posts: 207470
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| post_id | thread_id | thread_title | post_number | author_username | post_date | post_date_iso | post_body |
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| 207470 | 10448 | Cities to Surf and raise a family in that are somewhat affordable? | 9 | Doggyfizzle | May 16, 2021 | 2021-05-16T17:23:37-0400 | I live in Ventura, and have lived here for almost 15 years since college in Santa Barbara. I love it here, and have loved it here since I came down to Ventura for the very first time in 2004 to see Slayer at the Theater. So far, I haven’t found anything significant I could say I don’t like about it. I like the little bit of seedy underbelly, the funky old motels on Thompson, the presence of primary industry from Oil/Ag, and the lack of McMansions and gigantic houses that are crammed into tiny lots that plague much of Southern California. I can leave my house at 5:30 and be in my wetsuit paddling out at C Street by 5:45. There’s mellow/good/great/famous places to surf all up/down the coast within 30 minutes drive. I’ve got a 5 year old son and now that I’ve been here for so long I can’t imagine living anywhere else - decent schools, nice people, not much crime, and good weather (besides the Santa Ana winds as mentioned above). If snowsports are also a hobby, we’re pretty close to Mammoth/June, and an easy flight from BUR into SLC and into the skis by the afternoon to really get some value from an Ikon Pass. The city isn’t very crowded compared to many Southern California towns, especially with the Ag and oil lands that surround the city preventing sprawl. Sometimes when I come back from a flight and I’m heading home from LAX I get stressed driving on 405/101 because of all the people/buildings/bullshit in LA, and I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders when I hit the Conejo grade and head down towards the Oxnard Plain and see the ocean. I also like that a lot of my friends grew up here and came back after school or the military to live here. Is it affordable? Rents are low relative to prices, but still range $2000-$4000/month for houses. House prices here have gotten a bit stupid (like everywhere), and talking with some friends who are realtors and grew up here, there’s a bit of resentment towards the people from LA that have kind of invaded our town over the last year and have been buying places left and right now that many people have the ability to remote work. If you don’t mind being a little bit further (10 minutes east on 101), you can get a better buy on a place in Camarillo that could come close(r) to your $600k budget - likely a bit newer that would need much less work than some of the old to very old housing stock that’s turned over in Ventura in the last year that hadn’t changed much since the 1950s/1960s. Camarillo has little to no crime, nice people (bit more of a +R tilt though), very good schools, and pretty good weather. |