Wanting to move back home (Eugene, Corvallis: new home, job market, buying)

[aprilg]

Hi my name is April and I am new to this site. My family and I have been in purgatory for the last 14 years! We live in Colorado Springs! We are looking forward to moving back to the Pacific NW. My husband is a professional Chef and I am in the medical field. We are hoping to continue and advance our careers in Oregon. I am really hoping to make our new home in Corvallis. I really loved it there when I was a teen and we are really looking forward to bringing up our son their. I guess my question(s) would be: how is the job market and where is the best place to find a farm house on an acre or two, w/o breaking the bank?!

[Larry Caldwell]

The job market is about the same as when you left. If you spend 40 hours a week job hunting, you will find one.

A farm house on an acre or two is kind of an oxymoron. You pretty much have to buy the whole farm. Widen your search to 40 to 80 acres and you may find a better selection. That's what happened to me. I was shopping for 5 acres, and ended up with 93. The extra acreage didn't cost much. Lots of urbanoids have a mental block and won't even consider buying acreage, so the competition slacks off.

There's no cheap land left in Western Oregon. You are going to pay through the nose for what you want.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by aprilg

Hi my name is April and I am new to this site. My family and I have been in purgatory for the last 14 years! We live in Colorado Springs! We are looking forward to moving back to the Pacific NW. My husband is a professional Chef and I am in the medical field. We are hoping to continue and advance our careers in Oregon. I am really hoping to make our new home in Corvallis. I really loved it there when I was a teen and we are really looking forward to bringing up our son their. I guess my question(s) would be: how is the job market and where is the best place to find a farm house on an acre or two, w/o breaking the bank?!

your going to miss the Colorado sunshine. 8-9 months of clouds. I think the weather has gotten worst, the summers are hotter, the winters are colder, but the clouds, well they are still there. Colorado springs has about 300 days of sunshine a year. Corvalis gets around 80 or so days a year. I think I would look towards the Veneta/Elmira area of Eugene. That way you can have your land, and be close enought to eugene to get a job. Boy I love Colorado springs (im an oregon transplant myself). I understand the desire to move back to the Pac NW though. I moved to Texas and then tried to move back. No jobs where I would want to live (Roseburg) in my field. So I moved to the closest thing that I could find, good ol colorado. Good luck and GO DUCKS (and Colorado Buffalos)

[Lillietta]

Just curious why you didn't like Colorado Springs. I've heard such good things about it. One person did tell me that the sun is so intense, though, that it gets tiring as in "300 days ...a year". I can see why people would move back from TX but wonder about Colorado Springs.

[aprilg]

colorado springs is ok if you are in the military, right-wing christian or staunch republican! It has pretty much turned into an area with no middle class! You are either poor and struggling to make a decent wage or your rich and retired! I left Washington state in the 90's making around 10.00 an hour and came here to find the same position paying about 5.25 an hr! The cost of living is about the same as Oregon but the pay is not! As for the weather, I am not a big fan of the heat and the dry. I miss my ocean and the rain!

[outasightoutamind]

Just curious about Oregon's economy? Heard that it has or is going down hill fast. Now that just maybe a rumor, but who knows. I have looked at alot of newspapers up and down the coast of Oregon and there seems to be plenty of jobs and places to live. I lived in Oregon for 30 years and then moved, just tossing around ideas. Making a choice is hard. Want the ocean but love the mountains. Eureka Ca, is one place on our minds but Oregon still has that hipnotic aura that smells like salty air.