I have lived in the Oak Park/Westlake/Thousand Oaks area for 30 years. I agree that the cost of living is an F, it’s ridiculous. Like anywhere else in California, you pay steep fines for using too much water, the combined income and sales taxes are some of the highest in the nation, and local businesses and restaraunts price gouge the heck out of you. I got a burger, fries and a drink at Fat Burger last week and it was $22. Weather getting an “A” seems awfully subjective. If you don’t like seasons (like, any seasons at all) and you just like heat and wind year round, I guess it’s an A. We are in the wild fire epicenter of the United States. Last year at Christmas it was 85 degrees and ashes were falling from the sky. The forecast on my iPhone literally said “smoke.” Crime is probably the most misleading score of all. Thousand Oaks includes Westlake Village in their crime statistics which pulls down the curve substantially. Additionally, crime is lower here simply because some things aren’t considered crimes in California that are in other states. Marijuana is legal, as a result I now live next to a “grow house” that deals weed, in a neighborhood where the average home value is $800k. Homelessness and panhandling has exploded in terms of numbers and how aggressive the panhandlers get in soliciting. Even though we have laws against aggressive panhandling, the police don’t enforce them. I have had my car broken into twice in the last ten years, once by a Mexican gang from a neighboring city, the second time was in my own driveway in the middle of the night (again, $800k neighborhood). So as far as crime goes, draw your own conclusions. I know homelessness by itself isn’t a crime, but do you want a booming homeless population in YOUR neighborhood? Lastly for the negatives, it is just not a very interesting place. It lacks any real culture or history and there’s not much to be attached to here. The shopping and dining is very good. There are a lot of options. And you are 1-2 hours away from a lot of attractions like Disneyland, beaches, Six Flags, the LA zoo etc. So there are quite a few day-trip options. Overall like most places it is a mixed bag, but bottom line it is expensive, plain, hot and windy. And with the homelessness boom, it doesn’t feel worth the cost.
Source: The Thousand Oaks, CA data and statistics displayed above are derived from the 2016 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
