T housand Oaks, California is nestled within a picturesque plateau, surrounded by tree-dotted hills and the scenic Santa Monica Mountains. The city is 12 miles inland from the majestic Pacific Ocean, 39 miles west of Los Angeles, and 24 miles southeast of Port Hueneme, the only deepwater harbor between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Situated near the southeastern edge of Ventura County, adjoining the western edge of Los Angeles County, in a valley called The Conejo, Thousand Oaks has more than 122,000 residents within a 56-square-mile area with an average elevation of 900 feet above sea level.

The mountains, hills, and plateau that make up The Conejo Valley are a geologic chronicle to the Precambrian past when the forces of fire, ice, wind, and water began to transform the California landscape as we see it today. Ventura County was under the ocean with volcanoes rising above the water's surface. Seashells and other marine fossils are still embedded in the local hills. Over millions of years, powerful earthquakes and other natural forces raised and moved landmasses, sculpted mountains, valleys, riverbeds, lakes, and canyons.

The Santa Monica Mountains rise above Los Angeles; they then widen to meet the curve of Santa Monica Bay and reach their highest peaks facing the ocean, forming a sensation and diverse landscape. Thousand Oak residents throughout the year enjoy swimming, surfing, nature walks, festivals, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and whale watching.

This incredible beauty creates the backdrop for a thriving and booming economy. Thousand Oaks is the site of numerous corporate and regional headquarters, as well as other diverse retail, industrial and business entities. Major corporations include Amgen, Inc., and the Bioscience Division of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, the top two international leaders in the biotechnology field; General Dynamics Corporation and Rockwell Science Center, all leaders in international high technology; Jafra Cosmetics, an international cosmetics company; WellPoint Health Networks, Inc., one of the nation's largest publicly-traded managed care companies; General Motors Regional Office, and Verizon's Regional Office. This bustling environment offers residents access to high salaries. The median household income is $86,267.

Thousand Oaks received its name in honor of the 50,000 majestic oak trees in the area. This is an affluent community and housing prices reflect this. The average single-family home price in April 2004 was approximately $845,000 and condominiums averaged $455,000. There is a wide variety of styles from single ranches and two-stories to duplexes and upscale homes.

The cultural arts are alive and flourishing in the community City with the world-class Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza which houses the Countrywide Performing Arts Center, including the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre of the Performing Arts and the 394-seat Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre. Both theatres offer a plethora of performances including popular entertainers, Broadway musicals, ballet, symphony, live theatre, distinguished speakers, comedy, jazz, and award-winning children's shows. The Civic Arts Plaza is a focal point in the community and is also home to City Hall and a five-acre park. Being only 45 miles from downtown Los Angeles and about an hour from Santa Barbara fun places like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and the Getty Museum are within about an hour to an hour and a half driving distance.

The community relishes the world class shopping in their backyard. The Oaks Shopping Center includes three major anchor stores: Macy's, Robinsons-May and J.C. Penney, plus 150 high-quality shops, a food court and a movie theater. The Janss Marketplace, a smaller regional shopping center, also has three anchor stores: Mervyn's, Sears and Toys-R-Us, a food court and a 9-screen movie theater and is adding a number of regional and national stores to its mix. Additionally, national brand stores not represented in Southern California continue to seek locations in Thousand Oaks to showcase their new West Coast presence.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District is an excellent school district and is comprised of 20 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 comprehensive high schools, 2 alternative high schools, and an adult school. Sixteen of the schools have been named Distinguished California Schools. The enrollment is approximately 21,000 students in grades K-12. Thousand Oaks is also home to California Lutheran University. Additional choices for higher education nearby include Pepperdine University, Moorpark College, Oxnard College, and College of the Canyons.

Thousand Oaks is a Southern California paradise. The community continually ranks as one of the safest cities for its size in the nation by FBI reporting standards and the City was given an A+ by Kid Friendly Cities 2001 and ranked 8th in the United States. This is an excellent choice to live, work, retire or raise a family. If you are considering moving here, or would like more information, please feel free to request a "free relocation package" today!