Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 47
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    The Wilds of Maine
    Posts
    2,851

    Living in Ventura?

    Hello pleebs,

    So headed to LA for a bachelor party this weekend and then Ventura next week for an interview at a certain employer some of y'all may have the inclination to be familiar with.

    Aside from working at this particular retailer, I'm curious what living in Ventura & the surrounding area is like.

    Perceived pros:
    -Love to surf and having dependable waves and not ever needing to don a 6 mil fullsuit would be V nice
    -Love to mountain bike, have ridden some of the stuff around Santa Barbara and was pretty impressed. Seems like there's good stuff 20-25 mins from Ventura downtown which is cool. Also seems like a bunch of riding in SB & closer to LA and hiking/camping throughout.
    -Love to ski/board and realize that's not nearly as much a part of the package here. Honestly, I'd be okay doing the endless summer thing for a bit. Plus Mt. Baldy and the surrounding terrain seems pretty fun for when they get snow. Saw there's even a bc hut!
    -Have always been curious if I'd like living the California life. Lived in Tahoe (along with Aspen, Jackson, Salt Lake, NH, and now Maine) and wasn't as into it.

    Concerns:
    -Holy cost of living! Portland Maine (current location) is going through a real estate boom and still Ventura has 100% higher housing costs according to bestplaces.net. According to that site I'd need a $25 grand raise just to break even on cost of living. Did find some studios for $1,200 on Craiglist, in line with the pricier 1 BR's here in Portland.
    -Things to do outside of sport life. Do find myself wanting to see interesting speakers and do some volunteering from time to time.
    -People to meet outside of prospective employer's employees. Have some friends in SB and LA. Will be 33 yo single bro though. Not a big night-lifer so the reportedly mellow scene in Ventura doens't scare me off.

    Curious where folks live who are trying to do it cheaper as well...

    Thanks all!
    "We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP

    Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Gallatin County
    Posts
    1,556
    Work got me living in Ventura County for a couple of years and it was a great adventure.

    When there is snow the San Gabriel Mtns have some good skiing at baldy and Waterman. Just be aware that thousands of Angelenos will flock to the snow which is fun to watch but makes for some slow driving.

    The weather is amazing and went a year without running AC or heat. You need less space if you can be outside so a tiny rental with a yard can workout. An outdoor dining room sized table near the grill and you don't need a dining room or eat in kitchen.

    Housing is expensive, but there is a lot of amazing things to do outside. The Channel Islands have great diving, hiking and kayaking just a ferry ride away. HI, MX and AK are nearby.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    At the beach
    Posts
    19,069
    Surfing is good and Mammoth is likely about 5.5 hours one way. Oddly, if I was to move from San Diego, I would probably end up back somewhere nice in LA, as I like the music scene up there.
    Ask Hutash, he is a vet in Ventura.
    Quote Originally Posted by leroy jenkins View Post
    I think you'd have an easier time understanding people if you remembered that 80% of them are fucking morons.
    That is why I like dogs, more than most people.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    The Wilds of Maine
    Posts
    2,851
    Awesome thanks for the feedback y'all! Talisman did you have a sense of the cheaper areas to live? CL mostly had apartment buildings with shared pool patio and stuff which is not my jam

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using TGR Forums mobile app
    "We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP

    Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    关你屁事
    Posts
    9,532
    -I think a bunch of the smaller indy rental housing that used to be available near the beach got VRBO'd/Airbnb'd. there's the 'nard as bobbie mentioned
    outdated info:
    -ventura was a quiet bedroom community not a lot of shows or speakers unaffiliated with your prospective employer stopped there, they either went north (santa barbara) or south (the LA beast). ok food/drinks in town, again better north or south.
    -traffic on the 101 could be nasty in the evening and on weekends & holidays. LA traffic could be fucking atrocious.
    -inland is hot and catches fire.
    -there weren't lots of singles there, then. they were, again, north and south.
    -no getting around it being expensive in some ways. housing, california taxes & fees, other associated costs that get expensive. plus is the beach is (mostly) free.
    Last edited by dunfree ; 09-10-2018 at 08:39 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    livin the dream
    Posts
    5,761
    I lived in SB/Ventura/Oxnard 2013-2017. My late 20s, I’m now 30.

    Surf - No need to explain, its a good place to live and surf.

    Bike - From Ventura drive 30min north to Malibu or 30min south to SB. It’s unfortunate that the Ventura hills are private corporate oil property, otherwise there would be awesome riding right from town. There are a few illegal trails up there but not worth your time. Both SB and Malibu riding is great. My favorite double day would be riding in Point Mugu then surfing County Line.

