Possible Move.. (Portland, Eugene, Salem: apartment, how much, houses)

[MsNikkiBelieves]

Hello All-

So, my husband and I are relocating next year and we always thought we'd move up to Washington. But I went to find your spot and answered the questions on the quiz and I had FIVE Oregon cities pop up. So, we've decided to look at Oregon as well. The cities that popped up were, Eugene, Corvalis, Salem, Medford and Portland. I'm just going to adapt my post from the Washington post, any insight/feedback is greatly appreciated!

My husband and I are in our mid-20's and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area. My husband works with computers and I am a current graduate student, obtaining my MA and credentials in Early Childhood Education- Special Education (there's a point to this info- really).

Hubby has the luxury of working from home right now but we need to relocate to a somewhat techy area in case he would need to ever find a new job- specifically one that may require he travel to an office. We also need to find an area in which special education jobs are available- we're paying loads for my education and it needs to be worthwhile no matter where we go.

Why do we want to leave the SF area you ask?

It's horribly expensive-we're in a small three bedroom, one bath house with three large dogs and you don't want to know how much this apartment with a lawn costs. The Bay Area, specifically, is busybusy, houses are crowded -I can see into my neighbors living room- and my commute to and from school and my internship just plain sucks.

What do we want in a new area?

Our wishes: We want to buy some land... at least 2-3 acres, but preferably 5 or more. We'd like wherever we settle to be home for the rest of our lives. We plan to have children so we want the area to be family/child friendly. We also have big dogs (three 80+ pound dogs to be exact) so we also need the area to be dog friendly, though it would not matter too much if we get our acreage.

Why do we want the acres?

Potential animal rescue sometime down the road as well as putting my parents on a far corner when my dad retires. Hence, the need, well, want for 5 or more acres- we could be on one corner and they could have the farthest from that! They also have animals and I'm sure always will.

What we'd like in an area:

* Somewhat close to city-life is okay, but we're homebodies, we don't do the party thing and don't do the need to be surrounded-by-thousands-of-people thing. A commute is fine for me to get to a job, but I'd prefer something not over 45 minutes to an hour.

* Weather- we hate HOT weather. We're both from the Central Valley in California and we wish to stay away from 110+ degree summers. Cold is good, we can handle snow, we like rain, but sunshine and springlike weather is good as well.

We're looking to relocate next year- probably summertime as I graduate in May. Starting in March, I am going to be taking some trips to get a feel for the areas, but I would love firsthand feedback.

TIA!

[Imperial1904]

Oregon really isn't "techy". I'd say the only techy area in the Pacific Northwest is Seattle and I'm sure you can find land outside the city.

The only area I know in Oregon that doesn't get hot during Summer is the coastal area.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Imperial1904

Oregon really isn't "techy". I'd say the only techy area in the Pacific Northwest is Seattle and I'm sure you can find land outside the city.

The only area I know in Oregon that doesn't get hot during Summer is the coastal area.

I agree with you. Also, the "possible" area (in and around Portland), don't meet the OP's other needs/wishes.

[DavePautsch]

You may want to check out the areas surrounding Corvallis. The mid-Willamette Valley has quite a bit of what you are looking for:
(1) temperate weather; yes there might be a week or so during the summer that are pretty hot/humid but overall, its awfully nice here
(2) Tech-oriented jobs are available. There are lots of small businesses that feed into the bigger names and I know of a number of people who are in high tech positions
(3) Acreage is available, the closer to Corvallis the more expensive, but in surrounding areas like Lebanon, Scio, Jefferson, Peoria, Halsey, it is more affordable and a reasonable commute
(4) Scio, Albany, and Corvallis schools all have pretty solid reputations

My family and I relocated to Albany 6 1/2 years ago and found it to be a very family oriented, friendly community. I worked at OSU for 4 years and loved Corvallis (just more affordable here in Albany for us personally).

Check it out, I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have.

Dave

[MsNikkiBelieves]

Thank you all for your responses.

Dave, I'll do some searching for tech jobs and see what there is. If it looks like a possibility, I may take you up on the offer for answers to more questions!