Eugene: Is it worth it?

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

...I also think that Eugene especially attracts a kind of "dead-head culture" who, let me see how to say it....they are maybe a bit more "comfortable" living a non-traditional lifestyle.... Hmmmmm..... Ashland also attracted a similar culture.

I think you worded that really well!

[naturegirl1969]

hi all, i live in san diego for the past 18 years, and im pretty much done here.. im a single girl with 2 large dogs and i was thinking about buying a home in eugene (a few blocks north of harlow and just west of rt 5)the neighborhood is Autzen. can anyone tell me what that area is like? The house was built in 97 so its a pretty new area and the house is beautiful.. i have enough cash to buy the house outright but not much after that.. the reason i would do this (buy vs rent) is due to the 2 doggies, one a rottie and one lab mix.. i know what a pain it is to try to rent with large dogs (normally you have to live in a crappy area in order to find a landlord willing to rent to you) they are super friendly and they are my children...
i love nature and so do my dogs we are all well behaved and truly respect nature. im originally from Pa and later Ft Laud Fl.. living in San Diego, the traffic is hell, its dry and hot.. plus i have seen everything.. oh did i forget to mention rattlesnakes in my backyard UGH!! i miss green trees, rivers, seasons, and less rules and regulations when it comes to nature i.e. paying to just park in our mountains just to hike around, parks with lake closed out here cant afford maintaining it etc..i love the rain too (not everyday though) and im tired of the 100* degrees out here and the santa anna winds that cause all these scary fires (eek)! and rattlesnakes everywhere in the east county of san diego, plus im getting tired of the fast pace here.. im 46... but i dont have a job lined up in Eugene and i dont know anyone there (eek), i have done many jobs in my life, from front desk clerk to front office manager of hotels in FLA (20 yrs ago), waitress, doctors office mini assist, last 17 mortgage industry as a sales rep, underwriter asst, loan processor.. but just because i have a lot of experience doenst mean i will get a job.. especially a new transplant from California.. oh and did i mention im liberal so what are my chances of getting a job up there? (sounds like there would be a lot of competition with kids coming out of college) and can someone tell me what is that neighborhood like.. im looking for a safe, quiet neighborhood, with lots of places to walk my doggies nearby, from the street i live on to all kinds of local parks to full on nature hikes...
please help... i would really appreciate it.. and to the oregonians that live there my motto is "Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints" and everywhere i go if i see garbage i pick it up and always pick up after my doggies do you think i have a chance? also are there any local bars around, where i can meet people my age? but not too many wierdos? sorry for the book, and i think im done!! thanks to all!

[coyote58]

Hey NG, I live in Willow Creek , Humboldt baby. Have you checked this place out?? I have a feeling you would fit rite in in Arcata. You have been looking for a while I see. I have distant relatives in Eugene but have not visited, want to though. Im relatively new to this visit forum and god what a resource for world info! Im liberal too. Good luck, its a great time to buy. You should feel glad to have waited. BOOTS

[naturegirl1969]

hi there coyote58, thanks for the info,,, but where is Humbolt? is that in Oregon? let me know please and thanks again.

[beentheredidthat]

I was in Eugene for the summer of 2001..and went back in 2006...very nice city....if money and a job was no concern i'd move there in a second. its a very outdoor, artsy, college type of town

[5chevin5]

Originally Posted by naturegirl1969

hi there coyote58, thanks for the info,,, but where is Humbolt? is that in Oregon? let me know please and thanks again.

Your username is "naturegirl1969" and you dont know where Humboldt is?

Just playing, it seems funny.

Humboldt County is Northern California, beautiful, peaceful (almost to boredom in my book) and a day drive to San Francisco. Made very famous due to "agriculture" by "hippies" (that word seems strange to use, but cant think of another) in the past 40 some odd years. Many similarities to Eugene, however Eugene is much bigger.

