Seeking Some Advice (Portland, Eugene, Salem: sales, homes, find a job)

[BodenTA]

Hey there. I have been all over this forum for a little while now, trying to figure out where I want to move to, now that I have graduated from college.

I am from Bar Harbor, a lovely coastal tourist town in Maine and I am looking at possibly moving to Oregon.

Here's where you guys come in: I guess I need some advice about where you think would be a good place for me to look at and research. I've heard great things about Portland and Bend. I know Bend is expensive and that Portland is a big city which I am not accustomed too. There are so many places in Oregon worth looking at, I would just like to hear what everyone in this forum has to say.

The low down on myself:
- 23 yr old guy w/ a B.S. in Civil Engineering.
- Likes the small town feel but can manage in a city if the city isn't crazy congested ala Boston, NYC, or Washington, D.C.
- Likes the ocean but doesn't need to be living right on the coast. An hour or two drive is fine.
- Likes the snow and mountains. Just bought an FJ Cruiser, so I have to be able to go out and play
- Not a huge partier but does enjoy to go out and have a beer or two while watching a football game or playing pool.


I appreciate any and every piece of advice and information that you guys and gals share with me, so thank you very much in advance.

[Flylooper]

Originally Posted by BodenTA

Hey there. I have been all over this forum for a little while now, trying to figure out where I want to move to, now that I have graduated from college.

I am from Bar Harbor, a lovely coastal tourist town in Maine and I am looking at possibly moving to Oregon.

Here's where you guys come in: I guess I need some advice about where you think would be a good place for me to look at and research. I've heard great things about Portland and Bend. I know Bend is expensive and that Portland is a big city which I am not accustomed too. There are so many places in Oregon worth looking at, I would just like to hear what everyone in this forum has to say.

The low down on myself:
- 23 yr old guy w/ a B.S. in Civil Engineering.
- Likes the small town feel but can manage in a city if the city isn't crazy congested ala Boston, NYC, or Washington, D.C.
- Likes the ocean but doesn't need to be living right on the coast. An hour or two drive is fine.
- Likes the snow and mountains. Just bought an FJ Cruiser, so I have to be able to go out and play
- Not a huge partier but does enjoy to go out and have a beer or two while watching a football game or playing pool.


I appreciate any and every piece of advice and information that you guys and gals share with me, so thank you very much in advance.

Isn't that "Bah Hahbah?" LOL

P'land for you, young fellow! Great young people's town. You've got it all there. Jobs, micro-breweries, the ocean, the river, the mountains, clubs, pretty girls, Doesn't even compare with Boston, NYC and DC. Off-roading up in the mountains just east. A lot of people live in Vancouver, WA and escape personal income tax, and work and shop in Portland, with no sales tax. Not exactly hoyle to all us tax-paying Oregonians, but hey, it's an accident of geography.

At rush hour you see a lot of Oregon plated cars heading into Vancouver. I don't know how they do it but they evidently do.

[Steve97415]

Yeah, Portland area...or maybe Eugene. The "small town feel" is quite different in the West than it is on the East Coast. A lot of our cities are just small towns that keep expanding outwards.

p.s. and don't say "OR-ruh-gawn" like so many of your goofy Mainer buddies! It's "OR-ruh-gun"

[ExNYC]

I'm trying VERY HARD to break the east-coast pronounciation of Oregon. My whole family says 'Or-i-gone'. My kids (!) keep correcting me.

Wouldn't it be best to find a job first, then relocate? Oh, to be young and idealistic... :-) Seriously, find the job first then move.

[DavePautsch]

Steve97415...I thought it was "ORGUN" like they play in church!


