Absolute Best Place to raise 3 young children in Ventura/Santa Barbara Area? (Thousand Oaks: sales, rentals)

[CoachChad]

After hours upon hours of reading the million posts on this site, it is my turn to initiate the coversation. We are a family of 5. Husband/Wife, 8 year old, 4 year old, and 8 month old. I have recently received a job offer to work in Santa Barbara area (Montecito specifically) and now the monumental and overwhelming task of discovering everything one needs to know about Ventura/Santa Barbara and living there is upon us.

I have visited So Cal many times, however not as familiar with Ventura/SB area. I have numerous opinions from this site to base my thoughts on, however sifting through all of the garbage is taking a toll on me.

Bottom line, I am taking a sales job with a base/commission structure so I'm not exact in what my earnings will be, however estimating $75-110,000. We are moving from Wisconsin where as most know, is low cost of living and a very friendly culture of people who feel strongly about community and lend a helping hand to a stranger with no reservations. Very selfless community and hope to find something as close as we can to that in So Cal. Maybe that is a stretch?

Our 8 year old is in Montessori school that is tops in our area so removing him is difficult and it is a public charter school which I am discovering is very unique. Any Montessori I've found in SB/Ventura area is private and not sure we can risk the tuition. I don't know for sure.

Primary reason for taking job there most likely is my wife ideally will stay home with young kids for a few years. We can't make that happen with our current job situation now. We are both working professionals who work too much and I want to help my wife have more time with her children. If it takes moving to So Cal to do so, then it is what I will do for her and them. Down the road I don't believe we will ever regret making the decision of more time with the kids.

So....given what I've told you, where would you choose to live in the Ventura/SB? Keep in mind I am used to a 10 minute commute to work now, so a long commute would be a rather large adjustment. Open to anything though if it means family is in safe/comfortable place.

Quality of school is a critical factor as is community feeling with families with other young children as neighbors. Relatively safe area is a must and strong youth sports programs with competent coaches is a plus.

Look forward to your thoughts!!

[ArthurDaly]

This is a tough one. I thoroughly commend you on wanting one parent to stay home with your children. These days that is a rare thing indeed, but is of huge and lasting importance.

I think (NOTICE I SAID I THINK - AS IN MY OPINION) is that the cost of "everything" in SB for a family of 5 would be outside your anticipated salary range. Could you do it - maybe, but it would depend on what your current accepted or established standard of living is. That said, if you are OK living in a very small house then you may be able to make it work. Ventura is certainly more affordable, but you have the decidedly erratic commute from Ventura to SB. Not sure if the freeway widening is complete, but when it is that may help a little. The beaches in SB are much nicer than Ventura, but are also proportionately more crowded. Availability of rental houses in both areas are (again -my observation) limited.

Of course you'll have the usual rose glassed people on here telling you that you will be fine - come on down, but I would question their income and housing situation carefully.

First thing you need to do if you haven't already is prepare a very, very detailed budget - and look at what housing may be available.

Good luck to you in you decision making!

[chopps]

I agree with ArthurDaly.

Don't mean to be a downer but the grass will not be greener moving to Ventura/SB. Based on your salary of only one income, housing is going to eat up a large part of it. I'm assuming you are looking for a 4 bedroom?

It is not cheap to live in this area and the less funds you have the less desirable(family friendly) neighborhoods will only be viable.

Ventura is cheaper than SB but you will be looking at a 30-45 minute commute.

[nightlysparrow]

This charter school (in Goleta) has "elements of Montessori."

Goleta is a bit less expensive than SB.

http://www.sbcharter.org/programs/elementary

But, all the best public schools in both counties are way down in Eastern Ventura County in Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Westlake Village. Not doable to work in SB.

[CoachChad]

I appreciate the feedback so far. I understand some of the good and bad with living in Santa Barbara or Ventura. Santa Barbara will provide better beaches, less in living space compared to Ventura on average for the cost, and it seems Santa Barbara would be a safer community as a whole, however I may be wrong. Will have to research and learn more.

On greatschools it seems there are quality academic possibilities in both communities. Both public elementary schools in Montecito are rated 10 and in Ventura there are many rated as 8 or higher. We would visit to get a feel for each if necessary.

Santa Barbara Charter School does appear to be somewhat of a good fit for our son who is 8 based on what he is used to and seems to be doing well with.

We understand we would get less for more in Santa Barbara, however it may be worth it if I can have lunch in the park with them being so close for work, and I'm not losing an hour or so of my day in the car driving. Convenience is of value to me.

This being said, if the commute if not so bad from Ventura, it would be nice to be a bit closer to LA area and it seems we could keep costs a bit more in check. Our budget will probably allow for 2,000 to 3,000 month for rent and we will be selling our home in Wisconsin for what we believe will be a decent profit. I am aware we don't want to spend more than 30% of income on housing so we are keeping this in mind.

We are visiting area next weekend for a few days to scout a bit so we'll see what we can find and get a feel for. Again, safety and quality of neighborhood and schools is of utmost importance to us.

[CoachChad]

Oops forgot to ask if fog is an issue in mornings commuting to Santa Barabara from Ventura? I don't want to have to start each day stressed out because I can't see the car in front of me on the road. I presume there is a fair amount of fog along the 101?

[DaniellaG]

When you visit I really encourage you to go look at some rentals in the areas you are interested in. In my opinion you are looking at 3000 if not more in SB for the size rental you need. I have family in WI and I moved to Thousand Oaks from MI and though I knew it was $ I still was shocked at how little you get for the price.
I am not that familiar with public transportation but I know some who take the train or bus to SB to save gas and also relax. So that may be an option you may want to consider if you don't live in SB.
Good luck

[Winston Smith]

What about Carpinteria? Keep in mind that this is Santa Barbara County south coast, and housing is pricey. Many people, thus, find it necessary to "settle" for Ventura County or north Santa Barbara County and commute in, where they join around 15,000 commuters each day from either location doing the same thing. Express commuter bus options are available. For a family of 5, your salary range will have you budgeting pretty stringently no matter where in the area you live. If you opt for the less costly housing north or south of Santa Barbara, you will spend much more on commuting. If you don't have debt and are good at budgeting, you can do it.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by CoachChad

Oops forgot to ask if fog is an issue in mornings commuting to Santa Barabara from Ventura? I don't want to have to start each day stressed out because I can't see the car in front of me on the road. I presume there is a fair amount of fog along the 101?

Yes, there is fog along the 101 many mornings, from Santa Barbara all the way down to Camarillo! But it's usually gone by 8 am or so.

[movistar26]

Ventura has some great family friendly areas and a quaint downtown. So I believe you will get more bang for your buck in Ventura. Your best bet would be to contact the local police department to find out which neighborhoods are the best.