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hello! this is my first post on here, i am just needing some help.
ok so first off i live in salem or and have lived here my whole life! and i HATE IT HERE. i am married and have a daughter she is almost 2!
we are looking to buy a house in la pine, we will have about 100k-150k to spend. i have always wanted to live in a small town in the woods with a lot of snow!
the only things i am worried about is this, how safe is it there, i have heard talk of a lot of meth heads and things like that, i need to live in a very safe area for my family. When people say a lot of meth heads can they really mean more than salem? lol.
also i am looking to get a job in wildlife/forestry type, as that is what i have my degree in, so would be able to find a job in that field? if not they where would be a good place with a small pop and safe? the more snow the better.
any help would BE GREAT. as i have no idea what is out in eastern Oregon because i have never been. so can any help me
also i do not want to move out of state and do not want to live in the valley, would not mind the coast though i love it there as well.
i just really want a place like la pine with snow and lots of trees with a low pop. thank you! i cant wait to read the responses.
Last edited by claraandcorey; 02-20-2012 at 05:41 PM..
Reason: typos
hello! this is my first post on here, i am just needing some help.
ok so first off i live in salem or and have lived here my whole life! and i HATE IT HERE. i am married and have a daughter she is almost 2!
we are looking to buy a house in la pine, we will have about 100k-150k to spend. i have always wanted to live in a small town in the woods with a lot of snow!
the only things i am worried about is this, how safe is it there, i have heard talk of a lot of meth heads and things like that, i need to live in a very safe area for my family. When people say a lot of meth heads can they really mean more than salem? lol.
also i am looking to get a job in wildlife/forestry type, as that is what i have my degree in, so would be able to find a job in that field? if not they where would be a good place with a small pop and safe? the more snow the better.
any help would BE GREAT. as i have no idea what is out in eastern Oregon because i have never been. so can any help me
also i do not want to move out of state and do not want to live in the valley, would not mind the coast though i love it there as well.
i just really want a place like la pine with snow and lots of trees with a low pop. thank you! i cant wait to read the responses.
Hey! I hate Portland/Salem too!!!! I still live in Portland but am over in Bend/Sunriver/La Pine all the time.
The meth problem isn't any bigger than what you are used to seeing over here. It's just talked about more on the forums since La Pine is such a small community. As long as you look for a home in one of the nicer communities you shouldn't have any problems. There are a lot of developments that are literally out on dirt roads in the middle of the woods...I would stay clear of those.
As far as jobs go I can't help you. I have been trying to move there for 18yrs now and haven't been able to find work. It's a tight job market and I have found that people don't like to talk too much when they know you are moving over from the "west side".
As far as snow goes La Pine is practically guaranteed to get snow every year. If fact, I can't think of a year I have been there and not had snow. However, there will be years like this where it has been somewhat mild, it has snowed frequently but there is not much for accumulation. Then there are other years like 08 where there was nearly 4ft on the ground in Jan/Feb. The nice thing is that deep snow is only 15 minutes to the west and you won't have to fight crowds to get there. The biggest change for most people who are used to western Oregon weather is the temps. It can get REALLY cold in La Pine; I was there the day after Thanksgiving a few years ago and it was -29 two mornings in a row....I loved it walked outside in jeans and a t-shirt!! It can go for weeks without getting above freezing too.
Summers are awesome and there is endless recreation all around the area. I wish you guys luck in your move......I am jealous!
thank you so much blderman for your insight!
the only homes that i could really see my self in are the ones that are about 9 miles from town. not sure if those are the homes that you meant.. if they are, then what is the problem with them? the homes seem really nice (from what i could tell) what would be some problems with getting a house out in the woods over in la pine? thank you again!
You really need to go over and visit to understand. There are PLENTY of houses in the woods in La Pine that are not in the areas I am talking about. Not all of the remote locations are bad, but remember that the further out you get the less the roads get plowed. I have been through some of the remote subdivisions in the winter and you are flat out stuck for a few days if a heavy snowfall hits. Most of the nicer developments are directly off of Huntington Rd and S. Century Rd. although there are lots of other areas too. Once you take a drive through the different areas you will understand, I don't want to name anything specific so as not to offend anyone who might live where I am talking about.
