Ventura Standard of Living is Rapidly Decreasing. - 4/17/2022

I have lived in Ventura for over 20 years, worked for over 30. While this was a nice town it has essentially turned into a worse place than LA, with a huge amount of growth and no added infrastructure. In addition, we currently have a majority of city council members who have been bought out by big business and development. Our streets have trash everywhere, there are homeless encampments surrounding the city, and the police do little. You can't leave a bike unlocked for two minutes or even locked for five minutes without it being stolen. Catalytic converters are not even safe. Currently there is no end in sight for any of this improving, I suggest staying away.

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Not worth it - 12/31/2021

I have lived here my entire life of 43 years. Ventura used to be very nice in the 80s and 90s, now it is an extension of Los Angeles in the worst way. Super overpriced housing, no large employers so you have to commute 2 + hours each day to LA or Santa Barbara. Ventura has now become overcrowded and homeless encampments are sprouting up everywhere. Not worth moving here unless you are rich and from LA and make 6 figures. Anyone else will struggle with lack of jobs and housing. Only plus is the proximity to larger cities but you are car dependent anywhere you go. Not bike or walking friendly.

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Enjoy the stars as you sleep under them. - 6/9/2019

I have lived in Ventura County since 2006 and that includes Port Hueneme, Oxnard, Camarillo, and Ventura. This city has a lot of friendly, down to earth people that seem to enjoy the area. In comparison to Santa Barbara (30 minutes north) it is more affordable but over the years the Ventura city council have been attempting to increase city revenue. They have replaced free street parking on Main Street, near a lot of shops, with metered parking and after the St. Thomas fires occurred rent sky rocketed for rentals. It was really sad to see the greed when so many displaced citizens were in need of housing. Juxtapose the current minimum wage set at $12 with the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Ventura city at $1,955. A person working 40 hours a week would be making $1,920 gross income. So as you can see, needing a roommate will necessary and a lot of home owners rent rooms out of their homes because they have high mortgages, sadly. People come here for the education, sunshine, and beaches but end up living on them because of unforeseen factors like illness or injuries. Cons: Not enough affordable housing, low wages, sales tax at 7.75%, higher car registration fees, people drive aggressively/tailgate, roads are terrible and riddled with potholes, A LOT of rentals do not allow pets or have air conditioning when the heat settles over the city, a lot of drunk drivers (they have a high DUI conviction rate). Pros: Medical care is above average, great for nature enthusiasts, weather is moderate most of the year, education system is above average. I understand this seems negative but this is the reality of the area, yes there are homeless people on the streets but they aren't the problem. Ventura city tries to relocate them to other cities in the county with police assistance instead of helping them. This city is very right-wing Republican and is known as "Ventucky" to the locals with a sense of humor.

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Beauty Lost - 10/19/2018

Ventura used to be a beautiful town, well loved by all who lived here. Then, in the late 80's, Orange County got too crowded and people started moving North. Now we are overcrowded, filthy, and the homeless capitol of the west. The beaches, once filled with children are now filthy and unsafe to walk on. Houses and apartmental buildings have been built behind every house so that no one has a yard any more. Once a treasured jewel, Ventura has become the place for decent people to leave. I can't wait to move out!

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My Opinion, this is the best place to live in Cali - 1/31/2018

At Wells Road and Telephone Road, it was deemed the perfect weather, in the Continental United States, at an average temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This place is awesome!

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Very Expensive - 7/1/2017

I have lived in Ventura since 1988 and it is now 2017. The one thing great thing about Ventura is the weather. It's mild and does not get very cold. We have a couple of months (May and June, and sometimes into July) where it is very overcast and cloudy. We do not experience really warm summers, it is usually around 68 to 75 degrees being right on the ocean. Even though I work full time and make $26 an hr. I cannot afford to live here anymore as the rents have gone way up. A one bedroom apt. goes for about $1500 a month now and anything larger than that can be as much as 2 to 3 thousand. Sales tax is up to 7.5% and the state just increased the gasoline tax and registration fees for your cars again. There are lots of camera controlled intersections so the city can collect additional revenue from traffic violators. Quite a few rude drivers around here as well that have no regard for the safety of others, also a lot of regulations compared to other places. If your car is parked more than 72 hrs on a city st. it can be towed and the impound fees are very high. I will be moving out of state next month and have already reserved my uhaul truck. Going up to the northwest where living is cheaper and less stressful.

