Woodland Hills, CA - what can anybody tell me about the area?

[NewJeffCT]

I was contacted about what seems to be a good job in Woodland Hills, CA. I know very little about the area - is it a good area to live? If a family with a young child wanted to find an area nearby where the public schools were very good, where would one live? I know it's a bit north of Los Angeles, and when I did a housing cost comparison search on the area, a nearby town had a median home price of $580,000 or so.

I'm in the Hartford, CT area now. Will also cross-post in the CA forum. Woodland Hills is between Thousand Oaks & Sherman Oaks.

Thanks

[NV Whino]

1. It used to be a nice place.

I haven't been down there in eons so don't know how it's weathered the economy. Older area. If you don't like Woodland Hills, there are plenty of surrounding areas from which to choose.

[thirtiesgirl]

2. Well...

Woodland Hills is considered one of the posher areas of the San Fernando Valley. Parts of WH have some pretty expensive homes, and there's a rather ritzy mall (i.e., stores where I can't afford to shop) called the Promenade right in the heart of the suburb. The huge Topanga Plaza mall is also in the area. It underwent a big, very expensive re-model about 5 years ago and is now one of the malliest malls in the Valley (i.e., it has everything and then some, and a lot of high end, expensive stores). For the most part, though, Woodland Hills is pretty suburban and middle-income, and not too far away from other more lower-/middle-income neighborhoods like Canoga Park and Tarzana. And for the record, Thousand Oaks and Sherman Oaks are kind of far away from Woodland Hills. Thousand Oaks is about a 40-45 minute drive west, and Sherman Oaks is about a 20-25 minute drive east, with traffic. When moving anywhere in LA, that's one thing you're going to have to get used to: traffic. Travel times with traffic are very different than travel times without.

You should also consider that, in the summer, Woodland Hills is one of the hottest locations in the SFValley. I lived in North Hollywood, in the more eastern part of the SFV, for many years and we'd get up to 108 degree weather for at least a week every summer. Woodland Hills probably reached 110-112 degrees during that week. The rest of the summer, temps hover around the 100-105 degree mark, and most people just don't go outside. Air conditioning is mandatory in the SFV, so if I went outside, it was just to go from my air conditioned apartment to my air conditioned car, and into an air conditioned building. The air gets disgusting, dry and hazy, and I hated it every summer. I live in a different part of LA now, closer to the ocean, specifically for that reason. (Well, that, and I found a job in the area.)

Woodland Hills is near the Warner Center, though (a big office park that houses Warner Entertainment), and they put on a cool fireworks display every July 4th. It's fun to be outside in the evening and watch the fireworks. Parking around Warner Center on July 4th is a bitch, though, so make sure you get there early if you want to check it out. LA is a big, crowded place where everyone drives and everyone goes to the events you want to go to. You'll have to get used to the crowds and planning well in advance to find parking spaces, even in more suburban neighborhoods like WH, if you're going to go out on July 4th, xmas at the malls, New Years Eve, or even a big, blockbuster movie on opening weekend. I've lived here for 13 years (I moved here from a small, beachside tourist town elsewhere in SoCal), and the crowds and traffic are a large reason why I now want to leave.

LA has a lot to offer, though - great art museums (LACMA, MOCA, and the Getty), the Natural History Museum, great bands always play here, and we've got some great venues to see them (the Greek, the Hollywood Bowl, and smaller places like the Music Box, the El Rey, Spaceland, the Troubadour). The Hollywood Bowl puts on some fun activities every year, like the Sound of Music singalong, and there are tons of great places to eat, and lots of fun, quirky little hangouts that must be seen to be believed (check out the Dresden Room in Los Feliz, or the Derby in Silver Lake for a true taste of quirky LA history, or grab a bite at classic Hollywood eatery Musso & Frank's, and I guarantee you'll see at least one fairly well known TV or film writer eating there). There's lots of history in some parts of LA, and that's part of what I love about it. If you decide to take the job, I hope you enjoy your stay here.

[NewJeffCT]

3. Thanks

Great information - very helpful! And, welcome to DU

[Nailzberg]

16. Sadly, the Derby is closed. n/t

[thirtiesgirl]

73. seriously?!?

Ach! I haven't hung out over in Silver Lake in a few years, so I guess I've been out of the loop. The Derby was a fun place to go. Last time I was there, I saw Eleni Mandell play live.

