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We've come to the realization that we may have to leave SoCal within the near future. We are in a fire-prone area that is overdue for a catastrophe, just having luckily missed an evacuation order by a thread a few weeks ago. Very, very scary situation that we want to avoid in the future. SoCal weather has changed a lot and it's become hotter for much longer time periods. We haven't had any measurable rain since last February. It's also gotten very expensive and now more so for us with the new tax laws coming into effect. Many people want to leave but can't because they'll be bankrupted by capital gains taxes. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Home prices continue their climb through the roof with a serious housing shortage. Then there's the increased traffic, congestion and constant road rage. It can be hours to get places that used to take minutes. It's unfortunately not the beautiful and affordable California I witnessed for the first time a few decades ago.
As far as climate goes in Oregon, we don't want an inordinate amount of rain and wind - as in the kind that Brookings and the Oregon Coast get. We do know that a good nine months out of the year it's drizzly, rainy and foggy in much of Oregon. That's just the reality (and which makes it so beautiful and green) and we're willing to compromise on that - we just don't want 50+ inches of it. We're keeping track of temperatures and amounts of rain and snow in the areas we're interested in. We traveled to So. Oregon last year and liked Ashland, Jacksonville, parts of Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. In May of this year we're planning a trip to visit friends and look seriously at the Corvallis area. We like that it's a small college town, is outdoor-oriented with biking/hiking and lots of nature, and is near to Eugene for the oh-so-important medical care. We realize that no place is perfect; it's just a matter of what you can tolerate and what you can't. We also realize that once we leave California we can never come back. And that's why we're doing a lot of research and taking our time.
Anyone have any thoughts on the Corvallis area? Commentary will be much appreciated!
We've come to the realization that we may have to leave SoCal within the near future. We are in a fire-prone area that is overdue for a catastrophe, just having luckily missed an evacuation order by a thread a few weeks ago. Very, very scary situation that we want to avoid in the future. SoCal weather has changed a lot and it's become hotter for much longer time periods. We haven't had any measurable rain since last February. It's also gotten very expensive and now more so for us with the new tax laws coming into effect. Many people want to leave but can't because they'll be bankrupted by capital gains taxes. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Home prices continue their climb through the roof with a serious housing shortage. Then there's the increased traffic, congestion and constant road rage. It can be hours to get places that used to take minutes. It's unfortunately not the beautiful and affordable California I witnessed for the first time a few decades ago.
As far as climate goes in Oregon, we don't want an inordinate amount of rain and wind - as in the kind that Brookings and the Oregon Coast get. We do know that a good nine months out of the year it's drizzly, rainy and foggy in much of Oregon. That's just the reality (and which makes it so beautiful and green) and we're willing to compromise on that - we just don't want 50+ inches of it. We're keeping track of temperatures and amounts of rain and snow in the areas we're interested in. We traveled to So. Oregon last year and liked Ashland, Jacksonville, parts of Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. In May of this year we're planning a trip to visit friends and look seriously at the Corvallis area. We like that it's a small college town, is outdoor-oriented with biking/hiking and lots of nature, and is near to Eugene for the oh-so-important medical care. We realize that no place is perfect; it's just a matter of what you can tolerate and what you can't. We also realize that once we leave California we can never come back. And that's why we're doing a lot of research and taking our time.
Anyone have any thoughts on the Corvallis area? Commentary will be much appreciated!
No place in Oregon has nine months of rain. But Corvallis does have close to 50 inches of rain and lots of drizzle and fog in the winter. Maybe you should concentrate your search in Southern Oregon, or maybe Bend. Fires are also a way of life in Oregon, especially the drier parts. Have you considered Arizona?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
Oregon is one of the worst states (financially / services) for retirement .
YMMV
I have several friends 'successfully' living in Corvallis, but only 3 have stayed there during retirement. The VAST majority of our PNW employees fled back to their CA prop 13 benefits for retirement.
A few who bought props near Corvallis (during summer) found the winter water levels to flood their wells and septics. They ended up with 'horror story properties' they could not unload.
My (non-OR) home is:
1) income tax free
2) <20 min from Sales tax free OR
3) <20 min to PDX (I escape the rain (drizzle) A LOT!!!!)
