Feasibility: Commuting to Port Hueneme from Ventura? (Oxnard, Thousand Oaks: for sale, leasing)

[KhusKhus]

All,

Is it feasible to commute to Port Hueneme Naval Facility from, say, Ventura or Camarillo, or even Ojai? That's to say, is traffic terrible for relatively long windows, from 6:30 - 10:00 and then 15:00 - 18:30, such that even the seemingly reasonable distances (based on maps/satellite imagery) from the mentioned cities to Port Hueneme base will be more than 30 - 45 mins. during those time windows?

Ideally, I'd be able to ride my bike to work too (up to 10 miles), but that might not be possible in the auto-world of South CA--is Harbor Road bike-friendly or paralleled by a trail?

There is a likelihood that I'll be working at Port Hueneme before too long. Looking at a lot of posts here, living near the base (in south Oxnard) isn't an appealing prospect, hence my inclination to commute a bit.

I'm an avid paraglider pilot so I'd like to be able to get to Santa Barbara on weekends, too, so Ventura seems like a good place.

Thanks for any thoughts,
- KC

[Charles]

Ventura would be really close and traffic shouldn't be too bad, not like the notorious LA traffic. Camarillo would be a little longer and traffic not too bad.
Ventura would be more fun for a single person, Camarillo would give you lots of choices if you are a family person. Thousand Oaks would be extremely nice for a family person and it would be maybe a not bad 45 minute drive from Hueneme.

I handglided off La Cumbre Peak (~4000 ft) myself a few years ago.

I have seen paragliders near CSU Channel Islands, maybe something about the winds there?

Cycling would be a great idea from Camarillo or Ventura, I knew several guys that did it when I worked at Mugu. In fact, I'd occasionally cycle from Moorpark to Mugu (most of the time I'd have a buddy give me a ride back though...)

School of Mines????

[KhusKhus]

Thanks a lot for your response! Subjective categorizations about a fickle phenomenon like traffic are tough to make, and inquires about such even tougher to answer.

Learning what the traffic isn't (a terrible, omnipotent monstrosity to base one's life around), rather then what it is makes feel informed. I appreciate it.

School of Mines indeed! Good eye and assessment. It would be that, or Coors, I suppose ;-)

[pickleswanson]

The roads from Ventura are by far friendlier cycling to base than from Camarillo. Wouldn't recommend cycling all the way from Ojai daily, just for fun; then again the drive isn't great either and cycling could be quicker on some days. The roads are fairly narrow; but, we all expect the cyclist and watch for them. Harbor does have biking lanes with few exceptions between Ventura and base. I live 2 blocks from base and only use the bike lanes that far away for fun. If you choose to live in Ventura over being closer to base and want to cycle, Harbor will be the safest route in my opinion. Victoria is possible but not recommended. If you would like to live closer, Port Hueneme does have a few good areas, Hollywood Bch or Silver Stand in Oxnard maybe. They are within reach again $$$ wise if you're buying or leasing a condo/house, avoid the apt complexes to avoid developing a complex. Apt near beaches need improvements not cover ups. With the housing bust BAH will cover long term leases in the nicer communities here now. They are not advertised so you must visit the communities to find them. Best of wishes to ya!

[sponger42]

I live near midtown Ventura and I highly recommend it! The center of the action is Main & California St. and anything within a few blocks of there puts you within stumbling distance of home from a number of nice dives, some with live music every weekday night.

That plus thrift stores and 99c stores for cheap living, a great (though crowded) surf spot (plus loads of hidden, less-crowded ones), a number of gorgeous parks, and some coffee shops for hanging out, make midtown a great place to live.

There was a 2br 1.5ba townhouse for sale near Ventura Harbor (not Channel Islands) for about 300K recently, so prices are coming down. Beach-side living is still astronomical, but anything within 5 blocks of the water (including all of midtown) is just as good for half the price. The hills have incredible sunset/sunrise views year round.

As for commuting:
The 101 > Victoria > Base route is actually kind of long. The best way to go is along Harbor Blvd.

As another poster stated, Harbor is wide with bike lanes part of the way and broad shoulders the rest of the way. However, people tear along it at 65mph through the farmland sections, so I would try to ride in daylight hours if your schedule allows.

If you're into surfing, I would probably try to rent a place right on Silverstrand and catch a dawn session every day before work. A second option would be looking for a cheap(er) place near 5th and Harbor, or Victoria and Harbor (lots of rentals there).

However, for all-around activities, I'd again say Midtown Ventura.

East Ventura, Camarillo, and especially Thousand Oaks are pretty boring IMO. A little slice of Kansas right smack dab in the middle of California.

Oh, and I do see pretty heavy traffic backups most mornings coming from the Thousand Oaks/Camarillo direction on the westbound 101. Eastbound is usually clear-to-spotty all the way to the SFV in the mornings.