Looking for 'our town' in Oregon (Portland, Eugene: credit, homes, job market)
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This forum rocks! I've learned so much and then some about places I've never had the chance to visit. I'm hoping to gain some insight on our possible move to our neighboring state.
Currently my partner and I live in the Wood River Valley in Idaho (Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley, Blaine County area if you are unfamiliar with the WRV) We love the area we live in and would be perfectly happy save for the fact that the winter goes on and on and on and on and frankly we are sick of it. Gardening is a joke and we're over the whole 'shoveling-for-the-easter-bunny' deal. So, we are looking for a town/area that is similar in a lot of ways except for the climate.
What we've got:
-very liberal town and people
-vibrant arts culture, festivals, community events
-great bike paths
-access to nature galore, we are tucked in 3 major -mountain ranges and you can be in the middle of nowhere within 15 minutes
-awesome restaurants and small business climate - chain and big boxes are outlawed here (though it would be nice to have access to them more easily than an hour drive)
-tight knit community. when something tragic happens (like the big fire we had a few years ago) people were opening their homes and hearts to those in need - it was pretty amazing to witness.
-very safe
-great public schools
-good access to farmers markets and local foods
-eclectic mix of people, farmers to celebrities and everyone in between
What is not so great about our area is the high cost of living but wages somewhat compensate. A move anywhere would of course be contingent upon jobs: partner is a journeyman electrician and certified in solar design/installation and I hold a degree in environmental sciences and have been working in government with invasive plant species. We have a 4 year old and I am currently pursueing a certification in teaching natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc) for middle/high school. Any pulse on what the job market might be for these skills would be awesome!
We understand that we'd have to make some concessions living in Oregon. We are spoiled by sun, sun, and more sun all year around but it's hard to enjoy it when it's 10 below zero out. As long as there is little to no snow we think we could abide. I've been eying Corvallis but never been there. Portland is a bit too metro for us, ~20-80,000 people would probably be a good fit. We've traveled a bit around the coast and would like to be within a days drive.
In our spare time we watch football, brew beer, camp, hike, cook and garden - not sure why I am including this but maybe there's towns that don't like football or beer?
Please help us find our dream town. Rally hoping it exists in Oregon! thanks
oh - one more question. does Oregon have 'primitive' camping? Idaho has tons on forest service and blm land. usually just a fire ring and maybe an outhouse-structure at a trailhead nearby. All we saw while on the coast were campgrounds.
I agree that Corvallis is a leading candidate in Oregon given what you listed, including college football; though, you'd have to drive further than you do now to be in the mountains.
Lebanon and Sweet Home themselves might be smaller than you ideally want, are not as amenity loaded themselves and have supporters and critics. But they are a bit closer to the mountains, probably cheaper to buy a place in than Corvallis and you are still fairly close to Corvallis and Eugene for at least the weekends or even work depending on willingness to commute. If you want other options. Usually quite light on snow, I think.
LaGrande has a nice overall climate with modest snow but again might be considered too small or isolated. Grants Pass is another option that cross over the 20,000 population threshold.
Did or would you consider Moscow, Idaho or Pullman, Washington? Seem generally in line with your criteria.
The mid-Willamette valley will have the least sun of these candidates except in summer. Grants Pass probably the most sun overall. LaGrande or Walla Walla Washington still have NW seasonal cloudiness but less than the mid-Willamette valley.
Western Oregon has some free "dispersed camping sites" that were former official camping sites, now considered too small to supervise or even farm out to contractors (a fair number of them are in this middle ground though) but you they will be further out than the pay sites and they might be less prevalent than Idaho. If there is an outhouse the odds of them charging a fee is pretty good these days to service it. To beat the fees often you can find an informal camping area but people's comfort with that will vary.
Hood River looks gorgeous, but still might be a bit too much winter and Sisters is a little smaller than what we're looking for. Grants pass does look a bit isolated.
Will check out the other towns mentioned too, though I have a feeling we'd end up in Corvallis or larger due to jobs.
NW Crow - Moscow and the rest of Idaho is out and one of the big pushes (aside from the weather) for us moving out of state is the solar industry. Idaho doesn't have the incentives that Oregon and a lot of other states have and my partner really wants to focus his career in this area. It's too bad really since not many other places get as much sun as southern Idaho but that's what you get with super cheap power rates and a not-so-progressive state government. Will check out Pullman - thanks
How far do you have to drive out of the Corvallis area to be in the mountains for camping/fishing etc? I can't really tell by looking at maps. Can you garden all year? The garden zone is a 6 which means it gets cold but how cold does it really get? or stay? On the climate map it looks like the average lows in the midst of winter are just around the freezing mark. When it snows does it stick around?
Do the mountains between the Willamette Valley and the Coast get a lot of snow? How is the drive through in the winter if you wanted to scoot over the coast?
Thanks so much and keep the responses coming! Anyone know the state of teachers and the school systems in Oregon?
I'm going on a road trip with my mom next week to Montana but we might swing over to Oregon and check out a few places.
Edited to ask if there are any 55+ communities or other such places around in case my mother decides to move with us too!
How far do you have to drive out of the Corvallis area to be in the mountains for camping/fishing etc?
The three sisters mountains are about two hours away. You can fish at Foster and Detroit Reservoirs which are about 30 minutes and one hour away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by minikin
I can't really tell by looking at maps. Can you garden all year? The garden zone is a 6 which means it gets cold but how cold does it really get? or stay? On the climate map it looks like the average lows in the midst of winter are just around the freezing mark. When it snows does it stick around?
You can garden from March-November if you use a cloche and pick the appropriate seeds. If you don't then really June-October.
Snow sticks about once every three years here in the valley. We get snowflakes every year, but they tend to be the big fat flakes that melt as soon as they hit the pavement. Black ice and ice storms are our biggest winter issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by minikin
Do the mountains between the Willamette Valley and the Coast get a lot of snow? How is the drive through in the winter if you wanted to scoot over the coast?
Mudslides are a bigger problem on those roads than snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by minikin
Anyone know the state of teachers and the school systems in Oregon?
I can see how the solar credit situation would be a factor.
You can get to the unusual coastal mountain of Mary Peak (SE of Corvallis) in probably about a 1/2 hour for hiking or camping in summer. That peak itself gets lots of snow but you generally can get to the coast without snow problems on the roads though I have occasionally driven thru light snow in the coastal forest on the way to the coast various places. It depends on the elevation of the road and the particular conditions at the time.
To get into the public lands in Cascade mountains you would need to drive at least 60-100 miles.
As long as you don't need jobs, any of these should be a reasonably good fit: Corvallis, Eugene, Portland Metro area (there are "smaller cities" there, too), Ashland
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