Eugene/Springfield - The Bad News (Green, Phoenix: real estate market, mortgage, credit)

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by melisey27

I moved here six months ago to attend school and take in the sights of the area. I enjoy being close to the mountains and the coast, but greatly dislike the people of the area. The people of Oregon are some of the most rude and disrespectful people I have ever encountered. If your not a "true" Oregonian then you will always be an outsider here.

From your perspective of being from Kansas I can see why you do not like Eugene ...

Originally Posted by melisey27

I am from Kansas and I thought people were a little strange there, but they are actually quite normal. Everything is off here, even the way people dress, especially young women. They wear large sweat pants tucked into unusual looking boots and wear over sized sunglasses that make them look like bugs.

It's a Bohemian town - that's MY KIND OF TOWN !

Originally Posted by melisey27

They plaster stickers on their cars and trucks stating their love for organic food, liberal politics, the trees, and most importantly that they use bio-ethanol fuel.

WOW - sounds GREAT !

Originally Posted by melisey27

but I spend 5 out of 7 days here in Eugene dealing with the weirdness and insanity, and I cant help but be concerned that I too will become a part of the walking psychology experiment that is Eugene, Oregon.

Kansas is a traditional and very socially conservative state.

Look at the scores:

Open to Experience, my guess is 40. Real answer is 38 (well I guess I'm getting better at this.)

Consciencious, my guess is 10, Real answer is 5.

Ref: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1222...%3Dinteractive

[grimcat27]

I was wondering about insect animal and plants that are harmful or hazardous

[grimcat27]

Originally Posted by The Dish

I so appreciate hearing the good, the bad and what seems to be the ugly.

We are coming to Oregon in September to check it out for ourselves.

I live in Orange County, Southern California (might as well slit my wrists now, right? ) and it occured to me last night that I could make OC sound like the WORST place to live and I could make it sound like the BEST place to live.

It's all perspective, imho.

Thanks again!

Yeah I could do the same thing for where I am now. I hate in here but I know that a lot of people love it "yuck" all the demanding old Q-tips nothings ever right, good enough, fast enough and there foods always to cold or over cooked and many other things like ww2 bombs and mustard gas under peoples houses bugs every where. But other then that florida isnt all that bad the springs are beautiful nice and cool all summer "72'" and if you like sickly looking pine trees the forests are great.

[grimcat27]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

Hey Kim - I am interested in checking out some liberal churches in the area. I hope this doesn't sound offensive to anyone, but I'd like to be involved in a church more for the sense of community and positive work they do than for any religious reasons... I'm actually not religious at all, but would be open to listening and learning what I could from an experience with a church. I just wouldn't be comfortable in a situation where they make their Christian God the reason for and solution to everything. Is there a church you might know of which is liberal and not too "churchy" in the Eugene or Springfield area? One who welcome's all kinds of people - religious and not? I'm not opposed to driving a little ways out, either.

I maybe should have PM'd this question... but I'm in a hurry and not sure how to do that yet! Thanks!

no it's good that you posted this cuz I know just what you are looking for. It's a Unitarian church you'd love them they even lone there church space's out to pagans. Not much more liberal than that.

[Rogter]

I salute you and agree with you 110%. Very well spoken on the Vortex of Eugene. The whole state is slowly falling apart. I am moving my family out of the Coos Bay area just as soon as we can give away the house we paid too much for. Oregon WAS a great and wonderful state to live in. It has been ruined by the leaders in Salem by allowing "anything goes" attitudes to prevail. Did you know that it is now legal in Portland to ride your bicycle in the nude. That's correct...it's your "right". Anyways...it's just become a disgusting place to live. We're moving East to the Ozarks.
Good luck to those who stay.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by Rogter

I salute you and agree with you 110%. Very well spoken on the Vortex of Eugene. The whole state is slowly falling apart. I am moving my family out of the Coos Bay area just as soon as we can give away the house we paid too much for. Oregon WAS a great and wonderful state to live in. It has been ruined by the leaders in Salem by allowing "anything goes" attitudes to prevail. Did you know that it is now legal in Portland to ride your bicycle in the nude. That's correct...it's your "right". Anyways...it's just become a disgusting place to live. We're moving East to the Ozarks.
Good luck to those who stay.

