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Im planning to relocate in 2018. Narrowed it down to two states. One of them is Oregon. I have visited Oregon once but didnt get to spend as much time as I would like. I originally thought I would like Portland from what I had heard. That its very green... not just the color of the leaves thanks to all the rain but enviromentally friendly with a hipster laid back vibe. And Im vegetarian and tattooed and I love nature and hiking. Plus there seemed to be a lot of other cool things to do in the area for entertainment. But when I visited I was blown away by the amount of homeless everywhere. And Im from Los Angeles! Thats saying a lot.i didnt feel safe there. And it was over crowded and parking was a nightmare. I quickly scratched Portland off my list.the only other negative I can mention is I dont like that I cant pump my own gas. Thats just very weird to me.
But on the pro list, I love the no sales tax, I love vegan options, love all the hiking trails and waterfalls, 2nd highest minimum wage in the US (even tho I usually work for twice the minimum wage at least) despite a pretty high unemployment rate. I went to Tigard and loved it. I looked at some homes, the mall. I went to lake oswego and loved it. So charming and beautiful. Sadly both those cities cost a bit more than Im looking to spend. But very nice suburban areas there.
The reason I am reaching out for help from the locals is for info on the places I did not have time to visit on my last trip. I plan to make another trip and visit these areas soon. Bend, Eugene, Salem, and the Coast. I would love to hear the pros and cons of these cities or even which is your favorite city and why. That would be a huge help. If you have another city in OR you think is better Im open to hearing it too. But Portland is off my list so lets just skip that place.
A little about me... if this helps.... Im 32, single, female, divorced, no kids. Have worked in office management, mortgage, publishing, and retail management. Usually make $20/hr where Im from. Im open to whatever career pays the bills, not really tied down to any one thing. Want to eventually buy a home. Dont want to spend more than $300K for 2-3 bedrooms. I prefer suburbs to big city life because I like low crime, feeling safe. Plus less traffic, better parking, less smog, and so on. I dont eat meat. I love hiking. I have lots of tattoos. I volunteer at animal rescues. I love animals and photography. I lived in WA state for a year and it was beautiful but the winter was pretty dark so I got a little down. I go to church but Im non denominational. I love the beach, mountains, forest, although Im not the most experienced in snow driving.
Im pretty sure the coast is out as far as finding a decent paying job there but its always not that far of a drive to visit I guess. Still would love to hear more about it. What are the big stores people shop at there (Eugene, Bend, Salem)?? I could not find the stores that Im used to here when searching for them there in OR (aside from Portland). Like Sephora. Every mall has that here. And Walmart. Oregon had a few. We have one like every 5 miles where I live. Costco is big around here. Just curious what your go-to fun things are there for shopping, dinning, entertainment ( aside from all the outdoor opportunities of course )
Last edited by Caliraiderette; 11-07-2017 at 10:05 PM..
For more sunshine, look at towns east of the Cascades. More snow, but it's not as wet, and is sunnier. With that in mind, I'd suggest checking out the Medford/Ashland area. The closer to Ashland, the more liberal.
In case it matters to you, Oregon is pretty pro-gun everywhere except Portland. And can be pretty redneck outside of college towns. If you can roll with that, you'll be fine. But, to find more vegans (which I now am myself) get closer to colleges/universities or artsy communities. That's why I'm thinking Ashland. But, you can find more affordable houses if you get just a bit farther out from Ashland.
I lived in WA all over the western part of the state, and in the Cascade mountains a couple hours from Portland, up to Seattle and up to the Canadian border. I recently moved from Crescent City, CA, which is on the CA border of OR on the coast, and traveled to Medford a few times while there, and I lived in Redding, CA. So, I'm fairly familiar with all of those areas.
I just really think the weather will get to you anywhere on the west side of the Cascades, and that would include even as far south as Eureka, CA. It's cloudy and wet and cold, and as you go north, that ends up being sleet and ice. Just yuck.
On the eastern side, though, you get more snow, but it's usually nice dry snow, and you get a lot more sunshine.
From Ashland, you can get to the coast, though, in just a couple hours or so. Summers can get pretty hot on the east side.
Yea I agree with Metlakatla- you ruled out Portland area too preemptively (per your requirements)- there are plenty of low key cheaper areas around the Metro, which is really what you need for job and desires. Oregon is pretty conservative and provincial outside of the metros. Or Ashland...
Check out outer South east, like Brentwood-darlington, Lents neighborhood, parts of Gresham, etc.. there are alot of suburban areas near Portland that fit your bill ...
Im planning to relocate in 2018. Narrowed it down to two states. One of them is Oregon. I have visited Oregon once but didnt get to spend as much time as I would like. I originally thought I would like Portland from what I had heard. That its very green... not just the color of the leaves thanks to all the rain but enviromentally friendly with a hipster laid back vibe. And Im vegetarian and tattooed and I love nature and hiking. Plus there seemed to be a lot of other cool things to do in the area for entertainment. But when I visited I was blown away by the amount of homeless everywhere. And Im from Los Angeles! Thats saying a lot.i didnt feel safe there. And it was over crowded and parking was a nightmare. I quickly scratched Portland off my list.the only other negative I can mention is I dont like that I cant pump my own gas. Thats just very weird to me.
