Cottage Grove- what's it like? (Eugene, Medford: for sale, work, houses)

[sandybeaches]

Hi all-

We have family (hubby was born there) in Medford, but I'd sorta like a little elbow room from the inlaws and we really like Eugene. HOWEVER we do like being a bit "out" as we have animals. Our realtor didnt have too much info/feelings on Cottage Grove and our drive there was ended short (cranky kids) so we didnt get to really check it out. Does anyone have a feeling for Cottage Grove? We are not looking for anything other than the rest of the world is looking for... shhh! I wont tell a soul! Small town USA but close to things like college so our kids dont move too far away when they grow up and shopping, museums, and such. (We like Creswell but didnt see much available that fits our needs, where Cottage Grove has a lot. Is there a reason there is so much for sale there?? )

Thank you all!
(Please save me from The Medford-inlaws!)

[freedom]

Originally Posted by sandybeaches

Hi all-

We have family (hubby was born there) in Medford, but I'd sorta like a little elbow room from the inlaws and we really like Eugene. HOWEVER we do like being a bit "out" as we have animals. Our realtor didnt have too much info/feelings on Cottage Grove and our drive there was ended short (cranky kids) so we didnt get to really check it out. Does anyone have a feeling for Cottage Grove? We are not looking for anything other than the rest of the world is looking for... shhh! I wont tell a soul! Small town USA but close to things like college so our kids dont move too far away when they grow up and shopping, museums, and such. (We like Creswell but didnt see much available that fits our needs, where Cottage Grove has a lot. Is there a reason there is so much for sale there?? )

Thank you all!
(Please save me from The Medford-inlaws!)

Cottage grove is a neat little town, 9k pop. Just enough services, and close to adventure. I bought a new truck from Kendall Dodge Cottage Grove, it was the best buying experience I have ever had. Really nice people.

[orygun]

We lived in Cottage Grove on two occasions. One time in town and more recently out of town. It's a nice little town. We liked it. Close enough to Eugene for shopping but far enough out to avoid some of the riff raff and pollution. I think people there are selling their homes to capture the profit. I have a friend who did just that in Eugene. From what you said it sounds like it would be a good fit for you. At least when we were last there in 2006.

[bustedbus]

I moved to Cottage Grove a few years ago from the Eugene/Springfield area and love it. I can honestly say that I like it better than any place I've ever lived. Very laid back for the most part, with very friendly people. Nice historic down town with people who care enough about having a down town to keep it going. Store fronts do go empty, but they don't seem to stay that way too long. We do have a couple of larger department stores as well. I live just 5 miles from down town, but just a half hour from some fantastic outdoor recreation. Hike, bike, fish, swim, ride horses, boat, 4x4, anything you want to do in the woods is close at hand here.

I live outside of town, so I can't comment on city services. I do know they are preparing for a water treatment facility upgrade, as it is required for the expanding population. If you do move to an in town location and are noise sensitive, make sure to stay on the oposite side of town from the race track, or at least hear a race from the house before you buy, it's louder than you would think. Some people complain loudly about it, but it's been here longer than most of those people, and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

I think orygun hit the nail on the head with the reason for people selling, but I think it's premature to sell out here for money alone. Prices have gone up dramaticly in the area since Creswell hit, and a lot of people who bought down here 10 years ago a raking it in. On the flip side it's still cheaper than Creswell, and in my opinion it's a nicer place to live to boot. We have a much nicer down town, and far superior shopping in town, only 8 miles further from the services and excitement of Eugene at lesser price.

We were named "All American City" in 1968 and 2004. How's that for apple pie?

[Thai]

Referring to Cottage Grove: How is the air quality, since it's not too far from Eugene, and I-5, of course? Any manufacturing facilities that emit smoke or other fumes, dust, etc.? It sounds like a neat little place. Your description paints a nice picture :-). Is it cars they race, and what kinds and how often? Does it bring thousands of people to town? How are the schools as far as you've heard if you don't have kids? Are there a selection of houses under $300,000 in decent condition?

[sandybeaches]

Originally Posted by bustedbus

I moved to Cottage Grove a few years ago from the Eugene/Springfield area and love it. I can honestly say that I like it better than any place I've ever lived. Very laid back for the most part, with very friendly people. Nice historic down town with people who care enough about having a down town to keep it going. Store fronts do go empty, but they don't seem to stay that way too long. We do have a couple of larger department stores as well. I live just 5 miles from down town, but just a half hour from some fantastic outdoor recreation. Hike, bike, fish, swim, ride horses, boat, 4x4, anything you want to do in the woods is close at hand here.

