Oakbrook Highlands is the quiet uphill half of the original Oakbrook development in Thousand Oaks, 256 single family homes from the early 1970s on cul-de-sacs and sloping streets between Erbes Road and the 23 freeway. You get bigger yards than the newer Lang Ranch tracts above you, some of them pool sized, a low dues HOA that mostly tends the greenbelts, the Westlake High feed, and a trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Homes sold for about $850K to $1.35M between 2024 and 2026, which makes this one of the more attainable detached neighborhoods on the Westlake High side of town.
Walk down Woodside Drive on a Saturday morning and you will pass a mix of original single-story ranches, two-story tract homes that have been remodeled twice over, and front yards shaded by trees planted when the neighborhood was new. At the bottom of the hill is Gelson's and the rest of Oakbrook Plaza; above the neighborhood is the Sunset Hills trailhead with hikers and mountain bikers heading up toward the Bard Reservoir views. Oakbrook Highlands has stayed under the radar because people here do not move very often, and it is often lumped in with the newer Lang Ranch tracts that get most of the attention.
| Homes | 256 single family homes |
|---|---|
| Built | Early 1970s |
| Size | 3 to 5 bedrooms, about 1,360 to 3,370 sq ft |
| Price range | About $850K to $1.35M (2024 to 2026) |
| HOA | About $325 to $350 per quarter, greenbelts and slopes only |
| Gated | No, public streets |
| Schools | Ladera STARS Academy, Los Cerritos Middle, Westlake High |
| Lots | Larger than Lang Ranch, some pool sized |
| Getting around | 23 freeway at Sunset Hills Blvd, Oakbrook Plaza about a mile downhill |
Life on the slope above Oakbrook Plaza
The neighborhood climbs the hillside north of Avenida de los Arboles, with Erbes Road on one side and the 23 freeway on the other. Streets like Laurel Wood Court, Sweet Briar Place and Alderwood Place are true cul-de-sacs, so through traffic is close to nonexistent once you leave Erbes. Woodside Drive, Summer Cloud Drive and Morningside Drive fill in the rest of the tract, and the hillside position gives some homes a valley and ridge outlook. Which lots actually hold a view varies house by house, so check the specific one.
It is an established, settled place. Turnover is low, and the yards are the kind where a pool, a vegetable bed and a dog all fit. The HOA stays in the background. Dues of roughly $325 to $350 per quarter pay for the common slopes and greenbelts, and there is no pool, clubhouse or guard. If you want the amenity package, the newer associations up the hill in Lang Ranch charge for it. If you want to be left alone with a bigger lot, this is the better fit.
The daily rhythm is simple: Gelson's and the Oakbrook Plaza shops are about a mile downhill, a walkable mile on the way there and a workout on the way back, and Westlake Village is just over the hill.
The homes: 1970s plans, real yards, a wide condition spread
Everything here is detached single family built in the early 1970s, three to five bedrooms, two to three baths, with two and three car garages. The original plans repeat across the streets, roughly 1,486, 1,575, 1,750, 2,070, 2,187 and 2,346 square feet, and a handful of homes have been expanded well beyond that, which is why the full range runs from about 1,360 to 3,370 square feet. Expect stucco and tile roofs, a mix of single-story and two-story models, and mature street trees.
Lot size is the reason buyers choose Oakbrook Highlands over the townhomes and smaller-lot villages below it. Lots vary a lot by position on the slope, from under 7,000 square feet to about a third of an acre on the same court, so look at the specific property rather than assuming. Pools show up on the larger lots.
Pricing in 2024 ran about $875K to $1.35M, 2025 about $910K to $1.2M, and the twelve months through September 2026 about $850K to $1.04M, with roughly six to nine sales a year and often only one or two homes on the market at a time. Per square foot, recent activity has landed in the low to mid $600s, and that average hides a wide gap between an original-condition home and one with a redone kitchen, baths and floors. Our broader read on the city is in our Thousand Oaks home values page.
Schools: the Westlake High feed at a lower entry price
Oakbrook Highlands is in the Conejo Valley Unified School District and feeds Ladera STARS Academy for TK through fifth grade, Los Cerritos Middle, and Westlake High. Westlake High is the draw; many local parents consider it the most well-rounded high school in the valley, and this neighborhood is one of the least expensive detached pockets that feeds it.
Two things to know. First, elementary assignment changes within a short walk here. The Oakbrook Townhomes next door feed Lang Ranch Elementary rather than Ladera, so run the exact address through the district boundary tool before you count on either school, and confirm enrollment mechanics at Ladera directly with the district. Second, if you are weighing this against Lang Ranch proper, be honest with yourself: Lang Ranch Elementary carries the stronger reputation and a price premium to match. Buyers who care most about the high school and the yard tend to land here; buyers who want the Lang Ranch Elementary name tend to pay more for the newer tracts above.
Getting around, trails and errands
The 23 freeway is the defining convenience. The Sunset Hills Boulevard exit drops you onto Erbes Road and into the neighborhood in a couple of turns. Westlake Village itself is just over the hill.
Oakbrook Plaza at the base of the hill is a Gelson's-anchored center with a cafe, pizza, yoga and the usual services, and the Erbes and Arboles corridor around it fills in the rest of a typical week's errands. It is a busy intersection; roughly 2.7 million visits a year pass through that center, which is great for convenience and worth knowing if you are turning left onto Arboles at 5:30.
