How do Oregonians feel about outsiders? (Portland, Medford: sale, rent, to buy)
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somehow, with as many former californians that are now living in Oregon, Im highly doubting people drove 40miles just to tell you that theres too many californians in Oregon. I think your statement was a fabrication or an extreme exaggeration.
And yes, some people DO move to places they feel inferior to their previous. When they can sell their home somewhere else for 800thous, and buy a comparable house here for 200thous, many DO move. And then complain. and be rude, talk down to their new neighbors. Brag about the deal they got. Im not saying this is everyone, nor am I saying they are the majority, because they are not. Most, at least most Ive met, have been so pleased with the deal they got, and the postitive change of livestyle, they're friendly and happy. but just like some Oregonians are rude, some former Californians are rude as well.
We are quite thrilled w/our newest neighbors who happened to sell their previous home for about 4x what they just oughtright bought their new one for. They stated it as fact, they were pretty tickled about it but jeez, who can blame em? but they dont rub it in anyones faces. And as of this weekend when I asked em, nobody has shunned them or been rude at all for being from California. In fact, theyve said pretty much everyone has been friendly.
Does sound like your move out of state was a good one for you. Hopefully you are fitting in better in Chicago.
GoBeavs has proved my point on another thread about how hypocritical and ignorant liberals can be.
Apparently, he's never been to rural areas with their liberal populations. Apparently, he's never been to large cities with their conservative populations. Apparently, he's never been able to see beyond his nose that stupidity and ignorance is just as prevalent in the liberal quagmire as it is in the conservative quagmire. Apparently, he doesn't realize that until he opens his mind, he just perpetuates the chasms in this nation. Including his posts on this thread.
The woman I had in mind drove in from Selma. Maybe its not 40 miles but it is more than a jaunt. She made some small talk, looked about the shop and seemed fairly friendly. Then she looked direclty at me and said the area was not as nice as when she grew up there because of the "Californian influence." Then she turned and drove back the direction she came from. She showed no interest in the merchandise (admittedly it wasn't much of a shop). On later reflection, I could only conclude she drove in just to insult me. Of course, I did make some nice friends, including a few native Oregonians, one of whom constantly relayed the obnoxious Californian jokes I mentioned. He thought they were funny.
My partner who came with me from San Francisco was originally from Los Angeles. When we moved out, he went to Boston. He remarked later that people in San Francisco hated him for being from LA and people in Oregon hated him for being from California, and it was a great relief to be in a place where he didn't have to be ashamed of where he came from. That pretty sums up how I felt when I came to Chicago.
Mostly, I left because I couldn't make a living there. The shop went bust and I couldn't get a regular job. Actually Grants Pass is a sweet town. It was just a bad fit for me, and vice versa. And yes, I'm much happier here.
"What is making you think on Oregon for your new home?
again, great post. Welcome to here.
Tiffany"
Tiffany, years ago, my husband took a trip through Oregon and it's been in his blood ever since. From the time we were dating, he said that someday he'd love to live in Oregon. Of course, he's basing this on 1 week of vacation, so who knows if he'd really love to live there or not? We love the outdoors, are big into green living and conservation/recylcing, etc... We happen to know people that have lived in the Pacific NW and they've said, "you guys would really love it up there!"
What I do know, is that the south is not in my long term plans, so it always pays to have a Plan B
lol, i almost moved to Scottsdale Arizona on a 2 week vacation whim...well, that and a new boyfriend that lived there! Neither plan worked out, and as beautiful as AZ is, and as great as the BF was, it was good that neither happened.
its hard to base a move on a vac.week. Youre right to not jump in running w/both feet. Oregon is wonderful, I dont think I could ever love living anywhere else. For many people, it ends up being Home sweet home. IMO, the people are friendly, the air clear, the scenery beautiful...theres opportunities abound for those willing to work for themand while some do fail through no fault of their own, many do succeed. take another trip here to check it out, talk to people on the streets and in the stores, and do your research. You may find that Oregon is the place for you. I think it sounds like it could be.
Best of luck!!
tiffany
Trailerguy, thanks for the clarifying post. Im glad you found happiness.
Tiffany, dh and I used to vacation down in the mountains of NC. Every time we'd go home, we'd sigh and say, "someday we have to live there!". We'll, 8 years later we moved there and bought our dream mountain home. I do LOVE our property and home, but I know I don't want to live here forever. We've had a few business opportunities that would take us to other parts of the country, however, before I make another major move, I'd like to be sure. By the time we move again, my kids will be in high school and I'd like them to stay in 1 place during that time.
Thank you so much for your input, we are planning a trip to Oregon sometime in the coming year.
I'm from the mountains of western North Carolina (Cherokee), and when I hear about the laidback, hospitable, and slow-paced life in non-metro Oregon, I'm very comforted and happy that I'm choosing such a place to relocate to.