Just thought I'd mention, if the OP is looking for a fairly easy-going place to hang out and drink a beer, where the DJs play great music from the post-punk '70s/early '80s, check out Big Foot Lodge in Atwater Village. Worth visiting at least once.

[K8-EEE]

85. I like Big Foot -- also great music Charlie O's in Van Nuys

We've seen some real jazz greats sitting in there, no cover! Also upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, we saw Poncho Sanchez there last week....El Conguero! Lots of great music in the Valley. Also in WH they've been having some wonderful freebie concerts at Warner Center in recent years.

[K8-EEE]

86. I am still mourning the place BEFORE the Derby....

Michael's Los Feliz....that place was awesome. Also miss the orig Sarno's on Vermont.

[K8-EEE]

61. I love the Dresden Room, and Marty & Elayne!

My husband and I went on one of our first dates there in the 80s, and I think they're still there! Last saw them a couple of years ago...

[thirtiesgirl]

81. yeah

they are. There's a similar vintage cocktail lounge in my neck of the woods, the San Franciscan, with an electric pianist and his crusty chanteause, who play live every Thursday and Friday night. They're not nearly as good or cheezy as Marty and Elayne, but they can be good fun to check out every once in a while.

[ohiosmith]

4. Lived there for ten years. Loved Woodland Hills hated Los Angeles.

[NewJeffCT]

7. What did you hate about LA?

just curious. And, why did you love Woodland Hills?

[ohiosmith]

21. Hated the traffic, pretentious assholes, lousy public transportation, and the earthquakes. Loved

Woodland Hills shopping, restaurants, recreational areas, great bike paths, friendly people, diversity. :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

22. thanks

they are going to build some high speed rail in CA, I believe, aren't they?

[ohiosmith]

23. They've been debating it for 30 years.

[NewJeffCT]

24. True, but

Didn't the stimulus bill allot a good deal of money to the project?

[K8-EEE]

65. Actually the public transit has been improved recent years

We have the subway from the Valley to downtown L.A., 20 minutes, and the new Orange Line busway that goes from NoHo to Warner Center in Woodland Hills, there is a bike path along the Orange Line too!

[IcyPeas]

5. From Sherman Oaks....

thirtiesgirl nailed it.

Worked in Woodland hills for a while and the drive on the 101 (Ventura Freeway) isn't bad because you are going against traffic. (of course, this is from Sherman Oaks -- if you lived right in Woodland hills this fact is irrelevant)

Yes. hot in the summer. but then you could also get a house or condo with a pool!!

Big AMC movie theater out there too next to the mall.

Nice drive over Topanga Canyon over to the ocean.

Supermarkets, drug stores, Whole Foods etc. etc.

Of course, you won't get the four seasons like Connecticut gets (or the cold cold weather)

[NewJeffCT]

6. Thanks

but, since it's between Thousand OAKS and Sherman OAKS and is named WOODland Hills, it should at least be green, right? One thing I've noticed when you fly west, the ground seems a lot browner west of the Mississippi River due to deserts & mountains and generally more arid lands (notwithstanding the Pacific Northwest...)

[thirtiesgirl]

11. Heh,

yeah, you'd *think* a place with a name like Thousand OAKS or WOODLAND Hills would be green. But there's not much in LA that is. Most of it is kind of brown, with a little green thrown in. I've driven down a few tree-lined streets in WH, Northridge, Granada Hills or the North Hills area, but for the most part, it's brown bushes, hazy air and sunshine all the time, with the rare overcast day, and some very occasional rain.

About two years before I left the San Fernando Valley, I got what I term "reverse-SAD." SAD is seasonal affective disorder, and refers to people who experience depression from too much overcast, rainy and cold weather - people who need natural sunlight lamps and vitamin supplements to help them deal with it. Well, I experienced the opposite of that after one summer too many in the SFV. The constant bright sun, heat and no clouds made me depressed. I needed a little overcast, a little change in the weather to help my mood. That's why I finally moved to a different part of LA, closer to the ocean, where there's a little more *atmosphere* in the air. Winter, Spring and Fall in the SFV are great, for the most part (unless there's a fire in the area). But summers there are really a bitch, imho.

