Safe areas to live in and around UO? (Eugene: apartment complexes, to rent)

[rock1206]

Hello Everyone,
I wil be moving to Eugene from New Jersey in a couple of months and have been reading a lot of good as well as bad stuff about the Eugene area. I had a major concern that needs to be answered? Any help would be great.
I will be working at the UO and I wouldnt mind commuting for long everyday. There are two scenarios that I have in mind
1) If I buy a car, a half hour to 45 min commute would not be an issue provided the community that I live in is safe (read about a lot of burglaries, car thefts and break ins). or
2) By public transport where I think i would not like to spend more than 45 min including waiting times. So here is the question, what areas should I be looking in terms of living for scenarios (1) and (2)?
In other words what areas are really safe to live in around the University of Oregon?
Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[haggardhouseelf]

Eugene might be a bit smaller than you're thinking... in a car you can get just about anywhere within the Eugene city limits in about 15 to 20 minutes. On a bus, it will take you longer of course. From North Eugene where we live, it takes my husband about 45 minutes to ride the bus to where he works in West Eugene. When he drives that is about a 10 - 15 minute drive depending on traffic.

Eugene has some very distinct little areas. You might want to be more specific in terms of what you're looking for in a neighborhood so we can suggest some areas for you to check out. Do you have school-age kids? Do you like an area with an active nightlife or a place more residential and quiet? Newer development or older area with more mature landscaping? Hills or flat? By the water or away from it? Walking distance to a particular sort of place - gym, library, grocery store, ? Do you want to be on the bike trail? Near the highway or away from it? In the city or out of it?

When we first moved here 4 years ago, we chose to rent a place in the Northern area of Eugene. After doing a lot of our research, we decided that we wanted to be near a particular elementary school for our children, so we found a sweet little and very affordable place to rent here. Now that our kids are older, and we are looking to buy our first home, we are looking in the more southern areas of Eugene because we like those areas better. The Middle School and High School in South Eugene scores higher and has a better reputation, and also we just like the "feeling" in that area better. This northern area of Eugene is more conservative and in our opinion, more bland and boring. We like to be around a more eclectic feeling and non-traditional sort of environment, so it feels a bit stuffy and pretentious where we live right now - but that's just us!

Typically, my husband and I are more comfortable in areas where the yards are not professionally landscaped and maintained and the prayer flags are flapping in the wind, spreading their blessings.

West Eugene is kinda sketchy... parts of it are OK but parts are red-necky. My husband works in West Eugene and we wish it were better because he'd love to ride his bike or walk to work... but we've looked and looked and it's just not a good fit for us. Super cheap, though... but there's a reason for that...

As far as safety... North Eugene where we currently live seems very safe. We've never had anything happen to us or our cars or bikes here. I think downtown and in West Eugene the crime is an issue, as well as parts of the River Road and Santa Clara areas.

Police

That link might be helpful...

Good luck with everything!

[WorkinStiff]

Look in South Eugene along west the 18th corridor...Buses run directly to the UO every few minutes..Streets on both sides of West 18th have lots of older modest homes..The closer to the UO you locate the more property crime is a problem...The Safest area in Eugene is the Ferry Street Bridge neighborhoods across the river in North Eugene..The homes are newer & property values generally higher and the bus commute a bit longer (20 Mins)...You can drive from there to the UO in ten or so minutes but parking is a real pain around the UO...Most UO employees & students take the bus which is free if you have UO ID....

[rock1206]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

Eugene might be a bit smaller than you're thinking... in a car you can get just about anywhere within the Eugene city limits in about 15 to 20 minutes. On a bus, it will take you longer of course. From North Eugene where we live, it takes my husband about 45 minutes to ride the bus to where he works in West Eugene. When he drives that is about a 10 - 15 minute drive depending on traffic.

Eugene has some very distinct little areas. You might want to be more specific in terms of what you're looking for in a neighborhood so we can suggest some areas for you to check out. Do you have school-age kids? Do you like an area with an active nightlife or a place more residential and quiet? Newer development or older area with more mature landscaping? Hills or flat? By the water or away from it? Walking distance to a particular sort of place - gym, library, grocery store, ? Do you want to be on the bike trail? Near the highway or away from it? In the city or out of it?

