Salem, what we should know

[OregonCountry]

Here's a stream of consciousness...

We've been living in Salem for 3 years now. Yes, it is more conservative than Eugene and Portland, but I would describe Salem as moderate with lots of liberals and progressives as well as lots of moderates to conservatives. Not many ultra-conservatives like the Southern U.S. or Midwest. I would say that the suburbs east of Portland and Springfield (adjacent to Eugene) are more conservative than the whole of Salem. As in the rest of Oregon, a Libertarian attitude also exists.

The parks are beautiful. Easy access to vineyards and agriculture. Portland is typically 40 - 60 minutes away. Lots of folks commute to work back and forth. The ocean is 1 hour away. The coastal mountain range is less than 30 minutes away. The lower elevation Cascades are less than 1 hour away. Skiing is about 90-120 minutes away. The high dessert is a little over 2 hours away. Views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson throughout the city (even St. Helens on very clear days). Beautiful parks. A really great place for families. South and west are hilly, while the north side and Keizer are rather flat. Compared to Portland (and Eugene), less music and art happening here.

As of this writing, the real estate market is in pretty good shape compared to the rest of the country.

Something is happening in downtown. While it's not Portland, for a city this size, we're lucky to have this downtown. Lots of revitalization projects happening downtown, so things looks like they'll even get better.

I wish that Willamette University had more of an impact on downtown, but the school is working on it.

My favorite neighborhoods are Fairmount and the Bush Park and South Salem High school area. The rest of South Salem is pretty Suburban feeling. West definitely feels suburban, but the steep hills are appealing. Be weary of the bridge. Keizer is great due to its closeness to Portland. NE close to downtown has some neat urban historic areas but with the roughest neighborhoods in Salem nearby. Roughest is relative since Salem is pretty safe. Salem feels smaller than it's actual size (150K).

Salem is lacking in the restaurant department but there are a few gems.

This is my take.

[2lizards]

Hi OregonCountry!

That was a useful post. I have one question: would it be feasible to live in Salem and work in Monmouth (Western Oregon U)? There is a job at WOU that has piqued my interest, but Monmouth looks a bit small for my taste (I currently live in Knoxville, TN and would like at least a similar sized town - 180k). I'd love to live in Portland, but I fear I can't afford it, and I haven't seen any suitable jobs posted (I'm in the library field).

[dachmom]

Yes, it's definitely feasible to live in Salem and work in Monmouth. It's not that far from Salem. If you want to be closer, you can live in west Salem (if you can afford it, houses tend to be more expensive over there) so you don't have to cross the bridge on your commute. The bridge tends to get congested during "rush hour" in the morning and evening. In the summer,it's a beautiful drive IMO. I went to the WOU campus many years ago when I was in high school (anyone remember Oregon Business Week?) and I loved the campus. I'm sure it's changed since then, but it's still a nice little town.