April. The houses we can afford are in the areas of TO that look a little old and run down (phone lines everywhere, neighbors not keeping up with maitenence, houses need a lot of work ect.) Most of them also are in a bad elementary school district (Glenwood or Conejo) but we plan on trying school choice. Are there any "bad" neighborhoods in TO (dangerous)?

We found some houses that are small but in a good neighborhood of Moorpark (Peach Hill). Between the older neighborhoods of TO and the Peach Hill neighborhood of Moorpark, which would you choose? Anyone recommend Simi over the other two? Not as familiar with Simi and Moorpark, but seems like there is more to do in TO, is that true?

[jw2]

Of the three, Moorpark is the safest (least crime) but they all are very safe. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley do have more things to do and more shopping. They all cater well to young families.

Simi and Thousand Oaks, being 3-4 times the size of Moorpark, will have more good and bad areas. (bad is relative, no place in either is really that bad) so you will have to choose the area that works best for you. Moorpark is pretty much safe all around. The biggest complaint teenagers have is it is too quiet. Some like that aspect

Moorpark and Simi Valley have Metrolink rain stations, if that is important

If it were me, I would choose Moorpark for their concentration of young families, good schools, less traffic, and safety. Peach Hill is a nice section.

[nightlysparrow]

Moorpark is fine for the reasons jw2 stated, but you will find yourself shopping in Simi (big box stores) and Thousand Oaks (high-end stores), as well as going to movies, live theatre, restaurants, sports, and for other amenities and services in those cities.

All 3 cities are so close that people just get used to driving between them. Not really an issue!

[kenrobin]

I lived in Simi for 10 years before moving back to my native Bay Area. All 3 cities are great for young families as they have good to great schools, low crime & good shopping. TO is the most expensive & the most "upscale". Moorpark is the smallest & has virtually no shopping outside of a Target and a few restaurants off the freeway. Simi probably offers the best value for your dollar. It frequently jostles with TO for the top safety ranking for cities with at least 100K people. The new outdoor mall has brought very good shopping options to Simi. The schools in Simi are not quite as good as TO & Moorpark. Think of Simi's schools as an 8 while Moorpark & TO's schools are a 9. You can't go wrong in any of these cities.

[nightlysparrow]

To update what kenrobin said, Moorpark has substantially expanded the one shopping center by the freeway.
The outdoor mall in Simi still exists, but nobody shops there. For posh shopping they go to T.O.'s newly expanded Oaks Mall, or up to Camarillo to the Premium Outlet mall.

Also, Moorpark and Simi have Amtrak, T.O. doesn't.