OK, you’re thinking about moving to Newbury Park, but you’re probably not finding much information online. Well, I’m here to help! Let’s talk about the Pros and Cons of living in Newbury Park.
I absolutely love helping people relocate to the Conejo Valley, so if you’re considering a move, reach out and let’s make a plan to find the perfect neighborhood for you.
When I moved out here, I felt like I was taking a shot in the dark choosing a neighborhood, but now that I’ve lived here a while, I want to help you understand the differences between the different areas.
Now you may be looking at homes online and thinking: Wait. Is it Thousand Oaks or Newbury Park? It’s both. Newbury Park is a town in the city of Thousand Oaks, so you will see the names used interchangeably. If the zip code is 91320 it’s Newbury Park…
Now let’s get into the attributes that differentiate it from the other towns in the Conejo Valley.
PRO #1 MICROCLIMATE
Newbury Park has its own microclimate that makes it unique to this area. The weather here stays mild year-round. During the summer months, Newbury Park will often be 10-15 degrees cooler than hotter nearby areas like Calabasas and Agoura Hills. And because of the way this town is situated, it enjoys ocean breezes from Malibu and Oxnard. The newest neighborhood in Newbury Park, called Dos Vientos (which literally means “two winds”) is a big draw for families moving out this way from the Westside of LA, who want that cool ocean breeze, but also want to own a home somewhere that has a strong sense of community.
It’s amazing that in the Conejo Valley, you can drive just a few minutes and the temperature can change pretty drastically. And even though some of the neighboring towns will register similar temperatures during the summer, due to Newbury Park’s topography, it FEELS cooler and more comfortable here.
So, as far as that goes, Newbury Park wins for most mild weather in the Conejo Valley.
PRO #2 MORE AFFORDABLE... SORT OF
Newbury Park is definitely more affordable than neighborhoods like Westlake, Agoura Hills, and Oak Park. It USED to be more affordable than Thousand Oaks, but lately buyers have been discovering this community and finding it equally desirable. At the time of this post, the average home price for Newbury Park is just under $1million, and for Thousand Oaks it’s just over $1 million. But compare that to Westlake Village and Agoura Hills homes that average roughly $1.4 – 1.7 mil. Granted those areas have more high-end luxury homes that are skewing their numbers upward.
So let’s compare apples to apples. Take a 4 bedroom home, approx 2200 sq ft. In Newbury Park, the median price for this home is currently $953,000. In Westlake Village it is $1.4 mil. That’s about 45% more for a comparable home in Westlake. In Agoura Hills and Oak Park, that same home would cost about 20-30% more than the Newbury Park home. So if you’re looking for value, you’re going to want to look at Newbury Park.
PRO #3 HIKING
If you are into hiking or mountain biking, you will love Newbury Park. There is so much protected land and trails everywhere. Most neighborhoods back up to open space, so you can probably hop on a trail right from your neighborhood (if not from your backyard!)
Newbury Park is home to the trail I mentioned in a previous video, that goes all the way to Malibu – you can hike from Newbury Park to Malibu in a couple hours.
All the protected land and open space make this area feel very serene, safe, and quiet… Speaking of quiet… that leads me into Con #1:
CON #1 SNOOZEBURY PARK
The nickname “Snoozebury Park” should sum up the first con – It is the furthest Conejo Valley town from Los Angeles. Aside from the hiking and mountain biking, there is not much to do in Newbury Park. It’s pretty sleepy. This could be a Pro or a Con depending on your lifestyle preference.
There also aren’t very many good restaurants. Granted some of my favorite restaurants are in Newbury Park, but it’s pretty scarce, especially if you’re coming from a bigger city.
And what’s frustrating about this town is there have been massive missed opportunities to step this place up. Case in point: just a couple years ago, the city created a new shopping center across the street from The Home Depot complex. Residents of Newbury Park were buzzing with excitement about what was going to go in there. A bowling alley maybe? Some cool, hip, healthy restaurants??
Nope. They put in a Lowe’s.
Lowe’s. Across the street from Home Depot! I just can’t.
Hopefully this will change as more young families are moving in, who want better amenities, but for now, unless you fall in love with the few local favorites, you’ll find yourself driving 10-15 min for a good meal or shopping center.
CON #2 MOSTLY TRACT HOMES
In Newbury Park you’ll find mostly tract homes that are repetitive in look and style and may lack the individuality you get with custom homes. If you are looking for a custom home, you may have a hard time finding it in Newbury Park.
Most of the neighborhoods are tract housing from the 70’s and 80’s (which most architects would say wasn’t the best era for home design). But hey, no judgement here, my house was built in 1979:)
Now there are some exceptions. There are some unique homes and properties, mostly in the hills surrounding Newbury Park.
Additionally, the neighborhood I referenced earlier, Dos Vientos, while it IS tract housing, it is also an upscale master planned community built in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and a lot of thought went into the design, curb appeal and the feel of the neighborhood. It is a beautiful and highly desirable neighborhood in Newbury Park, but the homes there are also significantly more money than the rest of the town.
CON #3 STIGMA
When Newbury Park was first developed in the early 1960’s, it gained a reputation of being the destination for people who couldn’t afford to live in the city and ventured out here for the inexpensive, modest homes. It was one of the furthest residential areas outside of Los Angeles (along the 101), and therefore the cheapest place to buy property.
But as people started discovering how unique & special this area is, more homes, businesses, and infrastructure came in. Newbury Park now has something for everyone: from sprawling gated communities to mobile homes. So A LOT has changed about Newbury Park over the years… but Stigmas are harder to change. If you tell someone who lives in a more upscale neighborhood that you live in Newbury Park, you may get a “Oooooohhh nice”…
BE SURE TO READ MY NEXT BLOG
Alright, so that wraps up my Pros & Cons of living in Newbury Park. Does this sound like a town you’d want to live in? Comment below and let me know. And then be sure to read my blogs on the Pros & Cons of living in Thousand Oaks, and the Pros & Cons of living in Westlake Village, so you can try and determine which neighborhood best suits you.
If you have any questions about living in Newbury Park, or want more details on what you can expect when moving here, go ahead and reach out. I’d be happy to help!
emilyberdonRE@gmail.com
CALBRE #02166248
Aviara Real Estate
