Pretty Nervous Here... (Portland, Eugene, Salem: home, find a job, buy)

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by yakker

Yeah, some decisions can really make you nervous, and can make a big difference in the rest of your life!



Dave

I've seen that picture before, and it's hilarious... I've also driven through Weed many times (going from Eugene to San Francisco), and have taken a few pictures of my own.

[lance]

I actually just moved from Corvallis, and if you're looking for a smaller town/city---this is definately one of the best choices. They have been going through some WONDERFUL renovations. The waterfront now if absolutely gorgeous. Population is around 50K (maybe a little more). They have a very nice library as well. It's a college town so you definately get that flavor. People who live their consider it to be kind of like "Mayberry" Almost likes it's a few years behind the times (in a good way!). Very family orientated. You definately have some nice options for food and such. Then if you need something really exciting there's always Portland and Eugene not too terribly far away. One the downside it is one of the most desired places to live so housing is on the expensive side. But if you can get in, it's a GREAT place to live and raise a family for sure!

[4sarad]

Thanks Lance, that was really helpful! I'd rather work in a public library, but if I can't find work there, I'll look into university libraries. Does anyone know anything about the Jackson County libraries that were mentioned earlier in this post?

[ExNYC]

Originally Posted by 4sarad

In Jackson County? I was just looking at them earlier today. Didn't they just renovate all of their public libraries? Did they close some and use the money to make the others better?

Here's what I read today:
Thanks to Jackson County voters, who overwhelmingly passed Measure 15-6 in May 2000, work has begun on the Jackson County Libraries building project. New libraries have been built in Applegate, Central Point, Eagle Point, Gold Hill, Medford, Prospect, Ruch and Jacksonville while existing libraries have been extensively remodeled in Rogue River and Ashland. Construction is underway in Phoenix, Shady Cove, and Talent.

The $38.9 million bond measure is expanding or building new libraries in fourteen communities in Jackson County, Oregon. In a fifteenth community, Urban Renewal funds built a new library in White City.

Have things changed since then?

Yes, in Jackson, there was a measure on the ballot where taxpayers could vote to raise two million dollars to keep the library open if the federal timber subsidies were discontinued. It was voted down. Ashland voted for it two to one and Medford supported it, but we got dragged down (YES, DRAGGED DOWN) by voters in those other towns you mentioned.

The libraries will be closing in April. Oh well, residents can always stay home and watch Hee Haw.

[4sarad]

What a waste! I can't believe a town would pay to build a new library and then close it a couple of years later. What a shame. Like I said, I won't move somewhere until I have a job set up... but I'd still prefer it to be in Oregon. I still have a year and a half. Perhaps things may change a bit in that time.

[nocoldiron]

The librarian in Mapleton was replaced a few months ago. I was told there were 9 applicants for the job. The position was filled by a schoolteacher who had been working there already parttime. Politics seemed to play a larger part in job selection than qualifications. The job pays slightly higher than minimum wage. The waitress at the casino makes more money than the librarian. Plumbers, carpenters, electricians (people in construction trades) are highly sought after. We have an expression here called "Oregonian time" which means if you can find one to come to your house within one month of their expected arrival, don't hold your breath waiting for a call to tell you they are rescheduling. I'm blessed with a hubby who does it all but watching our neighbors trying to get help is a source of cheap entertainment. 50% of the work that is completed is shoddy. We have an ex principal here who is now the contract rural mailman and who also runs an ad for odd jobs. This part of the state is not kind to teachers and librarians but great to contractors and nurses. This is an incredibly beautiful place to live but you may have to switch careers. I hope you can have your cake and eat it too, but you have to have an open mind. I'm not trying to be a downer and don't blame you for being nervous.

[4sarad]

Wow, Mapleton looks like it's in a good area. I'd love to be close to the ocean but not actually on it.

Thanks for your words of advice. I read the other day that the job outlook for librarians is looking great, and I'm highly qualified. I'm not so much worried about if I'll get a job as I am where I get the job.

[ocgirloc]

I moved to Oregon in 2003 from Nor Cal and I still miss it every day It was a huge culture shock and definitely a learning experience! What these people are telling you is TRUE and I wish I'd known this before moving here.

Spend time in any city you choose to move to before moving. The only way to get a feel for a city is to see for yourself. I visited only one time before, and I had a sneaking suspicion it would be hard to get used to - I should have listened to my gut feeling!

[ExNYC]

ocgirl, I feel for ya. It is an adjustment. Keep reading articles about the precarious finances of CA and you'll be reminded of why you (and we) moved here.

Has anybody checked out Bend? We should have before we moved to Ashland but it seemed too far away from CA (and our kids) at the time.

[KeepitQuiet]

Lighten up everybody, she has been dreaming about moving to Oregon a long time and won't be here for more then a year, she is "checking it out" before she moves, that's why she asked for our input and stated she wanted to have a job before she moved.

Eastern Oregon would be off your list given it is less them green and grassy. The Mid-Willamette Valley would seem the best option for green and rain, unless of course you like the cold Ocean and sideways rain? LOL I grew up in Newport, on the Oregon coast. Moved to the Valley for college and never wanted to move back.

For myself, coming from a small town like Newport, ALBANY seemed the perfect answer. Not too big nor too small. Population about 40,000 and centrally located between Eugene and Portland right on Interstate 5. They have a community college here and a University 14 miles away in Corvallis with a population of about 50,000. The beach is due west, less then 70 miles, over some small mountains or you can head about the same distance East up into the big mountains and go snow ski, and a little further east over those mountains is more desert area. (And they have weird trees over there too LOL). There are a ton of small towns here there and in between. You might consider looking at the price of purchasing land before you decide where to move and build your own home too, there is a huge price difference the closer your small town (pop 20,000 or so) is to the large metro's like Portland and Eugene, too many people want to move a little ways out of the big city.

I will tell you now, there is a huge difference in the cost of rentals just between Albany and Corvallis. Albany has lower stable rent where as Corvallis caters to the college crowd and expect the units to be filled with kids, thrashed and left un-rented all summer long. You can rent a place during the summer but most of them will raise the rent a couple hundred dollars as soon as school starts.

Also consider shopping. When I lived in Newport (pop. about 10,000) we always went to the big city of Corvallis to school shop. We didn't have a Walmart, Target or other big chain stores, as most small towns don't and once you are used to Shopping for Target clearance, Walmart bargains of cheap food and WareMart it is hard to get used to small local stores. I lived in Salem for a couple years when I went back to college, TOO big a city for me. All those people and traffic!!! My friend lives in Oregon City, up near Portland and it is nothing to him to crawl along in traffic for 30 minutes to get 10 miles down the road, drives me crazy to be driving along and realize its 3 or 5pm and I didn't plan for the big city traffic. Though occasionally the traffic gets thick even here in Albany, especially on Game Day and you have hundreds of Beaver fans