    Ski - Don’t bother with any Socal resorts except for Mammoth. I would wake up at 3am and do the 395 race for a day trip. The top of Mammoth skis super well when it hasn’t snowed in a while. Wind whips past chair 23 and butters up the slope every night. The other Socal resorts are garbage. You might get lucky at Mt Baldy once. Same with the backcountry, you might get lucky in the Socal mountains a few times, but the eastern sierras is all time and worth the drive.

    Where to Live / Cost - While working in Ventura I lived in SB, Downtown Ventura, and Oxnard. SB is the most expensive obviously, when I lived there I was single and 26, it was fun and worth the extra expense. Ventura is less expensive the SB, and a steal when comparing a similar place in LA/OC/SD. Oxnard is cheap depending on where you live. It can be super sketchy too. There are a few Mexican/American gangs that call Oxnard home. Coastal Oxnard is a hidden gem though. If I were to do it again as a single guy I would try to get into one of the coastal mobile home parks in Ventura/Oxnard... it’s a lot better than it sounds.

    Social Life - It would be a great place for a young family. Single it was hard. Everyone young either works for the company you are looking at or grew up there and not leaving.

    What to do - Take the train to the SB Funk Zone and Party. Drive into the central coast wine country. Take the boat to the islands and camp. Go to LA and do LA things.

    Food - best fish tacos in CA in that town. Good Italian, sushi, BbQ. I can name specifics if you are interested.




    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Best Skier on the Mountain
    Self-Certified
    1992 - 2012
    Squaw Valley, USA

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    inpdx
    Posts
    20,197
    Wife grew up in Camarillo
    She says Oxnard is mostly a shit hole
    Live in Ventura if you can
    Maybe Port Hueneme for the beach

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Gallatin County
    Posts
    1,556
    Quote Originally Posted by WaistDeepGroomers View Post
    Awesome thanks for the feedback y'all! Talisman did you have a sense of the cheaper areas to live? CL mostly had apartment buildings with shared pool patio and stuff which is not my jam

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using TGR Forums mobile app
    I saw wide variation of rentals some were dumps and some really nice, but the weird part to me was all of it was expensive. I was working in Thousand Oaks and ended up living there to keep off of the 101 getting to work. CL was a time waster for me and I used a local realtor who showed me some smaller and nicer places for roughly what some of the CL dumps were asking for. I did negotiate a break on the rent by signing a two year lease.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Bottom feeding
    Posts
    10,828
    I lived in Cape Elizabeth for a year and then moved to San Francisco. Good luck on the job hunt. I get back to Maine about every 2 years, and it's growing like everywhere else, but Ventura and CA in general will make you not miss Maine.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    inpdx
    Posts
    20,197
    no offense intended...just reporting the reaction
    she's def not on the TGR mind wave...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    3,265
    I went to college in Santa Barbara, so I've never lived in the area past college, but I'll chip in what I know.

    Surf: Very consistent, and sometimes epic in the winter. The C-street area breaks year round, as do the jetties. We used to drive down from Santa Barbara a ton to surf in the summer when sb was flat. C-street, the jetties and the harbor are all good and consistent. The Santa Clara river mouth gets epic, but it is polluted. Rincon/Faria/Little Rincon can be all-time in the winter, but they rarely break and get crowded. Still, I would say Ventura is one of the best places to be a surfer in California. Oxnard has some spectacular beachbreaks, but it is pretty localized. You are also a short drive from northern Malibu. Like I said, we used to hit C-street all the time when I went to UCSB.

    Snow: We had a club ski team at UCSB, so I used to go to Mammoth at least 2 weekends a month and I would usually spend spring break and part of winter break there. You can ski Mammoth a lot from socal IF (a big if) you are willing to drive and can find and afford a ski lease. Those are two serious questions, expect to spend around 400 a month on a ski lease, less if you find a large group. I live in Newport Beach, which is a bit farther from Mammoth than Ventura, and it takes me 5 hours and 45 minutes to get to Mammoth leaving at 4 am Saturday, which is what I usually do because of traffic up through LA. You will have a big advantage over us oc folks in that you are above LA, and don't have to worry much about traffic. I can't leave at 5 pm on Friday and make it to Mammoth by 11 pm from Newport, from Ventura you can. Still though, the drive wears on you. I go to Mammoth 2-3 weekends a month from December through April and usually one weekend in May. December through April I average about 30 hours a month in the car going to and from Mammoth, that is quite a bit. There are lots of people on this board who are on the same program, but it is a drag. I would not blame you for scaling down on the mountains and enjoying the beach. As far as socal mountains go, Mt. Baldy is really fun WHEN it has a base. I have had some years where I skied Baldy at least one weekend day every weekend when I didn't go to Mammoth, and other years where I did not ski it at all. It has some fun terrain, if you ski the runs down to the lot in good slush you will not believe you are in socal. But don't count on it, many years Baldy barely opens at all, they stay in business by selling scenic ride lift tickets. Also, I don't know how far Baldy is from Ventura. From Newport it is only an hour and 45 minutes, so you can surf in the morning and make good slush turns in the afternoon, I have done that plenty of times. If Baldy has a good year it is a fun little place, but don't count on it being good. Some snow oriented people just choose to enjoy the beach in socal, and I would not blame you for that, but you CAN have a 30-40+ day ski season at one of the best mountains in North America if you are will to drive and spend the money, it just depends on whether or not you want to make the commitment.