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Good and Bad - 4/24/2016

When I was a teen my family moved to Ventura. Back then is was a small town that did not have much to offer for young adults which bothered some but since I'm a outdoors type of person I enjoyed the beach and mountains in the winter with snow. I tell people you can drive to the beach and snow in the same day. Back then the mall was open and the city did not have all of the resturants they do now. There are all types of eating places from local business to chain. I do miss the climate. I have lived in other cities in the U.S. from Fort Walton Beach, Honolulu, Belton, Texas and Chapman, Kansas. Hands down it was the best place I every lived with Honolulu being a close second for climate and things to do. Ventura is only a 45 minute drive to LA. However, the reason I do not live there is the cost. I ended up being homeless last time I moved back there. Even the housing projects had a two year waiting list with them not even taking names. I never want to be place again. It was not just the cost but the renters were extremely pickly. They did not want children in there rentals. To get past the laws they only allowed two people to live in a two bedroom apartment. A couple and one baby it left us out. I might when I retire go back to Ventura but most likley it will be up the coast.

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Pay for sunshine & ocean - 2/17/2015

Ventura is a wonderful place to live....if you can afford it. Economists say that as coastal property gains popularity with retirees, people will be buying their retirement homes cash with no thought of mortgage cost/interest rates. This will age the population and unfortunately younger families will be looking further inland or at denser new developments. The good news is that these retirees will also buy investment properties so rental properties will be available. Ventura is still cheaper then Santa Barbara or Malibu/Coastal LA for housing. It has all the amenities you could desire, first class hospitals, shopping, boating, etc. I highly recommend trying to find your place in the sun here. The weather is the best in the country.

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Overall, a nice place to live. - 8/22/2013

I have lived here almost my whole life. The climate is mild - a lot of sun compared to many places; however, I personally don't care for the 2-3 months of fog in the summer and would love to go someplace where there are more disctinct seasons, with a hotter summer. The summer fog (which usually starts in June and everyone calls "June gloom") usually breaks up around noon more or less each day, but it will be windy at the same time and the wind will blow it back a couple of hours later. Fall is the warmest time of year. Winter is a little chilly (to me), but usually sunny. Winter also offers the clearest and cleanest views of the Channel Islands off the coast. Spring can get foggy as well, and rather windy. There are many outdoor activities, since there is the beach (including the harbor w/shops & restaurants and the Channel Is. Nat. Park Visitor Center, and farther north there is the pier, playground area and promenade for walking/biking), the Channel Islands and also the mountains surrounding the area. Hiking is available in nearby Ojai and Thousand Oaks (Santa Monica Mountains). There is also some farmland interspersed between the neighborhoods, so tons of locally grown produce is available (however, I wish there were more organic farms, as there seems to be a lot of spraying here and in the nearby cities of Oxnard and Camarillo.) It does feel rather crowded here(to me). I do feel safe where we live, which is on the east side of town; however, the west side and downtown area has more crime and a sizeable homeless population. Overall, I would say that it has been a nice place to grow up and begin raising my own family.

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A Mixed Bag... - 1/10/2012

I relocated to Ventura about a year and a half ago for a job after having spent over ten years living in the Los Angeles area. So first I will give the good. The weather, as other have stated is purely awesome. While it's true that we do get a lot of fog in the Spring and Summer I would take this any day over 90 plus degree days in Los Angeles and the fact is that many coastal areas in Southern California are very similar. And although I am not a beach person I would definitely say the beaches in Ventura are very nice. Unlike LA beaches it is never very difficult to find parking and the crowds are way better than they are in Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach. Another positive, again in comparison to most areas in Southern California, is that Ventura is quite bit cheaper than most decent places to live in Southern California. In Ventura is it possible to purchase a three, or even four bedroom house, for between $350K-$450K in a good area. You will not be living four blocks from the beach but you will most certainly be living in a great area to raise a family. One last positive is the location of Ventura. While Ventura doesn't have all of the action of Los Angeles the fact is that you are located within thirty minutes of Santa Barbara to the North and Thousand Oaks to the South. Santa Barbara is great for a quick weekend getaway, where you might even see a celebrity or two;-), and Thousand Oaks is great if your are looking for your "suburban mall fix." I also should mention Camarillo, even closer than Thousand Oaks, has a pretty decent Outlet mall. The main "negatives" I see with Ventura I can sum up pretty quickly. First, the population in general seems to skew a bit older. I say this being almost 42 so I am not exactly a young one but I do miss the young hip feeling of LA. Secondly, there seems to be somewhat of a conservative vibe as well. I am a complete liberal and LA obviously skews more this direction. My final issue, which some may perceive as a positive, is that even though Ventura is not what I would call necessarily a small town there are a lot of natives here and it seems a bit hard to break into on the social front. Overall I would say Ventura has more positives than negatives compared to other areas in Southern California if you can make it work.

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Best Climate in US - 7/5/2011

Coming from the Mid-West I really dislike very hot weather. However, after living a few years in Ventura I have to say this area has the very best climate I've ever experienced. When it's hot in LA it always cooler in Ventura due to the winds off of the ocean. Absolutely a great place climate wise, however you do pay extra for the nice weather.