You really need to go over and visit to understand. There are PLENTY of houses in the woods in La Pine that are not in the areas I am talking about. Not all of the remote locations are bad, but remember that the further out you get the less the roads get plowed. I have been through some of the remote subdivisions in the winter and you are flat out stuck for a few days if a heavy snowfall hits. Most of the nicer developments are directly off of Huntington Rd and S. Century Rd. although there are lots of other areas too. Once you take a drive through the different areas you will understand, I don't want to name anything specific so as not to offend anyone who might live where I am talking about.
well i am not sure what part of la pine we will be moving to but i really do not want to move to a bad part. but i am already planing on getting a 4 wheel drive as now i only own a small honda accord lol that car would never make it but i would also not want to get 'snowed in" thank you so much for all the insight you have gave.
so what kind of wildlife could i expect to be in my back yard?
and also i did not see a crime rate chart in the data, so what is the crime like? mainly worried about any murders or rapes, things of that nature.
so maybe if you could point a few specific good places. i am only looking for about 1-3 acres, just noting under 0.5 acres.
I would check out the Three Rivers South area. However, you aren't going to find much, if anything, in the 100-150,000 range. More like 225-275,000. Remember that 4 wheel drive is not a cure all. La Pine/Bend is subject to freeze thaw on almost a daily basis so when it snows/rains the roads can be VERY icy.
I have seen elk, deer, squirrels, racoons and lots of birds. There is the occasional cougar too........
I can't comment directly on crime since I don't live there. But in all the years I have been going there I've never had a problem or heard of anything out the ordinary petty crime stuff. There, of course, is the occasional serious crime, but you will never escape that.
it would be nice to see a cougar in the backyard (kind of) but if it causes problems than there is not much a shotgun cant fix lol. while icy roads can be quite scary i have always been a good driver, i am not one of those crazy a holes that drive like freaks when there is ice on the road.
i just really hope to find a good job there in my degree.
so it sounds like three rivers might not be a place we can afford
but in the bad parts. what would be considered "bad" do you mean the place just looks not great or do you mean like my house will be broken into to and my stuff destroyed? if you need to you can message me ....while i am aware there is NO place that is 100% safe, i just want to move to a part that is the better areas. i ask you because i will not get the truth from someone trying to sell me a house, they will just beat around the bush.
i just wish someone who lives there would post on here, but at least you have been there a bunch of times, any detailed insight into this matter would be VERY importin to me ..
i just hope that la pine is the place for us, also the price is cheap for homes.
also one more thing i was going to ask is, what kind of stores are there?
like is there a safeway or something of that type? or is it just small grocery stores? But i am pretty sure there is not to much that i am used to, which is both good and bad, no more gamestop lol
The best advice I can give you is to take a weekend and go visit. Heck, my wife and I sometimes load up the kids and go over there just for a Saturday! Perspectives are all so different, some of the areas I consider "bad" may be gold to others. For example one of the areas I am talking about has old, run down houses & trailers with 10-15 broken down cars in every yard, garbage all over the place etc. I would avoid those areas like the plague.....may not bother other people.
Google Earth also has lots of pictures of the area to take a look at. Yes, there are a couple of grocery stores, Bi-mart, subway, taco bell etc. Bend is only 40 minutes away and has everything to offer that Portland does minus the bad weather and nutso culture.
Do a search on rmls.com for homes. I think you are going to find that your price range is going to make it tough to find a place in a decent location....imho.
I stand corrected on the homes: I have found several like this one in Three Rivers South.....such a neat area. I have almost bought property here a couple of times.
WOW what a great home! i think i will REALLY look into that one it looks very nice! thank you for the link my wife loved it as well,
i do hope in time you will be able to move over there, hell maybe we will be neighbors lol
yeah we will see about going there in the very near future (in like 1-2 months) and looking at homes, seeing what the people are like ect.
as for the run down parts, i could deal with that as long as the people themselves were not rude or disruptive, or the place did not look like a meth lab.
i will really try to get into to good parts. La pine just looks so beautiful, and seems so perfect. almost to perfect lol
sorry for bombing you with a ton of questions, but what are the people like to u? are they nice or are they mean to outsiders? and are there any hotels that you have stayed in that are nice for a visit? and when would be the best time to visit?
thank you again! and i love the house you picked what a gem!
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I still live in Portland but am over in Bend/Sunriver/La Pine all the time. 
but i would also not want to get 'snowed in" thank you so much for all the insight you have gave. 
