Pretty Nervous Here... (Portland, Eugene, Salem: agriculture, budget, vacation)

[4sarad]

I have had my mind set on moving to Oregon for years, and my husband is just as excited. We will be able to move in June of 2008, as soon as I graduate with my Masters degree. My problem is that I work full time and go to school full time, and my husband will be graduating in May ('07) and starting a new job. This means we will have no time, money, or vacation time with which to figure out which town/city would be best for us. Neither of us have ever actually been to Oregon!

I won't move until I have a job lined up, but I'd like to narrow down my search radius to a section of Oregon that would suit us best. I hope some people here will have some advice! Here is what we're looking for:

I'm a librarian, so I'm looking for a community that values education and literacy. We have no children now, but will some day, so once again... education is important. I want to live somewhere where I can see mountains, but I don't have to drive on any. I love rainy days, so I don't mind a rainy section of the state and absolutely require lots of green grass and trees. We'll be renting for at least the first year or two, but once we can afford a house, we'd like to build our own... preferrably not in town. My husband is a novelist, so it really doesn't matter to him where we live in regards to job outlook. I'd prefer to live in a place with under 20,000 people or so. My husband and I don't go out that much except to enjoy some fine dining. We would like to get into hiking, biking, and kayaking more, though. I'm not sure what else would help here. I would prefer cooler summers than we have here in Ohio. I tend to get light-headed very quickly in heat.

Any advice you could give would be very greatly appreciated!

[PDXsailor]

I don't see how you can plan to move somewhere without checking it out first. Also, library jobs are not too common, and there have been lots of budget cuts that target libraries in many communities, so wish you well in finding a job.

Why don't you and your husband take a trip out here and check out the Western part of the state to get a feel for some areas that you like?

[4sarad]

We can't really take that trip. We have to save up all of our extra money for the move and for me to make a trip or two for interviews. There isn't enough to go on a nice long trip to look around.

[Clear2land]

Hi 4 Sara D:

Before you do anything, I would pick up the phone and call some libraries in Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis area to get some idea of what the job market is like first. Ask if there are any openings and what the pay is like? Since you can pick the city based on your needs and the need for you to work is high, I would let the job dictate the city in which you live. Everyone is making a really big deal about which Oregon city to live in when they all have their good and bad points. Oregon in general is a great place to live period. I would be more concerned for the job than the city. Based on the fact you are providing income and benefits to the family, your job comes first.

Dan

[seashelly]

Originally Posted by Clear2land

Hi 4 Sara D:

Before you do anything, I would pick up the phone and call some libraries in Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis area to get some idea of what the job market is like first. Ask if there are any openings and what the pay is like? Since you can pick the city based on your needs and the need for you to work is high, I would let the job dictate the city in which you live. Everyone is making a really big deal about which Oregon city to live in when they all have their good and bad points. Oregon in general is a great place to live period. I would be more concerned for the job than the city. Based on the fact you are providing income and benefits to the family, your job comes first.

Dan

Good Fatherly advice. Made sense to me.

[Steve97415]

I have to agree with PDXsailor. There are a lot of "castles in the air" in your aspirations, and a visit our here would help put your feet on the ground, and might well recalibrate your dreams. If you're looking for a community that values literacy and education, Portland and the college towns are pretty much it. Remember that this is a state that is still emerging from a logging, fishing, and agriculture economy. Competing for the few-and-far-between library jobs will not likely give you that much latitude of choice anyway. You should at least check into news articles about Oregon's recent budget cuts and revenue shortfalls.

[tiffela74]

I dearly love living in Oregon, but Im with the other posters here, please dont make such a huge decision w/o coming and checking it out yourself. Put off a move for a couple months/year if you have to, but its just too much of a change to move so far w/o really seeing it first. I'd hate to hear that you moved here sight unseen really, only to be miserable w/your new home. - It does sound like you would be happy here, Oregon has much that fits your criteria, but it'll be worth it in the long run to take the time/money first to make sure.
Best of luck to you,
Tiffany

[PDXsailor]

Here is a link to the Portland area government jobs. This where you will find library jobs in this area, if there are any. Portland libraries fall under Multnomah County, and Clackamas county has both county and City libraries.

http://www.cascadelink.org/job/gov_jobs.html

As for the other cities and Counties in Oregon, you will just need to visit their websites for job listings.

But don't forget to visit the area first!!!!!

[gizmo980]

Hi! I'm actually a recent LIS graduate (San Jose State), and have also been looking at library jobs in Oregon... so thought I'd chime in with some advice. I lived in Eugene while attending UofO, and have wanted to go back ever since. It's a great town with very friendly people, and that relaxed Northwestern attitude... I also think it's the perfect size - big enough to be called a "city", but not a huge metropolis. Unfortunately it seems library jobs are few & far between, since I haven't had any good leads. I'm also looking around Northern California (Bay Area mainly), where I currently live. There are definitely more prospects down here, though there's also more competition. Here are some sites I've been watching, in case you don't have them... of course, a librarian should already have a folder full of sources - LOL. (p.s. These are mainly for public jobs, but some lead to academic & corporate as well)

http://www.lisjobs.com/states/oregon.htm
http://www.pnla.org/jobs/index.htm
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/jobs/
http://www.co.lane.or.us/jobs/
(and any other county websites)
Here's a general webliography, provided by my school's site: http://slisgroups.sjsu.edu/alumni/jo...s/jobsites.htm

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. I don't consider all of these things to be negative, but some people might. On the positive side, it has amazing scenery, wonderful people, room to breathe, affordable housing (for the most part), and a generally good standard of living. Anyway, try your hardest to find just one weekend, to come out and see Oregon... there aren't too many cities, so you can cover at least the Portland-Salem-Eugene stretch. Wouldn't it be funny if we ended up at the same interviews?

[gizmo980]

I just re-read your post, and realized that you want a small town... so Eugene, Portland and Salem would be out! There are plenty of small communities in those metro areas, though, so you can still find something along that stretch. I don't know too much about it, but I've always liked Cottage Grove, which is about 20 miles south of Eugene. Also some cute towns north of Eugene, outside of Portland... and maybe Astoria, Corvallis, Ashland, or Hood River?