[K8-EEE]

66. We have lots of pepper, mulberry, citrus and palm trees here in NoHo

And my hub even built this cool tree house in the front yard pepper tree!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37971863@N07/4965293143/in/photostream/

The problem is that houses like mine (tiny house, big garden) were bought out by McMansion developers and the put like 3 vertical, ugly houses on what used to be a nice garden lot. When I was a kid everybody in the Valley had trees and gardens. Now they have 5 bedrooms and 4-1/2 bathrooms!

I don't understand why anybody would want to have all those toilets and no gardens in this climate where we can garden all year. Plus we have so many shady areas from the trees and they really do help the air quality too.

[hyphenate]

44. Green?

You are living in a dream world, if you think there is anything "green" about SoCal!

The closest color to green is brown--the color of your lawn from March to November. Then, it's sort of brown but sloshy brown, because the "winter" months are almost always rainy with a slim chance of sun. Well, perhaps I exaggerate. On the days it isn't raining, it's 81 degrees in January.

I'd come back here to Mass. for vacations, and when I got back to LA I would show people my pictures, and point at them, and say, "These green things? They're called TREES." It was a joke, but it really wasn't.

Any woods that might have been around when the city went up were likely chopped down in the name of "progress" AKA "greedy developers." The building and rape of the land never stops.

And the "green" you thought you would see from the air is actually brown--yes, there is a never-ending layer of brown overhead that somehow they euphemistically call "air."

In the summer, it's a tinderbox--I kid you not. It's a constant worry during the summer when everything dries up and people are idiots with matches. Don't ever expect to get anywhere you need to go on time. The freeways are hell, and you better learn the words "sig alert" now: it means traffic is at a standstill--literally. A 36 mile trip for me in the mornings was almost a 2 hour drive.

Anyhow, I am prejudiced being from Mass. I always wanted to be happy in LA, but I couldn't be. It just didn't happen for me, ultimately.

[K8-EEE]

68. Yeah....GREEEN!

I have sq. foot boxes and can grow lots of green stuff all year....even in the winter! It's great to go product shopping in your back yard...even in December!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37971863@N07/4436936148/in/photostream/

[K8-EEE]

33. Well actually we DO have 4 seasons!

I'm a gardener -- here in L.A. we can garden all year but the plants and seasons DO change out!

We don't have New England snow or Seattle rains but our seasons (all except summer!) are beautiful - I hate the 100+ summers but love the So CA winters! I'm a native and the few "White Christmases" I've had at my in-laws in Buffalo, hell, you can have it!

[Tikki]

8. We live just North of Woodland Hills...

It is beautiful, one of the best of the Valley, we say. We are sure there is a school to
fit your children(s) need nearby.
Plus, if you don't mind a small commute, beautiful southern Ventura County is a click away.

The Tikkis

Dream location for us would be Calabasas or Agoura Hills or somewhere off the road on the way to Malibu.

[NewJeffCT]

9. thanks

sounds good - how long is a 'small' commute? Many years back, somebody from TX called me about a job and I said my current commute (at the time) was about an hour, and his response was, "oh, that's not bad at all" - when I thought it was terribly long.

[Tikki]

10. Always depends on 101 traffic and situations, of course...

..from Thousand Oaks/ Westlake Village to Woodland Hills..good day 20 minutes...bad day 40 minutes.

T O maybe more bang for buck house-wise..costs are more as you head on down along the ocean side of the 101.
Definitely looking around the different areas will help.

Tikki

[NewJeffCT]

12. thanks again

We'd be most interested in the quality of the local schools as opposed to the size of the house.

[KamaAina]

13. Alas, most CA schools suck these days

thanks to intransigent repukes -- and voters -- who refuse to approve any new taxes, we've slid all the way down from the envy of most of the country to "Thank God for Mississippi!" territory -- 47th to 50th in every major category. Thanks, Arnie! :sarcasm:

[NewJeffCT]

14. that does not sound promising

I realized it had gone downhill, but didn't realize it was so bad. And, didn't the slide start before Arnold, like under Reagan as governor? Not to say he hasn't exacerbated the situation, but wasn't that anti-tax proposition passed a long time back?

[Tikki]

15. Wow...most California schools do not suck...

The schools work according to the tax base and parent involvement.