    The canyons and mountains inland of Santa Barbara are fun places to hike. I would guess there might be some good mountain biking, although I really would not know. There is a whole lot to do in general in the area. I absolutely love Santa Barbara, but it is even more expensive than Ventura and if you are working in Ventura you would have to commute.

    As far as the night life, I don't really know Ventura. Santa Barbara is a college town and it goes off, but it has fewer people in your age range than you might think. It is not a very big place, so it is harder to find single women over college age than it is in LA or OC. I'm not saying it is bad in that way, but I would rather be single in Newport or San Diego than Santa Barbara if I was more than a year or two out of college. I don't want to say it is that bad, I lived in Tahoe for a few years which is FAR worse, it's just that Santa Barbara does not seem to have a huge number of young post-college women the way there are down south. I think Santa Barbara itself only has around 90,000 people. Obviously there are some in Goleta, but it is just not a huge area. I would say there are lots of quality women in Santa Barbara per capita, it's just that the area itself is small and there is not a whole lot in the way of post college employment. Things might have changed, my buddies who live there are all married now so I don't think they are really in tune with things.

    The Santa Barbara/Ventura area is one of the few places I would consider leaving Newport for. Good luck.
    "Have you ever seen a monk get wildly fucked by a bunch of teenage girls?" "No" "Then forget the monastery."


    "You ever hear of a little show called branded? Arthur Digby Sellers wrote 156 episodes. Not exactly a lightweight." Walter Sobcheck.

    "I didn't have a grandfather on the board of some fancy college. Key word being was. Did he touch the Filipino exchange student? Did he not touch the Filipino exchange student? I don't know Brooke, I wasn't there."

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Truckee & Nor Cal
    Posts
    15,621
    Lived in SB for 5 years, and have continued to work there for the last 10 (tele-commuting, so I visit our office in the SB funk zone several times per year). Great place to live and the extra $$ is worth it IMO, but Ventucky isn't bad either and definitely cheaper (and the 101 traffic between SB and Ventura can really suck). Don't move to fucking Oxnard (aka Big Box-nard) unless you like the convenience of being closer to your meth dealer.

    Things are definitely more expensive in Ventura since the fires / mudslides last winter.

    Also consider some of the towns in-between like Summerland and Carpinteria.

    Mountain biking is great, with some legit expert level stuff if that's what you're into - I bring my bike down there every time.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    I didn't read the whole thread...didn't see the point since I live here. What I saw looks pretty accurate. We've been here 33 years, so I know the area. we've owned a home for 30 years, until in burned down. Don't move here if you are afraid of fire so can't say much about rentals. we are in an apartment where rebuilding, and it does seem pretty expensive, but that's the insurance companies provlem.

    I can't tell you much about surf, other then there are a lot of options, and with and a bit of moving around you can usually find a wave. All in all it is not as good or consistent as down south, colder as well, but lots of surfers here. Not too bad of a locals vibe, but it does occur.

    I road ride, and dont do much mtb, but there are near endless options. Mostly dry scrubby trails. I can go on endlessly about road options. No skiing g in the immediate area, but Mammoth is doable on a weekend and there is some local small hills and or touring if we get snow.

    Lots of places to live within commuting distance of a certain local company, but to be honest the city of Ventura itself is the best option.

    If you have any specific questions PM some digits and If be happy to talk. If you are around for an interview and want to grab a beer I'd be happy to buy. If you need a bed for a night we have a guest room in our apartment.

    Cheers and good luck.

    PS if you want to chat with an ex-employee of a certain outdoor retailer, I can probably hook you up. Still a great company, but not nearly as good as it once was.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    The Wilds of Maine
    Posts
    2,851
    Quote Originally Posted by hutash View Post
    I didn't read the whole thread...didn't see the point since I live here. What I saw looks pretty accurate. We've been here 33 years, so I know the area. we've owned a home for 30 years, until in burned down. Don't move here if you are afraid of fire so can't say much about rentals. we are in an apartment where rebuilding, and it does seem pretty expensive, but that's the insurance companies provlem.

