Transferring to Thousand Oaks Area from New Hampshire...Need some advice (Westlake Village: to rent, house)

[j-m-p]

My family and I are being transferred to the Thousand Oaks area and would like some advice about the schools and neighborhoods.
We are looking at living in Dos Vientos or Westlake Village but want to pick the best school and community. My son is going into the second grade and is coming from a small private school so the change will be pretty dramatic for him.
Any advice about which area of Thousand Oaks/Newbury Park/Westlake Village would best fit our needs would be greatly appreciated. We have a clean slate so we can choose wherever we want.
Thanks again.

[Roma]

I personally love Westlake Village but I have lived in both Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. All are safe and nice areas but it would depend on what you like to do and how far you would have to drive to do it. That's why I love Westlake Village. They have several quaint and nice restaurants, shopping, a small but nice lake and great schools.

Schools are wonderful in all the areas you mentioned. Maybe someone on here knows of a link to the various schools in the area and their scores.

Since I don't know the dollar amount on a home you can spend....here are some suggestions on some neighborhoods in Westlake Village in the similar price range as Dos Vientos:

1). "First Neighborhood" (yes that is the name of it, you could walk your child to the elementary school that is actually in that neighborhood). Lots of children live in this area. website....firstneighborhood.org

2). "Three Springs" (again, lots of children live in this area and the children would go to the same elementary school as the ones in the First Neighborhood). You would have to drive your child to school or have them take the school bus.

3). You could also get a home on the lake. (I'm not sure how many children live on the lake though).

Now there are several other areas in Westlake to choose from and in various price ranges.

But....Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park are nice too. Westlake Village is just my personal favorite.

[j-m-p]

Thanks for your response....I had heard of First Neighborhood before but when we visited last week I couldn't find it.....where is "first neighborhood" also if you could tell me where "three springs" is as well I would really appreciate it.....We will be looking to rent a house initially so I would like to make sure I search in the right areas. Also do you know the name of the school that handles this area?
Again thanks for the response

[BRinSM]

if your job is in thousand oaks and you are being paid enough to afford the area, i think that you are really in a win-win situation no matter where you end up living. I've never heard one bad thing about any of the schools in the TO area. My wife grew up in Oak Park, just east of TO, and really enjoyed it. Her mom still works for the school district and they really make an effort in that area to have excellent schools. IMO, you could end up in any of the cities of the conejo valley and be just as happy as you would been in any of the other cities there. its really not that big of an area, so you're never more than 10 or 15 minutes from anything, except the beach, but thats only about 20 minutes away. good luck!

[Charles]

Here is a picture of that First Neighborhood, 1968. View looking southwest across the intersection of Agoura Road and Lakeview Canyon Road. The Westlake Inn is under construction in the foreground.





For a quick and dirty snapshot of school information check out:

http://schoolperformancemaps.com/ca/...12%2C1%2C2%2C3

[Roma]

Originally Posted by j-m-p

Thanks for your response....I had heard of First Neighborhood before but when we visited last week I couldn't find it.....where is "first neighborhood" also if you could tell me where "three springs" is as well I would really appreciate it.....We will be looking to rent a house initially so I would like to make sure I search in the right areas. Also do you know the name of the school that handles this area?
Again thanks for the response

The school is called White Oak Elementary. It's in the heart of First Neighborhood. Here is the schools website with a map for directions......also notice Three Springs Park down toward the bottom left of the map, that is Three Springs.

I think renting is a great idea when moving to a county you don't know well. That way you can find the best place for you and your family without being rushed and then finding out you made the wrong decision.

Good luck and enjoy the whole area.

White Oak Elementary - Location and Map (http://www.whiteoakelementary.org/index.php?option=com_google_maps&Itemid=67 - broken link)

[kcampel]

Boy, I am not sure how I stumbled on the forum but we too are moving from NH to TO. We have two young children and just bought a house in TO. We move the first week of August. How funny? I am sure we could compare notes and maybe help one another?

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

if your job is in thousand oaks and you are being paid enough to afford the area, i think that you are really in a win-win situation no matter where you end up living. I've never heard one bad thing about any of the schools in the TO area. My wife grew up in Oak Park, just east of TO, and really enjoyed it. Her mom still works for the school district and they really make an effort in that area to have excellent schools. IMO, you could end up in any of the cities of the conejo valley and be just as happy as you would been in any of the other cities there. its really not that big of an area, so you're never more than 10 or 15 minutes from anything, except the beach, but thats only about 20 minutes away. good luck!

Just like BRinSM says, it's a win-win situation. Congratulations and Welcome!

[victorma]

Hello there, an average salary of 200 K gross, is it ok for TO with a family (two kids)
Thank you

Vicma

Originally Posted by BRinSM

if your job is in thousand oaks and you are being paid enough to afford the area, i think that you are really in a win-win situation no matter where you end up living. I've never heard one bad thing about any of the schools in the TO area. My wife grew up in Oak Park, just east of TO, and really enjoyed it. Her mom still works for the school district and they really make an effort in that area to have excellent schools. IMO, you could end up in any of the cities of the conejo valley and be just as happy as you would been in any of the other cities there. its really not that big of an area, so you're never more than 10 or 15 minutes from anything, except the beach, but thats only about 20 minutes away. good luck!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by victorma

Hello there, an average salary of 200 K gross, is it ok for TO with a family (two kids)
Thank you

Vicma

What is your housing budget?