Possible move to TO Salary Requirements and High School Transfer ???'s (Oxnard: rentals, car registration)

[veganmike311]

I may be taking on a new job in Oxnard and am considering moving my family across the country from Delaware to Thousand Oaks. Mid-40's with two teens.

My son graduates HS this year and is attending Music School in Burbank.

My daughter is in 10th grade at a very nice Charter HS where she is at the top of her class.

My wife works in the catering industry.

My questions:

1. What would the salary requirements be to live in TO? (renting a 3br home) Between the two of us we should make $100k to $120k annually. We are debt free aside from living expenses.

2. My son is ok with commuting to Burbank in his Prius... is it a reasonable commute?

3. What would the commute be like from TO to Oxnard for me?

4. My BIGGEST concern is transferring my daughter to a new HS for 11th and 12th grade. Are the HS's all good? Is it difficult to get in? Feeder patterns etc... I would hate to get there and find out that she couldnt get into a decent school. This would be a deal breaker for me for sure.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. It's tough trying to find out all this info on google.

Thank you

[nightlysparrow]

You should figure $3,000 and up to rent a 3-bedroom house. If renting, gardener is usually included. For monthly utilities figure $80+ for water&sewer (drought pricing, don't flush much!), $30 for trash (includes recycling), electricity $125+, internet $50-$100 (cable, or FiOS is available), TV (no antenna service available)(depends on if you bundle with internet and phone), natural gas $10-70 depending on season. Car registration is a percentage of the price of the car. Insurance is high. Hope daughter drives, as there is no school bus service in TO.

Your commute to Oxnard is nothing, relatively speaking, as the 101 going that way is easy. Now depending how close to the beach in Oxnard you're working, that can add time because it's all street traffic. But generally, that is not an issue. However, your son's commute is another matter. My neighbor worked in Burbank and he would leave the house at 5:45am to get to school comfortably by 7:30am (he was a high school teacher). The best route is taking the 23 to the 118 to the 5. Worse coming back, unless he leaves early as well.

The high schools in TO are excellent. Thousand Oaks High, Westlake High, or Oak Park High have top scores. Depending on when you apply, school choice may be available: Conejo Valley Unified School District > Home > School Choice

[veganmike311]

What about Moorpark or Simi Valley? Same questions...

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by veganmike311

What about Moorpark or Simi Valley? Same questions...

Moorpark High is a little lower test-wise, but not bad overall. Moorpark is a small area, not a town really IMO, so it's just the one school. Moorpark has the most economic disparity. Simi is more middle class but has gentrified on the western end. Simi has Royal, Simi High and Santa Susana. They are all good, Royal may edge out a little more. However, again depending on when you apply, the Conejo Valley USD offers out-of-district entry, so you could live in Moorpark or Simi and attend a school in TO or Oak Park.

Simi is less expensive than TO. Houses rent for about $500-$700 less per month. Other bills may be less, I know they don't have FiOS internet option and they have different TV providers. Many people (in all the cities) have satellite dishes for tv, as the weather isn't a factor. But bundles are cheaper (cable, i.e.). Simi is hotter in summer by maybe 5+ degrees.

Simi has the special advantage of having the Metrolink trains that go to Oxnard. The Oxnard station is on 4th St and Oxnard Blvd., downtown. Free parking on the Simi end, btw. There is also an alternate driving route to Oxnard from Simi or Moorpark, the 118 west, which stops being a freeway at the 23 but continues west as a country road. There is a lot of agriculture in the area.

Also, the commute to Burbank from Simi would be easier, especially if you lived on the eastern end. That's where the train station is, too. Metrolink goes to Burbank as well. For spousal work, the San Fernando Valley with its 1.8 M population and ready access from Simi or TO, no worries. But get used to commuting.

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by veganmike311

1. What would the salary requirements be to live in TO? (renting a 3br home) Between the two of us we should make $100k to $120k annually. We are debt free aside from living expenses.

I'll be honest, this is low, right now, for a 4-person family. Especially if you're renting. $120-150k would make you more comfortable. Our 4-person family gets by on the same, but my wife is a SAHM, so that cuts down on kid/food/etc expenses. I do all our repairs, car maintence, etc. We also bought into our house when the market was "extremely low" (for here) and mortgages were dirt cheap. So our housing expenses are half what yours will be. You can do it, but you'll be on the low end of middle class out here.