Seriously, I have to throw my 2 cents in with ExNYC. While you have a broad range of options as a Civil Engineer, you might want to focus on the job first. Corvallis/Albany area has a couple of good opportunities (CH2M Hill for example). There are a couple of good engineering firms here and lots of development going on...keeping them well employed.
Obviously Salem, Portland metro areas are going to have lots of opportunities as well. You can find out a lot online. If you wanted to expand beyond civil engineering there are broad opportunities for someone with an engineering background...WahChang/ATI, Pacific Cast Technology, even Lowes and Target Distribution Centers.
Good luck.
DavePautsch

[freedom]

Your young and single, if you have savings 2-3k come check it out. If you take a job first and don't like it, you have made a mess for you and your employer.

At 23 I didn't plan so much, and the wind carried me just fine. There are engineering jobs at your level in every mid size town in Oregon. Last year I waited on some projects for 4 wks to get simple structural drawings for Residential homes, this year it is not as bad, but they are still short handed, the state is always hiring as well.
Certainly Portland and Salem have bigger firms. Your skills are needed through out the state.

Surveyors as well, On one project we waited over a yr. to get a partition.

freedom.

[BodenTA]

yeah, i am definitely not going to move anywhere without getting a job first, without a doubt. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. I don't have the money to move all the way across the US on the hope of finding a job the exact moment i get into Oregon.

Thanks for the ideas outside of Civil engineering. I am not totally sure if I really want to pursue civil engineering, but would like to use some of the things I learned in school in my work.

I heard from a friend that their brother had moved out to Portland, Oregon from Maine and have since decided to move back due to the feeling that they weren't welcome out there. I was kind of surprised to hear that and am wondering if out of staters, especially eastcoasters, are greeted all right by the fellow Oregonians?

[tiffela74]

My brother lived in Boston for awhile...he said it was quite beautiful and nowhere else in the US that he had lived had such history. It was one of his fav. places he lived.
Boy, it really depends on who you run into. If youre a good person, w/a smile for those you meet, good things to say about the state youre in, and not out to destroy all around you, you should be fine. Obviously you will run into some buttheads, but just walk away from them. Not everyone here is rude and bothersome.
Good luck and come out for at least a visit!!
Tiffany

[freedom]

I have lived here for 14 yrs. Came from So. CA. , and have never had someone come up to me and be rude because of where I came from.
Light joking about how Californians do things, but never out of a mean spirit.

In my experience the notion that people in Oregon judge outsiders as bad, is not worth a minutes thought, fine to inquire, but to me it is a non issue.

If someone is a jerk, people may use where they came from as an excuse, but my guess is they don't change much if based on where they live.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by DavePautsch

...While you have a broad range of options as a Civil Engineer, you might want to focus on the job first. Corvallis/Albany area has a couple of good opportunities (CH2M Hill for example). There are a couple of good engineering firms here and lots of development going on...keeping them well employed.
Obviously Salem, Portland metro areas are going to have lots of opportunities as well. You can find out a lot online. If you wanted to expand beyond civil engineering there are broad opportunities for someone with an engineering background...WahChang/ATI, Pacific Cast Technology, e...DavePautsch

good advice, I would check out USJOBS.com and Bonneville Power and Corp of Engineers (can access from USJOBS)

While you're here...(preview trip) check out Hood River, OR Lots of growth and things to do / active life, 1.5 hrs to beach, .5 to mtn, .1 to wind surfing / kite boarding. Consider 'Across the River' in WA for no income tax.. There is a lot of growth in Wind Power out here and multiple places hiring, (both installation projects and manufacturers) also inspectors need to beef up, and community Planning agencies are hiring. There are several opportunities you can leverage into from your training. I would suggest you go ahead and obtain your certifications (PE) as soon as possible, as that could be your ticket in the future. Also at your age... I'd look for international employment in civil engineering projects. I did an engineering stint in Asia and one in Europe. They are very valuable to your future career path (an 'real' world education), and can be fun, tho a lot of work / responsibility. Just do it for awhile, and take a yr off, then do it again... meantime, travel and enjoy

There has been some very cheap fares RT PDX > Boston, ($200) but not sure reciprocal.