I hear this meme over and over again and I wonder why so
many engineers, inventors, innovative businesses and talented
writers and musicians come from California schools.

Yes there are schools in dire need of reform and real help..but, let's face it
the odds of NewJeffCT living in a depressed area are slim.

Again, I say...looking around an area is the best idea.

Tikki

[NewJeffCT]

17. thanks

If I go out there for an interview face-to-face, I would try to look around the area on a Sunday (before a Monday interview) or Saturday (after a Friday interview) just to get a feel for things.

Do homes in CA in that area have basements? If I go to a place like realtor.com and plug in my hometown in CT and see a home that is 1,500 square feet, the home might have an additional 750 square feet in the basement that can be storage or even converted (finished) and made into additional living space that is not counted as part of the 1,500. If I see a home in Thousand Oaks, CA (for example), would a home with 1,500 square feet also not include the basement, if any?

[Tikki]

18. NO BASEMENTS

Some older homes pre-pre War...Storage in homes is in backyard sheds
or a choice from a bevy of Self-Storage units in pay-to-store buildings.

Basements & the occasional earthquake = no mix..

Tikki

[K8-EEE]

34. Yeah I'm from L.A. and basements are exotic to me! nt

[Arugula Latte]

19. For some reason few California homes have basements.

[NewJeffCT]

20. Thanks

forgot about earthquakes, as Tikki mentioned above. I'm more concerned about drought/lack of rain than earthquakes.

[Tikki]

25. It's really, really wet today...

Well no worries about rain here right now...and it does rain in So Cal...
but there are times of sparse rainfall from season to season...
So the savvy gardener is turning Native..
http://www.growingnative.com/whygrow.htm

Some amazing landscapes here in California...

Tikki

[Lindsey]

27. I lived in Woodland Hills and loved it. (I'm now in Studio City).

If your job is actually in Woodland Hills then you won't even have to worry about a bad commute. I am biased because I really love Southern CA since I moved here 23 years ago. Pretty much anything you'll need is in Woodland Hills (as far as what's in a regular city). Unfortunately, the school system is part of Los Angeles Unified School District (I taught for LAUSD for a couple of years). I don't mean to offend anyone but the school system SUCKS. One of my best friends just got a pink slip and she was at the same school for 10 years - and from what I'm hearing, more and more cuts are coming. My experience with LAUSD was really, really bad. The other negative regarding Woodland Hills is the weather in the summer. However, if you know that you're just going to have to keep the air on all the time and are okay about that, you should do fine. As others have mentioned, you have access to L.A. and there really is so much to do here.

[NewJeffCT]

29. Thanks

so, someplace like Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village that is outside the LAUSD might be a better choice if we're interested in school quality?

[Haole Girl]

31. Most homes in Souther California do not have basements

There are several reasons (i.e., http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080403173913AAVET7J)

Good luck if you move to Southern California. You can't beat the weather. It is EXTREMELY expensive there... EXTREMELY. But, to me, you get what you pay for. If my husband would move with me, I'd go back out there in a nanosecond! That being said, I would only want to live within 5 miles of the beach. Yeah, I know... California dreamin'!

Hope your interview goes well... keep us posted. :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

37. From what I saw online

The median home price in Woodland Hills was about $525,000, according to yahoo real estate. And, nearby Thousand Oaks was about $645,000, while Westlake Village is $795,000.

I live in one of the more expensive housing areas in the Hartford, CT region and the median home price here is "only" around $400,000. (of course, if we were an hour or more closer to NYC, the housing prices in CT would be higher than even Westlake Village.)

[Haole Girl]

40. It's worth every penny to live on the other side of the 405

That is Southern California speak for "Live by the beach!" Really, the smog blows inland... especially in the summer. I hated it when I moved from El Segundo to Gardena. It was reasonably priced, and why my roommate bought a condo there. But, trust me when I tell you this: You get what you pay for!

Good luck. Hope you find a nice place to live & a great job, too!

[NewJeffCT]

46. Thanks

It's certainly not set in stone by any means - I've asked about jobs all around the country over the years here on DU - Richmond, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus, OH; Columbus, GA; Tampa, FL; and a few other places. Yet, we haven't moved yet.

[KurtNYC]

41. I went to high school in Orange county in the 1980s and

it was very weak compared to just an average school in a blue collar city in upstate NY. Not in a depressed area. Low standards and dumbed down curriculum. Not sure how it is now.

