Tarah

I have lived in Ventura for 20+ years, here's my 2 cents. Anything in the hills will be expensive but the neighborhoods are good. I second another person's high opinion of poinsettia school district. Pierpont Elementary is also supposed to be very good; the neighborhood is also very nice (next to the beach and has a nice local-feeling area of restaurants at the end of Seaward by the beach) but very expensive. No matter where you live, there is a year-round math magnet school (Mound Elementary) located on South Hill Rd that is one of the best schools in the county - only downside is there is no bus. Midtown is also decent as far as neighborhoods go (anywhere from Ventura College area to California Street downtown). Higher crime tends to occur along Ventura Avenue (locally known as "The Avenue") and along the Thompson Blvd corridor in the downtown area. Also, be careful with the neighborhoods in East Ventura that have easy access from Foothill Rd, the 126 or 101 freeways - they may look new and expensive but there has been an increase in crime in recent years as people from Oxnard go there to commit petty thefts (my parents live out there and caught some guys siphoning gas out of their car, for example) and hightail back to Oxnard. Speaking of Oxnard, I would avoid it for reason of crime and schools. For best local flavor I recommend Pierpont or midtown between Ventura High School and California Street. - Thu Mar 6 2008, 08:49