Where o'where in Oregon? (Portland, Eugene: housing, rent, salary)

[albinoazian]

I am 28 and have been living in Orange County since I came down here from Northern California for college. I have been looking to leave for about the same amount of time. I love the weather here (hard not to) and the variety of people and food, but that is about it. Northern California is much better, but the state government/taxes/etc. are not looking good going forward. I have a business degree, but now I am a teacher (business/computers).

What I am looking for is an area that needs teachers, has good schools, outdoor activities, and a variety of food. Sometimes when I get outside of California I find it hard to find ethnic restaurants. I don't like traditional american food all of the time. I prefer vietnamese, chinese, japanese, thai, traditional mexican, etc. Plus, healthy stuff. I did notice that Eugene has a Trader Joe's which is a plus.

Portland is too crowded, I don't want a big city. Plus, some place where my vietnamese girlfriend (if I can convince her to relocate) will feel comfortable. Is there any place with Asians? On my list to check are Corvallis, Eugene, and Bend. Also, Boulder, CO is #1 on my places to check and plan to fly out at CHristmas, but it is landlocked.

Plus, I only drive Volvos ( I have two), so that is a plus for Oregon.

[freedom]

You may wan't to just hit every town off the I-5 from the border to Eugene and get a taste of each town. If anything you would know what you don't want. Ashland, Grants Pass, Roseburg, Eugene all have pretty good Asian food, nothing like home cooked though.
As to teaching positions thats a challenge, it seems administration makes the big bucks up here, maybe a private school or college would pay better if pay is what you are looking for.
Good wishes on escaping Orange County, I grew up there (20yrs). Oregon was one of the best dicisions I ever made, the other was marrying my wife.

[albinoazian]

Originally Posted by freedom

As to teaching positions thats a challenge, it seems administration makes the big bucks up here, maybe a private school or college would pay better if pay is what you are looking for.

Hahaha, if I was concerned about big bucks I would have stayed in Business. It is more about the availability of jobs. The only concern is getting paid enough to own a house. Not a huge Bill Gates house. Just a house with a yard to raise a family in. You know 3/4 bedrooms. Hopefully teaching in Oregon allows for that.

[Steve97415]

Sounds like your criteria effectively eliminate almost every municipality other than Eugene.

[Woodc]

Honestly, if you want to live where there are diverse neighborhoods, you'll have to live in Portland metro. Even college-town Eugene lacks much diversity. Oregon's largest population of Asian immigrants tend to be concentrated in the city of Beaverton or the east-side of Portland. If your wife is used to California lifestyle, you'll definitely want to focus on Beaveton as it is newer and the neighborhoods are more similar to California cities; plus the Beaverton school districts are well-funded and rank high nationally. The east-side has more affordable housing, but is older and Portland school districts have struggled financially as of lately.

[albinoazian]

I am a new teacher and have been researching areas to relocate. As a teacher it is beneficial to find a place you like because retirement is state based and school districts only accept a certain amount of years on the pay scale.

Anyhow, Oregon has intrigued me for awhile, but everyone says stay away from the Oregon education system it is royally screwed up. The word is go to WA, CO, ID, etc. Although it is recommended over NM. Is there anything in the works in the legislature or at the local level? I even talked to a department chair in Corvallis, supposed to be the best schools in the state, and he says be weary because funding is at an all-time low. He can't keep his program going because the money is gone.

So, anything coming down the pipelines to fix the situation? I think I would like Oregon, but I don't want to go back to corporate life.

[ontheroad]

Until recently I was a public health advocate for adolescents so my responsibilities often overlapped between Ed and PH. If the education services are similar to the health services system, you may have a harder time in Oregon. I worked in health, zillions of years, and when I met with the State Health Department, who oversee some of the Ed Programs, they were very discouraging--directly related to the coffers.

And here in NM, the educational system is improving and the Commissioner is a strong advocate for good programming. However, teachers do not earn a high salary and the State lags behind in reading scores and has a poor performance for % graduates. But there are jobs to be had!

Conversely, during the same field research I did in OR, I found WA and Seattle in particular to have a better base for social services, including education. I suspect this is directly tied to the tax base in the different communities and the larger population (in Seattle).

But don't quote

Originally Posted by albinoazian

I am a new teacher and have been researching areas to relocate. As a teacher it is beneficial to find a place you like because retirement is state based and school districts only accept a certain amount of years on the pay scale.

Anyhow, Oregon has intrigued me for awhile, but everyone says stay away from the Oregon education system it is royally screwed up. The word is go to WA, CO, ID, etc. Although it is recommended over NM. Is there anything in the works in the legislature or at the local level? I even talked to a department chair in Corvallis, supposed to be the best schools in the state, and he says be weary because funding is at an all-time low. He can't keep his program going because the money is gone.

So, anything coming down the pipelines to fix the situation? I think I would like Oregon, but I don't want to go back to corporate life.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by albinoazian

So, anything coming down the pipelines to fix the situation? I think I would like Oregon, but I don't want to go back to corporate life.

I wish I could say "yes", but not only do I have to day "no", I also have to add my opinion that things will not turn around soon. What's coming down the pipelines is the retirement of the biggest demographic bubble in the history of the nation -- and it won't be good for the schools.

The state of public education has generally followed the vicissitudes of the Baby Boomer generation. In the 1950's - 1970's...maybe into the 1980's, public schools did well. There were efforts to adequately fund the schools by parents and while there were still retirees that didn't support such efforts, the sheer size of the Baby Boomer bubble outnumbered them. Now that same huge bubble is retiring and it's going to be difficult for Baby Boomer Echo parents to outvote them. The political will is fading. The country needs some legislation that will provide adequate funding even where the local political landscape is low in voters who have kids.

What you want at this point is a district where the retention of teachers is rather stable. Many schools will hire new teachers on a probationary contract, but they (the teachers) often leave school in June not knowing whether or not there will be a job for them when they come back in August. I'd look at Eugene and Portland. Corvallis, Bend and Ashland are desireable teaching markets but rather inbred. Your chances of getting a job there as a newcomer to the state are limited unless you are certified for Special Education. I wouldn't be so quick to cross Portland off your list. There are dozens of outlying exurbs in the metro area that should fulfill your needs quite nicely. Many of them used to be rural areas that are now getting pulled into the gravitational field of the Portland metro mass.

One bit of good news is that the average age of the Oregon educator is quite high...upper 50's I think. There should be a large amount of turnover in the next 10 years.

[phunkyme]

As a new teacher, my advice to you would be to find an alternative district to Bend/La Pine! Given, I am a starting teacher, but I've applied for teaching positions for the past two years to no avail. I was told by human resources that there are over 200 applicants for each position! The odds are not in my favor. Bend is a beautiful place though and very desireable...unfortunately the housing market and cost of living is starting to reflect that as well.