When we first moved here 4 years ago, we chose to rent a place in the Northern area of Eugene. After doing a lot of our research, we decided that we wanted to be near a particular elementary school for our children, so we found a sweet little and very affordable place to rent here. Now that our kids are older, and we are looking to buy our first home, we are looking in the more southern areas of Eugene because we like those areas better. The Middle School and High School in South Eugene scores higher and has a better reputation, and also we just like the "feeling" in that area better. This northern area of Eugene is more conservative and in our opinion, more bland and boring. We like to be around a more eclectic feeling and non-traditional sort of environment, so it feels a bit stuffy and pretentious where we live right now - but that's just us!

Typically, my husband and I are more comfortable in areas where the yards are not professionally landscaped and maintained and the prayer flags are flapping in the wind, spreading their blessings.

West Eugene is kinda sketchy... parts of it are OK but parts are red-necky. My husband works in West Eugene and we wish it were better because he'd love to ride his bike or walk to work... but we've looked and looked and it's just not a good fit for us. Super cheap, though... but there's a reason for that...

As far as safety... North Eugene where we currently live seems very safe. We've never had anything happen to us or our cars or bikes here. I think downtown and in West Eugene the crime is an issue, as well as parts of the River Road and Santa Clara areas.

Police

That link might be helpful...

Good luck with everything!

Dear Haggardhouseelf,
Thank you so very much for your response. It has been helpful in me looking up some areas of interest. So far I have ruled out West Eugene and downtown.

Just some answers to the questions you asked…..As far as kids are concerned, I do not have any. I will be living by myself. A quiet neighborhood would be nice to live in (as you said it does not take too long to drive around I guess getting to areas with an active nightlife should not be an issue, if I ever feel like going to a club). Newer development would be an ideal setting (but if its cheaper to get into an area that has been around for long, that would be fine too). Hills or flat, I do not know, does Eugene ever have flooding problems in flat areas? Walking distance to grocery store and gym would be nice, would be great to be able to walk to a store, library on a beautiful day. (but then again it is not a major criterion). Away from the highway would be better, but not too far away from a highway either. The major criterion that I have is that till I buy a car (or even after I buy one) I would like to have the convenience of public transport at a walking distance. And also that I m not super rich, so an apt that doesn’t cost too much ($500-700 or cheaper) would be ideal, at the same time I would not like to compromise on the the area of living.
So my buzz words are “Safety”, “Cost-effectiveness”, “Public Transport”.

I hope this helps you, in helping me figure out the area most suitable to live in. Thanks so much for all your help and advice.

[rock1206]

Originally Posted by WorkinStiff

Look in South Eugene along west the 18th corridor...Buses run directly to the UO every few minutes..Streets on both sides of West 18th have lots of older modest homes..The closer to the UO you locate the more property crime is a problem...The Safest area in Eugene is the Ferry Street Bridge neighborhoods across the river in North Eugene..The homes are newer & property values generally higher and the bus commute a bit longer (20 Mins)...You can drive from there to the UO in ten or so minutes but parking is a real pain around the UO...Most UO employees & students take the bus which is free if you have UO ID....

Thanks so much for the info. Do you know of any apartment complexes in the areas that u mentioned??
That would kinda give me an idea as to what address to look around for.
Thanks once again.

[haggardhouseelf]

WorkinStiff's suggestion for the South area of Eugene sounds good... we love that area, it's one of the areas that we have been looking in to buy our first home. Here's a link to LTD (bus) - you can find route maps and lots of good info here Lane Transit District

I googled "flooding Eugene, OR" and found this: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~showcase/Current_Projects/pdfs/DRU/UO-DRU_FinalDraft_App_E_Flooding.pdf

[Jess428]

We just rented a place in what I think is considered South Eugene, around 31st and Willamette. I am coming from Pittsburgh, PA and my boyfriend is coming from Philadelphia, PA. I've heard that though crime sometimes seems bad in Eugene, even in the worst areas it's nothing compared to Pittsburgh or Philly. I imagine that is probably true for New Jersey as well.

My biggest concern is the job market. Will you be teaching at UO or were you able to get another job there before you moved? I didn't even attempt to get a job before moving because I figured people wouldn't hire someone long distance.

[rock1206]

Hi Jess,
Yes I will be working at the UO. I have no idea about the general job market scenario, may be some of the senior members of this forum might be able to help you better. How is the area around where you are currently renting? I agree coming from NJ, I might not be as surprised about the crime rate in Eugene? but I guess once can only really have a say when you are in the area.