Eugene info (Portland, Salem, Springfield: home, job market, community college)

[missmash]

Hello all -

Am currently living in AZ and very curious about Eugene. Have always been drawn to the coast and am wondering what it is like to live there. 2 questions for whoever can answer them for me.
1. what is the job market like for RN's
2. is there a large lesbian population

Thanks in advance for the info from everyone!

[Bendite]

The Oregon State Board of Nursing website says there are critical nursing shortages in all of Oregon. You might find that jobs pay less in Eugene (and other cities in Oregon) than they do in other parts of the country, so just a heads up. There is a lesbian organization that was started in Salem called Lavender Womyn and it has a branch in Eugene. They would probably be very helpful. Wanted to point out that Eugene is not actually on the coast, but in the Willamette Valley - about an hour and a half's drive from Florence, the closest coastal town.

[dldavis]

Hi there,

Eugene is a beautiful city along with the other out lining small towns. I lived here for 2 years. Actually my son was born here. Lots of rain and dont let anyone tell you otherwise about 9 months out of the year. The beauty is because of all the rains the folliage and ferns are out of this world. Lots to do, the colleges are great, bike trails are wonderful, the coast, florence is very close. Lots of fishing and camping. Go Oregon Ducks but the employment sucks because Oregon is very very Liberal especially Eugene. They do not understand Capitalism so therefore no manufacuring plants, no paper plants, tree plants etc. I moved because it is tooooooooo liberal for me, tons of hippies so to speak and everyone and their mother thinks that the big bad corporations who in fact employee us should pay higher taxes etc. so no business is here. Also as soon as you get their get your license plate changed immediately they hate Californians. Not sure why because the majority of California is a democrate state.

Di

[dldavis]

ps i am sure anything goes here as you have the community college and state college so being gay is no big deal, lots of excepting people.

[missmash]

thank you both for your advice/input. Is Portland any better paying for nurses vs eugene? I know that eugene is smaller in comparison but I wasn't sure if the job market for nurses was that much different
Thanks!

[Mounty]

Originally Posted by missmash

thank you both for your advice/input. Is Portland any better paying for nurses vs eugene? I know that eugene is smaller in comparison but I wasn't sure if the job market for nurses was that much different
Thanks!

I hope I don't break any rules by recommending other sites - but you might want to try allnurses.com forum, if you're not familiar with it, it's the largest nursing forum on the internet with thousands of members, they have separate Oregon subforum. I'm pretty sure they can be more specific on what salaries to expect and maybe even recommend some hospitals. Also, check salary.com for some rough estimates.

[JOhn Crider]

>Hello all -

>Am currently living in AZ and very curious about Eugene. Have always been >drawn to the coast and am wondering what it is like to live there. 2 >questions for whoever can answer them for me.
>1. what is the job market like for RN's
>2. is there a large lesbian population

In my opinion, Eugene is one of the finest places to live in the country. Of course, I'm biased having made it my home for 17 years.

There are two large hospitals - Sacred Heart of Eugene and Mckenzie Willamette (Springfield, right next door), both of which are always hiring nurses. There are also numerous senior living situations, if you are interested in those types of nursing positions. In general, the job market is extremely tight, but nursing is probably one of the better bets.

As far as question two - Eugene is hands down the best place for gay and lesbians in Oregon. There is a large, vibrant lesbian community that plays a substantial role in the local social arena (e.g., google soromundi).

-john

[missmash]

thank you so much for the info John. I will google these hospitals tonight! Any other info that you think of will be greatly appreciated!

[WorkinStiff]

Asking if there are lesbians in Eugene is a little like asking if there is snow on Mt Hood....I play on a mixed league softball team & was gonna ask some of the gals out...But they're all gay...Not only that but some of them dykes hit the ball further then I do...

[Terryj]

Eugene is referred to as "The Peoples Republic of Eugene" because of its conservative views. The only other town in Oregon that can beat Eugene in its socialist views is Ashland. Not that this is all bad, but they have a tendency to take it to the very far left.