Louisiana boy wants to move to Clatsop County..Advice? (Portland: how much, house)

[Mt-7]

Hi there, make sure you ask about any slide zones if you are purchasing real estate.

[dino646]

Hey bluebird. Nice to get information from someone who has lived in both places. What you describe of Oregon sounds so beautiful! Misty, rainy weather and all. Louisiana is a beautiful state and it's people and culture and food is phenominal! It's just time for a change that no simple vacation will satisfy. Hope that makes sense? I did read Lewis and Clarks account of staying at Fort Clatsop during the winter months and honestly, it sounded like hell on earth. From what I have researched, it rarely gets extremely cold or snows, though you did have a snow in 2008? I would wrather have a few months of misty, rainy weather than a few months of freezing cold temperatures with the earth covered in snow and ice. Snow is for skiing and nothing else. Sorry to hear about your okra. It grows best in a hot climate...same for egg plants. They don't like cooler temperatures and need a long growing season. In fact here, stores wont sell either types of plant until the average temp. is 75 degrees...or close to it. Never give up though! I have several great resources for king cakes and other cajun specialty items. Let me know and I would be happy to send you their websites and most items ship with no problem. I have friends in California that have paid a fortune to have crawfish shipped to them for a crawfish boil. They are shipped alive so am not sure how that all works. And, you're right about the heat...or lack of...in cajun cooking. They like to use cayenne pepper but in moderation and you can make it as hot as you want. to me, Mexican food can be much hotter, depending on what it is and I love good Mexican food!

I'm enjoying the conversation with everyone and all of your advice and information. Keep it coming. Thanks!

[dino646]

Hey Montana. Slide Zones...now thats a new one...as in mud slide? Thanks for the information. Are there particular areas that are worse for that type of thing? And, outside of asking, what do I need to look for? See! You are why I got involved in this blog...to gather information! Thanks!

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by dino646

Hey Montana. Slide Zones...now thats a new one...as in mud slide? Thanks for the information. Are there particular areas that are worse for that type of thing? And, outside of asking, what do I need to look for? See! You are why I got involved in this blog...to gather information! Thanks!

Read and learn!
The Daily Astorian • The North Coast's Newspaper (http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=30 227&TM=69760.82: - broken link))

sorry that link may not work so try this one.
http://landslides.usgs.gov/regional/inventory/oregon/

[puerco]

Originally Posted by dino646

So, do you think Astoria could handle a cajun restaurant?

I would think a Cajun restaurant would go over well in any town with a decent amount of people living in the area. Clatsop county & the large amount of tourists that visit it would seem to have the population to support one. I think Cajun restaurants are rather rare in Oregon. If you decide to go that way, Dino, best of luck!

[daisy326]

Umm Astoria is not a half hour away from Portland. It is almost two hours away, thats why we almost never drive there because the beach traffic on a two lane road would be a NIGHTMARE. The closest beach to Portland is probably Cannon Beach and that is still and hour and a half away.

[AllyL37]

Thought you might like this. It's by a lady who lives in Astoria.

Susan's Victorians (http://home.pacifier.com/~jimsu/index.html - broken link)

I moved to Eugene OR from Natchitoches, LA and I love it here. Yes there is rain (and I can't speak to conditions in Astoria year round) but in my experience It's nothing like the downpours of LA. The summers are beautiful here, truly unbeatable. There are a few hot days but mostly you can enjoy every single one outdoors.
I get out to Astoria once a year or so and it's a beautiful place with lovely scenery and so far as I've noticed, friendly people. I would be more concerned with work than weather. Good luck.

[dino646]

Hi AllyL. Thanks for the encouraging and hopeful information. Actually, I live in Shreveport and am in Natchitoches at least once monthly for my job. Beautiful area with the Cane River flowing through the center of town. But, in spite of it's beauty...In spite of the fact that I realy love Shreveport...it still isn't enough to make me want to stay. Violent crimes, as you probably know, are extremely high; the literacy rate is low; our current mayor is more concerned about how many african americans are represented on the police force than in fighting crime and in improving our city; the long summers are so hot I do believe you could fry an egg on the sidewalk or poach it in the hot, humid air. Waterbugs, the size of your fist and mosquitos so thick in the air that at times, you could slice them with a knife. Dare I go on? The only seasons that are truly pleasant are Fall and Winter, which lasts for 3-4 months? On the plus side, we are the Hollywood of the South with movies and TV series being filmed here regularly. (I think the locals are all over the idea of "seeing stars" around here.) And, you are correct about the torrential downpours that we have wrather frequently. That's why I'm not phased when someone disparages on all the misty, rainy days along the coastal area of Oregon. Sounds like a beautiful respite to me. Interesting that you mentioned Eugene, because I was talking with my mother this afternoon who suggested Eugene. She said that she and my dad had stayed there several days while traveling on vacation a few years ago. They loved the area and have visited Eugene several times . Will explore the posibilities in Eugene as well. And yes, my main concern is in obtaining gainful employment and spend several hours each day in net-working agencies along the Oregon coast. Great advice and thanks!

