Albany/Corvallis (and surrounding areas) Questions and Concerns -- Please Advise

[LemonCrush]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

1) Grew up Corvallis, still visit quite often.

2) "How's the racial diversity in the area?"

Lily white or growing Hispanic for most year-round residents, quite a few Asian students. Not many African-Americans.

3) "I ask because I've heard that Oregon is a pretty liberal, open-minded state."

Generally quite true...even very conservative people aren't super-prejudiced. You'll find more prejudice against Hispanics among farmers due to the perception of them beginning to flood up-and still not much of that, most of them realize they are taking the very low-wage jobs.

5) "There are still many areas where it wouldn't be best to be after dark if you're black."

Untrue for Corvallis, certainly-very safe-and most of Albany that I have spent time in, also. Being black wouldn't increase your exposure to crime, at all. If you're going to get rolled, they'd roll you regardless of your skin color-it's not targeted at your ethnicity, and crime is not too bad.

5) "With that being said, I'm not specifically searching for a black area of Albany/Corvallis."

That's fortunate. There isn't one. Not enough to make an "area".

6) "I just want to make sure that my safety and well-being would not be compromised, or that I'll feel very ostracized from everyone else."

It won't (be compromised), nor *should* you feel ostracized. <- I am Caucasian so I won't have the same experiences you may, but I personally never perceive any issues with skin color in the area and never really saw much *overt* racism against African-Americans.

7) "Also, how is the singles scene/dating life in that area? I'm single, so I'd be interested in dating."

Sparse (1/3 of the residents are students) but very possible. There are young single professionals, some would be interested in dating for sure if you get along. Just have to meet them.

I went to college there as an older student; as a year-round resident and a native of the area, I had *great* luck with the non-student population, because I knew how to tap into it.

8) "A better question is would the residents of Albany/Corvallis have a problem with it?"

Generally, no. They wouldn't have a problem with it. I did date an African-American woman in Corvallis, and later one in the South. In Corvallis, a couple of second glances but not much pushback. In the south-I really felt I was about to get my a** beat a few times, there was a lot of hostility. Particularly (and interestingly) by African-American males.

9) Corvallis definitely isn't the South, and it's not the East. You will be a minority-but not one they are used to, so it's not had a chance to become a huge issue.

Thank you so much for your reply, Georgia!!! Funny how you mentioned your interracial dating experience in Corvallis vs. the south. The south is very much like the Midwest -- everyone pretty much sticks "to their own" and they're expected to do so. Anything outside of the standard box is very much unwelcome. This is one of the many reasons why I'm ready to relocate because it's absolutely ridiculous to me. And even with that, there's still a double standard in the Midwest/south -- it's not only accepted that black males will date interracially, but it's very much expected as well. As a black woman in the Midwest, dating a white man is the absolute LAST thing I should ever think about doing, let alone actually having the nerve to follow through with! I'm talking getting stares, confronted, sideways glances, etc. from both blacks and whites! It's really ridiculous, and very sad. So, I'm not surprised when you said you felt like you were going to get beat up by black males when you dated a black woman. It's been my experience that black males take it as biggest slight against them, as though the black woman has personally offended them because she chose to be someone who isn't black. Just really dumb, really!

So yeah, if the Pacific NW doesn't have this problem, I will be truly grateful! As long as I don't encounter the opposite (no one will date me simply because I'm a black woman) then I think I'll be just fine. We're all human beings and that should be the only thing that matters.

[puerco]

Hi LemonCrush. My brother (white) met his first wife (African-American) when he was attending OSU. From everything they've told me they never got more than a double-take now & then. (This was in the '70's.) They have a beautiful daughter who was the student body president during her senior year in high school. She spent the first 18 years of her life in Corvallis. I think that with the university, Hewlett Packard, & whatever other industries are there, Corvallis is pretty cosmopolitan for a town its size. From what you've said in your posts I think you'll feel very much at home in Corvallis. Best of luck!

[antiguanmom]

I live in Albany and I am of African descent. So far I am very impressed by those Ive met here. They have treated my family very well we have felt very comfortable here. Off course as anywhere else you would probably encounter some uncomfortable situations but by and large that is not the norm.

[OregonYeti]

It's good to get the perspective of someone black living here. I'm white, and I don't notice racism much, and what little I do notice is mostly against Hispanics. It's very unfortunate to have any, but I'm glad to hear that it's not worse than it looks like. Speaking more generally, the one thing I like most and least about Corvallis is the climate. From May-September, it's gorgeous. It hardly ever gets above 90 degrees, nights are cool even after a hot day, the humidity is low, and it hardly ever rains. Sometimes it's so dry for so long that I actually wish it would rain. From October-April it can be downright miserable, for me anyway. It's usually overcast and it rains a lot--not a cloudburst here and there, but rain that can last for days non-stop. The sun appears for a while on maybe 2 days out of the week. Snow is pretty rare here, which is good or bad depending on your preference (personally, I wish a lot of this rain were snow, to brighten things up a little). Aside from the climate, I find Corvallis a delightful town to live in.

[GuyBMeredith]

Now that we've settled the question of discrimination it is interesting that no one has mentioned Starbucks versus the local coffee scene. We found a local shop that will make you forget Starbucks.

There are some very good local services and products. The "buy local" has some good things going for it and is part of why we've decided to move into the area in the near future.

We do need our Trader Joe's and Target, though, and they are in the area.