4) within 30 min to nearly 20 colleges (seminaries / higher learning)
5) Plenty of culture
6) Plenty of Peace and quiet (no new neighbors allowed / Federal restrictions) )
7) Few more CLEAR days (80 mph winds)
8) fog! no fog!
9) nice scenery (hiking and river <5 min from home)
10) occasional snow
BTW: do your homework... Capital Gains exclusion remains on Primary residence, but... CA equity RUINED all western states 30 - 40 yrs ago through Californication (Paying MORE for properties than they are worth, forcing / locals / displacing seniors from their lifelong homes. MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NV, ID all were ruined (for affordable housing) Our Colorado ranch fell to the tax man in the 1970's (due to CA 'false' equity).
Actually... HUGE capital gains... PAY THE TAXES! (imagine that! What a concept!)
Oregon is one of the worst states (financially / services) for retirement .
YMMV
I have several friends 'successfully' living in Corvallis, but only 3 have stayed there during retirement. The VAST majority of our PNW employees fled back to their CA prop 13 benefits for retirement.
A few who bought props near Corvallis (during summer) found the winter water levels to flood their wells and septics. They ended up with 'horror story properties' they could not unload.
My (non-OR) home is:
1) income tax free
2) <20 min from Sales tax free OR
3) <20 min to PDX (I escape the rain (drizzle) A LOT!!!!)
4) within 30 min to nearly 20 colleges (seminaries / higher learning)
5) Plenty of culture
6) Plenty of Peace and quiet (no new neighbors allowed / Federal restrictions) )
7) Few more CLEAR days (80 mph winds)
8) fog! no fog!
9) nice scenery (hiking and river <5 min from home)
10) occasional snow
BTW: do your homework... Capital Gains exclusion remains on Primary residence, but... CA equity RUINED all western states 30 - 40 yrs ago through Californication (Paying MORE for properties than they are worth, forcing / locals / displacing seniors from their lifelong homes. MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NV, ID all were ruined (for affordable housing) Our Colorado ranch fell to the tax man in the 1970's (due to CA 'false' equity).
Actually... HUGE capital gains... PAY THE TAXES! (imagine that! What a concept!)
My parents and at least a dozen other members of our extended family and friends are happily retired in Oregon. In Salem, Albany, Canby, Newberg, Silverton, Tigard, and Portland. So your mileage may, indeed vary. They are all very middle class, living on modest incomes in modest ordinary houses. My parents are happy with the medical care in the Salem area. I don't know of anyone my extended circle in the northern Willamette Valley who has issues with the overall state of medical care. None of them would conceive of moving out of state just to leverage some small tax advantage, even if there was one to be had at their modest ordinary retirement incomes.
That said, my wife and I did relocate north to the Vancouver area but that was because both our jobs are on that side of the river and we found the schools in WA to be better funded and in better shape than those in OR. The tax advantages were a plus but not the primary reason we moved.
Back to the OPs question. If it were me, moving into the area with no particular family ties or job to commute to, I'd take a close look at Silverton. Very pretty little town on the edge of the mountains with it's own hospital and within very easy commuting distance to Salem. Or, if you want to be a bit closer to Portland perhaps Canby which is also a nice smaller town with good services. If you get much closer to Portland you end up in the commuting traffic hell that consumes all the closer suburban areas during most business hours. I don't see the point of being retired and having to fight the horrific commuter traffic that consumes suburban Portland just to go to the grocery store or whatever. The only sensible way to do that would be to pick a walkable community that doesn't require you to get into your car.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
Drop by Roseburg / Winchester on your way north.
Many very happy retirees there, better weather, nice VA facility, Jr college for cultural events. FIL enjoyed 15 yrs of retirement in Roseburg area.
And.... keep your CA property if it wil cash flow positive, you may want to return. Your Prop 13 is transferable within some more affordable regions of the state.
Other states don’t have prop 13, so prepare for a surprise,! My property taxes were $800/yr. now in excess of $15,000. Same house, no improvements, just older and worn out. (Was under $100k cost basis).
If you don’t like traffic, move to a County with no traffic lights (that is nice for me, I don’t do traffic)
We've come to the realization that we may have to leave SoCal within the near future. We are in a fire-prone area that is overdue for a catastrophe, just having luckily missed an evacuation order by a thread a few weeks ago. Very, very scary situation that we want to avoid in the future. SoCal weather has changed a lot and it's become hotter for much longer time periods. We haven't had any measurable rain since last February. It's also gotten very expensive and now more so for us with the new tax laws coming into effect. Many people want to leave but can't because they'll be bankrupted by capital gains taxes. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Home prices continue their climb through the roof with a serious housing shortage. Then there's the increased traffic, congestion and constant road rage. It can be hours to get places that used to take minutes. It's unfortunately not the beautiful and affordable California I witnessed for the first time a few decades ago.
