Enjoy the stars as you sleep under them.
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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.
Tony | Ventura, CA