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Old 07-18-2010, 07:30 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,229 times
Reputation: 10

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Hello, helpful people! Like legions before me, I am pondering moving to OR and am wondering what the best fit is. I'm sure if you had $1 for everyone who came by and asked that, you'd be rich by now, but here goes!

My husband and I live in AZ. We were both born and raised in MI and have lived here for nearly 6 years. We're looking for a change, namely because the people are not as friendly as we Midwesterners would like and are used to.

Therefore, we're looking for a city with friendly people. I mean people who bring over baked goods when you move into the neighborhood. Neighbors you have over for cook-outs. I don't know if a place like that still exists in this country, but I'm on the prowl for it.

I am 30 and my hubby is 34. I am going to be a Physical Therapy Assistant soon. He's a blue collar worker; he currently works for a grocery store warehouse but has a background in manufacturing. We'll need a city we can find jobs in. We are willing to commute a short distance, but no longer than around 20 minutes.

We don't have any kids and aren't going to be having any, so schools are not an issue.

We are very outdoory, love farmer's markets, and believe in being as good to the environment as we can. It sounds like we'll have at least the first two things no matter where we settle, which is great. (Most of our neighbors here don't even recycle. )

I have celiac disease, so it is a MUST that there is a Whole Foods or something of that nature in our city or very nearby so I am able to get gluten free food. I'd love to have some celiac friendly restaurants to patronize as well.

We're looking for homes in the $150k-$200k range. We don't mind small yards, as we're used to them here. And, yes, we know the weather is drastically different, and we're OK with that. Can't be worse than what MI was!

Any thoughts on cities that may fit the bill would be appreciated. I hope our Utopia exists somewhere...maybe somewhere in OR! Many thanks in advance.
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Old 07-18-2010, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,487 posts, read 40,178,438 times
Reputation: 17297
Salem fits most of that. You do realize entire cities don't bring over baked goods...that's a neighborhood thing. A good indicator of what you are looking for is whether or not the neighborhood celebrates National Night Out.

Salem doesn't have a Whole Foods, but we have LifeSource. Whole Foods is north of here in the Portland area. Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, and Bend also fit the bill but I think it would be hard to get a house in that price range in those cities.

My son generally eats a GFCF diet as he has food allergies, and I can get everything I need in town. Bob's Red Mill is based out of Milwaukee, OR so their products are easily accessed in most stores here in Oregon. Alyonce Cafe in Salem has GF food and we don't have an issue finding foods in restaurants, but if he has soy with wheat it doesn't really impact him like it might you. We have to be cautious, but not hypervigilant.
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Old 07-18-2010, 08:17 PM
 
Location: The beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon
7,785 posts, read 18,729,982 times
Reputation: 10782
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironeagle48162 View Post
Hello, helpful people! Like legions before me, I am pondering moving to OR and am wondering what the best fit is. I'm sure if you had $1 for everyone who came by and asked that, you'd be rich by now, but here goes!

My husband and I live in AZ. We were both born and raised in MI and have lived here for nearly 6 years. We're looking for a change, namely because the people are not as friendly as we Midwesterners would like and are used to.
Just responding to this part - most of the west coast (leaving out big-city California) is somewhat reserved. Not unfriendly, people tend to make eye contact and say "hello" and your neighbors will help you, but generally the "drop by anytime and bring baked goods" culture only exists here between people who know each other very well. Not to say it doesn't exist at all.

Also, I've had people at work complain about people not being as friendly here, but generally they were coming from a town or area in which they'd lived a long time - they were part of the "in crowd" as it were.
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Old 07-19-2010, 02:38 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
2,514 posts, read 4,996,366 times
Reputation: 2924
The job market isn't very good here now, but we do have a lot more gluten-free options than ever before. Here are a couple of resources:

Gluten Free Portland Oregon

Gluten-Free Eugene - Home Page

Gluten Free Registry™ - Resources for finding Gluten-Free Restaurants, Gluten-Free Dining, Gluten-Free Bakeries, Gluten-Free Grocers, Gluten-Free Caterers, Gluten-Free Travel, Gluten-Free Pizza* in OR

And a little further north, the job situation may be a little better:

gluten free acai berries a at glutenfreeinseattle.com

Wheatless In Seattle - ENTER HERE

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
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Old 07-19-2010, 03:47 PM
 
Location: Oceanside and Chehalem Mtns.
716 posts, read 2,805,400 times
Reputation: 531
You really needs to secure jobs first and then decide where to buy a house given the bad job climate here.

Portland's your best bet for jobs and your dietary needs but $150-200k for a house and a 20 minute commute is not likely.

For warehouse work you might want to also consider the Reno area.

I agree with PNW Gal. in that Oregonians tend not to be the "drop in for a spontaneous visit" type of culture.
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Old 07-20-2010, 12:57 AM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,487 posts, read 40,178,438 times
Reputation: 17297
Quote:
Originally Posted by davefr View Post

I agree with PNW Gal. in that Oregonians tend not to be the "drop in for a spontaneous visit" type of culture.

I think it is because people that move here tend to want to be outdoors and after a day of hiking, rafting, or whatever, most people just want to sit and hang with a beer and a burger.

Not to mention our houses are a mess from all our outdoor stuff.
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