I like Eugene and have spent some misguided youth there. I think when I was younger and even to a degree currently I had the desire to be in cool urban areas with lots of job opportunities and "stimulus" (NYC, Miami,San Fran, Seattle and now Tokyo) BUT as I get long in tooth, I have started considering the idea of slowing down a gear (only one!) and start making a plan to return to Eugene. My priorities are changing after 25 years on the run in mega cool cities....I just want a little peace and a little place to grow some tomatoes!

Are there quirks to Eugene? of course....But these quirks are (to me) nothing in perspective to the benefits and life balance I can achieve there.

Good Luck naturegirl1969 and OP....Hope things work out
5

[mahzeltoffee]

Originally Posted by Midwesterns45

Moving away from the east coast to a small city on the west coast, I'm sick of the population denisty, high crime and milchonaly in the east (Particuallary metro NY) I'm considering a move to either Eugene, Fresno or Spokane. WHICH ONE DO YOU SUGGEST for a quiet writer who needs to be in a place of 'calmness' so to speak...
I really loved touring Eugene but after reading here on city-data that the unemployment rate is 17% and the mean income is way below Oregon's average (which isn't high) I have become very skeptical. My final question is ARE THERE ANY NEGATIVE ELEMENTS TO EUGENE THAT I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT?

Eugene-Springfield is Oregon's 3rd largest metro area Salem anchors the 2nd largest metro area of about 385,000 to 400,000. Oregon has an unemployment rate of over 10% in some parts. Eugene has bad air as the are in the end of the valley and surrouned on 3 sides by mountains. Salem has state govt. for jobs but the legislature will be cutting them. Read online newspapers like the Eugene Register Guard and the Salem Statesman Journal. Read the SJ forums. Ask questions. Pick Spokane if you love cold and snow and want to be isolated. Pick Fresno if you like hot summers and lots of Hispanics. Pick Eugene if rain and air pollution do not bother you. I'd pick Salem-Keizer or a bedroom community like Stayton or Silverton. Good luck

[Forloveofbirds]

I too am strongly considering moving to Eugene, as soon as this summer. I have a few concerns of my own, however, and some have been debated through various threads on this here message board. Nonetheless, I'd like to bring some of the topics up once again, in my own words, in hopes of being presented some solid feedback.

I plan on transferring to the Trader Joe's in Eugene, as I have been working in the one in Cleveland, OH ever since I started to chip away at grad school (I didn't finish yet - I plan to eventually finish at UofO). This will ensure that I have a job to at least start with upon moving there, even though I have no desire to make this job my career (I was a teacher for a few years prior to pursuing grad school). Anyhow, my job concern is this - are there many non-retail/food service jobs available, even part time (e.g. non-profit, teacher assistants, etc.)?

I am extremely sensitive to dry, bitter cold winters - which is exactly what you get in Cleveland (one of the main reasons why I want to move). I've asked around and have done some research about the weather in Eugene and have gotten mixed answers. Just how cold and dry are the winters in Eugene, and how long does winter typically last? A lot of snowfall?

I've been hearing things about how poor the air quality is in Eugene. How true is this? I imagine that it can't be nearly as bad as Ohio's - mainly northeast Ohio - air quality.... can it? And by "poor air quality" do people mean there is a lot of pollution in the air, or is it just laden with allergins?

I'm a single 31-year-old male, mainly looking to settle somewhere that fits my personality and interests. I'm not a partier, drinker, sports fanatic, and don't dabble in any sort of drug use. I'm very "green" and love the outdoors, do a lot of hiking and birdwatching, and I enjoy soclializing with like-minded, open-minded, genuinely kind individuals of all ages and backgrounds. My question is, would someone like me "fit in" in Eugene? I'm confident that such a liberal state and city is more accepting of people who do not follow/fit the cookie cutter sterrotype personalities that most people seem to exhibit (Cleveland sure wasn't - if you don't go nuts for sports or spend countless hours a week at bars then you're "not a man!") these days. The last thing I want to do is move somewhere new and again feel isolated and like an outsider.

I appreciate any and all feedback provided, and I thank you guys in advance.