Oak Park is a delightful community of 15,650, which boasts beautiful scenery, open spaces and award winning schools. Not only will you find excellent year-round weather for the abundant recreational and cultural opportunities but also accessible shopping, dining and other amenities. The rolling hills and quiet countryside charm of Oak Park are just a short drive from metro Los Angeles, with all it has to offer. Oak Park has the very best of both worlds.
Location
Oak Park is an unincorporated community located in southeastern Ventura County, in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks metro area of southern California. It is situated on the southern base of Simi Peak, and is bordered by the North Ranch neighborhood of the city of Thousand Oaks on the west, by the Los Angeles County cities of Westlake Village and Agoura Hills on the south, and by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area on the north and east.
Geography/Terrain
Oak Park covers a total area of 4.1 square miles. All of the area is land and none of it is covered by water. It has a terrain of tree-covered rolling hills and scenic open spaces, bordered in part by the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It is an area of mountain peaks, ridgelines, canyons, creeks and woodlands, with the ocean only 20 minutes away.
Distance to 3 closest major cities
Oak Park is located 31 miles northwest of Los Angeles, 24 miles southwest of Oxnard, 84 miles northwest of San Bernardino, and 133 miles northwest of San Diego.
Jobs
Oak Park is located in Ventura County, which has a strong economic base and a large and diverse labor pool. The major industries in the area include: agriculture, biotechnology, telecommunications and advanced technologies, manufacturing, tourism, military testing and development. It also has some of the best soil in the nation for agriculture production, ranking 10th in agricultural production among California counties.
Some of the major employers in the area are: Agmen Inc; Blue Cross of California; Homestore Inc; Los Robles Regional Medical Center; Farmers Insurance Group; and Haas Automation Inc. Oak Park has three commercial centers. The original one is a small center, with just a few businesses, while the second, Oak Park Shopping Center, contains a large supermarket and a variety of other retail stores, restaurants, and services.
Educational, health and social services provide 22.0% of the employment in Oak Park, professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide 13.5%, and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing provide 12.0%. The median household income in the area is $97,958 and the average per capita income is $42,824. There has been 2.27% recent job growth and there is 4.9% unemployment. The average time to travel to work in Oak Park is 28 minutes.
Housing
Oak Park offers a variety of housing options. The developed portions of the community are primarily residential, with a mix of single-family homes, individually owned townhouses, apartments and condominiums.
The average cost for single-family homes ranges from $600,000 up to $1.6 million. Condominiums begin in the neighborhood of $350,000 to $600,000. Average rent in Oak Park is $1,462 per month.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Oak Park’s open spaces and parks constitute over half the land area, and are maintained by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District. The 7 local parks include Mae Boyar, Chaparral, Deerhill, Indian Springs, Valley View, Eagle View, and Oak Canyon Community Park. Oak Canyon has a lake, waterfall, creek, the Community Center and gardens. Each park has its own distinctive look and amenities, including ball fields, trails, archery ranges, basketball and tennis courts.
The Oak Park district maintains many trails, such as those in Medea Creek Park. The Oak Park Open Space is home to a variety of wildlife, such as deer, coyotes, skunks, rabbits, snakes, owls, woodpeckers, and hawks. There are even signs of mountain lions. A mile east of Oak Park is Chesebro Canyon, where golden eagles are known to nest. The California Wildlife Center in the Santa Monica Mountains provides marine mammal response as well as full term rehabilitative care for native wildlife including coyotes, deer, raptors, pelagic birds, songbirds, squirrels, opossums, and bobcats, in Los Angeles and southern Ventura County.
There are numerous recreational activities available in Oak Park, such as baseball, tennis, softball, volleyball, martial arts, golf, yoga and cardio-kickboxing. Top-notch golf facilities are readily available at the Calabasas Golf and Country Club, as well as the Lindero Country Club in Agoura Hills. Nearby, in Los Angeles, there are 13 excellent golf courses, including the Bel-Air, Brentwood, Hillcrest and Mountain Gate Country Clubs.
Special Attractions/Events
The Oak Park Performing Arts Alliance in Oak Park focuses on the drama, choir, band and Comedy Sportz programs at Oak Park High School. You can enjoy musical evenings at Russ and Julie’s House Concerts, or Summer Concerts in the Park. The House Concerts have been happening since 1997 and are occasions for enjoying live acoustic music, fellowship, food and fun. In April adults and children can participate in the park Easter Egg Hunt and Art Show.
There are many attractions in nearby locations, including: Disneyland in Anaheim, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Universal Studios in Universal City, Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and the Los Angeles Zoo. You can visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, the Norton Simon Museum or the Museum of the American West.
Oak Park is just a short 20-minute ride from the Pacific Ocean and the beaches of Malibu and Ventura County. Some of your choices are; the Malibu Pier and Beach, the Santa Monica Pier and Beach, and the Venice Beach and Boardwalk, to name a few.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
Oak Park was formed from ranchland owned by Jim and Marian Jordan, stars of the radio show Fibber McGee and Molly. The land was purchased by the Metropolitan Development Corporation in the 1940’s and 1950’s, and in time homes were developed there. The only road into the community was from Agoura Hills.
Newsweek Magazine rated the Oak Park Unified School District as one of the best in the country. Brookside Elementary School and Red Oak Elementary School have been named 2006 California Distinguished Schools.
Four times since Oak Park was first settled, the Santa Ana winds blew brush fires into and through the community. The strict Ventura County fire codes and vigorous efforts by the County's Fire Protection District have always prevented any loss of lives or occupied homes. In the first fire, the Jordan home, which is the vacant ranch house that was previously occupied by the couple who starred in radio's Fibber McGee and Molly, was destroyed.