What is the downside to living in Oregon? (Portland, Salem: to buy, tax)

[PNW-type-gal]

Santa Cruz is a pleasant coastal town just 25 miles outside the Silicon Valley, so there is a huge population base nearby. The comparable California town would be something like Chico, I think.

At any rate, you get the general idea. Outside the Portland metro area (and not really even IN the metro area), we just don't have enough people clustered together to get that 24/7 lifestyle going.

[YellowHorse]

Originally Posted by racheal 415

everyone looks so earthy, went into town a couple of times and I saw all the pretty stores but when you look around, I don't see anyone dressed up or even casual it was all jeans and hiking looking boots,

Ha ha! I still dress like that and I've been in Cali now for 17 years . As are a lot of Oregonians, I'm not into all the "peacockery" dress-up (or housing, vehicles, etc.) , and I like judging one on one's character, not their wardrobe (or things).

I can't really ad to the downsides of Oregon that hasn't already been mentioned, any "drawback" outside of the economy, legal and political system is all relative. To me, Oregon is a slice of heaven on earth, the weather is perfect, the scenery is awesome and the outdoor activities are endless for an outdoorsy gal like me, and wish like heck I could move back home. I never thought I would leave my beloved PNW, but life happens .

[kenshel]

Originally Posted by Random_Walk

In answer to the OP? Two things:

* Bicyclists who think they own the f*cking road in downtown PDX (and this is a guy who rode one to work for a loooooooong time). Here's a clue if you are one: never get your 175lb body + bike in an argument with a moving 4800lb vehicle. You will lose, and it will hurt a lot. Winning in court later is a small consolation if you can't ever walk again.

* Tourists driving on Hwy 26, Hwy 6, or Hwy 101. Why? Because they're either scared sh*tless of the admittedly curve-heavy road (thus moving at 25-35 mph in a 55 zone), they're taking in all the scenery (thus moving at 25-35 mph in a 55 zone), trying to shove a 45' long (and poorly load-balanced or underpowered) behemoth RV along (thus moving 25-35mph in a 55 zone), or they're lost and desperately trying to find out where they should be going (thus moving 25-35 mph in a 55 zone). Of course, there are the occasional jackasses w/ Washington plates out to prove that their little econobox sportscar (with the obligatory large-diameter pipes for exhaust) can handle curves (thus moving ~95 mph in a 55 zone, only to be seen upside-down 10 miles later... if he's lucky.)

...everyone else I'm totally cool with

Sorry to say we are one of those tourist that drive slow on the beautiful yet scary twisty, turny roads! We are planning on moving to Oregon, northern coast, in a couple of years and the roads are one thing I keep wondering if I will get used to or not! We currently live in boring straight as an arrow roads Nebraska!

[Larry Caldwell]

Just be considerate of those who need to get somewhere on a schedule and use the turnouts. Particularly, don't slow a heavy truck down to 35 mph at the bottom of a hill, because he won't be able to get back up to highway speed until he crests the hill, turning him into a second obstruction. Don't drive in the left hand land unless you are going at least 5 mph faster than the car on your right.

Obstructing traffic is illegal in Oregon. If one of those cars behind you is a cop, he'll pull you over and give you a ticket for not pulling over and letting traffic by.

[adebord]

I am not from Oregon (from KS) but I visited long term this spring and a few things I noticed:

1. Speed limits are god awful slow, what is 75mph in KS is 55 in Oregon. I5 is 65 but that's the only one i saw. When it rains (if you can call it that) people drive 10-15mph slower than the already slow speed limit.

3. Oregon's description of rain is more like drizzle. I also never saw a thunderstorm which was really surprising.

2. People live life at a slow pace and lack what I would consider ambition. In KS/OK/TX I feel like people have a huge "can-do" type attitude, 'what-is-impossible-is-possible-with-enough-effort' and 'lets-make-this-happen' mentality. Oregonians seem content with the status-quo and it just feels somewhat "dead-end" ish.

3. Coffee is good

4. I was downright flabbergasted by the employment situation, the tax situation and state government is so left leaning (high minimum wage, high property taxes, no sales tax) that the barrier to entry for new business is unbearable by most. The state legislature needs to take an economics class and reform the tax code. For example Manhattan KS is roughly equivalent to Corvallis yet their are 3x as many businesses in MHK, you can get a job in a matter of hours or days in MHK as opposed to weeks or months in Corvallis! Unbelievable!

5. Law enforcement was inconsistent. Newport seemed to have Police coverage out the ***** yet the police seemed nonexistent in Corvallis (and some extent Eugene).

6. The scenery is beautiful, but the woods have some serious rednecks.

7. Temperature is extremely consistent. In KS there can be frost on the grass in the morning and 90degrees by noon. Only sways 10-15 degrees max in Oregon.

8. For having such a high gas tax the roads are crap. I understand KS has some of the best in the nation but it's like going from the Autobahn to a Nicaraguan highway.

9. People seemed friendly, nobody really seemed in a hurry or rude. I kinda attribute that to the laidbackness

10. Food is expensive.

- I can't really list this as a complaint but it seemed as if the upper class in Oregon is very small, no oil money, or major companies call it home besides Nike. People refer to Phil Knight as god, which is kinda annoying considering he is far less wealthy than most other state's 'elite'.

[knurly]

Originally Posted by adebord

6. The scenery is beautiful, but the woods have some serious rednecks.

Lots of gun play out there.

