Albany/Corvallis flooding.. (Portland: law, land, best)

[OregonYeti]

I can't speak for others, but I haven't found it too hard to get work here in Corvallis. Oregon's a little worse than average in unemployment among the 50 states, but Corvallis is doing better than the US average. Central Oregon on the other hand (or maybe I should say more specifically Bend), has had about twice the unemployment rate as the Corvallis area, for the last few years.

Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

[OregonYeti]

One thing to know about Corvallis, and to some extent nearby towns too, is that it is very hard to find a place to rent, even if you are looking for just an "ok" place. If you're buying a house, it's a lot easier. The rental situation right now is almost impossible.

[Poison_Ivy]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

One thing to know about Corvallis, and to some extent nearby towns too, is that it is very hard to find a place to rent, even if you are looking for just an "ok" place. If you're buying a house, it's a lot easier. The rental situation right now is almost impossible.

Thank you for the heads up because I will be renting for a short while first to get a feel for whatever place I decide to end up moving to.

[OregonYeti]

Good luck on that ... you'll need it here. If you are willing to rent about 30 miles away for a while, you will have a lot more choice. I just started a new thread on the rental situation here, and maybe there will be some good info from others.

Renting a house or apartment in Corvallis is next to impossible right now

[Poison_Ivy]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

Good luck on that ... you'll need it here. If you are willing to rent about 30 miles away for a while, you will have a lot more choice. I just started a new thread on the rental situation here, and maybe there will be some good info from others.

Renting a house or apartment in Corvallis is next to impossible right now

Thank you. You've been very helpful. Tried to rep you but apparently I have to "spread it around" lol.

[OregonYeti]

Thanks. I hope you get a chance to see Corvallis. It's such a nice town.

Are there jobs in Corvallis or is it a struggle to find anything?

Depends on what you want. A dead end job at a grocery store or something? Probably not too hard, but not easy either. There is no mall and very few large stores (and many of the small ones are family businesses). A non-healthcare career? Nearly impossible. With HP's operations in town dwindling, there's not much private industry to speak of, nor are there any real prospects of reviving the private sector. OSU is trying to trim some of the office worker positions by not replacing people who leave, so probably not much hope there either, although there is still some hiring. The long, slow death of private industry combined with astronomical housing prices (seriously, it's cheaper to live in Portland) and non-stop opposition to any development that might bring jobs or affordable housing to town has actually led to the city's permanent population declining, which means fewer students in the schools, so you're not likely to get an education job either. All that said, Corvallis isn't horrible if you can afford it and can get a job, but don't move here thinking that either of those things will be easy.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Depends on what you want. A dead end job at a grocery store or something? Probably not too hard, but not easy either. There is no mall and very few large stores (and many of the small ones are family businesses). A non-healthcare career? Nearly impossible. With HP's operations in town dwindling, there's not much private industry to speak of, nor are there any real prospects of reviving the private sector. OSU is trying to trim some of the office worker positions by not replacing people who leave, so probably not much hope there either, although there is still some hiring. The long, slow death of private industry combined with astronomical housing prices (seriously, it's cheaper to live in Portland) and non-stop opposition to any development that might bring jobs or affordable housing to town has actually led to the city's permanent population declining, which means fewer students in the schools, so you're not likely to get an education job either. All that said, Corvallis isn't horrible if you can afford it and can get a job, but don't move here thinking that either of those things will be easy.

People moving to Corvallis really need to read your post, Jason. I've always thought that the reason Benton County had the lowest unemployment in the state had a lot more to do with who is in the workforce rather than exceptional job opportunities. What I mean here is that professional people that get laid off from HP or OSU are not the types to wait around Corvallis for another opportunity to crop up. Rather, they leave town.

Then there's the large population of underemployed people. Do they show up as unemployed? No, but they're just scraping by. Basically, to be employed in Corvallis you are either working for OSU or HP or the medical community (the 3 main employers) or you are in a minimum wage service job catering to these people, the students, or the growing retiree population.

[OregonYeti]

I worked many years as an HP employee and I've returned as a contract worker. The reason I found work without too much problem is because of my HP experience. That's not to brag ... after all, I was laid off from HP.

I still say Corvallis is a great place to live--and the posts from JasonF and jjpop are great perspectives for those considering moving here!

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by OregonYeti

I worked many years as an HP employee and I've returned as a contract worker. The reason I found work without too much problem is because of my HP experience. That's not to brag ... after all, I was laid off from HP.

I still say Corvallis is a great place to live--and the posts from JasonF and jjpop are great perspectives for those considering moving here!

I just re-read my post and realized I came off somewhat negative about Corvallis. I didn't mean to--I lived there for over 10 years and both my kids were born at Good Sam. I really like the town a lot and have some good friends and family there. I would seriously consider moving back at some point in the future for all the reasons that one can read on this board.

My family and I moved away for one reason and one reason alone: better job opportunities. Had I not been laid off in 2008 we would still be there.