2. My son is ok with commuting to Burbank in his Prius... is it a reasonable commute?

He'll be in the car an average of 2.5 hours a day. 4+ some days. Unless he gets his class schedule to allow him to commute off-peak. Like go in at 10AM come home at 8PM. Then it'll be 90 minutes total (round trip) each day, pretty consistently.

3. What would the commute be like from TO to Oxnard for me?

I don't really know going that direction. I think there's backups in Camarillo. It's also hard to get through Oxnard, depending on how far from the FWY your work is. Maybe 30 minutes one-way. Up to 45minutes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

4. My BIGGEST concern is transferring my daughter to a new HS for 11th and 12th grade. Are the HS's all good? Is it difficult to get in? Feeder patterns etc... I would hate to get there and find out that she couldnt get into a decent school. This would be a deal breaker for me for sure.

Schools are mostly great up there. Check the school your potential house would be assigned on greatschools.org and on the california school dashboard. (Google it).

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. It's tough trying to find out all this info on google.

Make more money.
Wait for a market crash to buy in. You will get relatively rich. House-rich at least. Since your kids are older, don't get attached to your house. Sell it and rent when the market is high (like now) Buy low, sell high. Repeat. You can double your income this way. Just be prepared to move every 3-4 years.

[SoCalMomma]

The others have given some great input.

I have lived in Thousand Oaks since the 70s when my parents moved us here. It's a wonderful place to live!

Schools are all great in the Conejo Valley. My kids went to Newbury Park High, they have the IB program there. All of the High Schools offer many AP classes, lots of sports, and other extra curricular activities. I dont think you could go wrong with any of them! I'd look at the website for each high school and see what special things they offer. Academically, I think your daughter could be challenged & excel at any of them. There is also a private high school for girls, La Reina, which is good, too!

With your income, you should be able to live in the Conejo Valley. Plan on 3000-3500 for rent. Our utilities are slightly higher than Nightly Sparrow's examples for some reason, but we have 4 adults living in the house. Gasoline is high here, not sure how it compares. Right now regular is about $3.50/gallon

Simi Valley has a different feel. Some people love it, but its not my favorite. I dont think the schools are as rigorous as the Conejo Valley Schools. It's definitely less expensive. Utilities are probably similar. Summers are warmer than in the Thousand Oaks area. But a shorter drive for your son!

Moorpark is nice. It has a small town feel. You will need to drive into Simi, Camarillo or Thousand Oaks for many things, though. I work in Moorpark and its a really safe area, with very friendly people. Only one high school, though.

Commute to Burbank for your son from the Conejo Valley: A neighbor of mine takes the commuter train to work, also in Burbank. there is a station in Camarillo (right over in Camarillo - 10 min drive). He parks there and relaxes on the train. So if your son's job is near the train station, that might be a good alternative. But other than that, traffic may be tough on him. If you check google maps - there is a traffic option and you can put in what time you would be leaving to go from one location to another and it will give you estimated travel times based on those times that you've entered

Commute to Oxnard should not be bad, but like others have stated - it depends on WHERE in Oxnard you are going. If its right off the 101, then it wont be bad, if its close to Port Hueneme or Channel Islands, then it will definitely be longer (side streets are slower).

You really should try to visit before you move. I suggest that you Rent an Air BnB in each area and stay a couple nights - experience the different areas from a neighborhood (not from a hotel). See what areas feel the best for you!

Maybe hire a realtor that specializes in rentals to show you around, narrow down the list of rentals for you to look at, etc. Good luck!

[DKM]

As far as high schools go, there are a few things to note. Moorpark, Camarillo, Royal and Simi High are all about the same scores wise. Which is not bad but not great either. Its not that they are bad schools though, just dragged down by a higher % of immigrants who struggle in testing and some areas with people who don't value education. Check out Santa Susana High in Simi, its a magnet school but perhaps equivalent to the current charter you're using now. If you could get her into that, she's set.

Otherwise, if the best high schools are super important, you should live in the Conejo school district or Oak Park. But if you do, you are going to end up in a much worse house than you are able to get in DE. The other posters covered the commute issue, which is BAD for your son no matter where in Ventura County you live, unless its east Simi but then you will hate driving to Oxnard.

Time for a vacation to scout the area.

[nightlysparrow]

Another option could be Agoura Hills (Las Virgenes USD rocks!). If your son in Burbank will graduate relatively soon, also look at Camarillo. Cooler temps, good schools, quick hop to Oxnard.