Moving From NoCal to SoCal (Berkeley, Carlsbad: townhome, safe area, top school)

[suchaladyjay]

I am considering moving to SoCal this summer opposed to moving out of the state to either Texas or GA. I am moving with my 10 year old daughter and she is in a top rated school district in the Bay Area, her current school in a 9 on great schools, which is important to me wherever we move.

I am a Bay Area native, but I am bored to death with the Bay Area, the dynamics have changed greatly and I believe this will be a good change. I can pay up to $2500 comfortable (do I want to? no, but I am a Californian, so I am being realistic).

I am looking for a 2 bedroom and it has to have 2 bathrooms in a nice area with good schools, I would love to be in a neighborhood comparable to Berkeley, not sure if that exist in the Southern part of the state, but close is good.

I found a townhome that says it is at Victory and Shoup in Woodland Hills, map wise this looks like Canoga Park to me or West Hills, does anyone know about this area?

The most important things to me in deciding to move:

1. How my daughter will adjust to school life, until she changed to Berkeley schools she was picked on. She is very sweet girl who is introverted and just wants to play, I have tried very hard to not raise a "grown" kid, so she is a true 10 year old.

Berkeley schools have been the best experience ever, I call the child of Berkeley schools "The products of hippies"; meaning these children are the most loving, accepting children I have ever come in contact with. My daughter needs this time of environment.

2. The neighborhood has to be safe. Period.

I hope that I didn't ramble, but non biased input would be very helpful because it will add to my decision on whether to move OR to keep my child in the bay and just be bored, at least until she develops thicker skin

[ProjectMersh]

Originally Posted by suchaladyjay

I am considering moving to SoCal this summer opposed to moving out of the state to either Texas or GA. I am moving with my 10 year old daughter and she is in a top rated school district in the Bay Area, her current school in a 9 on great schools, which is important to me wherever we move.

I am a Bay Area native, but I am bored to death with the Bay Area, the dynamics have changed greatly and I believe this will be a good change. I can pay up to $2500 comfortable (do I want to? no, but I am a Californian, so I am being realistic).

I am looking for a 2 bedroom and it has to have 2 bathrooms in a nice area with good schools, I would love to be in a neighborhood comparable to Berkeley, not sure if that exist in the Southern part of the state, but close is good.

I found a townhome that says it is at Victory and Shoup in Woodland Hills, map wise this looks like Canoga Park to me or West Hills, does anyone know about this area?

That is a good, safe area (Shoup/Victory). That is the LA Unified School District (LAUSD). Lots of underperforming schools in the LAUSD. But in the West San Fernando Valley there are some goods public schools (El Camino High School) but I can't comment on the current quality of the specific elementary or middle schools in the area.

[suchaladyjay]

Originally Posted by ProjectMersh

That is a good, safe area (Shoup/Victory). That is the LA Unified School District (LAUSD). Lots of underperforming schools in the LAUSD. But in the West San Fernando Valley there are some goods public schools (El Camino High School) but I can't comment on the current quality of the specific elementary or middle schools in the area.

Thank you! I really like the townhome, so your input is appreciated!!! Yeah I looked at the schools in the area and I can't tell (I may have to leave that portion of my question to my friend who is a LAUSD teacher).

[BRinSM]

i can confirm that victory/shoup is a perfectly good family area (though victory is a major valley thoroughfare). i'm not sure about the schools in that area specifically, but generally speaking, woodland hills and west hills have some of the best performing schools in LAUSD.

[lrmsd]

You may want to consider san diego, as well. Encinitas, Solana Beach. You will not find Berkeley in so cal. [In fact, there was a pages long thread recently on CD discussing this-there are other parents looking for similar. You might be interested in that thread using the search feature.]. It's a different place altogether; I say this as someone who has lived in both. You will find some kids at the high ranking districts in SD, who are like you described. You will also find some competition and somewhat segregated environment [new immigrant kids of particular cultures, focus on test scores and grades.]. The top districts in SD are Poway, Del Mar/Solana Beach [includes carmel valley], Carlsbad and Encinitas. Encinitas is probably the closest to Berkeley of these mentioned, but the dynamics have changed, too, just as you mentioned about the bay area.

I am just mentioning this b/c while LA has a more cosmopolitan feel, SD has more top school districts to choose from (with a population that is roughly 1/3 of LA's), better air quality, less congested freeways and more nature [canyons for hiking/beaches] to choose from, that are less crowded and easier to access. Also, your housing budget is great for SD; you will have more options in safer areas, with that budget and can likely go less than that. SD is often recommended for families for these reasons. Plus, it's easier to access the wider amenities of the city; you can be most places in 20 minutes, vs. having to plan an outing in LA and deal with traffic just to do anything. Yet, from north SD county, you can in LA in 1.5 hours, most of the time, for easy day trips.

In any case, Encinitas area may suit you. Moonlight beach is really cool; encinitas is an old surfer town that has gotten yuppie and with a fair share of yoga studios, etc. The beach often has live music in the summer; this small city has great restaurant choices and amenities and is very conveniently located. For safety, you cannot beat Carmel Valley/Del Mar or Poway, and Encinitas is pretty good overall (especially when comparing to Berkeley, it is very favorable) but these other suburbs may not be your cup of tea. Solana Beach, next door to Encinitas, has Cedros art district and is a small coastal community with some great amenities and feels vibrant. It's also safe. Nice farmer's market, too.

I live in carmel valley area of SD and have kids in the schools here; I've also lived in the more artsy, urban areas of SD (which might feel more Berkeley-esque to you.) and have done charter schools, home school, etc. If you do want to look more central SD/urban with residential hoods and older buildings with more character available: Check Mission Hills, South Park, Kensington, University Heights, University Heights. You'd likely want to go the charter school route or look at IB and specialized city magnet programs. SD city school website lists all charters and magnets. There are numerous past threads on CD discussing schools.

I also just posted LA county charter and city magnet school lists on a couple of threads in the LA forum yesterday, for parents looking in LA, if you want to check those out, too. You could also check out Ojai, in Ventura county?

You won't get the same vibe in so cal, but you just might enjoy it, anyway. (:
Good luck w/your decision!

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by suchaladyjay

Thank you! I really like the townhome, so your input is appreciated!!! Yeah I looked at the schools in the area and I can't tell (I may have to leave that portion of my question to my friend who is a LAUSD teacher).

Did you do the great schools dot org search thing? It has parent reviews, first hand, FWIW.

[suchaladyjay]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

You may want to consider san diego, as well. Encinitas, Solana Beach. You will not find Berkeley in so cal.

I have honestly never thought about living in SD, but you've given me something to think about! I am definitely going to research SD. Thank you!

[suchaladyjay]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

Did you do the great schools dot org search thing? It has parent reviews, first hand, FWIW.

I did, but I couldn't tell if the schools were actually assigned to that specific address, but in general, I did see what the parents in the neighborhood are saying and it looks like the same concerns are across the board.