Ventura or San Luis Obispo? (Oxnard, Pasadena: apartments, rental, condo)

[MSUnurse]

I'm a middle-aged nursing student, about to graduate in December. Thinking about moving to Ventura or San Luis Obispo. One of the hospitals I'm considering is in Oxnard and, from what I've heard, I definitely don't want to live there. My question is...if Oxnard is that bad, do I really want to live in Ventura because they are so close?!

Thinking about Simi Valley, too, but it's surrounded by fault lines and that makes me a little paranoid.

So far I like the looks of San Luis Obispo...it's just a little farther away from my relative who lives in Lancaster.

Any opinions?

[Ryan]

My God; absolutely SLO, Morro Bay or Pismo Beach if you're willing to commute. Morro Bay and Pismo Beach are nice and quiet. Great beaches, high retired population. Not much shopping, but the natural features more than make up for it. SLO is the best; everything you could possibly need or want packed into a chic small town. For a better commute, I'd be looking in and around Santa Barbara. It's very much like SLO except slightly larger and closer to Oxnard (more options, less commute). That would be your best overall bet.

[gmb]

Wait, I'm confused - you don't mean comuting from SLO to Oxnard, right?? Without a doubt, you do not want to live in Oxnard. Ventura is like night and day of Oxnard. I lived there 10 years and rarely needed to go to Oxnard for anything. If you are working in Oxnard, I highly recommend living in Ventura. Good luck finding a job in SLO! That town is pretty great, but work is hard to come by. I live in Santa Barbara and it is also a great community, but VERY overpriced and the commute to Oxnard wouldn't be fun. Ventura is a great beach community that is quite safe. I lived there as a single female and never felt unsafe. You just don't want to live on the "west side" near Ventura Avenue where rent is a bit cheaper. East Ventura is more family orientated. Midtwown and Poli Street are great places to live near everything. Go for Ventura - more work and closer to everything. SLO is Central CA and a bit more of a drive for everything. Don't get me wrong, a wonderful place if you can find a job.

[CaliBoy]

You're entering the nursing profession. Opportunities abound everywhere especially in areas where people retire. However, SLO has a mix and I'm sure you'll stay busy there with work.

I'd pick SLO over Ventura any day.

[Jamileena]

Ventura -its where its at. Oxnard is a pile, but Im sure they need nurses. The population is mainly Hispanic, its near a naval base in Port Hueneme. Ventura seems to be mainly caucasion by sight, but there seems to be a nice blend of other cultures here. Like the previous poster said, to live in the West Side, up/near Ventura Ave is a little sketchy, lots of tiny rental properties right on top of each other, no garages, too many cars on the streets, a few liquor stores and other odd businesses where people who dont look too swift, hang out. Downtown you will find your harmless, 'weirdo' population gathering in the park, the thrift stores are there, the bus station...lots of oppurtunities to rent an apartment, condo or house in Ventura on the East Side, lots of families there. Im in Mid Town, which is perfect, 1/2 a mile to the beach, nice and cool....Grocery stores are walking distance, etc.

Ive lived in Ventura for a few years now and commute 30 miles south to North LA to work. Ventura has a cute downtown for shopping/nightlife, etc. The beach is great, lots to do here-the only reason you would consider going to Oxnard, is Costco and your job-and you can swing by Costco on the way home. Ventura is great, Port Hueneme is not, Oxnard is not, Camarillo is nice too, more inland, more homes-a little ranchy, more spread out, not so many apartments, then over the hill (you want to live and work on one side of the hill, ideally) you will find Newbury park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake village-all cities established in the late 50's - 60's? Very new, compared to say, Ventura (which has old victorian home tours) all single family homes, very big, very expensive, very boring-NOTHING going on in those towns-very spread out, very big.

[Barbara Bronson]

I live in Ventura - 13 yrs. now. It's a great area, nice town. I live on the east side, we don't get much fog at all and yet the beach is only a short drive. The weather here is just about perfect. I would like a bit more rain - we get 15 in. or so, only in winter. But summers are so nice - when it's 95 in Pasadena it's 75 here. It's great for gardening. We do not have air conditioning and don't need it! A ceiling fan is fine if it's too warm. It's always cool at night and it's not humid. Winter is cool but never cold. Oxnard has a nice beach area, but otherwise it's nowhere near as nice as Ventura. Ventura County has a sweet county fair in August, right next to the beach. I'm not crazy about the library system, but we have good shopping and restaurants. Good hospitals in Ventura and Oxnard. Housing is expensive, it has almost tripled since we've been here. We've been very happy here, but having said all this, we are planning to move to WA or OR next year. The reason? We see so much increase in Mexican immigration, it just keeps on with no end in sight, and traffic keeps getting worse. (not in town so much, but the freeways) Crime will increase, probably taxes too. It seems time to move on, but as for now, it's still nice here.

[ralph]

Barbara hate to break it to you but there are illagals in Wa and Or. If thats your reason you might want to rethink it.

[fastfilm]

That's like saying do you want to live in an area with a little robbery, or a live in an area with a great deal of robbery. I'd move to the former from the latter. I think most people see any gains in quality of life as a satisfactory reason for starting over in another locale.

[brian_2]

MSUnurse - this is off topic, but it's the little finds in life that make living enjoyable, so when you're in SLO (next time) be sure to try Big Sky Cafe. When I came up to visit family we would always go there at my urging. Check out the menu & concept to see if it sounds good to you:

bigskycafe.com/

[crazylilkelly]

i lived in oxnard a few years ago & really liked it. However, I lived in the nicer part right by the harbor. You could live in that area & be COMPLETELY fine! I just wouldn't live there if you have kids or are planning to have kids. I heard the school system is bad.
Like someone said before, Camarillo is right by oxnard & would be a short drive to the hospital. It's really nice there & i've heard that school system is good. It's basically a yuppish town if you dig that kinda thing.
Um ya, commuting from santa barbara to oxnard would be awful! the pch has horrible traffic between those spots. Although, it is a BEAUTIFUL ride. Plus, SB is unbelievably expensive. There are plenty of nice places in ventura co that are nice & cheaper to live in than SB.
All being said, I absolutely loved living in ventura co. I cannot explain how much I miss it. If it wasn't so expensive my husband & I would move back their once we graduate w/o a doubt.
PS---good luck w/ nursing school! I start @ u of illinois this fall!!!