Eugene: good established neighborhoods (Oakridge, Coburg: how much, homes, buying)

[earthmama2organic1z]

I am looking at the Eugene area for a move in March. I was wondering if some of the residents could give me the scoop on where the best areas are.

I am 25, married, 2 toddlers, professional by day and hippie mama on nights and weekends I would like at least an acre to garden on. We are looking at homes in the $300-$350k range.

Could you give me some parameters? Would somewhere on the outskirts suite my needs best? I did see something in "little falls creek" area...is that nice or a little too far of a daily commute?

Thanks!

[haggardhouseelf]

In that price range - your options are wide open. You might consider your educational needs for your children in your search. For example - Elmira might suit your large lot and outskirts sort of desires... but the schools are not as good there (currently, this might change as there is a lot of development going on in that area and from our experience when you see a lot of development going on, the developers generally put money into the school or even build a new school in order to attract affluent families...)

Coburg might be a very good place to look for you - it's a sweet town, nice big lots, and very close to north Eugene.

[earthmama2organic1z]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

In that price range - your options are wide open. You might consider your educational needs for your children in your search. For example - Elmira might suit your large lot and outskirts sort of desires... but the schools are not as good there (currently, this might change as there is a lot of development going on in that area and from our experience when you see a lot of development going on, the developers generally put money into the school or even build a new school in order to attract affluent families...)

Coburg might be a very good place to look for you - it's a sweet town, nice big lots, and very close to north Eugene.

The reason I did not include school standards is that I plan to homeschool my daughters. Not for religious reasons...I am not religious, but more so because overcrowded schools, junkfood served, and just a lack of spiritual growth encouragement...I mean this is more of a new age sense.

I did talk to a realtor yesterday, who encouraged me to look in S, SE, and SW, as well as Ferry Street Bridge area...is that a good suggestion? I don't want to be more than 15 drive from parks, museums, etc. area of Eugene

[haggardhouseelf]

My husband and I love the Southern edges of Eugene. Very woodsy and hills and deer and some very nice neighborhoods! I would prefer those areas over Ferry Street Bridge. FSB feels more crowded, less trees, more traffic, more flat. I always felt as if I smiled more and could breathe easier in the south hills...

We homeschooled our boys when we lived in Texas. I think homeschooling is a wonderful alternative. It worked for us for several years. We are not religious, either. In Texas it was a bit hard to find other homeschoolers who were also not religious. At times, we felt very lonely. Since we've moved away from Texas, we've always been fortunate enough to live in a really good school area, so we've been attending public schools for a few years now. If you would like to discuss what I've experienced - homeschooling vs public schools - feel free to message me.

I would imagine in Eugene you should have a much easier time finding other homeschoolers who are more secular... more open-minded! Homeschooling is a lot more common now than it used to be - it's more accepted. Also, in Eugene, there is a charter school called "Family School". It is a wonderful program. Wonderful! They begin the day with a family sing-a-long. Eugene has some great schools - especially their alternative schools. They also have several Montessori schools as well as secular private schools. Otherwise - we would have continued homeschooling in Eugene as well. Also - we were involved with Gilham Elementary. They seemed to be very good about healthy eating choices. We pack our own lunches and snacks. They were very strict about what sorts of food parents were allowed to bring into the classrooms to share. The class sizes were somewhat large I guess (our largest class in the three years we were there was 27 students) but each class is generally broken up into smaller sections with specialists and volunteers from University of Oregon as well as Parent Volunteers (I was one!) helping out the teachers and their assistants. Many of the better schools in Eugene have an AMAZING number parent volunteers. I've never seen anything like it. Anyway - best of luck with your homeschool adventures, homeschooling is a beautiful, wonderful choice, but do know that many of the schools in Eugene are wonderful, too.

[earthmama2organic1z]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

My husband and I love the Southern edges of Eugene. Very woodsy and hills and deer and some very nice neighborhoods! I would prefer those areas over Ferry Street Bridge. FSB feels more crowded, less trees, more traffic, more flat. I always felt as if I smiled more and could breathe easier in the south hills...