[LibDemAlways]

39. I live 15 minutes from Woodland Hills, which is in

the LA Unified District. If schools are a big concern, I'd look a little further up the 101. My daughter attends school in the Oak Park District, which has excellent schools. People from outside Oak Park can go to school in the Oak Park District, which is considered a "district of choice." Check it out on the web. I live in Oak Park in a 30 year old 3 bedroom, 2 bath house which would sell in today's market for about $550K. Another local district is Las Virgenes, which covers the Calabasas and Agoura Hills areas. Calabasas borders Woodland Hills but is considered more upscale and is definitely more expensive. Agoura Hills is also very nice, but not as elite and has a mix of housing.

Thousand Oaks is farther out. The housing is a little more reasonable on the whole, even though T.O. as its called has some very expensive areas.

If you seriously consider moving out here, PM me and I'll be glad to answer any questions.

[thirtiesgirl]

74. schools

There are some great private schools in the Woodland Hills area, and good public schools in Las Virgines Unified (Agoura and Calabasas, as mentioned above). I work for the Los Angeles Unified School District, which includes the public schools in Woodland Hills and the rest of the SFValley. I can't really speak positively about LAUSD public schools, but private schools and other districts in that area are pretty good in comparison. It's also a particular area of LA where education is pretty important to most members of the community, so they make sure the schools reflect that.

I don't know how old your kids are, but there's one fairly decent LAUSD high school in the area: Granada Hills High. While it's still part of LAUSD, it became one of LAUSD's few charter schools a few years back, and is one of the better public high schools in the area.

[NewJeffCT]

79. Thanks

I'd prefer a public school if possible, as the cost of a private school would be an added expense we'd incur beyond moving to an area where housing costs, outside of property taxes, are higher.

However, our situation at home is difficult for moving, as it is often my daughter & me at home by ourselves during the week while my wife travels for work. If I moved out for the job, my daughter would likely have to make a mid-year school switch and move with me, while my wife got the home ready for sale on the weekends when she was not traveling for work. Unless my in-laws came from China for several months, I don't see a way my daughter could easily finish out the school year in CT.

So, a private school might be an option for the short-term at least until my wife can move out & find a job.

[Fire Walk With Me]

26. It's very expensive, very residential (which means quieter than the City side).

Most of the "Valley" is residential with some degree of industry, but Woodland Hills is more residential than most Valley areas.

Did I mention expensive?

It is difficult to live in Los Angeles. It is extremely superficial, and people wander about in their own bubbles, rarely to bump into anothers'. If you love the east coast change of seasons, you will be extremely disappointed out here.

There really is a "Hotel California" effect. Be very careful.

[NewJeffCT]

28. thanks for the info

I think I checked out the median home price and it came up as $580,000 for a nearby area.

[Fire Walk With Me]

30. Not only that, the Valley is usually 10 degrees hotter than the City side...

[Capn Sunshine]

55. This is true

That's why everyone has a pool. I swear to god, Ventura and Topanga, in August, is downtown Hell.

[K8-EEE]

32. The schools are nice, to me it's "the way burbs"

I'm from the East Valley which is closer to L.A. and it seems to me once people move out to WH and beyond you can never get them to go to a Dodger game or anything any more cuz it really is quite a commute for those working down town or west side. If you are working in WH I think you will like it! When I was a kid it was really wide open, now it's quite congested. As elsewhere in the SF Valley, "South of the Blvd. (Ventura Blvd.)" is where the primo houses are, and they retain their yester-year, leafy Valley Ranch charm. The farther North you get from Ventura Blvd., the cheaper (and more congested, and less "Woodland-y") things are. There are some nice pockets of homes around Topanga & Oxnard, also try house hunting in nearby Canoga Park, Fallbrook, Encino, Reseda, North Hills.

Taft High School is a really good school a lot of my friends have kids that went there -- Kevin Spacey went there!

[thirtiesgirl]

75. um...

I work for LA Unified and know a thing or two about Taft High School that I can't write here. It's not a place I'd want to send my kids.

...Then again, in comparison to other public LAUSD high schools in other parts of LA (east LA and further south), Taft is decent by comparison.