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A real gem - 1/19/2011

I lived in Ojai for 18 years--which is located about 10 miles inland of Ventura, and I used to go to Ventura all of the time. The beaches are wonderful, the climate is second to none. The downtown shopping district (Main St.) has seen some real revitalization over the past few years. I now live out of state, but come back to Ventura every summer for a week and look forward to a time when I can afford to live in the area again. The parks are simply OK, as some are vandalized, but the Marina is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. The city is very bike friendly and the people are friendly as well. The crime rate is well below the national average, but housing is--well--too rich for my blood at the moment. What makes Ventura so great is that you are close to Santa Barbara and LA, as well as mountains. You are close to everything! Ventura is the place to be if you enjoy being outdoors--plenty of tennis, cycling, golf, and surf for a lifetime. If you want quality museums and theatre, then it would be better to live closer to a big city.

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Misguaded by incompetent urban planning - 1/17/2011

Ventura is my home town, but I could not afford to live there as the cost of housing and taxes made it unfeasible. Ventura has a little great historic architecture left from the early 1900s, and I emphasize little. With some research one can find so much lost heritage, destroyed for the sake of commercialism and a misguided failed attempt to modernize the city in the 1950s. The downtown is an eclectic mess of old business made to look new thus neither accomplishing a modern nor old character. Ventura lost the one attribute that could have made it different than all the other Southern California communities, a real history exemplified by classic Victorian homes and businesses. With the exception of City Hall, the Bard (former) Hospital and two old (former) bank buildings, I dare anybody to take a picture of Ventura which could be featured on a tourist brochure. The city is vastly homogeneous with common utilitarian buildings, franchised restaurants, uninspired residential units and ubiquitous neo Spanish strip malls. It is my understanding that there has been a recent arts movement that it is vastly modern, a style that is ephemeral and should be relegated to ash heap of history in the future. Another negative is that there is a history of perpetual drought and water rationing. The wilderness consists of scrub brush, brown most of the year and the wild fires coat the city in ash which is an annoying health hazard. There is a wind called the Santa Ana that is hot and dry, it makes life miserable for a month.

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The town with no rules - 12/11/2010

I would love to give Ventura a great rating, but that's not possible. I've lived in Ventura for 43 years. Ventura used to be a sleepy beach town with wonderful weather. It is now a very loud & crowded beach town with wonderful weather. Truly, the weather is the best thing about Ventura. If you can find a house that is away from any main streets or the freeway, you will be able to enjoy the weather aspect and not have to deal with as much noise. However, even in the million dollar+ view homes on the hill, you will hear motorcycles with illegal exhaust pipes ripping thru town day & night - and nothing is done to stop it. I've insulated my house 4 times and replaced all the windows, yet I still cannot sleep thru the night. This is really a shame.

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A beach community - 10/23/2010

Living in Ventura CA..a beautiful city actually, lots of old stuff too..looking for a place to get away from CA politics however, maybe with not as much regulation and taxes on everything, needing a change.

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year round baseball - 5/9/2010

overall, it's been a good experience for our family. we're from the Pacific NW (rain 9 months of the year - ick, no thank you!) and THAT is depressing as hell. Ventura is beautiful. when we first moved here, it was MUCH more expensive. the prices have come down considerably, bubble has burst, people have chilled out as far as thinking they are sitting on gold in real estate. please - get real. (thank goodness) still, we'll be heading to Arizona with the kids when they're ready...prices are just too tempting and it's much more conservative although it's not nearly as liberal as nearby Santa Barba. All in all, I think you get out of it what you put into it and there ARE activities for kids if your kids are willing to put the effort into it - mine play ball year round, active in academics, husband coaches both kids, we do beach things, occasionally camp, do church things and do day trips, weekend outings. it's a good place to have a family.

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Nice beach town - 1/1/2009

undiscovered gem

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Ideal for singles, not great for kids - 11/30/2008

Ventura is a fantastic town if you're single or retired with the kids gone. It's got the best weather on the planet, a great downtown, incredible restaurants, wonderful beaches and a nice arts scene. But if you have kids, as we now do, it's not as great. There's a white trash contingent and the accompanying meth and crime scene, and the schools aren't that great. The area is more conservative than you would expect, and as in much of California, it's hard to know your neighbors. Not a kid-friendly locale, which is why we're leaving soon.

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Beach Town - 5/22/2008

Ventura is a beautiful beach town located mid way between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The cost of living is expensive, but you are paying for the excellent weather. I was born and raised here and have seen many changes over the past 50 years. My only complaints are the cost of living and the congestion from so many people moving here.

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Housing prices laughable - 10/3/2007

I was born and raised in Ventura. I love the place, but I can not afford to live there. Even if I wanted to live on the Westside of town, the rent is out of this world. I was paying $1150 for a old two bedroom condo. My girlfriend and me packed up our son and moved to Denver where I was able to get a nice two bedroom apt with w/d for $565. Buying a house there is too much. For me to get a house, I will have to wait until both my parents die and I take thier house. Otherwise, forget it.

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