[bluebird39]

Just had to tell you that we were in the Ochocos a few weeks ago, and my kids and hubby caught about a dozen crawfish and boiled them up right in camp!! LOL I'm raising them right! And I harvested 3 okra pods recently and have more on the way, so there's hope!

Yes, I prefer the weather here over Louisiana too. But the lack of sun in the winter really threw me for the first year or 2. I think if you can stick it out for a year or so you'll be fine. But come summer when even here people complain about the 90 and 100+ temperatures, I just have to laugh and laugh. It only lasts a month or 2, and in the evening it gets down in the 50's and 60's. It's dry, not sticky, and so nice. We lived in Michigan for 3 years, and winters there were kind-of like summer in LA. You stayed in a lot. But I really loved the snow there! I'm still like a kid in the snow, even after 3 winters in Northern Michigan. I love it! Here it gets icy (remember I'm in Pendleton, much different than Astoria). I actually could live in Minnesota before I'd go back to the heat of the deep South. Totally don't understand why these baby boomers are flocking to the South at all. Yuck!

Reading your other post also reminded me of the sad and honest truth of the deep South... crushing poverty, illiteracy, crime, etc... To be frank, I sometimes feel a bit guilty leaving all of that behind. But I think for my kids I'm glad they are here, most of the time. They don't exactly have the same exposure to diverse cultures and races Like I did, but they get so much more...

I also never felt like I belonged down there... I hated the "big hair", make up, coming out balls, etc... My au-natural self is much more comfortable here in Oregon than I ever was down South.

Good luck!!

[dino646]

Hey bluebird. I loved the bit about the crawfish. Too cute, but what fun! You are raising them right. Sounds like you have a sweet family. And, good for you on the okra! Keep up the good work. How do you prepare it? Boiled, fried, gumbo style, with tomatos and onions....pickeled?

Your description of Pendelton sounds beautiful...in fact you give a fresh perspective of Oregon in general. Thanks!
Yes, Louisiana is no place to raise children. I used to work with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development in researching the corolation between illeteracy and poverty. And, there is definately a corolation between the two. The sad part is that we worked diligently in trying to get people, both men and women to get their GED or graduate high school and go on to either a junior college, trade school or an accredited University for higher education,(subsidized by the state no less) but I would say that 95% looked for reasons not to better themselves and saw no value in education at all! SAD. Much is generational, where they get no encouragement from family or their peers; end on welfare and their only challenge is to outfox the system and the cycle continues. It's exhausting to think about. And of course the trickle effect is crime. I hardly watch the news anymore because drugs, home invasions, stabbings and murder are the staple of the evening news shows. And now the state has legalized the possession of hand guns in places of worship. What next? Don't feel guilty for leaving all of this behind. I'm looking to do the same thing. I just have to be methodical about it.

What I find interesting is that people that are not faced with these type of issues on a daily basis tend to be more liberal in their views of the world, of their fellow-man, of politics and religion but are more quick to condemn those with more conservative views. I often wander if it's because they are more insulated from the harsh realities of other parts of the U.S. and it's a situation of "out-of-sight, out-of-mind." ( Oregons crime statistics are much lower, compared to a number of other states... I'd be curious to know why.) That is my one concern in a prospective move to Oregon...I am conservative in my political views but rarely share them with anyone else. I read one ladys blog that stated that she wanted to live in an area of Oregon where the local government was extremely democratic and liberal...and that was one of her top 10 prerequisites for where she wanted to live...would have never crossed my mind.

Take my advice...if you want to expose your kids to cultural diversity, take them to Europe where they will be exposed to many cultures, foods, languages, music, art. Teach them to be tolerant of all kinds of people and that's the only exposure they will ever need. Please don't subject them to the ghettofied mess that we have here in Louisiana with gold teeth, jailhouse tattoos, stocking caps, cheap bling around their necks, unlaced boots and an abreviated swagger in their walk...and that's just the girls! (It's funny the things that one can not get used to.) Thanks for your good wishes and keep up the good work with the Okra.