Moving from DC to Eugene (Salem, Cottage Grove: apartment, rent, crime)

[east2westcoast]

Hi all! My boyfriend and I have lived in DC for about 2 years (we are originally from Northern California) and now he is looking into a graduate program at the University of Oregon.

Comparing DC to Eugene, I am pretty hopeful about our living prospects as the rent/housing market does not seem to be as expensive as DC metro area (our 1 bedroom and den is around $2400 a month). My main concern is finding a job. I will have a master's degree in public administration and am not sure if I will be able to find anything that pays a salary that is commensurate with my experience, both academic and professional.

If anyone could give any insights to:
-good, safe areas to live
-job market for young professionals
- advice for the big move

Thanks!

[bler144]

Originally Posted by east2westcoast

If anyone could give any insights to:
-good, safe areas to live
-job market for young professionals
- advice for the big move

Most of the city is safe by DC standards. That said, property crime is not uncommon. If he's a grad student he should get on the list for grad/family housing. Several of their facilities are quite nice for the price, and even Spencer View (the biggest) isn't bad. But the wait list can be long.

Job market for young professionals is not great - the UO cranks out a lot of its own grads (undergrads, MA/MS, PhD, etc.) who love the city/lifestyle and don't want to leave to go back to Michigan. So you end up with a glut of people in similar shoes to you hanging around in a slackish labor market.

That said, I think you do need to think carefully about what you mean by "commensurate with my experience, both academic and professional" since value is relative, not absolute. Part of why DC is crazy expensive is that there is a bevy of high-paying jobs; part of why Eugene is less expensive is that there are relatively few of those jobs.

The job that paid $90,000 in D.C. may well only pay $45,000 in Eugene. If you act like that's a hardship and that you deserve 90 because that's what you made in that other market, you're liable to rub someone the wrong way. At the very least, you probably won't get the job because there's someone else in line who will eagerly take the job at the posted salary.

The DC metro median household income is a whopping $85,000 - Eugene falls well below the national median at $41,700.

[Brett]

Funny I was just talking with a friend of mine about housing prices in the DC area where she lives (Fairfax) and where I live (Cottage Grove). She just bought a house and paid $260/ sq foot, I paid $97/sq foot. and I got 1/2 acre, garage and fruit trees. She got a patio and a patch of grass small enough to cut with toenail clippers.

Many years ago another friend of mine went lawyering in DC, a few years later she returned to Olympia WA. I asked what kind of pay cut she took and she said $35K, but that her actual quality of life was much better. She could afford a nicer house, better cars and had more disposable income, so keep in mind the salary is only relevent to the local cost of living.

Now not everything is that much cheaper, but it should give you an idea of the price difference between here and there.

As to public administration you might be better of in Salem (the state capital) but there are Federal agencies with offices in Eugene and the surrounding area, as well as the County Government and the city. Best of luck!

[cobaltking]

Rent is definitely a lot less here than in DC metro, but it's still overpriced (wages here are laughable). If you want a decent apartment in a decent part of town, you'll probably have to shell out $800+. You could find a place for under $600 if you want to live near 4-corners or something (which you don't....).

In general, east is better than west and south is better than north. The northwest side of town is bad, for sure (anything near or west of highway 99). Whiteaker is the worst, however.

The northeast side of town is decent, and it's closest to all the highways. Otherwise, college hill might be up your alley.

Originally Posted by east2westcoast

My main concern is finding a job. I will have a master's degree in public administration and am not sure if I will be able to find anything that pays a salary that is commensurate with my experience, both academic and professional.

Your fear is very well-founded. If you have a few years of office experience though, you can probably find a job doing the work of 2-3 people for $12/hr... Ha...

[Brett]

I think while work is tight, some of the negative comments are over-rated. My employer was happy to transfer me down here as its hard to get qualified applicants in my line of work. It sounds like you have a lot of education and skills, that along with some savvy should be enough to get you on the inside track. Remember though they say you need something like 6mos-year to get a proffessional job.

[Steve Pickering]

Eugene is not third world. You should be able to find work, but don't expect DC pay.