Questions about Salem (Portland, Eugene, Corvallis: for sale, apartment, rental)

[Momzilla]

Hello there - just wondering about the Salem area as we are set to move there in March. We have been in Colorado (Aurora - just outside of Denver) for 4 months and before that we were in Vegas for a year and before that So. Cal. So now we have our sights on Oregon to help out family and to *hopefully* settle down.

We have been told we would probably like Eugene or Portland more than Salem as we are pretty liberal - but the family we are helping is in Salem - so we would need to be pretty close to there when we first settle down.

The questions I have are:

How liberal/conservative is Salem?

Does anyone know about the homeschooling laws and homeschooling resources in the area?

How are the jobs? We are looking at both massage therapy (my husband is a mt but has to get his licensing in the state) and customer service mainly.

What are the good areas and areas to avoid?

We are looking to rent - is craigslist a good place to look or is there a better local forum?

Any other advice for a tattooed white girl with dreadlocks? Thanks!

[bobmulk]

I live in Salem but I'm not sure how to rank Salem's political climate. It's the state capital. It has historically been decidedly conservative, but I've noticed the past few years a little more liberal leaning. Essentially, I would say it's more libertarian, meaning people don't really give a rip about your beliefs, lifestyle, etc....until you start shoving it onto them. That seems to be a theme throughout Oregon, even in the very liberal and conservative areas.

I can't help you on the homeschooling thing, sorry. Might want to check out Oregon.gov and pursue education info.

The economy in Salem is heavily weighted towards government as it's the capital. There are a number of industry mixes here--health care, food processing, lumber products, some high tech and of course, all the services from fast food to law. As for massage therapists, I'm not aware of many--I just might stop by when you get here! My mt is in Portland.

Generally, the best areas to live are South Salem and West Salem and Keizer. If you move into the outlying communities, the best ones are Silverton, Monmouth, Dallas, Stayton and Mt. Angel. Avoid Woodburn, Gervais and Hubbard.

I happen to live in NE Salem. Most people will tell you that NE Salem is a ghetto. I'm here to tell you it isn't. NE Salem covers a huge area and there are some crummy places. However, I live in a delightful neighborhood and have been here sixteen years. I have easy access to the freeway which gets me to Portland and anywhere south. I've got access to shopping and everything. We have a neighborhood park and a delightfull demographic mix ethnically, age-wise, professionally and educationally. Do some checking around. Prices are affordable by West Coast standards; Salem is the least expensive housing market of Oregon's metropolitan areas.

I personally wouldn't consider Craigslist as a resource for renting. Their listings are woefully inadequate. Unfortunately, I can't direct you anywhere at this point. However, you might want to click onto the website for the local paper Statesmanjournal.com. From there I'm sure you could find rental info.

Best of luck to you and welcome to Oregon!

[Silverfall]

Salem is a fairly tolerant place. Yes, it is more conservative than Portland and Eugene but I don't think significantly. I think that has more to do with the fact that we are the state capitol and have a very middle class group of citizens that are very family oriented. Salem still tends to vote democratic as a whole.

We have quite a few homeschoolers in the area and there are several resources. The Salem Art Association has a friday art class for homeschoolers, and the Gilbert House has an annual open house for homeschooling parents to meet each other and network. Homeschooling is pretty common out here. You just have to declare your child as a homeschooling child by the age of 7 and then you do need to still do the testing requirements. Here is the link to the ODE Homeschooling rules and information. Home Schooling - Oregon Department of Education

Customer service should not be an issue here. I don't know how many MT jobs there are. We have a local MT school here, so I'm not sure if we have a glut or not. If you go to StatesmanJournal.com - The News Source for Salem, Oregon (our local newspaper) for job information.

Good and bad neighborhoods is a matter of perspective and finances. Northgate is the only one that has some major issues and is a designated rejuvination district. Anything South and West is generally fine. Central Salem has pockets as does North east. It just depends on what kind of rent you can afford, do you need to rent a house or apartment, etc. I would avoid being right on or close to Lancaster as well.

I would actually go to the statesman Journal online for rentals. Craigslist isn't bad here, but it isn't like other parts of the country. I would use both to try and get the most coverage.

As for a tattooed white girl with dreadlocks, be prepared to get some looks. We are pretty tolerant here, but pretty generic looking as well. I don't think anyone would say anything mean, but I'll bet you get some double takes.

[Leisesturm]

"We have been told we would probably like Eugene or Portland more than Salem as we are pretty liberal..."

Yes, that is about my take on it as well. I lived in Salem for two years earlier in this decade. I am planning a return to OR in April with my girlfriend but this time I am exploring employment and housing in Portland. If you read from that that I think Salem was maybe not quite the place for me you would be right. Still, you say Salem is where you have to be, so good luck to you. At least you are not a tatooed black girl with dreadlocks! Not that anyone would say anything mean as Bob noted but your client portfolio might be just that bit smaller. Salem is not that very far from Portland you know, anyone pursuing a calling in the alternative healing arts like you are IMO would really do much better south of Salem as in Eugene, Corvallis, Ashland or north of Salem as in Portland, Vancouver, WA. FWIW.

H

[LADY_DI]

most people in oregon are rude and nasty

jobs suck up here takes for ever to find one took my husband 5 months

schools are good up here

stay away from NE salem mostly mexicans and LANCASTER COMMONS THEY SUCK

rent look on rent.com are crigs list

cant pump your own gas food is very high

rains everyday sun only 3 months yr

hope this helps

[bobmulk]

Ignore Lady Di. Her attitude speaks volumes, but I'm sure you're intelligent enough to figure that out.

Fact is if EVERYONE is rude, that tells you where the problem is, doesn't it??? And racists are pigs as we all know.

As for the stupid comment about the weather--well, I'm on a mission to dispell the stupidity that is commonly spewed about the weather. It is NOT gray nine months out of the year. The only people who believe that are, again, the ignorant who have an attitude problem.

[Silverfall]

I also noticed today as I was driving by Wachovia that they are hiring. We have the customer service center for Wachovia Bank located here in Salem. Since you were looking for customer service, I thought I would throw that out to you.

[Cornerguy1]

Thread closed for moderation purposes.

[Waterlily]

Thanks to Cornerguy1 for helping out. This thread will stay closed now.