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I live in Eugene, but spend some time in Corvallis. You won't have trouble finding kid or family things to do. That usually seems to go along with good schools.
Corvallis regularly makes lists of most educated cities, so you won't run into much anti-intellectualism. And I can't say this is exactly the same in Corvallis, but I found it fairly easy to make friends in Eugene because many people were also transplants.
I live in Eugene, but spend some time in Corvallis. You won't have trouble finding kid or family things to do. That usually seems to go along with good schools.
Corvallis regularly makes lists of most educated cities, so you won't run into much anti-intellectualism. And I can't say this is exactly the same in Corvallis, but I found it fairly easy to make friends in Eugene because many people were also transplants.
Thanks for those insights, Bees522! Do you happen to have any sense of the ratio of (non-student) transplants in Corvallis? I'm mostly trying to get a sense of how out of place/unwelcome (or not!) we might be as non-student transplants. The thread about the overcrowding of Bend is a good example of why I'm concerned. It is stressful to live somewhere where a good portion of the population thinks you're a plague for being a newcomer and wishes you would leave.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by iso4everhome
Thanks for those insights, Bees522! Do you happen to have any sense of the ratio of (non-student) transplants in Corvallis? I'm mostly trying to get a sense of how out of place/unwelcome (or not!) we might be as non-student transplants. The thread about the overcrowding of Bend is a good example of why I'm concerned. It is stressful to live somewhere where a good portion of the population thinks you're a plague for being a newcomer and wishes you would leave.
They will get over it, and it should not bother you... everyone comes from Somewhere.
I got chased from Colorado in the 1970's due to Californication of property values (Raises valuations so the locals and retirees (who made the community great) are forced to leave their very homes and communities because they can't afford property taxes. (NO WHERE besides CA has Prop 13)
Then...My WA property taxes went from <$3/ day to now $46/day due to Californication.
So.. it just happens... but, you gotta be from somewhere.
Join / embrace your new community and volunteer a LOT. You will be fine.\
Corvallis is a college town, Stable Ag / Forestry businesses in the region, and also has plenty of engineers. (HP, Inc. Corvallis does very little programming... they are the 'Ink Jet' printhead gurus). Electro Mechanical, and they are good neighbors. (community support), and a lot of tech startups come from them and others in the area.
There is nothing about Corvallis that will make it uniquely difficult to get contractors or handymen types out to do work. A lot of contractors will cover the general region anyway. I don't think it will be any more difficult to get someone out to fix your plumbing or drywall or landscaping in Corvallis compared to Eugene or Salem or anyplace else. The local economy is doing pretty well and housing is expensive so you just can't expect good people to work for free or close to it. You'll have to pay going rates which is why it is often so much cheaper and easier to just learn to DIY for small stuff.
As for being a newcomer? Basic rule is don't be an a-hole and don't whine to local business about how much better/different/etc. things were were you came from. They don't care and don't want to hear it. What people really hate are rich outsiders who come in and try to change things. If that's not you then you'll be fine.
They will get over it, and it should not bother you... everyone comes from Somewhere.
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Corvallis is a college town, Stable Ag / Forestry businesses in the region, and also has plenty of engineers. (HP, Inc. Corvallis does very little programming... they are the 'Ink Jet' printhead gurus). Electro Mechanical, and they are good neighbors. (community support), and a lot of tech startups come from them and others in the area.
Thanks, @StealthRabbit, interesting stuff. I don't know why I assumed HP had a lot of programmers - maybe it was just the earlier comment about Corvallis being a techie city, but I suppose there are a lot of different kinds of tech. When we've walked around Corvallis, we always bring our dog because people come out of the woodwork to talk to us (he's our handsome ambassador ) and everyone we've talked to has been very friendly and kind. You help to confirm our assessment that there are lots of good neighbors.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texasdiver
There is nothing about Corvallis that will make it uniquely difficult to get contractors or handymen types out to do work. A lot of contractors will cover the general region anyway. I don't think it will be any more difficult to get someone out to fix your plumbing or drywall or landscaping in Corvallis compared to Eugene or Salem or anyplace else. The local economy is doing pretty well and housing is expensive so you just can't expect good people to work for free or close to it. You'll have to pay going rates which is why it is often so much cheaper and easier to just learn to DIY for small stuff.