Nothing personal, but good riddance. The state is not falling apart. What's wrong with riding your bicycle nude? It's not exactly pornography... Good luck in Arkansas.

[CCCVDUR]

Sorry to hear about people leaving. Smart Growth is one of reasons for Oregon's Housing Crisis.

It's really sad to see our elected officials (both parties) continue to use these restrictive land use policies -- that drive up the cost of land, housing, rents, and ultimately increase unemployment.

The Oregon smart growth rules should be canceled immediately to increase construction jobs.

Places like Austin and Dallas don't have smart growth, very few foreclosures, and you can buy a house for 3 to 4 times your household income.

Unfortunately, those of us youngsters ages 18-35 may never be able to afford a home in most of the US.

[backdrifter]

God forbid we ever get rid of smart growth! Oregon wouldn't be worth living in if it developed the way Texas does. If the cost of managing and planning our growth in a smarter way is that the only home I may ever own is an undersized, overpriced townhouse, then so be it. It's part of what makes this state Oregon and not Texas or California; we do things differently here. If UGBs got nixed, I for one would be majorly disappointed, and saddened by the legacy (preserved forests and farmland) the people wouldn't be leaving behind for future generations.

And really there is no definitive evidence that UGBs are the reason housing costs have gone up so much in Oregon. It's mainly just supply and demand. The demand has gone up because it is cheaper to live here than in, say, Southern California. It's also nicer here than, say, Ohio. We've had higher than average demand. And supply? Well look at the sprawling suburban wasteland at the outskirts of Eugene, and the entire cities of Medford, Beaverton, and Hillsboro. I think we've been keeping up as well as we can. Construction, after all, was one of the top industries in the state before this "recession." The entire West Coast is an expensive place to live, with Oregon still being the most affordable part.

[Mr Eugenified]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

And really there is no definitive evidence that UGBs are the reason housing costs have gone up so much in Oregon. It's mainly just supply and demand. The demand has gone up because it is cheaper to live here than in, say, Southern California. It's also nicer here than, say, Ohio. We've had higher than average demand. And supply? Well look at the sprawling suburban wasteland at the outskirts of Eugene, and the entire cities of Medford, Beaverton, and Hillsboro. I think we've been keeping up as well as we can. Construction, after all, was one of the top industries in the state before this "recession." The entire West Coast is an expensive place to live, with Oregon still being the most affordable part.

Totally agree! I think the current system is working perfectly. It prevents sprawl and keeps the place beautiful, green, and clean. Sure, maybe the construction people don't like it because they want to build and build and build (for their own benefit).

As for the slow economy in Oregon, it's clearly not related to housing here but rather to the strange economic base (which was established over time and has nothing to do with housing either). Wood products are extremely cyclical. And RV manufacturing is, well, just sorta short-sighted.

[CCCVDUR]

One of the main objective of "Smart Growth" is to control "sprawl" as if there's something "wrong" with it.

I just went through Boulder, Colorado and witnessed what happen when you stop sprawl, and pack over 100,000 people into 12 square miles, w/ an urban growth boundary.

Heavy traffic, air pollution, rude drivers, lack of greenery, bicyclists fighting with traffic, and you have to pay $1.50/hour to park downtown at the library.

In contrast, Flagstaff, Arizona; Santa Fe, NM; Durango, Colorado; and Yucca Valley, CA are small towns like Boulder and Eugene -- yet they are spread out over larger areas. Nobody complains about having to drive 15 miles from one end of town to the other. There are less stop lights and less lanes on the roads than in Boulder. And, you travel at 35-50mph, not 20-35mph. That's better fuel economy and less pollution.

As a young person in the 18-34 demographic, I want to own property someday. Urban Growth Boundaries and Impact Fees increase the cost of housing. I do not see how I can ever own property unless I stay away from places like Boulder and Eugene.

At the same time, I am 110% for all the other Green elements of smart growth: bike trails, walkable neighborhoods, multi-modal corridors, landscaping, etc. -- but not by way of impact fees from developers. I think volunteers could contribute to tree planting and bike trails. I would love to build bike trails in my community.

In the next election, I will vote all the smart growth, pro-impact fee candidates out of office <grin>