[K8-EEE]

35. NewJeffCT, if you move out give a holler!

I'd love to meet you at Pickwick Pub and welcome you to L.A.! Or to Poquito Mas across the street because if you move here you must learn about proper baja tacos. Free tortilla soup there when it rains! Which apart from our current freakish drizzles, is pretty much never.

Any DU-er is a friend of Valley girl K8-EEE so don't be shy.

:hi:

http://www.pickwickspub.org/

http://www.poquitomas.com/woodlandhills.php

[NewJeffCT]

36. To be honest

I'm not a big fan of Mexican food. My eating habits lean towards very plain & conservative foods.

[K8-EEE]

42. WHAT???

I don't even relate to not liking Mexican food! It's my fave, in fact I have already ordered the tamales for Christmas dinner, we've got the greatest Mexican food here in L.A.!

But not to worry there is also lots of conservo-food too! Maybe Cable's in WH is more your style, very retro:

http://www.menupix.com/menudirectory/menu.php?id=200491

[hyphenate]

45. There are a couple of decent restaurants in the area

to that I'll admit. They're mostly chains, but they can't be found here on the East coast.

BJs Brewery--what they call a "micro" brewery. I don't drink, but I loved their salads!

Souplantation--their name pretty much says it all, though it's a whole lot more than just salads. Pasta, cold and hot; foccacias, muffins, soup, cookies....They are also known as "Sweet Tomatoes" in other parts of the country that have them.

El Pollo Loco--this chain is a regular chicken chain, but the chicken is roasted on a grill with a lime marinade and then you buy the chicken and make your own meal with various side dishes. As you're in CT, head on over to Foxwoods and check them out--Foxwoods is the ONLY place with an El Pollo Loco in it on the East Coast--they're allegedly trying to expand, but I haven't seen it happen yet.

Togos--A sandwich shop with some primo sandwiches.


BTW: The first time I moved to LA, I didn't like Mexican food, but that changed later. There are still come dishes I don't like, but there are some mouth-watering items which I would kill for! I know it's like comparing mud to filet mignon, but try a few Taco Bells, or Moes, or some other such. Here in Mass, we have a lot of Hispanics, so there are a lot of cheaper places around that still have a good menu. As a matter of fact, a really nice restaurant opened about six months ago, and it's delicious!


That's all--I made myself hungry with this post, so I have to go and eat something!

[K8-EEE]

50. Pollo Loco is my fave drive-thru

I love b/c the vegetarian part of my clan can chow on the BRC burritos and sides, my hub loves the chicken and black beans.

My fave SoCA taco chain is Poquito Mas -- so yum and amazing guacamole!

Taco Bell, yikes, just shoot me! That is what my husband's family in Buffalo thinks is "Mexican food," that sort of crumbly Ken-L-Ration mystery meat and orange cheese!

[driver8]

62. I work at Warner Bros. and we have a Paquito Mas in our Commissary.

I eat there at least twice a week!! I love their tacos, but everything I've had there is good.

[K8-EEE]

64. They do?? That's awesome, I didn't know that!

My hub used to work at WB and I used to eat there quite a bit but there was no PM then! He works at Disney now, nice commissary but no Mexican at all!!

That Poquito Mas on Olive is soooo crowded on the weekdays and no parking, so you're lucky you don't have to venture off the the lot.

MORE BURBANK MEX FOOD NEWS: My hub says there's a new and really nice Don Cuco's downtown by Orange Grove & San Fernando.

[driver8]

80. I saw the new Don Cuco's a few months ago -- haven't eaten there yet, though.

The Poquito Mas is relatively new -- I think we've had it on the WB lot for three or four years, now.

[K8-EEE]

51. Pollo Loco is my fave drive-thru

I love b/c the vegetarian part of my clan can chow on the BRC burritos and sides, my hub loves the chicken and black beans.

My fave SoCA taco chain is Poquito Mas -- so yum and amazing guacamole!

Taco Bell, yikes, just shoot me! That is what my husband's family in Buffalo thinks is "Mexican food," that sort of crumbly Ken-L-Ration mystery meat and orange cheese!

[kwassa]

87. LA will change your eating habits forever.

Some of the best, most interesting, unusual, as well as cheapest restaurants anywhere.