The back door is Sunset Hills Open Space, with a free trailhead directly off Erbes Road. The Sunset Hills Loop is about four miles and 800 feet of climbing with views over Bard Lake and Thousand Oaks, dogs on leash welcome, and a 17-mile singletrack loop toward Woodridge stages from the same lot for mountain bikers. For a lot of residents this is the whole reason to live on this side of the hill.
Who it suits, and how it compares to the neighbors
Oakbrook Highlands works for families who want Westlake High and a real yard without paying Lang Ranch prices, for move-up buyers from the townhomes and condos down the hill, and for people who would rather spend on a remodel than on association amenities. It is not for someone who wants a gate, a new build, or a dead-quiet interior street with no freeway anywhere in earshot.
Three Oakbrook communities sit within half a mile and they are easy to mix up. The lower, original section with its much lower dues is covered in our Oakbrook Homes guide. The Oakbrook Townhomes have their own association with monthly dues that work out to several times the Highlands rate. The Highlands premium over both is lot size, detached ownership and the slope. Up the hill, the newer Lang Ranch tracts such as Fieldstone and Falconridge and Chanteclair Estates offer newer construction and tighter architectural control at higher prices. You can see how all of them fit together on our Thousand Oaks neighborhoods map.
What to know before you buy here
- Fire and insurance. This is a hillside neighborhood backing to open space in a county whose fire hazard mapping expanded in 2025, with Thousand Oaks among the cities carrying the most very-high acreage. Treat every home here as a fire-zone property until the city's zone map says otherwise, get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies, and ask the city what brush clearance obligations apply to the specific address.
- Freeway noise. The 23 runs along one edge of the tract. Streets nearest the freeway hear it, and this is the most common surprise for buyers coming from quieter interior tracts. Visit the specific house at a weekday rush hour, windows open, before you write.
- 1970s systems. Budget for original plumbing, electrical panels and pre-1978 lead and asbestos disclosures unless the seller can document the updates. Many homes have been remodeled, many have not, and that gap explains most of the price spread.
- Three associations, one name. Confirm which HOA a home belongs to on the preliminary title report, not on a listing description. Order the CC&Rs and budget from the management company during escrow and read the architectural, parking and rental sections rather than assuming low dues mean no rules.
- Taxes. The neighborhood was built a decade before the Mello-Roos Act existed, so you should not expect those special taxes here, unlike some newer tracts nearby. Confirm on the actual tax bill.
Owning in Oakbrook Highlands
What a typical home costs to own
About $7,012/month
- Principal and interest$5,725
- Property tax (about 1.1% of price, Ventura County)$963
- HOA$325
Estimate for a $1.05M home, near the middle of the recent range here, with 20% down at 7.24% (30 year fixed, Freddie Mac, October 29, 2026). Homeowners insurance is extra and varies with fire zone, so get a quote early. Your lender's figures will differ.
Thousand Oaks market, latest data
- Median sale price$1.13M
- Change over 12 months-5.0%
- Typical days on market34
Citywide, three months ending May 2026. Thousand Oaks home values
Our experience here
We sell across this part of the Conejo Valley, including the neighborhoods around Oakbrook Highlands, and are glad to talk through how it compares.
Thousand Oaks home prices, the last five years
Questions people ask about Oakbrook Highlands
How much do homes in Oakbrook Highlands cost?
Homes sold for about $850K to $1.35M between 2024 and 2026, with a recent median near $930K. The top of the range is a larger, expanded or fully remodeled home; the low end is a smaller original-condition plan. Inventory is thin, usually one or two homes on the market at a time.
Is Oakbrook Highlands gated, and what does the HOA cover?
No, the streets are public and there is no gate. The HOA is a low dues association, about $325 to $350 per quarter, that maintains the common greenbelts and slopes. There is no pool, clubhouse or guard, which is exactly why the dues are low.
What schools serve Oakbrook Highlands?
Ladera STARS Academy for TK through fifth grade, Los Cerritos Middle and Westlake High, all in the Conejo Valley Unified School District. Elementary assignment changes within a short walk here, so confirm the specific address with the district before relying on it.
Is Oakbrook Highlands part of Lang Ranch?
No. It is often grouped with the Lang Ranch area because it sits just below those tracts, but it is the older, uphill half of the original 1970s Oakbrook development with larger lots, a different association and a lower price point than the newer Lang Ranch neighborhoods.
Can you hear the 23 freeway from Oakbrook Highlands?
On the streets nearest the freeway, yes. The neighborhood sits between Erbes Road and the 23, and homes closest to it hear the traffic, especially at rush hour. Interior cul-de-sacs are quieter. Visit the exact house at a busy hour before you decide.
Thinking about Oakbrook Highlands?
Whether you are weighing a move here or wondering what your home would bring, Davis and the team are happy to talk it through, street by street. No obligation.
Sources
- City of Thousand Oaks HOA registry
- City of Thousand Oaks recorded map parcels
- CVUSD elementary attendance boundaries
- Conejo Valley Unified School District schools
- Regency Centers: Oakbrook Plaza
- AllTrails: Sunset Hills Loop from Erbes Road
- ABC7: Cal Fire 2025 hazard maps, Ventura County
- RubyHome: Oakbrook Highlands market snapshot
Facts checked October 2026.