We homeschooled our boys when we lived in Texas. I think homeschooling is a wonderful alternative. It worked for us for several years. We are not religious, either. In Texas it was a bit hard to find other homeschoolers who were also not religious. At times, we felt very lonely. Since we've moved away from Texas, we've always been fortunate enough to live in a really good school area, so we've been attending public schools for a few years now. If you would like to discuss what I've experienced - homeschooling vs public schools - feel free to message me.

I would imagine in Eugene you should have a much easier time finding other homeschoolers who are more secular... more open-minded! Homeschooling is a lot more common now than it used to be - it's more accepted. Also, in Eugene, there is a charter school called "Family School". It is a wonderful program. Wonderful! They begin the day with a family sing-a-long. Eugene has some great schools - especially their alternative schools. They also have several Montessori schools as well as secular private schools. Otherwise - we would have continued homeschooling in Eugene as well. Also - we were involved with Gilham Elementary. They seemed to be very good about healthy eating choices. We pack our own lunches and snacks. They were very strict about what sorts of food parents were allowed to bring into the classrooms to share. The class sizes were somewhat large I guess (our largest class in the three years we were there was 27 students) but each class is generally broken up into smaller sections with specialists and volunteers from University of Oregon as well as Parent Volunteers (I was one!) helping out the teachers and their assistants. Many of the better schools in Eugene have an AMAZING number parent volunteers. I've never seen anything like it. Anyway - best of luck with your homeschool adventures, homeschooling is a beautiful, wonderful choice, but do know that many of the schools in Eugene are wonderful, too.

Very Helpful info, thank you!
My girl are only 15 months and 3, so I still have a couple of years before they would even be able to attend a school if I chose to send them, but it is good to hear that the schools are good out there.

My family eats all organic food, and only water and occasionally milk to drink. Occasionally dad breaks the rules and orders pizza from our locally owned Italian restaurant, but not very often. I just don't want them going to schools where processed, chemically treated food is served. Montessori schools have always interested me.

I have a question for you about areas again. Have you heard of little falls creek? If so, how much of an inconvenience would it be to live out that way?

[haggardhouseelf]

If I'm thinking of the same "little falls creek" area... (sort of going southeast from Eugene on hwy 58 towards Oakridge?) then it probably wouldn't be too bad. I actually had a friend who lived in Oakridge and drove into Eugene every day for her job. I have heard others talk about hwy 58 being dangerous. However, my husband and I have driven it several times and we've never had a problem. We drove hwy 58 several times as year when we lived there while heading to one of our favorite camping spots. It might be something like a 45 minute drive to the little falls area from Eugene? Depending on how you drive... I drive kind of slow. That is a beautiful area... lots of people vacation out there during the Summers... you see bus loads of kids heading out to the river for rafting trips. Also, that area is very affordable. Watch out for flooding, though... if you're thinking of buying, be sure to keep that in mind.

[mkcking]

Do you know anything about gifted programs in Eugene schools? I have just found out that two of my three kids are gifted (strange thing to get used to but in a nutshell, they process info much faster than most kids, and can quickly become bored and restless).

We are in California at the moment, in a "good" school district that I find to be too strict.

I'm looking for a place that will challenge them creatively and not turn them into straight-A-zombies.

Any ideas? My son's teacher recommends Eugene schools. Thanks!

[haggardhouseelf]

Here you go! It's called TAG... 4J | TAG Programs and Services

In Eugene... I would highly recommend checking out the Edison school 4J | Edison Elementary School or one of the Immersion schools - they have a French Immersion and a Japanese Immersion school where half the day is taught in another language!

[earthmama2organic1z]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

If I'm thinking of the same "little falls creek" area... (sort of going southeast from Eugene on hwy 58 towards Oakridge?) then it probably wouldn't be too bad. I actually had a friend who lived in Oakridge and drove into Eugene every day for her job. I have heard others talk about hwy 58 being dangerous. However, my husband and I have driven it several times and we've never had a problem. We drove hwy 58 several times as year when we lived there while heading to one of our favorite camping spots. It might be something like a 45 minute drive to the little falls area from Eugene? Depending on how you drive... I drive kind of slow. That is a beautiful area... lots of people vacation out there during the Summers... you see bus loads of kids heading out to the river for rafting trips. Also, that area is very affordable. Watch out for flooding, though... if you're thinking of buying, be sure to keep that in mind.

Thank you!