But on the pro list, I love the no sales tax, I love vegan options, love all the hiking trails and waterfalls, 2nd highest minimum wage in the US (even tho I usually work for twice the minimum wage at least) despite a pretty high unemployment rate. I went to Tigard and loved it. I looked at some homes, the mall. I went to lake oswego and loved it. So charming and beautiful. Sadly both those cities cost a bit more than Im looking to spend. But very nice suburban areas there.
The reason I am reaching out for help from the locals is for info on the places I did not have time to visit on my last trip. I plan to make another trip and visit these areas soon. Bend, Eugene, Salem, and the Coast. I would love to hear the pros and cons of these cities or even which is your favorite city and why. That would be a huge help. If you have another city in OR you think is better Im open to hearing it too. But Portland is off my list so lets just skip that place.
A little about me... if this helps.... Im 32, single, female, divorced, no kids. Have worked in office management, mortgage, publishing, and retail management. Usually make $20/hr where Im from. Im open to whatever career pays the bills, not really tied down to any one thing. Want to eventually buy a home. Dont want to spend more than $300K for 2-3 bedrooms. I prefer suburbs to big city life because I like low crime, feeling safe. Plus less traffic, better parking, less smog, and so on. I dont eat meat. I love hiking. I have lots of tattoos. I volunteer at animal rescues. I love animals and photography. I lived in WA state for a year and it was beautiful but the winter was pretty dark so I got a little down. I go to church but Im non denominational. I love the beach, mountains, forest, although Im not the most experienced in snow driving.
Im pretty sure the coast is out as far as finding a decent paying job there but its always not that far of a drive to visit I guess. Still would love to hear more about it. What are the big stores people shop at there (Eugene, Bend, Salem)?? I could not find the stores that Im used to here when searching for them there in OR (aside from Portland). Like Sephora. Every mall has that here. And Walmart. Oregon had a few. We have one like every 5 miles where I live. Costco is big around here. Just curious what your go-to fun things are there for shopping, dinning, entertainment ( aside from all the outdoor opportunities of course )
Where you can get a job. Where you would like to live isn't going to matter if you can't get a job there.
It sounds like you would fit in perfectly in Eugene, except that the city of Eugene collects and cares for the homeless like cat ladies collect and care for stray cats.
Everywhere in Oregon is dark in the winter, even the east side. If you like sunshine, stay to the south end of the country. You might like Taos New Mexico. It's very artsy.
Wherever you move, you will just have to make do with whatever shops are there. If one store is especially precious to you, you could always use their store locator and only consider towns near their locations. Walmart, by the way, has stores all over Oregon.
For specialty shopping, you need to stay near big cities, of which Oregon has exactly one: Portland. Although that could be extended to most of the Willamette Valley (Portland in the north to Eugene in the south) and you'll get MOST of what you are looking for, particularly if you can substitute, say, Ulta for Sephora.
The thing about California retail is that most of the smaller cities are relatively near very large population bases, so that what seems like a small town can support a larger retail base than you would expect (not true on the north coast or parts of the Sierras, of course). Since Oregon really only has the one large city, that is where the specialty retail is.
Ashland/Medford has been recommended in the thread, but I doubt it will suit you - this is a very odd retail market. Ashland sort of sucks up all the high-end retail & restaurants (it's where the money is in the valley) but because of the wealthy retiree/old hippy/wealthy tourist/winery tourism base most of the retail is not chain, nor does it have a youth appeal. If you want a $500 hand-knit mohair/silk cardigan, Ashland is your destination. If you are looking for edgy young fashion, there is nothing in the Rogue Valley, the closest would be the Torrid store in the dying mall in Medford.
The homeless population has soared all along the west coast. It is a problem everywhere. Salem and Eugene will be no different than Portland. I know here our homeless population has grown 35% in the past year due to high rents. Those just barely eeking it out just can't anymore. Eugene has the exact same problem. You can't escape it in any of the larger cities.
You can't pump your gas anywhere in Oregon. That is state law, and yes it is weird.
Most people here go to the Woodburn Outlet stores to shop, but the Salem Center has a Nordstrom's, and I think Penny's has a Sephora inside of it. Not sure about that though since I don't use their products.
There are a lot of non-denominational, vegetarian, tattooed people all over Oregon. I think you just need to decide what kind of vibe you want in your city and then it will make it easier to help you figure out some cities to check out.
For specialty shopping, you need to stay near big cities, of which Oregon has exactly one: Portland. Although that could be extended to most of the Willamette Valley (Portland in the north to Eugene in the south) and you'll get MOST of what you are looking for, particularly if you can substitute, say, Ulta for Sephora.
It's seems that Saphora has stores in Eugene and Salem. Maybe the OP should focus on those cities. Either that or she could get used to ordering online.
Salem has much of what you're looking for. It does have way less traffic, congestion and better housing for your budget. You'll still fit in even if its not as "progressive" as Portland. And close enough to Portland for whatever you want from there shopping wise. Its about 200k people so not too small either. I mostly enjoyed my time living there.
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