There is a huge immigrant Chinese population that has brought great food with them to the city, as well as all the other Asian groups. The first three suburbs east of downtown are predominately Chinese, with hundreds of great restaurants.

No better city for really good ethnic food. I miss it.

[Capn Sunshine]

53. How many Duer's are in the W Valley?

We should have a mini DU gathering. Pickwicks might be cool, Or Paolis.

[K8-EEE]

58. I loved Pickwick before the fire...Paoli's is fun!

I used to go out to Pickwick all the time when Graham still owned it, to see Bob Cowsill play on the Fridays! When it reopened it got so much smaller and noiser.

I'm East Val (NoHo) but I'd go to a WeVal meet up for sure!

[driver8]

63. I live in La Crescenta and work in Burbank. I would love to have a DU meet up! n/t

[K8-EEE]

67. Oh great you know I went to one years ago at Viva in Burbank

You know, by the Equestrian Center?

[thirtiesgirl]

76. ach!

I wish I still lived in the Valley! I'd love to meet up at Pickwick's. I live far away in the South Bay now, so that's a big drive for me.

[begin_within]

38. Lurch is buried there, but nobody knows exactly where.

Ted Cassidy, who played Lurch, lived there, and his remains were cremated and buried somewhere on the property he lived at. The house was later sold, and in the shuffle, nobody kept track of exactly where he was buried.

[hyphenate]

43. It's in the Valley

That's all you need to know.

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As an other NE'ster (Boston, born and bred) who lived out in SoCal for 15 years, all I can say it gets fucking hot in the Valley. VERY, VERY hot.

It's not a bad neighbourhood, but the heat was one of the things which finnaly made me leave LA for good and come home to New England.

I would suggest you check out trulia.com, a real estate site, which gives you a lot of info on an area. If that doesn't help, try zillow.com.

My mom is still there with my sister, neices and nephew, but I would never do it again.

[K8-EEE]

57. Native Valley girl says:

Pool, beach, a/c will get you through the hot summer, but having experienced the joy of "White Christmas" a couple of times at my in-laws: YOU CAN HAVE IT! :hi:

[NewJeffCT]

72. Is that *the* Valley?

Like, the Valley made famous by the Moon Zappa song? Meaning, my daughter would be a "Valley Girl" when she was older?

[thirtiesgirl]

77. Like, totally.

Fer shure, dude. You can even, like, hang out at the Galleria. (That would be the Sherman Oaks Galleria, which, aside from the Cheesecake Factory and the AMC Theater, is really not a cool place to hang out any more. Kinda boring.)

[NewJeffCT]

47. As of right now

it looks like I might be coming out there in mid January for a face-to-face interview.

This link indicates that the schools in Oak Park, Agoura, Agoura Hills, and Calabasas are all very good:

http://www.greatschools.org/cities.page?city=Woodland%20Hills&state=CA

[Tikki]

48. YAY...that sounds grand...

Oak Park has a fine school district...as do the others mentioned.

Hope this all works out as what is best for NewJeffCT and family. :)

The Tikkis

[NewJeffCT]

49. Well

Calabesas has a median home price of close to $900,000... so, unless my wife finds a job that more than doubles her current salary, we won't be moving there.

I'm just trying to figure out the logistics because my wife is often away during the week and only home on weekends. So, I would likely have to move there with my daughter & have her make a mid-year school switch and live in an apartment/condo with her. My wife would then stay behind & get the home ready to sell on the weekends and come out later. We'd only be able to actually buy a home when we sell the CT home and she finds a job out in the LA area.

[K8-EEE]

56. Check out Thousand Oaks too

They have really nice schools -- it's actually in Ventura County and while affluent, it's cheaper than Calabasas, Agoura, etc! My sister lives out there and she really loves it. It has the distinction of being a very low-crime area.

Commute from WH to Thousand Oaks, probably 30 minutes, not so bad. I would hate commuting to L.A. from Thousand Oaks but to WH, not so horrible.

[NewJeffCT]

59. If I got the job & we moved out there

we'd first have to sell our home in CT, and my wife would also need to find a job in the area as well. While she is pretty marketable, where we eventually live will really depend on where she ends up, so we can find a place that is a reasonable commute for both of us, while also having good schools for our daughter. I did a quick search on jobs appropriate for her earlier and the two best came up in Burbank & El Segundo, which are a decent distance east of Woodland Hills and probably through a lot of traffic.

