Growing Population (Portland, Eugene, Salem: fit in, sales, homes)

[4sarad]

I think what it boils down to is that I need to find a place to move to where there are a lot of new families moving in. I was reading about a couple of towns which sounded nice, but there were large populations of retirees there who are notorious for voting down taxes for education and libraries. Can anyone suggest growing areas where I'd be likely to find lots of new (possibly upper middle class) families? Western half of the state only, please!

[freedom]

Medford, Grants Pass.
We do have plenty of retirees, and the library levee was shot down, but we have one of the fastest growing middle class communities in Oregon. Mostly small business owners and proffesional types.

Grants Pass High School has the largest performing arts theatre in southern Oregon and possibly the whole state as far as High schools go. An astro turf football stadium, and a Gym that the Blazers would feel at home in.

Libraries may be going the way of Kodak drive thru's, which is a shame for many, I know my kids love checking out 20-30 books each every two weeks. But it does not seem to be a priority in mid size communities. I guess when you take away an areas major industry, the extras dry up. Can't cut timber, books are made from trees. Maybe there is a connection in a metaphorical nature.

[Steve97415]

I would look in the university towns. The bigger cities where large numbers of college-educated professionals are employed would be the next best choice. Stay north of the Jefferson Attitude Line at the Douglas/Lane County border to be around younger, better-educated citizens who aren't going to shoot themselves in the foot when voting on fiscal policy: Portland and its exurbs (but NOT Beaverton), Eugene, Corvallis, McMinnville...maybe Salem and Keizer.


P.S. We can cut timber; there are a number of unsold stands up for bid in the Siuslaw NF right now...and no one is bidding. Here's what happened. The "pro-business" lobby got Congress to sign this little thing called NAFTA (thanks, GOP!) because -- being "pro-business" -- they believe in "free trade". Well, it happens that the Canadians do with timber what the U.S. does with wheat: the government subsidizes it heavily and sells it below production cost. As a result, the Canadians can sell finished timber on the U.S. market (duty-free because of NAFTA) for less money than it costs U.S. companies to get raw logs to the mill (google "Canadian softwood dispute" for the whole story). That's why nobody is cutting any trees: no profit in the current market because of Canadian dumping. And since revenues are based on profit, there's no public revenue, even if trees are being cut in a make-work scheme for timber workers.

The other thing that has happened in Oregon is that our wonderful "pro-business" conservatives have prostituted our public revenue potential for "business incentives". You see, here is the thing the boneheaded free-market theorists don't get: there is no revenue, per se, that comes from having business -- even thriving business making huge profits -- in your area. There has to be a mechanism of revenue CAPTURE. But revenue capture means taxes, which the boneheads are opposed to because they are a "pro-business" bunch of guys. We don't have sales tax (not "pro-business"), and the bonehead conservatives have sold off any significant revenue capture through "relocation incentives" for businesses coming to Oregon...because taxing them would be "anti-business" and conservatives stand for "tax relief". The most famously ludicrous case is Nike Corporation in Beaverton...well...it's not really in Beaverton. You see, Beaverton -- because they are "pro-business" -- basically allowed Nike to become a de facto municipality of its own -- an autocratic fiefdom that is essentially immune to any local government outside its own CEO's office. And there are many other similar such cases facilitated by the boneheads.

So we ain't got no public money. But the boneheads aren't concerned because they believe that there is a market-based solution for everything. No money for public schools? Home-school 'em or send 'em to private school! No public parks? Have the little buggers enroll in user-fee recreation centers! Libraries closing down? No problem...we have bookstores, don't we? Why can't the little kiddies buy books? You know?...stimulate the economy?

[RodFarlee]

Oregon counties with above-average growth:

Deschutes Co (Bend, Redmond) +6.4% $44111
Washington Co (Beaverton) +2.2% $54001
Jackson Co (Medford) +2.1% $36670
Josephine Co (Grants Pass) +1.9% $31519
Clackamas Co (Lake Oswego etc) +1.6% $52265
Benton Co (Corvallis) +1.6% $43489
Multnomah Co (Portland) +1.3% $41708
Oregon state average +1.6% $42593

Population growth, 2005-2006, from Portland State Univ.
Median household income, 2003, from US Census Bureau

Over half the population growth and income in the state is in the three metro Portland counties (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington).
Medford and Grants Pass incomes are rising rapidly, but are still below the state average.

[yakker]

Originally Posted by 4sarad

I think what it boils down to is that I need to find a place to move to where there are a lot of new families moving in. I was reading about a couple of towns which sounded nice, but there were large populations of retirees there who are notorious for voting down taxes for education and libraries. Can anyone suggest growing areas where I'd be likely to find lots of new (possibly upper middle class) families? Western half of the state only, please!

It's always gratifying to be lumped in with a large group because of someone's preconceptions. I guess Oregon seniors must be different from the California ones that I know, because every one of them values children and their education. In my experience it's the younger ones who are the problem when they don't get out and vote. Maybe if we weren't such a gullible bunch of sheep who believe the political ads of whomever has the biggest warchest we would be better off as a nation.

[4sarad]

You're right, I shouldn't just lump everyone together like that. I just meant that most of the senior citizens I know are struggling to make ends meet because of high medical bills and so aren't as likely to vote to raise their taxes.

[freedom]

Wow Steve, from your comments you would think Republicans have been running Oregon for the last 20 yrs.

You are great at one sided thinking. We are all in this together. I know the last mill in Josephine County would love to get their hands on as many logs as possible, without having court costs attached to the expense.
Every harvest is litigated by the "Enviro not see's", pushing up the cost and costing jobs, which translate into taxes (some peoples favorite charity).

If this state was truly commited to jobs, the taxes would be sufficient. Jobs=$ for the state treasury.
The Nike deal saved jobs = $ for the state treasury. Even the left knew that.

Happy new year.

PS, Homeschool families should be thanked for taking the burden off of the public schools, while still paying property taxes. Mine by the way are over 5k yr. "just" to the public schools which get 60% of the total. You can do the math for total tax bill.

I won't go into income tax just now, i'll save that one for another time.


freedom (from excessive taxation)

[Kristynwy]

There was a study done I heard on local radio that says 80 or so percent of both husbands and wives working in Oregon could not afford the cost of living.

I think the reason the senior population is growing is because the retired community and upper classes are about the only people that can afford to live in Oregon anymore..

Just my opinion though..

[4sarad]

Wow, reading this forum is really quite depressing. I've never heard a group of people hate their state as much as you all seem to... and I live in OHIO... the great armpit of the nation. I'm going to start looking into Canada more seriously. Not giving up on Oregon yet... just browsing a bit more seriously.

[PDXsailor]

I think it is mainly people outside of Portland Metro and people that have moved in from other states that complain so much. Portland voters approve measures that help the libraries, parks, and police even when we had to pay an additional $800 a year. But outside of Portland including some of the neighboring cities, people are really anti-government anti-tax and only seem to care about themselves. Portland, Salem, and Eugene are liberal, the rest of the state is conservative.