Morro Bay, Carpinteria or Port Hueneme (Oxnard, Santa Barbara: sublet, apartment complexes, rentals)

[Roma]

Hi, If you are still interested in Pt. Hueneme then I would try real hard to live at Hollywood Beach in Oxnard. It is a great community and does have the sea life preservation (big time) and the political (big time) as well. As the whole coast area there is trying to Anex from Oxnard (and it looks like it is going to happen). There are condos next to the Hollywod Beach Elementary School that people rent out all the time. I bet you can find a 1 bedroom there. I have no idea about jobs regarding the Navy, someone else might be able to help you with that. Cre8 is going to get me for this but I recommend you stay on the beach side of Victoria Ave. I would not move past that. Same with shopping until you get a better grip of the area. There is a new grocery store on the corner of Wooley and Victoria (you can go there) and there is a Channel Islands shopping center on Victoria at the cross street and you can shop there (Ralphs, Jamba Juice, Starbucks ect.) but no further for now in Oxnard, remember until you get a grip of the area OK. Sorry I sound like a mom but I am serious. Girls have to watch out for each other.

[margo]

I can't imagine being single and relocating to Morro Bay. I graduated from MBHS, and I loved Morro Bay. It is a town FULL of retired people. It fills with tourists regularly. It would be very difficult to find a nitch in Morro Bay without the benefit of an established network. Morro Bay is a wonderful place, but I would shy away from it. If you are an artist that wants to sit on the beach and paint, and don't care if you have a social life, or cultural outlet, then you may be happy there.

[greatbasinguide]

Does MBHS still have a commercial fishing program? Tis true that Morro Bay is not a hot bed of social life for young people, but SLO is next door. If you want old folks, then Los Osos is your ticket. Morro Bay is the closest thing to a romantic New England fishing village California has south of Noye Harbor.

[stellar9]

Well, IF I were a single woman in her 30s with a cat (which I'm not-I'm a married woman in her 40s with kids and 2 cats), I think I would love Morro Bay. Finding a job right in town might be a little difficult, but Atascadero and San Luis Obispo are less than 20 minutes away.

Micki

[la quinta family]

Regarding rents.... I love Craigslist.. you can check
on the rents for slo by typing in craigslist san luis obispo
and it will have the rents for morro bay and other towns around
there. You can check different places by typing in
craigslist santa barbara... etc.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by cinbad68

I'm looking to find a very basic studio/1bedroom within walking distance to beach. Any suggestions? Also I knew of the CB connection as I'm ex-Navy. I was wondering if this might put me at an advantage for finding base-related employment or is preference given to spouses of active duty personnel? I'm wondering just how bad gangs can be there.

The gang issues in PH are largely overblown. I've lived in the area for 20+ years and a lot of the "woe is me" about gangs and crime comes from outsiders. Don't get me wrong, the Oxnard, PH, Ventura area has gangs, as does Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, but it's not all "gang infested" as some people claim. And it is nothing compared to bigger places, like Chicago. Plus the three Ventura County cities I mentioned are firmly committed to dealing with the problem. Santa Barbara and Carp tend to deny their gang problem for fear of losing tourism money, but gangs are growing in Santa Barbara.

You're a shoe-in for base employment in Port Hueneme. My gosh, you could WALK to work.

Try the beach area of Port Hueneme. There are some awesome apartments and condos RIGHT on the beach. Take a closer look. Don't let the rumors scare you from at least checking things out. Visit the PH PD and get the stats from the source. People who live in PH love it, and they will tell you so. (BTW, and for the record, I don't live in PH, but I know the town well.)

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Roma

Cre8 is going to get me for this but I recommend you stay on the beach [west] side of Victoria Ave. I would not move past that.