As far as climate goes in Oregon, we don't want an inordinate amount of rain and wind - as in the kind that Brookings and the Oregon Coast get. We do know that a good nine months out of the year it's drizzly, rainy and foggy in much of Oregon. That's just the reality (and which makes it so beautiful and green) and we're willing to compromise on that - we just don't want 50+ inches of it. We're keeping track of temperatures and amounts of rain and snow in the areas we're interested in. We traveled to So. Oregon last year and liked Ashland, Jacksonville, parts of Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. In May of this year we're planning a trip to visit friends and look seriously at the Corvallis area. We like that it's a small college town, is outdoor-oriented with biking/hiking and lots of nature, and is near to Eugene for the oh-so-important medical care. We realize that no place is perfect; it's just a matter of what you can tolerate and what you can't. We also realize that once we leave California we can never come back. And that's why we're doing a lot of research and taking our time.
Anyone have any thoughts on the Corvallis area? Commentary will be much appreciated!
Corvallis is a nice small town. I know plenty of people that live there, that are retired. Everyone weighs things differently, but I think it is worth visiting. There are a lot of retirees in the mid-valley so you are not alone in coming up here.
I would not say Corvallis is close to Eugene. I'm not sure why you feel you would need to go to Eugene for health care. If you need a specialist that they don't have in Corvallis, you will probably be heading up to OHSU in Portland.
We've come to the realization that we may have to leave SoCal within the near future. We are in a fire-prone area that is overdue for a catastrophe, just having luckily missed an evacuation order by a thread a few weeks ago. Very, very scary situation that we want to avoid in the future. SoCal weather has changed a lot and it's become hotter for much longer time periods. We haven't had any measurable rain since last February. It's also gotten very expensive and now more so for us with the new tax laws coming into effect. Many people want to leave but can't because they'll be bankrupted by capital gains taxes. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Home prices continue their climb through the roof with a serious housing shortage. Then there's the increased traffic, congestion and constant road rage. It can be hours to get places that used to take minutes. It's unfortunately not the beautiful and affordable California I witnessed for the first time a few decades ago.
As far as climate goes in Oregon, we don't want an inordinate amount of rain and wind - as in the kind that Brookings and the Oregon Coast get. We do know that a good nine months out of the year it's drizzly, rainy and foggy in much of Oregon. That's just the reality (and which makes it so beautiful and green) and we're willing to compromise on that - we just don't want 50+ inches of it. We're keeping track of temperatures and amounts of rain and snow in the areas we're interested in. We traveled to So. Oregon last year and liked Ashland, Jacksonville, parts of Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. In May of this year we're planning a trip to visit friends and look seriously at the Corvallis area. We like that it's a small college town, is outdoor-oriented with biking/hiking and lots of nature, and is near to Eugene for the oh-so-important medical care. We realize that no place is perfect; it's just a matter of what you can tolerate and what you can't. We also realize that once we leave California we can never come back. And that's why we're doing a lot of research and taking our time.
Anyone have any thoughts on the Corvallis area? Commentary will be much appreciated!
I think you need to talk to an accountant before you assume cap. gains will whack you. If you want small rural acreage with a nice house, you can easily drop over a million bucks on a home in the Willamette Valley around Corvallis. Then you can shelter half a million bucks with your homestead exemption. Say you sell your California house for $5 million, you only have to pay 15% capital gains on 3.5 million ($525,000), for an effective federal tax rate of 10.5%. I don't know what California taxes are like, but it seems to me you get a nice home and probably pocket over $3 million. I don't see that as bankruptcy.
As rainfall goes, you are golden there too. Average annual rainfall in the Willamette Valley is about 45 inches, 10% under your 50 inch limit, and nothing like the 160 - 200 inch limit they get on the coast.
LOL, maybe Larry means 160 - 200 centimeters. In which case he is right.
For the record the rainiest part of Oregon is the Cascade Mountains on the eastside of the Willamette Valley.
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