Moving along,.. I had to give up a plum job around Bend after finding out I was allergic to something around there. The coast was nice. Now I'm in small town eastern Oregon. They brag about how bicycle-friendly it is around here, the only cars hassling me had out of state plates. Still, the bike has never been much fun. Heck, walking isn't any joy neither with all the egos and giant F250 locomotive pickup trucks thundering around.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by adebord

I am not from Oregon (from KS) but I visited long term this spring and a few things I noticed:

1. Speed limits are god awful slow, what is 75mph in KS is 55 in Oregon. I5 is 65 but that's the only one i saw. When it rains (if you can call it that) people drive 10-15mph slower than the already slow speed limit.

Speed limits are only of interest to the innumerate. Take a typical commuter trip of 20 miles. At 65 mph you finish the trip in 30 minutes. At 75 mph you finish the trip in 27 minutes. You gain a whopping 3 minutes, at the expense of much reduced highway safety. Plus, if you have ever timed yourself, you know that averaging the speed limit is nearly impossible without insane speeding.

Originally Posted by adebord

3. Oregon's description of rain is more like drizzle. I also never saw a thunderstorm which was really surprising.

Straight out of Lewis and Clark's observations. There is no gulf moisture here, so our 40" a year arrives in tenth of an inch increments. The upside of no gulf moisture is low humidity in the summer.

Originally Posted by adebord

2. People live life at a slow pace and lack what I would consider ambition. In KS/OK/TX I feel like people have a huge "can-do" type attitude, 'what-is-impossible-is-possible-with-enough-effort' and 'lets-make-this-happen' mentality. Oregonians seem content with the status-quo and it just feels somewhat "dead-end" ish.

Your wheeler dealers leave it to the next generation to clean up their messes. They just take the money and run. It's great if you pocket the big payday, not so great if you have to live with the aftermath.

Originally Posted by adebord

4. I was downright flabbergasted by the employment situation, the tax situation and state government is so left leaning (high minimum wage, high property taxes, no sales tax) that the barrier to entry for new business is unbearable by most. The state legislature needs to take an economics class and reform the tax code. For example Manhattan KS is roughly equivalent to Corvallis yet their are 3x as many businesses in MHK, you can get a job in a matter of hours or days in MHK as opposed to weeks or months in Corvallis! Unbelievable!

Oregon minimum wage is still not enough to live on, though if you share expenses with someone else also making minimum wage you can get by. I have no idea how low skills people manage in other states. The State of Oregon does not levy a property tax, they are all local and vary by jurisdiction. I don't see how a sales tax makes a difference unless people in Kansas collect the tax and skim it without reporting it. No sales tax is a very conservative political issue. Liberals keep pushing for one, and the voters keep saying no.

And yes, Corvallis is very anti-growth. Their choice.

Originally Posted by adebord

5. Law enforcement was inconsistent. Newport seemed to have Police coverage out the ***** yet the police seemed nonexistent in Corvallis (and some extent Eugene).

Out of curiosity, what do you need police coverage for? To keep all those "can do" criminals in line?

Originally Posted by adebord

The scenery is beautiful, but the woods have some serious rednecks.

Yep, and us rednecks love to yank the chain on furriners who obviously don't belong. You get these buttheads with no interpersonal skills and no sense of humor who think they know better than the locals how things should be done, so Mutt and Jeff decide to do a little comedy routine at their expense. The rest of us try to hide our howls of laughter.

Originally Posted by adebord

7. Temperature is extremely consistent. In KS there can be frost on the grass in the morning and 90degrees by noon. Only sways 10-15 degrees max in Oregon.

You are exaggerating a little. Kansas temps range from 85 degrees at midnight to 110 degrees at noon.

Originally Posted by adebord

8. For having such a high gas tax the roads are crap. I understand KS has some of the best in the nation but it's like going from the Autobahn to a Nicaraguan highway.

Oregon doesn't have a high gas tax. The rate recently increased 6 cents a gallon, but revenues are still at 1996 levels due to reduced consumption. If you add in vehicle registration fees, Oregon has the lowest vehicle taxes of all the western states. Before long the state will probably go to a tax on miles driven to accommodate ultra efficient vehicles. As you note, current revenues are not keeping up with highway repair needs.

Originally Posted by adebord

- I can't really list this as a complaint but it seemed as if the upper class in Oregon is very small, no oil money, or major companies call it home besides Nike. People refer to Phil Knight as god, which is kinda annoying considering he is far less wealthy than most other state's 'elite'.

Phil Knight is nouveau riche. He has a successful business and a pretty good income, but he is not what Oregonians think of as rich. Wealthy Oregonians keep a very low profile. I have had 5 AM fishing breakfasts with guys who could write a check to buy a big hunk of Manhattan, but they were wearing overalls and faded denim jackets just like everybody else. The quickest way to be frozen out of society in Oregon is to act like your personal values start with a dollar sign, no matter how much or little money you have.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

Speed limits are only of interest to the innumerate. Take a typical commuter trip of 20 miles. At 65 mph you finish the trip in 30 minutes. At 75 mph you finish the trip in 27 minutes. You gain a whopping 3 minutes,...............

......however, if you do the commute twice a day, 250 days a year, you gain a significant 25 hours.

Give me the higher speed limits.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by karlsch

......however, if you do the commute twice a day, 250 days a year, you gain a significant 25 hours.

Give me the higher speed limits.

But add a bit of rain, ice or moss and most Oregon roads can't sustain 75mph.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by karlsch

......however, if you do the commute twice a day, 250 days a year, you gain a significant 25 hours.

Give me the higher speed limits.

A whopping 2/1000 of your day. Speed freaking just ruins your attitude over nothing. Get an audio book.