I live outside of town, so I can't comment on city services. I do know they are preparing for a water treatment facility upgrade, as it is required for the expanding population. If you do move to an in town location and are noise sensitive, make sure to stay on the oposite side of town from the race track, or at least hear a race from the house before you buy, it's louder than you would think. Some people complain loudly about it, but it's been here longer than most of those people, and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

I think orygun hit the nail on the head with the reason for people selling, but I think it's premature to sell out here for money alone. Prices have gone up dramaticly in the area since Creswell hit, and a lot of people who bought down here 10 years ago a raking it in. On the flip side it's still cheaper than Creswell, and in my opinion it's a nicer place to live to boot. We have a much nicer down town, and far superior shopping in town, only 8 miles further from the services and excitement of Eugene at lesser price.

We were named "All American City" in 1968 and 2004. How's that for apple pie?

Are you still reading this thread?

We read that Wal-Mart was trying to come to Cottage Grove. Do you have any insiders info on what this is all about? I'm concerned about development and growth. We are in Idaho and its crazy what's happening.

Thanks for any info you may share. Really, ANYTHING would be helpful.

[Acuda]

South Lane ISD Superintendent, Krista Parent, was named Superintendent of the Year (for all the U.S.) this year (pretty impressive)...and she's a Duck. I hear good things about many of the schools there.

[bustedbus]

Sorry for the delay in response to the posted questions, I either missed or didn't recieve my usual e mail notification that there had been a response in the thread. There is some small industry in town, the air always seems good to me, but I live outside town, so may not be the best to ask about in town air quality during the work week. I have never noticed an air quality problem since I've lived here.

It is a small local race track, I don't ever go, but it's not a huge thing. No droves of nascar fans clogging the streets or anything. It is cars they race, and it's pretty regular in the summer. I'm sure you could find their schedual on line, it's the Cottage Grove Raceway.

No kids, so limited knowledge there.
I have heard that Latham(waiting list anually), Delight Valley, and London schools are better than average. And that Bohemia and Harrison are very much up to par. The high school is new, and it looks like they were planning for growth when they built it.


RMLS™ - Home is a great search engine for MLS listed homes in Oregon, you should have a decent selection of homes available for $300k in Cottage Grove, for now anyway.

Originally Posted by Thai

Referring to Cottage Grove: How is the air quality, since it's not too far from Eugene, and I-5, of course? Any manufacturing facilities that emit smoke or other fumes, dust, etc.? It sounds like a neat little place. Your description paints a nice picture :-). Is it cars they race, and what kinds and how often? Does it bring thousands of people to town? How are the schools as far as you've heard if you don't have kids? Are there a selection of houses under $300,000 in decent condition?

[bustedbus]

Originally Posted by sandybeaches

Are you still reading this thread?

We read that Wal-Mart was trying to come to Cottage Grove. Do you have any insiders info on what this is all about? I'm concerned about development and growth. We are in Idaho and its crazy what's happening.

Thanks for any info you may share. Really, ANYTHING would be helpful.

We actually already have a wal-mart. They are trying to supersize it and they have failed so far but not given up. One of the things I love about Cottage Grove is that people care enough to shop down town and keep it alive, even with a wal-mart across town. I wouldn't expect much change in cottage grove due to the expansion of wal-mart. My understanding is that the bulk of their expansion would be in groceries, so I don't see their expansion hurting any stores other than Rays or Safeway, and they're big enough to take it.

It's a sad fact I have come to accept that many a nice small town with decent shopping and reasonable(relative) pricing is going to grow, but for now Cottage Grove has managed to hang on to its small town feel and charm. I look at it as best case, I've got a sleepy home town to call home from now on, or worst case scenario, it was a great place to invest.

I'd be happy to answer any questions I can about Cottage Grove, but I'm not sure what else to write besides what we have here.

[TribalCat]

Just out of curiosity, is Cottage Grove on dial-up or cable? It might seem like a silly question, but I'm wondering how far out from the main cities does digital cable exist?

I'm not putting down rural areas, I'd much prefer to live away from cities, I'm just wondering what I'll be facing