Please help! My family needs a town to move to, in Oregon!!! (Portland: housing)

[cal2783]

I currently live in Oak Harbor, Wa, with my husband and my 5mth old. My husband will be getting out of the navy in about a 1yr 1/2. We were looking to move to N. California (I'm from So. Cal) or Southern Oregon (he is from hoodriver, Or) I'm suppose we would be viewed as liberals (though I'd rather not be labled)and are looking for an open-minded town. I'm looking for a nice place to start off at, that has a small town feel and good job market. I would eventully like to move to Ashland, but I know we will have to work up to the housing prices down there. I don't want to be way out in the boonies, but I would like something that is somewhat surround by land. We will also be looking to purchace our first house, so affordable housing would be great! I love Oak Harbor, because it offers a lot of living arrangment that I would like, but it rains way too much and the job market is horrible!

[cal2783]

I would also like to add that we are a multi-racial family. So I would Like to raise my baby in a somewhat diverse and tolerant town.

[Larry Caldwell]

Why don't you just move to Bellingham? It's a short drive. The time I have spent in Bellingham, I really liked the town.

Oregon won't get you away from much of the rain. Your best bet for affordable housing will be in the decaying logging towns away from main highways, like Scio, Sweet Home or Tiller. You will have a long and difficult commute to work, which is why things are cheaper there.

[bobmulk]

I would suggest Eugene or Corvallis. I disagree on the rain. It rains quite a bit here in the Valley, yes, but nothing like area you're in.

[jmhunter]

Ok I want to get something clear... it rains too much in oak harbor? Dude, my understanding of Oak Harbor is that it sits smack dab in the olympic rain shadow. I just looked up their average rainfall and it is MUCH lower than here in central coast California.

You're not going to find anywhere north of San Francisco that gets as little rain as oak harbor, WA.

[cal2783]

Originally Posted by jmhunter

Ok I want to get something clear... it rains too much in oak harbor? Dude, my understanding of Oak Harbor is that it sits smack dab in the olympic rain shadow. I just looked up their average rainfall and it is MUCH lower than here in central coast California.

You're not going to find anywhere north of San Francisco that gets as little rain as oak harbor, WA.

That rain cap you speak of is a joke. We have a bout a 1 to 1 1/2 month window of summer. Then slowly it starts to rain every 3 to 4 days. by the time fall hits, it is the rainy season for the rest of the months. It's very rare when it does not rain (the sun is not around constantly until mid June - July). Maybe Oak harbor use to recieve less rain than some of our surrounding cities/towns but, not anymore.

[Silverfall]

First of all you need to know that while Oregon has a reputation for being progressive, much of Oregon is very conservative politically. The most "tolerant" cities just based on political voting would be the Portland Metro area, Salem-Keizer area, and Eugene. None of these are especially affordable, but Salem-Keizer is your best bet for that.

I would probably consider Salem proper and there are several areas that have affordable housing. If you want to be surrounded by countryside, I would consider East and North Salem. Sublimity is wonderful, but not affordable. In Portland I would consider Forest Grove, or Banks, but again not the most affordable. Hope this helps!

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by jmhunter

Ok I want to get something clear... it rains too much in oak harbor? Dude, my understanding of Oak Harbor is that it sits smack dab in the olympic rain shadow. I just looked up their average rainfall and it is MUCH lower than here in central coast California.

You're not going to find anywhere north of San Francisco that gets as little rain as oak harbor, WA.

No, Oak Harbor is just west of Bellingham, near the Canadian border. Maybe you are thinking of Sequim, which is in the Olympic Peninsula banana belt.

Oak Harbor is about as wet as Astoria. Southern Oregon would be considerably dryer.

[jmhunter]

Why don't you guys look at the statistics on here, on city-data, just to verify it... I did...

I know where Oak harbor is.... It isn't west of bellingham.. i think you mean South Southwest...

[TheShoeboxDiaries541]

Your best bet would be to stay out of Oregon. Medford has a gang problem and a drug problem. Portland metro has a polution problem and a drug problem. Salem is crowded and dirty. Eugene is a college town, so crime in every form can be a problem. and Ashland is super expensive. Oh, and the state of oregon has legal video poker and slots in almost every eatery and bar, so gambling is a major problem here. Gambling, of course, leads to increased poverty and crime. and don't even get me started on all the sex shops. The only benefit of living in this state is the no sales tax, but we more than make up for it in other taxes. I'd say stay in WA (i lived their and loved it) or look at northern california (i'm staying with relatives in redding right now and have always prefered it to my hometown of medford)...