Falls City (Salem, Corvallis, Dallas: low income, apartment, attorney)

[Waterlily]

I have to agree with you Larry. I did live in a sort of small town for a while and it was just as you described. I got to the point where I didn't want to talk to anyone. It seems if you said something simple like "I am going to the store", people would start rumors around that.

I just had to move to get out of that sort of town. Now I like it where I am. The Bay area in Oregon is not real big,but too big for everyone to be in your business. There's just too many places to go for anyone to know where you are all the time. That's the way I like it.

[FXRS]

Wow the thread came back to life again.

Anyways like I said before we didn't move to Falls City and we got beat out on the house in Dallas but we ended up in Independence. Been here since April.

Once we got out here though I kept telling the wife some night we are gonna go out to Falls City to Boondocks I think it is called. We went a couple of weeks ago and honestly it was a pretty nice and clean bar inside. Seen a couple of people that were acting kind of twitchy but you have that in any bar you go into.

Honestly though if we didn't have kids in school I'd still like to either live there or another small mnt town.

[Munkguy]

Hey Larry,
I like the way you tell it! If there are people like you in Falls City, I want to live there.

[ErvinB]

Wow. Had I known how bad Falls City was I would have refused to grow up here! Certainly I would have moved my lazy tweakin' hinny to a more stable community once I decided to start my own family. Cept' I am too 'lazy' to do that and too 'high' to care, right Larry?
Larrys' report is like anyone else’s - it's an opinion. Only when you throw that many assertions around one hopes they come from first hand knowledge and not that 'nasty rumor mill' he mentioned. Larry, you DID live in Falls City, right?
I have lived in Falls City for the last 41 years and chose to raise my family here as well. Yep - it isn't perfect. Surprise! Just like any other community it has its share of troubles. And don't kid yourselves ALL communities have troubles. Just pick up a paper and read the police reports for the communities that it covers.
I don't know about all that bad neighbor stuff... We have lived in four different locations in Falls City since we were married and our neighbors have been respectful and haven't robbed us blind at any of them. Matter of fact I know a Falls City family whos' home was threatened by a forest fire a number of years ago (they were not the only ones…) and the neighbors they did not have that much contact with (or might have been considered as 'undesirables' by some) showed up to help get possessions out of harms way. And guess what? Not only did they NOT steal anything but they refused to take any kind of payment for the help! Hmmm.
Falls City is just a small town and for the most part it is what you make of it. I personally like it here and have made the decision to commute the 32 miles to Corvallis daily BECAUSE I like the small town with a river through the middle of it AND having the Coast Range at my back. I personally can’t stand all of the concrete and asphalt of larger cities NOR having a neighbors window facing mine less than 20 feet away.
And unlike Larry I DID date a classmate and we were married a little over a year after we graduated from F.C.H.S. Seems like most of the statements that have been made reflect more about the person that made them then about the community of Falls City. Or maybe that's me speculatin'?!
I hope you all have a good day and live happy where ever you decide to live.

[bjvoyager]

I too like Falls City....I agree with everything that has been said. I stumbled upon this place some 25 years ago in my flight from LA, and thought I had found paradise. Falls City is and always has been underpriced in comparison to other places in the immediate surroundings so as a widow on a limited income it offered me a couple of acres of country property which was a dream I had long held, having been a city girl all my life.

I have lived in Dallas at the top of the hill in the most exclusive subdivision there, and yup I prefer Falls City, both for its natural beauty and the fact that the people there at least to me seem more real.

Yes there are an assortment of unkempt and borderline people out there, but I have never had any problem or anything taken. I have had great neighbors who for the most part mind their own business, and in one case keep an eagle eye on my property because I cant always be there. It is a like living in the country because of the rural nature of the place , and yet having neighbors close by in the event you need to borrow a tool or anything. One year after a windstorm, when my young son and I were trying to replace a roof, a neighbor offered to finish for us, as he saw we were making very slow progress...

Coming from big cities this kind of neighborliness was astonishing. The best part for me though, is that there is an opportunity to get involved with the community, civic minded people are needed to serve on the various boards and so there is a real opportunity to get involved in city government by average people.

Unlike the rest of the nation real estate prices have held firm in this part of the country, and there are properties begging for redevelopment at very reasonable prices in this town, because yep, you guessed it Falls City doesnt have a very good reputation, esp. from the people at the top of the hill in Dallas, 300K-500K properties, Falls City, you can find properties still in the 100K range.

THis is a town because of its natural beauty, and relatively close in location....10 miles to Dallas for Safeway and Walmart shopping and 25 miles to downtown Salem...and you can take country roads all the way, even out to the coast, without one stoplight!....this is a town that has great potential for redevelopment...Many of the buildings are ramshackle and run down, lots of older mobiles brought in when the town was being grossly mismanaged....as a result property is still cheap, know of one place that can be bought with an older existing structure for 70K...already has water and sewer...the lot is half acre or more, given the rise in redevelopment costs its a bargain for anyone who wants to redevelope...the fire department which is all volunteer will come and burn down the existing structure for you in most cases....by the way my insurance company is very fond of the work they do to protect the community.

Yes there are busybodies in town, but you learn who they are and to steer clear of them, and their hijinks can become amusing....I have had nasty rumors spread about me but the rumors were so outrageous, that I was amused rather than annoyed by them...

Best of all the water and air are very clean, it feels more like camping out in the wilderness than living in plastic suburbia. Lots of hunting and fishing opps for the guys, and gardening opps for the ladies.

Feel free to email me if you want more info on this great as yet undiscovered little town! I have to go out and meet with my handyman who is doing great work for me at 10.00 an hour!

Rose

[memomfive]

My family is planning to move to Falls City, Oregon next summer, but still have some questions. First of all,we were wondering what the winter was like there & if we'd occasionally be trapped? My husband will more than likely be getting a job in Salem or Dallas, so it's important to know the road conditions year around there.
Also, we have five children & are wondering if there's alot of growing families in the area? How about a church that teaches salvation through Jesus? These are just a few areas that we are curious about. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you & God Bless!

[iPwn]

Falls City? That place is so backwoods! LOL!

[memomfive]

So I'm told. I keep telling the kids that our move to Falls City will almost be like the Wilderness Family. lol That's ok, we'll go where God leads us & for some reason he's leading us there.

[ErvinB]

Memomfive ~ Falls City has good roads and winter doesn't bring things to stand-still. I have commuted to Corvallis (32 miles) daily for the past 17+ years and a good front wheel drive or four wheel drive has only been needed to navigate snow a few times. Most winters are just plain WET! We did get about 14" of snow last year but it doesn't last long. Lost power a couple of times from trees/limbs falling across the lines and the average time without power was two to three days. Obviously those who were more 'rural' went without power longer as the power company tends to concentrate on the more populated areas. Wood heat and a decent generator were sufficient to see us through!
There are several Christian churches in the city ~ First Christian, Free Methodist, United Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, as well as some house churches that teach salvation through Jesus Christ. There are also a couple of rural churches too!
It has been several months since I checked this so don't know if this info will help at this point... best wishes!

[memomfive]

Thank you for your information it is a big help. I'm sorry this has taken me so long to get to. We are unable to move this year, but will be taking a trip to Falls City in June. We are still working towards moving, but we need to tend to things here in the flat lands first. Anyways, I look forward to seeing Falls City in person! Thanks again!
God Bless!