Culture in Eugene (Portland, Cottage Grove, Oakridge: school, university, to live)

[WillySnowMan]

Does Eugene have culture such as dirt biking, mountain biking, racetracks (non-oval), snowboarding, and surfing? How far do you have to drive for each?

How is the weather compared to San Francisco or Chicago?

[backdrifter]

The weather is more similar to SF, but rainier and more overcast and less fog and probably warmer summers and cooler winters (since it's inland and not coastal like SF). Extraordinarily more mild than Chicago.

Of course there is snowboarding about 3.5 hours to the east at Mt. Bachelor. Surfing (with a full body suit of course) can be done at the coast which is only, what, an hour and a half away? I'm not sure of exact locations for that...

Dirt biking and racetracks? Mmm... Not so sure about that. Mountain biking? I'm sure there is some of that... Regular biking is huge in Eugene.

[ditchlights]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

The weather is more similar to SF, but rainier and more overcast and less fog and probably warmer summers and cooler winters (since it's inland and not coastal like SF). Extraordinarily more mild than Chicago.

Of course there is snowboarding about 3.5 hours to the east at Mt. Bachelor. Surfing (with a full body suit of course) can be done at the coast which is only, what, an hour and a half away? I'm not sure of exact locations for that...

Dirt biking and racetracks? Mmm... Not so sure about that. Mountain biking? I'm sure there is some of that... Regular biking is huge in Eugene.

Right on track with that description. I believe you can snowboard at Willammette Pass as well, which is a little over an hour from Eugene. Up in Oakridge, gateway to the Cascades, only 45 miles from eugene, mountain biking is huge, as well as all off road activities for that matter. As far as racetracks, I'm not quite sure what you mean as far as "not oval". Are you referring to downhill tracks, for bikes per se?

Oakridge, Oregon Mountain Bike Trails || SINGLETRACKS.COM

Willamette Pass ski area, Central Cascade Range, Oregon - Skiing and Snowboarding

[WillySnowMan]

Thanks for all the info.

A friend of mine who went to school there says there are dirt bike trails right out of town. They are just not designated riding areas.

I mean a road course such as Portland Intl Raceway.

[ditchlights]

Originally Posted by WillySnowMan

Thanks for all the info.

A friend of mine who went to school there says there are dirt bike trails right out of town. They are just not designated riding areas.

I mean a road course such as Portland Intl Raceway.

That may quite well be. You do not have to go far to get into rural areas from Eugene. Just about anything goes. Eugene is a bike friendly city on all fronts. Less than 20 miles south of Eugene right off the I-5 is the Cottage Grove Speedway. It's just a local venue, smalltime, but it may be the closest to what will work for you.

Cottage Grove Speedway

[LonePine]

On a broader cultural front, I found it hard to find any city in Eugene's population category with broader cultural diversity; active or passive. So long as your interest are served and satisfied below the highest professional level, you can scratch any itch within 3 minutes to 3 hours. With mountains, ocean, rivers and greater Portland within the natural context and a major university fueling youthful creativity and every type of art, music, literature and sport; cultural life in Eugene is outstanding.

[didadi]

I used to live/work in Eugene all through 2005. Summers are nice, and Crater Lake is stunning during summer. Sadly, if you are alone and do not have enough social networking skills to keep yourself busy and happy, Eugene is not the place for you. It often gets gloomy by September until April end or so. I just used to sit infront of the computer and code :-(. occasional drinks and coffee are always there. Also, sadly enough the one of the bigger employers out there closed last year. So,overall picture looks gloomy to me.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by WillySnowMan

Does Eugene have culture such as dirt biking, mountain biking, racetracks (non-oval), snowboarding, and surfing? How far do you have to drive for each?

How is the weather compared to San Francisco or Chicago?

Dirt Biking, mountain biking, snowboarding - yes. You won't have to travel far at all for those things. (1.5 hours at most.) I'm not sure what non-oval racetracks are? The closest velodrome I believe is in PDX (2 hours north). Die-hards surf... you must be tough and brave and know where to go. (1'ish hour(s) to the coast from Eugene depending on how you drive...) A favorite thing to do on the coast is dune boarding. Oregon has the largest area of dunes in the country... lots of fun to be had there. And what makes them really great is that they are right along the Pacific Ocean...

Weather is way better compared to either SF or Chicago. This past year has been strange - muchas gracias El Niño...

You might try Portland... everything you're asking for will be closer to home... and I believe there's good surfing in the hood river area? It's just something I heard... not ocean surfing, though... things run a little bit differently in the PNW.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by didadi

I used to live/work in Eugene all through 2005. Summers are nice, and Crater Lake is stunning during summer. Sadly, if you are alone and do not have enough social networking skills to keep yourself busy and happy, Eugene is not the place for you. It often gets gloomy by September until April end or so. I just used to sit infront of the computer and code :-(. occasional drinks and coffee are always there. Also, sadly enough the one of the bigger employers out there closed last year. So,overall picture looks gloomy to me.

There's this guide put out by the City of Eugene... you can pick it up at any of the community centers, and they also mail it out. There are trips and classes and events listed there. If you're new to Eugene, those can be great resources to get you out and about and meeting new people and exploring the area. Taking some random classes that interest you at LCC can help you out as well, as can volunteering.