    I can't tell you much about surf, other then there are a lot of options, and with and a bit of moving around you can usually find a wave. All in all it is not as good or consistent as down south, colder as well, but lots of surfers here. Not too bad of a locals vibe, but it does occur.

    I road ride, and dont do much mtb, but there are near endless options. Mostly dry scrubby trails. I can go on endlessly about road options. No skiing g in the immediate area, but Mammoth is doable on a weekend and there is some local small hills and or touring if we get snow.

    Lots of places to live within commuting distance of a certain local company, but to be honest the city of Ventura itself is the best option.

    If you have any specific questions PM some digits and If be happy to talk. If you are around for an interview and want to grab a beer I'd be happy to buy. If you need a bed for a night we have a guest room in our apartment.

    Cheers and good luck.

    PS if you want to chat with an ex-employee of a certain outdoor retailer, I can probably hook you up. Still a great company, but not nearly as good as it once was.
    Thanks for the info and the really generous offer! I sent you a PM. I got set up w/a hotel room for the visit but really appreciate the offer of a room. Hope we can get a beer (I'm buying).

    Sorry to hear about your home .

    Thanks all for chiming in here!
    "We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP

    Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Wasatch
    Posts
    6,256
    My folks moved to SB when I was a junior in college in the 909.

    I don't have a lot to add except that I'm not sure if Id bother with driving South to Baldy from Ventura unless conditions were really great or maybe once or twice to check it out and get a feel for it. The terrain is great when the snow is there, but Mammoth and the Sierra are in a very different league.

    I wouldn't worry about access to whatever cultural amenities you want. SB and LA are both close enough to get your fix once you figure out how to time the traffic on 101.

    I like Carp and Ventura and would consider living in either one.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    SF & the Ho
    Posts
    9,299
    I lol'd at "the 909"as if it's an old school reference. What school?

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Wasatch
    Posts
    6,256
    Quote Originally Posted by mcski View Post
    I lol'd at "the 909"as if it's an old school reference. What school?
    I'm a Sagehen for my undergrad. It doesn't get much more Baldy-adjacent than that, and I have very fond memories of skiing there.

    I took linear algebra and diff eq. at UCSB one summer. Damned if I haven't forgotten most of that by now, though.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    STL
    Posts
    13,294
    Do it. It’s not like your asking about a move to Toledo. Do it and never leave.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    93108
    Posts
    2,760
    Don't live in Oxnard; Ventura is cleaning up and is not a bad place to live. Home of C-Street, which is the most consistent break in SB/VTA.

    I'm up in SB. I can show you around the local mtn bike trails, there are tons.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    93108
    Posts
    2,760
    Quote Originally Posted by hutash View Post
    PS if you want to chat with an ex-employee of a certain outdoor retailer, I can probably hook you up. Still a great company, but not nearly as good as it once was.
    ^^Take that into serious consideration.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    SF & the Ho
    Posts
    9,299
    Quote Originally Posted by Sirshredalot View Post
    I'm a Sagehen for my undergrad. It doesn't get much more Baldy-adjacent than that, and I have very fond memories of skiing there.

    I took linear algebra and diff eq. at UCSB one summer. Damned if I haven't forgotten most of that by now, though.
    Chirps in da house!

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    The Wilds of Maine
    Posts
    2,851
    Quote Originally Posted by Cono Este View Post
    Do it. It’s not like your asking about a move to Toledo. Do it and never leave.
    I mean duh, right?

    Just surfed some long period hurricane swell.here in Maine, and thinking having that quality of surf on tap on an almost daily basis would be a lifestyle improvement I'd consider.

    Wish me luck with the jerb interview (s)! I gotta impress almost a dozen people haha.

    Sent from my moto g(6) play using TGR Forums mobile app
    "We're in the eye of a shiticane here Julian, and Ricky's a low shit system!" - Jim Lahey, RIP

    Former Managing Editor @ TGR, forever mag.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Truckee & Nor Cal
    Posts
    15,621

    Living in Ventura?

    Patagucci is still a great place to work, FWIW. I have friends who have been there just a few years and one who has been there for 15+ and has no intention of leaving.
    I ski 135 degree chutes switch to the road.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Posts
    15,781
    Quote Originally Posted by Talisman View Post
    CL was a time waster for me and I used a local realtor who showed me some smaller and nicer places for roughly what some of the CL dumps were asking for.
    Wisdom^. Compare CL to this:
    https://www.realtor.com/apartments/V..._CA/affordable

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    It's Ventura, why waste money on rent, just get a shopping cart and a pit bull. HQ is just a stones throw from the river bottom homeless camps.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •