hood river oregon (Portland: houses, living, prices)

[skipp]

thinking of retiring there, would like to hear from someone on cost of living, home prices, etc......also a gay man, many gays there?

[dachmom]

Housing prices in Hood River are high (for that area) they start at $150,000 and go up from there. Not sure about cost of living though. I don't think there are very many gays there, it is still a conservative town, in fact the farther east in Oregon you go the people tend to be more conservative. I think the citizens would accept you, but they would not want to see any PDAs(Public Displays of Affection). It started out as a farming town over 100 years ago and has been seeing an influx of windsurfers(local term is boardheads) since the 80's/90's who tend to be more open and liberal. I would suggest vacationing there first before moving. It is a beautiful town(though most of it is on a hill) and if you go south(hwy. 35) toward Mt. Hood you go past a lot of orchards and some of the older farms that are still around, it's a beautiful area.

[fojo]

Hood River is a great little town in my mind. The summer has a good quantity of tourists, visiting kite/wind surfers and river rafters from the area. I'm a recent visitor to the town, though (I have relatives living there) so can't comment on tensions/issues that may exist.

I've also noticed that there are quite a few young families living there and the town is very conducive to a family atmosphere. Negatives include few "career" jobs and a rising cost of houses. I would judge 150k to be a bit low. I'd price housing starting at 230k and many houses in the 300k range.

[LISA IN LONGVIEW]

Skipp my folks were raised in Hood River as i was Born in The Dalles, I can tell you this just from listening to my folks that the old town folk are not taking to well to the wind surfers moving into their sleepy little town. Dachmom is right, not sure about the gay part of it, If i remember right there are a couple there, I guarantee that it would be a topic for the town folk to gossip about, just like the wind surfers are talked about, I do know this, they have had to ration their water supply in the summer, due to too many people moving into the area and the treatment plants not being able to keep up as well. My folks bought their house for under 100k 18 years ago and now can get over 200k + for it, They are up on the Heights as they call it, close neighbors all around, they have a Walmart there. Safeway and some local stores, but i know they do a lot of shopping in The Dalles or they go to Portland. The Wind Blows 90% of the time. They get snow in the winter, sometimes close to 3 ft, very difficult to travel East or West due to the condition in the gorge, They are friendly folk as long as you are not a boardhead. Lots of recreation right out your front door, about 45 minutes to go skiing or 10 mins to go fishing on the columbia, hunting is right there. They do get their share of cloudy days. I am not a fan of it, do to all the wind and such. but it is a nice little town. Good luck in your search, as i am doing the same.