Weather in Sweet Home, OR (Portland: living, price, swimming)

[jewel1]

We are retired and would like to relocate to Sweet Home, OR. I am worried about the amount of snow. All the weather data show snow only every couple of years, and only inches at that. What is the truth? I can't live in the snow.

[hamellr]

Yes, that's the truth. Snow levels are going to be much like Portland. It's too low to get a lot of snow unless the snow level is down at the 1000 feet or less mark, which has been happening a lot more the past few years. Now, if you lived up in the hills around the town that's a different story. Also you need to worry about the ice more then the snow. Snow in the Willamette Valley is usually gone within 48 hours, ice happens multiple times due to low lying fog and misting rains covering all the surfaces.

It's a nice town, I wouldn't mind living there if I had a job there.

[jewel1]

Thanks. I was actually looking at the hills around town. Good to know. I thought the hills, being a higher elevation, would probably get more snow.

[ditchlights]

Snow is not too bad. Similar to the rest of the Willammette Valley area. There is a small climb in elevation on the way there from the I-5 just before town that may accumulate more snow, but not bad. Just out of curiosity, where are you retiring from? And better yet, why Sweet Home? No offense intended, but it is the most backwards place in Oregon I've ever been. Quite similar to West Virginia in many ways.

[Cornerguy1]

Originally Posted by ditchlights

Snow is not too bad. Similar to the rest of the Willammette Valley area. There is a small climb in elevation on the way there from the I-5 just before town that may accumulate more snow, but not bad. Just out of curiosity, where are you retiring from? And better yet, why Sweet Home? No offense intended, but it is the most backwards place in Oregon I've ever been. Quite similar to West Virginia in many ways.

Nice one! LOL

Making friends in Sweet Home and the entire state of West Virginia all in one post.

[jewel1]

We are from a small, backward town in Southern California. Yes, they do exist here. We are tired of over-taxed, over-regulated, over-priced living. Tired of brown landscape. Tired of drought. We want to return to trees and lakes with good fishing. Can't find good fishing here. It's more like an expensive parking lot.

[ditchlights]

In all seriousness, Sweet Home does have very pretty scenery with good fishing at the nearby resevoir. I used to run a service route out there and I always loved the stretch along the Calapooia River. As with many areas of Oregon these days, Sweet Home has a fairly rampant problem with methamphetamines. The police are working hard to clean that up, though. Good luck on your future relocation. There are plenty of trees and fishing in your future.

[skinem]

Lots of good swimming holes along that stretch of the Calipooia, too! Or, there was when I was a kid 40+ years ago...I hope for today's kids there still are.