I've never been to Oregon, and I only chose the state because of my desire to live at the ocean AND the mountains. I love my way of life here in WNC. We wave to our neighbors when we meet--whether we know them or not--and we don't hesitate to help someone in need.
Some of the bad things I've read have made me a little nervous about my move to Oregon in 5 months, but then, the good things I hear make me feel like my young family of 4 just may fit in after all.
Does Dallas, Oregon treat well foreigns/hispanics? Would it be really hard to live there?(from Brazil), me and my mom have been thinking about moving there. Are things very far from another? how much would the rent for a small place (2 people) be? thanks for anyone who answers!!
This is a useful forum with thin threads of opinion and observation building a fabric to describe life in Oregon. My wife and I returned to SW Oregon just over four years ago after several generations of life abroad (like in Seattle and San Diego, also Europe and Hawaii). Yes, our grandparents moved out of Oregon, both families. Their grandparents moved to Oregon a long, long time ago.
We encounter ongoing cold and vacant gazes here in Oregon, but not from everybody. Sometimes a friendly conversation warms a week of general hostility. There are nice people and nice moments. When the locals found out that our ancestors came to Oregon Territory in the 1850s (we offered references in their own history books), it changed nothing, not for those bent on preserving their opposition to friendly neighbors and polite interactions, inexperience with social gatherings and respectful response.
Small town Oregon is really most difficult for those born there and still living there. Many of these lifelong residents express frustration and very negative views of their town, listing pages of laments, losses, invasions and the outlandish perpetrators of their miseries. Those who choose to move to the town for its positive features do not suffer, they enjoy.
Oregon is under a transformation. A local "joke" states that every time a new baby is born in our town, two young men leave. That is indeed part of the transformation. Talented young people leave to seek their education and fortune. That is their pursuit of happiness.
The natural splendor of Oregon does not leave with them. Sometimes nature is even a little better off (smile, please). Most of the folks who move to rural Oregon are making a choice based on preferences, cost of living, quality of living, prognosis for the future and so on. They have many like-minded, well-intentioned neighbors.
Oregon is more than just right for us. The clean air is cleaner than we knew could exist. Nature is more in balance ... we did not know a correct scale to measure what we now enjoy. Sure, some folks are a tad unpleasant. But they are seldom dangerous. They irritate, they do not threaten and cause stress.
If you move to rural Oregon and still take home stories of people making you mad, well, that probably is a bad habit you brought with you. You can adjust.
Just make sure, if you move to Oregon, that you know how to cook for yourself, that you have sufficient money to travel to culture, that you nurture your connections to the rest of the world, and that you do not expect your neighbors to be open to social interactions. Rest assured, if you need help, they will be there with serious assistance.
I'm from the mountains of western North Carolina (Cherokee), and when I hear about the laidback, hospitable, and slow-paced life in non-metro Oregon, I'm very comforted and happy that I'm choosing such a place to relocate to.
I've never been to Oregon, and I only chose the state because of my desire to live at the ocean AND the mountains. I love my way of life here in WNC. We wave to our neighbors when we meet--whether we know them or not--and we don't hesitate to help someone in need.
Some of the bad things I've read have made me a little nervous about my move to Oregon in 5 months, but then, the good things I hear make me feel like my young family of 4 just may fit in after all.
I moved here from New York and have to admit it was not as I expected. When it comes to the mountains, trees, ocean there is no denying it is awesome. We bought a nice home and everything with that is great. the people are nice and polite when out at the store or about in a park. After that it all goes down hill rather fast. Just a few quick things. The people that have been elected to offices here could not run a hot dog truck if they had to. How the people keep electing them is beyond me. All they have to do is say something about the environment or global warming and they are elected. As someone here said before, don't expect your neighbors to talk to you. People are friendlier with their neighbors in in big cities like NYC. I say hi/wave to people in my neighborhood who do not even acknowledge me. I have gone on a bunch of different job interviews and I without a doubt feel like an outsider. If you like a home with yard/land forget it. Instead of having one nice home on an acre that looks rural and pretty, they rather build twenty to thirty of them 5-10 feet apart. If you want land expect to pay six figures if you can find it. The new thing the government here is proposing is they want you to pay more in fees if your car has 8 cylinders. People are joking that soon they are going to control how many square feet your home can be according to the number of people in your family. Per capita, crime here is not that good. Just go to a local news website and see the daily news. And of course the illegals are a problem here everyone knows about. They come from states as far away as Florida just to get an Oregon license because the standards are so easy to get one. They were so bad that the federal Government told Oregon if they did not change the process that an Oregon license would not even be valid to use to fly within the US. I obviously have been pointing out a lot of the negative things with living here, but that is what a person should know when deciding to live here. I am a very open minded person with most things but the way State and Local government do things here it borders on Socialist. I hope you find this useful and you look into the things I mentioned before making your decision. I wish you the best of luck.
PS: I have family in NC and have been there. Some of the nicest people you want to meet.
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