LA Grande Oregon

[dachmom]

After about 4 calls all over town, trying to find out how to get this ticket off my record, and AFTER I informed the court clerk that I had just bought a house and moved here THEN they told me that I could pay $25 and sit through a lecture about the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt and it would be expunged. So, the previous poster is COMPLETELY correct, it is a trap.

Umm... Did you ever think that the reason she told you that after you told her you lived in La Grande was because they probably assume if you don't live there you would not be able to, or want to come back to La Grande to attend the class?! How is it a "trap" when you admit you weren't wearing your seatbelt? If you don't want to get a ticket, wear your seatbelt, seems like a no brainer to me.

Sounds to me like you would like Portland better.

[Terryj]

Teacups, what I have found is, a community is a you make it, if you view La Grande as being a "backwoods community" then that is what you'll get. Try to embrace your community instead of isolating it. As far a you ticket goes, wear your seat belt, it's the law in Oregon. Your husband being a retired police officer should have informed you of this, there is no trap there, take responsibility for your actions instead of blaming the city that issued you the ticket.
There are allot of wonderful people that live in La Grande, but don't expect them to all come to your door step as a welcoming committee, make the effort to know your community, get involved. La Grande is a close knit community, if you desire to become part of the community, make the effort.

[teacups]

ok, so I shouldn't bother to mention how people walk through my yard, throw beer bottles in the shrubs, drive with earth-shaking car stereos at all hours because there is no noise ordinance. And the train tracks right through town--there really isn't much housing that's not near a train track-horns blaring all hours. I won't bother to tell you about the mail carrier leaving my parcels all over town to the point that I had to get a P.O. Box...in my 40 years, it's the absolute worst postal service I've ever encountered. And I've lived a lot of places. How about the Sheriff that's been re-elected for an eternity, but his house is way out of town in the county so HE isn't bothered by any noise. Or about finding used syringes in my yard, or about being awakened by drunks walking past the house at closing time--while pushing a shopping cart and singing loudly. About the drunk college kid peeing in my shrubery. The lady 2 blocks over who digs plants out of people's yards if she wants the plant. About the neighbor who's car was hit by a youthful DUI in the middle of the night, but since he was the son of a prominent citizen, nothing was ever mentioned in the papers about it, and the neighbor got no compensation even though he ran after and caught the kid--in the middle of the night. If you like La Grande, then you must have been here several generations. But, if you're like me, raised where we DON'T walk our dog THROUGH other people's front yards then you definitly would want to live elsewhere. People I meet here pause, and look baffled a minute, then realize I'm not in their ward and then give the cold shoulder. No way I'd ever want to be one of them. If you defend La Grande, then you must have the luxury of being in the ward. This is the only town I've ever heard of, where the Salvation Army closed up shop and left! If you hold the door for someone here in town, they just walk through and never say a word--they are AMAZINGLY rude. Easily much ruder than Californians. And the biggest hypocracy is that they all congratulate themselves on not being like the people on the west sidse of the state--big city folk. But they're actually ruder than city folk. At Christmas a few years back, my husband and I went to the Christmas Eve service at First Christian Church. Not ONE SINGLE PERSON said one single word to use the entire time we were there, even when we lingered in the foyer afterward. That is, bar-none, THE single coldest "christian" church I've EVER attended. I tried 3 or 4 of them here then gave up. At the Union County Fair last year there was a certain performer that we made a point of going out to see. One of the lovely local citizens, who happens to be a school bus driver, parked herself in the audience and talked so loudly and continuously that we, (and the people around her who weren't her friends) all had to get up and find other seats, just to hear the performer. (yes, we were there first). Now that is just a small example of the crude, blue collar type manners the local population has. They just have the crassest manners of any place I've ever lived, and as a Forest Service brat, I've lived all over the west. This is the unfriendliest place outside of Utah I've ever lived. BTW, I entered a knitted item at the fair, and won a blue ribbon. I do participate. But since I'm not a cousin, and I'm not married to anybody's cousin, I will never be "one of" these people, and I do believe I was raised with better manners than these people. I STILL DO hold doors for people even though you'd think by now I'd give up even trying to be polite. I'm not going to give in to their lazy crude boorish ways. And I will probably never cease to be underwhelmed by the locals.

[teacups]

I might add, I'm a west coast Washington State native.

[dachmom]

People I meet here pause, and look baffled a minute, then realize I'm not in their ward and then give the cold shoulder. No way I'd ever want to be one of them. If you defend La Grande, then you must have the luxury of being in the ward.

I know which church you are referring to and no, I am not a member of that church. Sounds to me like you are stereotyping people. If you don't like La Grande so much, move to a place you DO like!

Now that is just a small example of the crude, blue collar type manners the local population has.

Yet another stereotype, if you are "blue collar" you must be crude, rude and uneducated? I consider myself "blue collar" and I am polite, respectful, and have a college degree!!

I am "defending" La Grande because I had a positive experience when I lived there, you obviously do not. You obviously have issues with a certain religion and "blue collar" people. Maybe you should move somewhere less "blue collar" like Portland or Seattle.

[rickers]

A west coast Wa. state native ! That's almost as bad as being from California ! No wonder nobody there likes you ! Just joking, but really why don't you move to a place where you will be happier ? Life is way to short to waste it away living in a place you don't enjoy.

[teacups]

"Yet another stereotype, if you are "blue collar" you must be crude, rude and uneducated? I consider myself "blue collar" and I am polite, respectful, and have a college degree!! "



well, you can "consider" yourself whatever you wish, but your qualifications of "polite, respectful and educated" have just exempted you from the aforementioned criteria.

also, if your experience with La Grande was obtained by attending EOU, then you never were a local, and your time here was not counted as a person who actually lives here. The college is it's own universe and the students are temporary and treated as such.

You were not born and raised here, nor do you live here now. correct?

The original question was "is the local population in La Grande/wallowa valley "backwoods"" and my answer was an unequivocal "YES", followed by examples from my personal ongoing experience.

Anyone who told me that I should have worn my seatbelt is missing the point. I should have worn my seatbelt. The cop didn't stop me for no reason whatsoever. The point I was making is the manner in which the ticket was resolved.

I WOULD live on the coast, but the cost has driven many natives to flee the expensive and rapidly expanding coastal areas. Cost of living is insane, and so is the traffic. I lived in Clark county WA back when it was rural. Hayfields, barns... alas, that is gone now. While there, I was a local. Now I live HERE where I am NOT. I may have been "backwood" then, but by definition I would be the last to know, wouldn't I?

[Alexious]

La Grande is a tough place to live. It's a hell of a long drive from anywhere. The housing is quite expensive because of the small supply. Just not a lot going on out there.

Which is kind of the point. It reminded me of how Klamath Falls used to be (and how some Klamath residents still wish it was).