LOL! Yes I will, and I'll tell you why. The neighborhoods east of Victoria, Via Marina, Sea Air, Marina West and others, are surprisingly safe. The crime in these neighborhoods is very, very low. These neighborhoods are in the same PD beat and zip code as the beach communities, and according to the crime stats, the PD is preoccupied these days solving burglary and even aggravated assault crimes in the harbor and beach neighborhoods. There has been a rash of home and vehicle break-ins along Peninsula and Harbor Blvd. -- even armed robberies in full view of security cameras. There was a carjacking in Oxnard Shores not long ago -- a rare crime anywhere in Oxnard or Port Hueneme, but it happened in a beach neighborhood. The "inland" neighborhoods east of Victoria are not as affluent, and perhaps not as interesting to criminals. I'm not sure of the reason, but again, crime is very, very low as reported by the PD's own crime records.

The one area I would avoid is the townhouses at Victoria and Hemlock in Port Hueneme (drugs and misery). But the neighboring developments are very nice.

Originally Posted by Roma

...the whole coast area...is trying to Anex from Oxnard...

Not sure that any of Oxnard's beach neighborhoods will secede from the city. Oxnard has too much invested there to let them go. That said, the unincorporated county areas of Hollywood Beach and Silverstrand might incorporate and become a NEW city. They probably should.

[Roma]

cre8, You just explained the problem with the whole area of Oxnard and Pt Hueneme. Crime. Violent Crimes. No matter where you live there, there is no getting away from it.
Please OP, think real long and hard before you make a move like this. Cre8 just said how bad it is and now the thugs are going into the beach area. You can not even be safe in the best/nicest areas in Oxnard/ PH if what cre8 says is true then.
You did not see people coming on here talking about the crime in Morro Bay.
No, but you did see people coming on here to tell you about how bad the crime is in Pt. hueneme/Oxnard. That says alot.
In 2003 there were 22 murders! In 2005 there were 19 murders! This does not include all the people that have been shot or stabbed but survived.
After reading what cre8 said about what is going on at the beach regarding crime, you could not pay me to go back there.

Murders, Rapes, Carjackings, Burglaries, Robberies, Aggravated Assaults = No Thanks!

[gypsychic]

My hubby and I vacationed in Morro Bay/SLO two years in a row. What a gorgeous, gorgeous place. We felt completely safe. Very laid-back and beautiful. For several years I wanted to live there, but it's just out of our price range. We did visit the Ventura area and didn't like the vibe at all.

I think SLO/Morro Bay would be a wonderful place to live. Of course, I am an outsider, but after spending time there, that is still how it strikes me. Good luck!

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Roma

cre8, You just explained the problem with the whole area of Oxnard and Pt Hueneme. Crime. Violent Crimes. No matter where you live there, there is no getting away from it.
Please OP, think real long and hard before you make a move like this. Cre8 just said how bad it is and now the thugs are going into the beach area. You can not even be safe in the best/nicest areas in Oxnard/ PH if what cre8 says is true then.
You did not see people coming on here talking about the crime in Morro Bay.
No, but you did see people coming on here to tell you about how bad the crime is in Pt. hueneme/Oxnard. That says alot.
In 2003 there were 22 murders! In 2005 there were 19 murders! This does not include all the people that have been shot or stabbed but survived.
After reading what cre8 said about what is going on at the beach regarding crime, you could not pay me to go back there.

Murders, Rapes, Carjackings, Burglaries, Robberies, Aggravated Assaults = No Thanks!

I'm taken aback by your post, Roma. You overstated my points, but worse, you turned on its head my point about the safety of the "inland" neighborhoods east of Victoria -- the ones you claim are not safe. According to the Oxnard PD's own data, these are LOW-CRIME neighborhoods.

The area is not high-crime for its size. West Ventura County's combined population is around 350,000+. This is more than the entire population of San Luis Obispo County, where only 10,000 live in Morro Bay. It's comparing apples and oranges. Moreover, the perception that Oxnard and Port Hueneme are high-crime areas is merely that, perception. The crime data doesn't support that view. Nor does my experience as a long-time resident of the area. Crimes happen, yes, but statistically you're chances of being a victim of one are extremely low. Did something happen to you or someone you know in Oxnard or Port Hueneme?

PS. One carjacking -- singular! I also said that this is a RARE CRIME in Ox/PH -- the reason it made the news at all! And incidentally, the victim got away, so it was actually an ATTEMPTED car jacking. My bad for not mentioning that. It's such a rare crime that even an attempt makes the news.