As for being a newcomer? Basic rule is don't be an a-hole and don't whine to local business about how much better/different/etc. things were were you came from. They don't care and don't want to hear it. What people really hate are rich outsiders who come in and try to change things. If that's not you then you'll be fine.
Thanks, @texasdiver. Good to hear. We're happy to pay appropriate rates for contractor services (I get it - I do contract for hire work myself). We're just coming from a place where it is challenging to hire anyone for the tricky (to us, at any rate) non-DIY jobs that are smaller than a total remodel. Also, some kinds of installations or repairs just don't have local reps and people would have to come from a few hours away. Corvallis is obviously much less isolated, but I just wanted a gut check on general services, which seem to be readily available.
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I used to think that "everyone comes from Somewhere" and "just don't be an a-hole and you'll be fine" are both true, but I've found that it is possible to live somewhere where most everyone is coming from right there and not being in that club automatically makes you an a-hole or, at the very least, worthy of suspicion. And sure, you can live there as a transplant and be "fine", but I'm not really interested in living in places where you have to fight to prove your worthiness to share the space simply because you're new to the area. Not everyone new is trying to upend the status quo, but gentrification can be an insidious thing whether or not newcomers intend for it to follow them, so I get where long-term residents unhappy with newcomers might be coming from. I also don't want to be just okay - I want to really love where I live and feel like I belong there, which means not feeling like (or actually being) an univited guest constantly stepping on my host's toes and ruining their groove. It's just personal preference.
In my experience, in larger cities or smaller but well connected cities, people don't care where you're from and no one really thinks about it - it is more often the case that people come from somewhere else. The city doesn't belong to anyone in particular. Everyone belongs there. There are enough different kinds of people that no one group is typically blamed for all of the city's problems. People don't chafe as readily at perceived differences because they're expected and non-threatening to the current way of life - they are the norm rather than the exception. I appreciate the anonymity and live-and-let-live attitude that comes with that. But who can afford to live in cities these days? And no one enjoys the traffic. So, in the end, I suppose I'm just trying to suss out whether the personality of Corvallis tends toward a more live-and-let-live-to-each-their-own attitude or more toward "local shops for local people" Both attitudes can be fine; I just know I'm a better fit with the former.
It's the kind of thing you can't generally pick up on as a visitor/tourist, which comes with its own unique set of experiences and interactions.
If there are any listening/reading, I'd be really interested to hear from non-student transplants to Corvallis. Were you able to settle in, find your niche, feel at home?
You're mostly getting the "small bush stroke" responses, and I wanted to zoom out a little. I lived in Corvallis a while ago. Two of my kids went to OSU and one still works in Corvallis (HP - a programmer ), so we still visit there regularly. My impression of the "personality" of Corvallis is that is wears its progressive attitude on its sleeve. It is probably the most liberal town in the state outside Portland, and it may not be that far behind. (Some will say, "what about Eugene?" Eugene still has the remnants of the logging industry so it has a conservative counterbalance that Corvallis is missing.)
I am trying to say this in a neutral or positive way, as I don't think it's a bad thing unless it's not your thing. Go to the Farmers Market some time and you'll see lots of dreadlocks and organic cotton clothing. Since it is a desirable place to live it's pricey, and because it's a college town there are smart people there. This leads to a white-collar, intellectual progressive atmosphere, not labor activists.
The college brings in some culture that another town that size may not see, but people still need to travel to Eugene and Portland for traveling shows and major exhibits. Because it's a college town you won't experience the xenophobia.
You're mostly getting the "small bush stroke" responses, and I wanted to zoom out a little. I lived in Corvallis a while ago. Two of my kids went to OSU and one still works in Corvallis (HP - a programmer ), so we still visit there regularly. My impression of the "personality" of Corvallis is that is wears its progressive attitude on its sleeve. It is probably the most liberal town in the state outside Portland, and it may not be that far behind. (Some will say, "what about Eugene?" Eugene still has the remnants of the logging industry so it has a conservative counterbalance that Corvallis is missing.)
