Pretty Nervous Here... (lease)

[mitchere]

I suggest you look at towns along the Columbia River northwest of Portland. They sound like they fit your criteria pretty well. I grew up in St. Helens, OR which was named after Mt. St. Helens because it has a good view of the mountain. That will definitely takes care of the mountain view you wanted because on a clear, sunny day you can see Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Rainer, Mt. Hood, and obviously Mt. St. Helens. St. Helens is also really green with lots of grass, trees, creeks, etc. Basically, if you plant it, it will grow, and even if you don't plant it, it will grow. It is also a small tight-knit community that is nice for raising children. (I was raised there and I thought it was great!) I have not looked lately, but the population of St. Helens is around 9,000 and it has a nice (athough small) library.

Some other towns along the Columbia River include Scappoose, Rainier, Clatskanie, Warren, Columbia City, and others. They are all small towns with less than 10,000 people. If you want to be close to Portland, Scappoose is a good option because it is only about 30 minutes from Portland. St. Helens is a little further away. Almost all of these towns have small community libraries. I doubt the pay is very high, but living in that area is pretty cheap compared to Portland. I know a ton of people who bought land in and around St. Helens and built their own houses. I even know a guy who will pour your foundation for a good price!

St. Helens is also only about 2 hours from the coast, so you can visit whenever you like, but it isn't nearly as cold and windy. I don't know if you've ever been to the Oregon coast, but it is really windy, rainy, and cold most of the year. It isn't really a fun place to live in my opinion, but if you just go inland a little more, the wheather is pretty mild year round. Good luck finding a place.

[Mormor]

Dear, Dear 4sarad,
I have lived in Oregon all my life (I'm 59). Because of so many people moving to Oregon, going shopping on a weekend is like shopping used to be on Christmas Eve. It is just a mass of people, cars, traffic, fumes ~ it's terrible, and I just don't do it anymore. I have seen our politics change because of the influx of people who grew up in other states and kindly brought their views along with them to Oregon. We are pretty laid back here, pretty liberal (except when it comes to illegal immigration, then we all sound like Republicans). When southern California had smog, we didn't. Now we have smog too, and in the summer there are days when it just sits there because there is no wind to blow it away. I have a friend who lives in Idaho, in a city outside of Boise called Eagle, and another friend who lives in Montana in a small city called Hamilton. Also, Washington is beautiful and housing is less expensive. My husband's brother lives in Goldendale, WA. There are three other states around us that are beautiful and offer beautiful benefits just as Oregon does. But we are running out of space. Because, as one person said here, we can only build so far out into the rural areas, so whereever there is any room to build something, they are building apartments and condominiums to cram as many people as they can into one little spot, instead of building a couple new houses for two families. So, please, do some research on some other nice cities in other beautiful states. You might be glad you did.

[Imperial1904]

Originally Posted by Mormor

When southern California had smog, we didn't. Now we have smog too, and in the summer there are days when it just sits there because there is no wind to blow it away.

You might be confusing smog with fire smoke. I've noticed during fire season that smoke lingers and travels.

[Mormor]

Dear Imperial:
We who have lived here for many, many years know the difference between forest fire smoke and smog from too many cars on the road. Also, the weather men on TV will inform you each evening which you are inhaling. When it is hot and there is no wind blowing down the gorge or from the ocean, we are in smog country. I did live in southern California for 2-1/2 years back in 1971-1974 when my first husband was transfered there for business. Portland did not have smog back then. I lived in La Mirada, the southern-most city in Los Angeles County, for about three months when one day I was driving down Santa Gertrudes and, OH MY GOD!, there were mountains in front of me, really big ones, that I had never seen before because of the smog. My first husband is still there, I came home. I know smog, and when there is a forest fire anywhere near Portland that is going to be obstructing your view of the sky, the guys on television will let you know about it. But thanks anyway.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Also, I agree with the other posters about visiting before you move. Oregon is quite different from Ohio, and you might end up hating it! I personally love most of the state, but it's not for everyone... it rains constantly in the winter, gets kinda hot & humid in the summer, and most towns are either very liberal or very conservative.

As an Oregonian who spends 2-3 weeks a year in Northeast Ohio, I feel compelled to respond. If you think that the Willamette Valley is "hot & humid in the summer", then I'm guessing that you have never been to Ohio (or the Southeast, or most of the Eastern seaboard) in the summer. A typical summer day in Akron is 75-85 degrees, 70-90% humidity, often with a threat of thunderstorms. In the summer in the Portland area it's usually 75-85 degrees, very low humidity, occasional light, cool breezes, and sunny skies... and it feels heavenly compared to the humid Midwest.

Yes the rainy season is long here in Western Oregon but it is nothing compared to the 4-5 feet of lake effect snow they average in the snow belt near Lake Erie. Ohio transplants laugh at how Portlanders freak out and the city grinds to a halt due the rare, light dusting of snow in the valley. If you enjoy four seasons, you might prefer central or southern Oregon even though they aren't quite as green as the Willamette Valley.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by The Cactus Leaguer

Ohio transplants laugh at how Portlanders freak out and the city grinds to a halt due the rare, light dusting of snow in the valley.

The midwest is dead flat. Put those Ohio transplants on the Terwilliger Curves or Sylvan Hill and see how they do. It's a snap to drive in snow when the steepest thing you encounter is a mole hill.

I have also followed midwest storms where they would have been a lot better off to grind to a halt. I have seen freeways that looked like WWIII had broken out, cars abandoned, upside down, and even occasional burned out vehicles. Were they trying to stay warm by setting their car on fire? Did these people not have the sense to stay home? I spent the previous day holed up in a motel because I didn't want to drive in that.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

I have driven in both. I would take Portland over the lake effect snowstorms in Northeast Ohio. Yes it's more flat than Portland but it still has slopes, hills, turns, and whiteout conditions. And as a bonus, your car ends up rusting out because of all the salt they dump on the road all winter long.

In either case, the best thing to do is just stay home, which is easier to do in Portland since it happens rarely.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by The Cactus Leaguer

As an Oregonian who spends 2-3 weeks a year in Northeast Ohio, I feel compelled to respond. If you think that the Willamette Valley is "hot & humid in the summer", then I'm guessing that you have never been to Ohio (or the Southeast, or most of the Eastern seaboard) in the summer.

Then you'd be wrong, since I was BORN in Maryland - one of the most humid parts of the eastern seaboard. Lived there until age 7, and ever since, I've gone back to the East Coast at least once a year (including countless trips to Florida). Of course Oregon isn't as humid & hot as that part of the country, but it is for the West Coast!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by CantWait2Bthere

Can't you get both...I mean I knew lots of college kids who smoked weed...one of them was taking classes to become a pilot too. SCARY ;/

Of course you can do both, provided you don't smoke right before a class... I went to college in Oregon, and smoking weed was practically a credit course - LOL. And yes, I finished college with a high GPA, and even went on to get a Master's degree with honors. Moderation is the key!

[sunny2213]

looking for my real dad bill wiseman born in 60 he also goes by scott or maybe william, think he may be living in gold hill oregon now, this is a long shot but hey any help would do thanx