[Head416]

Okay, to answer some questions...

The wife will generally have an 8-5-ish schedule, school some days, internship others.
For $1,400 I'd like to find a 2 bed / 2 bath if possible. That's why I wasn't planning on being right near downtown, but a bit removed.
I thought Thousand Oaks was The Valley! My wife has been trying to explain The Valley to me for ten years and I never get it right!
A back house would probably be the best scenario, but I realize those will be harder to find than apartments. I plan to take the various cities you guys suggest to Craigslist to see what's out there.

You guys are mentioning all sorts of cities I've never even heard of. I'll need to read through this thread again with a map handy. Keep'em comin!