LA Grande Oregon

[~HolyNinja~]

Originally Posted by 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.

Very well said.

I'm a late 20's black man who chooses to enjoy life instead of finding and being consumed by all the things that are irritating if not downright offensive. Do I get tired of hearing country music in most stores I patronize? Oh yes! Not to mention the country styled themes in so many of the stores and even public places. Simply: Oh well!!


I've lived here for quite a while, and although there has been a few times that I've been able to tell that I was being judged unfairly or treated less than courteously because of my appearance, the good still far outweighs the negative experiences due to my outlook, respect and tolerance. It is what I make it / let it be. Fortunately, most people appreciate a friendly and respectful "person of color" (as I heard it phrased the other day) who makes them know I looking for things that tie us together, not things that we disagree on.
I'm surley not a perfect person, but I give them a chance by being genuine. Sure that leaves one open, but how can we truly make friends if we are automatically so impersonal, critical and judgemental?

I didn’t mean to sound arrogant, please forgive me if I did; but after living here for almost 25 years I have no enemies and literally hundreds of friends, not to mention all the people that "know me" and wave...I smile and wave back...and have given up on trying to remember all their names.

I suppose that's a good problem to have.

(sorry if this, my 1st post is too long and/or just plain lame...I'm runnin on under 3 hrs sleep for the last 2 days)

[MackMichaels]

Originally Posted by teacups

We came here from Hermiston, which is 75 miles west of here, and within 3 days, the Union County Sheriff gave me a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. I had a perfectly clean driving record, but instead of any warning, he went ahead and wrote me up. My husband was in the passenger seat, and since he is a retired police officer, he didn't help my situation at all when he let them know that he thought they were being grossly unfair. But to this day, I am 100% convinced that I only received the ticket because my tag numbers indicated that I was not a local. 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.

That's odd with the complaints about the cops in La Grande because I got pulled over for parking in a no parking curb area while dropping off a friend to school--however, even though my license even had my old address which was in Willamette Valley, I only received a warning. And I have a car that is more "sporty" and certainly doesn't fit in with the pickups and SUVs that dominate the area. I also got pulled over a year after that for speeding in the city and only got a warning. You WILL probably get pulled over up on top the mountains inbetween Pendleton and La Grande because yes, state troopers watch that area. And understandably so. You get ignorant individuals (particularly out of staters) that continue their speeding from the Gorge on through the mountains just because they want to get back to wherever they came from.

Aside from that, yes, La Grande is a small town and there are several smaller towns nearby. It is VERY WINDY alot of the time. I was surprised because I figured in the mountains it would be more sheltered but it whips through here from the other valley. One inconvenience is having to be careful of the weather when you want to travel to the nearest "big cities". In the winter the weather can cause the paths out of the valley to be closed and you might be stuck on the wrong side.
Of course, you have plenty of people that have been here all their lives as well as their ancestors, so if you move here you will need to get to know people naturally to "fit in". I came from the liberal Willamette valley and there was no "discrimination" shown to me by a "specific religious group" or locals. Guess it depends on your attitude and your personality--if you move somewhere and are looking for a disagreement, you might just get it.
True, there are not many job opportunities here because most companies aren't encouraged to come as mentioned earlier. So, you mainly have limited professional jobs that people generally stay put in for years or you have mill and RV manufacturing jobs that are constantly hiring, then laying off in a cycle.
Island City which is next door to La Grande, is more open to new businesses--which is why the super-Walmart is located there.

[Rodeocowboy53]

I have lived in Union county for 48 years and the only thing good about La Grande is that Elgin is only 20 miles away. if you move there grow a beard and wear a ball cap and you well look like the rest of the people in La Grande. RS

[~HolyNinja~]

^an attempt @ sarcasim, I guess...

[susan423]

I was so excited to move to this area 8 years ago. My soon to be husband at the time grew up here and I was excited to marry him and start a new life and make new friends in a new town. After 8 years, I still have no friends and a couple years ago I stopped trying. This is the only time in my life that I don't have a best friend. I love my husband and he's the only reason I'm still here. He loves it here so I'm going to stay here and make the best of it. Which for now is just concentrating on making a nice clean home for my husband and walking my dog. Nothing else matters to me anymore.

[oldhippie]

Originally Posted by susan423

I was so excited to move to this area 8 years ago. My soon to be husband at the time grew up here and I was excited to marry him and start a new life and make new friends in a new town. After 8 years, I still have no friends and a couple years ago I stopped trying. This is the only time in my life that I don't have a best friend. I love my husband and he's the only reason I'm still here. He loves it here so I'm going to stay here and make the best of it. Which for now is just concentrating on making a nice clean home for my husband and walking my dog. Nothing else matters to me anymore.

Hi Susan - I am so sorry that you are having such a hard time making friends here in La Grande. Have you tried volunteering? I have found that there is a real need for volunteers at a lot of places. Think about what kinds of things you are (or used to be) passionate about and then see if you can find a place to put that passion to work.

As adults, it seems much harder to make friends. I have some other suggestions and if you want to sent me a "direct message" here, maybe I can help you out.

Take Care.

[Opinions]

I have lived in many large cities (LV, NY) a few small towns...I don’t look like or talk like the people in the La Grande area Yet, I have made many wonderful friends and associates here. For such a small town it is amazing how diverse and friendly it is here. I have no complaints!! I really enjoy it here and I believe IT IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT. Its hard to be rude to someone with a positive attitude and a friendly smile. Smile!!

[Suizo]

In the 1990's, I lived for seven years in La Grande, and it was a great experience. La Grande is filled with wonderful and diverse people. It was great to walk downtown on my way to Foley Station for breakfast and have friends and strangers wave or say good morning in the crisp air.

Yes, the wind blows often, but the climate made me feel more alive. In the winter I would wake up and look out at the new snow on the ground and beautiful Mt. Emily.

I belonged to a wonderful church and through the church met excellent people of all stripes. I was a regular at the Grande Ronde Athletic Club and La Grande Country Club, both nice facilities for a small town. Skiing at Anthony Lakes was a blast, and it felt like family there. I was able to afford this and a new custom home on $2500 month.

Yes, there are 'back woods' type people here, but I guess they don't matter to tolerant liberals who preach diversity all day. And don't be so judgemental; the cowboy in the wranglers might be from Hawaii, went to EOU and could buy and sell you in a polite and educated manner. The guy covered in grease could have a mechanic shop and a background in Art History. Many of the folks you have so childishly dismissed as hicks might actually be from somewhere else, very educated and came to La Grande in search of well, what you are looking for.