I am trying to say this in a neutral or positive way, as I don't think it's a bad thing unless it's not your thing. Go to the Farmers Market some time and you'll see lots of dreadlocks and organic cotton clothing. Since it is a desirable place to live it's pricey, and because it's a college town there are smart people there. This leads to a white-collar, intellectual progressive atmosphere, not labor activists.
The college brings in some culture that another town that size may not see, but people still need to travel to Eugene and Portland for traveling shows and major exhibits. Because it's a college town you won't experience the xenophobia.
Thanks for your insights, @BeaverState! It is especially interesting to hear about Eugene as compared with Corvallis. We have also considered Eugene and have enjoyed spending time there, but so far have the impression that Corvallis is a better fit. We'd like to spend more time exploring both places, though. Your description of Corvallis fits with what we've come to understand so far and are excited about (not the priceyness, so much, but the other stuff).
If you don't mind sharing, I'm curious to know how/if Corvallis fit into the decision to move elsewhere?
I chose Eugene over Corvallis because it was bigger and there was more than just the university. I also found Eugene more colorful and entertaining. Plenty of city-data folks don't feel the same, but I like the vibe here.
I chose Eugene over Corvallis because it was bigger and there was more than just the university. I also found Eugene more colorful and entertaining. Plenty of city-data folks don't feel the same, but I like the vibe here.
Very interesting. We've long been looking at Eugene vs Corvallis and lately started leaning more towards Corvallis for a variety of reasons, but we often swing in the other direction, pretty much for the reasons you've mentioned. We are leaving a small town and are a little concerned about heading to yet another small town (bigger, but still small). We definitely need to spend more time in Eugene either way.
The comment from that thread about the "culture wars" in Eugene struck me since that has been my impression just from reading news out of Eugene. The discussions around many local issues, particularly homelessness, put an image in my head of a multitude of people all rage-rowing a sinking boat in different directions. Homelessness is an issue nearly everywhere on the west coast / PNW, but (at least from an outsider's armchair observer's view) it seems to be particularly divisive issue in Eugene that colors many other aspects of life there. "Culture wars" seemed like an apt description. In my younger, single, unfettered days, I'd likely welcome the challenge and jump into the fray. But, for better or worse, I think I'm angling for a little bit of oxymoronic metro-bucolic bliss for the next decade or two while raising our little one. So far, Corvallis seems to fit that picture a little better.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Originally Posted by iso4everhome
Very interesting. We've long been looking at Eugene vs Corvallis and lately started leaning more towards Corvallis for a variety of reasons, but we often swing in the other direction, ..."Culture wars" seemed like an apt description. In my younger, single, unfettered days, I'd likely welcome the challenge and jump into the fray. But, for better or worse, I think I'm angling for a little bit of oxymoronic metro-bucolic bliss for the next decade or two while raising our little one. So far, Corvallis seems to fit that picture a little better.
These are very different cities (Corvallis in not much of a 'small town', you can live there for yrs and not encounter the same people while running errands / at events.)
Eugene can be 'culturally intense'. Residents and outsiders 'taking-up-their-cause', and like "Keeping Portland Weird"... Eugene purposes to "Keep Eugene Liberal" (in the premise that that thought process is 'progressive' . Such as they will like to think - so be it.
Corvallis is much more 'moderate'... there is more of an impact from lifelong rural / agricultural focused industry, as well as the significant difference of a "Land Grant U" vs a 'Non'. +/-
either place will be fine, just different.
If you desire / need to be an engaged 'activist', both places have opportunities, but it you seek a higher dynamic (And if you comply to their mode of thought)... Eugene will be more satisfying for you. Chances are your kid (s) will pursue their own passions. (I hope they are empowered to do that, many aren't).
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) and everyone we've talked to has been very friendly and kind. You help to confirm our assessment that there are lots of good neighbors.
), so we still visit there regularly. My impression of the "personality" of Corvallis is that is wears its progressive attitude on its sleeve. It is probably the most liberal town in the state outside Portland, and it may not be that far behind. (Some will say, "what about Eugene?" Eugene still has the remnants of the logging industry so it has a conservative counterbalance that Corvallis is missing.) 