[K8-EEE]

60. Eek I would cross Smell Segundo off the list!

Terrible commute from the Valley and no alt routes! An hour and a half on an average weekday Ill bet although Sat a.m. you could zip over there in 45 minutes..

There are many lovely beach communities around El Segundo but for what ever reason there is a weird toxic smell around E.S. thus the nickname....I don't even know WHAT it is, but it's not something I'd wanna be around every day!

Burbank wouldn't be so bad. Not great, prob an hour in traffic. 45 min with no jams. At least there's a couple of back ways there if the freeway was jammed up.

[thirtiesgirl]

78. um,

El Segundo is VERY far away from Woodland Hills. It's in the South Bay - aka, on the south side of LAX. That's a damn far drive from Woodland Hills - nearly 2 hours in morning traffic, I'd guess. Burbank Unified, while a pretty good school district, isn't too dissimilar from LAUSD. It's also east of Woodland Hills, and with morning traffic, would probably be about a 40-45 minute drive, if not longer. A LOT of traffic heads east on the 101 freeway from Woodland Hills into other parts of the Valley/LA.

[K8-EEE]

84. I think WH - El Segundo would be an hour & a half rush hour

Not really a do-able commute. Although I know people that do worse. I know a guy that drives from Anaheim to Wilshire/Fairfax every day. It's making him nuts though.

[Capn Sunshine]

52. Have lived there, went to HS there, have house there

I'm intimately familar with the area. PM me I'll Explain the nuance of the place.
For example, this is Woodland Hills:

and so is this:

[NewJeffCT]

54. thanks - PM sent

will be happy with any info you can provide.

[smehr818]

69. Woodland Hills, CA Information

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1963222/what-s-so-special-about-woodland-hills-ca-and-why-should-i-buy-a-home-there-

[K8-EEE]

70. That is a spectacular drive on Topanga!

Even if you don't take the job, do yourself a favor, take rustic Topanga Canyon south, enjoy (carefully!) the winding road, scenery, and hippy-ish shopping enclaves, when you get to the end the Pacific Ocean and beautiful Malibu will be there to greet you! That is definitely one of the most joyous drives in all of Los Angeles.

[NewJeffCT]

71. thanks & welcome to DU

I'm surprised people have given me so much great information.

[Tikki]

82. Mankind would reach it's pinnacle of success...

If they could find a way to get the ocean breeze up over the
the Coastal Range and into the Valley. :)

Hi and welcome to DU...:hi:

Tikki

[NewJeffCT]

83. Another update

They would fly both my wife & me out there. I assume we'd also have to fy our daughter with us as well, as I don't think our almost 8 year old daughter can handle being alone at home for a long weekend.

[kwassa]

88. rent a car and drive everywhere ....

I lived in LA 17 years and would move back in a heartbeat if I could get the right situation. It was and is a great place to live. I was brought in the eastern US, which I also like.

and connect up with some of the locals via DU, and they can give you an insiders tour.

[K8-EEE]

89. Yes! I would be glad to help you if you need any Valley touring advice

Yeah def have them fly your daughter out too! If she is 8 actually there are some great LAUSD elementary schools in the West Valley. btw if you would be interested in Catholic school, St. Bernadine's in WH is excellent and a very nice community I have friends that sent kids there and they did very well after graduation. The tuition is very reasonable too. I'm an ex Catholic myself but don't regret attending Catholic schools or sending my daughter to all girls Catholic high school, she is now kicking ass in public UC and graduating in 3 years instead of 4 which is saving us tons of $$!

[NewJeffCT]

91. Thanks - that might be a consideration

My parents are non practicing Catholics, but I'm an atheist myself and my daughter has never really been to church.

[mnhtnbb]

90. I lived in Woodland Hills in the 80's until I remarried.

Although we left California in 1988--didn't want to raise kids there and hubby lived in Santa Monica--
I liked Woodland Hills. Had a townhouse on Topanga Blvd. near Ventura Blvd. It was easy to go back
and forth to the beach--if beach appeals to you. Didn't have kids, so can't speak to that.
Worst part was that when I lived there I commuted to Hollywood and the drive was awful.

Good luck! You couldn't pay me to move back to California--but some people will do anything
to get out of snow and cold.