Help finding rural living in Oregon, probably Corvallis area?

[NoRoots]

Ancient or not, I, the OP, still monitor this thread.
I am pleased to find folks still replying to it.
And Oregon is still in the cards for us. In fact, my mom and brother and possibly my other brother are definitely planning to move in about 2 or 3 years, so we may all come out together. At least that way we can help and support each other, we've always been a tight family.
So we will keep looking and not give up!
Thank you all for your continued help.

[Metlakatla]

wow...it's great to see someone who made a thread quite awhile ago actually come back to it. That hardly ever happens here; sometimes they never even come back after their first post. Well, hopefully in a couple of years the economy will be better and jobs won't be so hard to find, though there does seem to be some improvement now. Having a built in support system will definitely make things easier for you.

[haggardhouseelf]

I love that drive to Oakridge! We do it quite a bit year-round and it's not a big deal. We spend quite a bit of time at Lake Waldo, which is beyond that. I think it's all just relative to what you're used to. I'm from DFW where it often takes 45 minutes just to get to the mall... and that's due to being stuck in awful traffic! And the scenery? Cement city. So driving to Oakridge from Eugene to us feels like a restful scenic stroll by comparison.

We've lived in Eugene long enough, though, to have become a bit spoiled in some ways. It's 15 minutes from one end of town to the other... and lately we've caught ourselves grumbling about having to "drve across town" when we have to do that. Ha! 15 minutes!!! Whatevs!

NoRoots - that's great news about the possibility of your whole family coming out. Having that kind of support really helps when you're establishing yourself in a new 'hood. Good luck with everything.

[Metlakatla]

I love the drive to Oakridge as well; it's always been part of my life... s yeah, it's definitely something I'm "used to"...but as a daily commute I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Sure, it's a scenic stroll when you control when you're going and when it's for a pleasure outing, but having to be at work at 8 A.M. or so when it's a sheet of black ice all the way down is a different story. There's a huge difference between having to do the commute for work, ect., and being able to pick and choose when you drive up to Waldo or farther on.

And when still had offspring at home, I wouldn't have wanted to give up two hours of personal/family time every day for the drive. One of my nieces went to work in Eugene a couple of years ago and the commute was hell on her. It was also hell last winter when my father needed to be driven to medical appointments on a regular basis because the bad weather always seemed to hit on the days he needed to go in.

But there is a nice little bus there that goes back and forth from Eugene at a pretty reasonable price...much cheaper than gas, and of course gas is going to be a major consideration the way it's going up.

A friend of mine owns a little restaurant there (Trailhead) which is a good place to get to know locals, the city of Oakridge has a good community gardening program, there are concerts at one of the local parks.

Work can be found in Oakridge itself but it takes time. Locals are more likely to be hired first, though pretty much anyone can get hired at Willamette Pass for ski season. It's a pretty good place to live once you get established. I'm in business in Alaska so the local job market is somewhat off my radar, but I get the general sense that it isn't as bad as it was even a year ago. So if someone isn't too picky about work opportunities and can give themselves some time, moving to Oakridge is probably doable.