Advice for New Zealanders moving to Corvallis, Oregon (house, tenants)

[desray]

I would love to know what Oregon/Corvallis customs there are. Thanks

[tablemtn]

If you want to meet other Pacific Islanders in the area (though mostly Hawaiians and Samoans rather than Maori), one local hangout is a restaurant called "Local Boyz Hawaiian Cafe," located at the edge of Oregon State University's campus.

As for local customs, I can't think of that many which would differ much from anywhere else in the US.

If you have a car, and you stop at a gas (petrol) station, state law requires an attendant to do the pumping, rather than you. It's a silly law, but it's the law. Seat belts are mandatory for all passengers while a vehicle is on public roads. You might get ticketed if you aren't seatbelted.

Corvallis has certain social distinctions that are embedded in the way people talk about its geography. "South" Corvallis means Corvallis south of Highway 20, and is considered the "poor" part of town (fairly or unfairly). The "rich" parts of town are generally in the hills, north and west of Walnut Boulevard.

Oregon has no state sales tax. It does have a state lottery, along with a shared lottery with several other states called "Powerball." You may see billboards along the highways advertising the current prizes for Powerball and the Oregon state version of Powerball, which is called "Megabucks."

All of Oregon's beaches are public, which means you can visit any part of the beach without trespassing concerns. Private property ends at the sand.

Local microbrew beers are very popular. One of the bigger names around Corvallis would be Rogue Beers, which are produced at a facility about an hour to the west in a town called Newport, along the coast. Wine is produced throughout Oregon's Willamette Valley. There are some interesting smaller vineyards to the south of Corvallis, west of a town called Monroe.

A popular local destination on hot days is the summit of nearby Marys Peak (no apostrophe). Marys Peak isn't that tall, but at 1,250 meters, it is quite a bit cooler and breezier than the valley floor below. The summit also provides panoramic views over Corvallis and nearby Albany to the east, and all the way to the Pacific Ocean to the west (on clear days).

People may reference various roads in conversation. Highway 20 heads west to the ocean, terminating at a town called Newport, and east across the Cascade Mountains, via the nearby city of Albany. It technically terminates east all the way in Boston, on the Atlantic Ocean, but in Corvallis terms, it leads to a high desert vacation/resort city called "Bend."

Highway 34 connects Corvallis east to Oregon's main "freeway," which is called Interstate 5 (I-5 for short). It also heads west to the ocean, terminating in a town called "Waldport." Waldport is south of Newport.

I-5 is a north-south divided highway which actually extends from the Mexican border up to the Canadian border. In Corvallis terms, I-5 leads north to the state capital (Salem), the state's largest city (Portland), or south to the city of Eugene (the site of the University of Oregon, Oregon's other major university).

Highway 99 heads north to a college town called Monmouth (site of Western Oregon university), and south to downtown Eugene. It traverses downtown Corvallis in the form of 3rd and 4th streets (which are one-way streets heading in opposite directions).

The town to the west of Corvallis (along Highway 20) is called Philomath. It used to be a logging town, but is now something of a bedroom community for Corvallis itself, which has created some social tensions between the old-timers and newcomers.

Some younger men, especially teenagers, like to drive passenger trucks that have been modified and "lifted" to fit larger tires. These are called "swamper" tires. The trucks are often used in an activity called "mudding," which is the practice of taking a truck into a mudpit in a rural area and racing through it, trying not to get stuck. A "jacked up truck" is one that has been modified for mudding. There are a large number of logging roads in the forests around Corvallis which make these activities possible.

However, this is not as popular anymore among young people in Corvallis itself. Corvallis has gentrified quite a bit over the years. Its two main public "high schools" (educating students aged 14-18) are regarded as quite good. Corvallis High School is located within the city itself, while Crescent Valley High School is located north of town. This is sometimes considered the "rich kid's" high school, though Corvallis High has its share.

The biggest local sporting events will be the (American) football games held by the team of Oregon State University. They are called "The Beavers." The season runs from late August through early December. All of the team's home games are held at Reser Stadium, which is located at the south end of OSU's campus. Depending on the success of the team, or the team's opponent, some of those games might be televised nationally across the US. The Beavers are part of an athletic "conference" of other universities called the Pac-10 (with "Pac" being short for "Pacific").

If you hear a reference to the Pac-10, or OSU being a "Pac-10 school," it is a reference to this athletic conference. The Pac-10 and other conferences are administered by an agency called the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association). OSU's football program is part of the NCAA's Division I-A (the highest NCAA division for that sport). The goal is to accumulate enough wins for the team to be "invited" to a "bowl game." A bowl game is not a playoff; it is simply a terminal game. About 60 of the 130 programs in NCAA I-A football are invited to these games each season. The goal is to perform well enough in the bowl game and the regular season to be "ranked" highly in a composite index of computer rankings, rankings of sports journalists, and votes from coaches.

The system is rather convoluted, but that's a brief overview. The place of university football teams in the sports culture of a town like Corvallis is hard to overstate.

Geographically, Corvallis is located about 140km by road from the nearest major international airport, at Portland. Eugene has a smaller airport 50km from Corvallis, but you will probably fly into Portland. Corvallis has an airport, but it does not currently offer scheduled commercial air service.

In terms of road distance, Corvallis is 410km to Seattle, 640km to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 920km to San Francisco, California, and 1,450km to Los Angeles. The border of the state of California is about 380km south of Corvallis, but this is far northern California, which is quite different from the "California" of public imagination.

In terms of local politics, the US is generally divided into states (of which there are 50, including Oregon), which are divided into counties (Oregon has 36 - Corvallis is the capital of Benton County), which in turn have municipalities such as towns and cities. As a state, Oregon has its own state government and judiciary (in this case, a bicameral legislature made up of a House of Representatives and a Senate, headed by a governor, with an independent state Supreme Court), and its own state constitution. Cities are headed up by mayors and city councils. Counties do not have mayors, though they do have various boards and councils. Policing is done by several agencies - Oregon has a state police agency with statewide jurisdiction. Benton County has its own agency, headed by a Sheriff. And the city of Corvallis has a local police force headed by a Chief.

English is the most widely-spoken language, followed by Spanish. You will hear a number of Spanish-language radio stations and television stations. Most Spanish-speakers in the area are from Mexico and Central America. "Indians" may refer to either people from India, or the local Native American tribes, depending on context. In the US, tribes are separate legal entities from the states, though with certain overlapping legal responsibilities. All tribal members are full US citizens. Many tribes own plots of land known as "reservations;" the nearest reservations to Corvallis are the Siletz and the Grande Ronde.

On a culinary note, if you want to get "Chinese" food, be aware that there are two categories of "Chinese" in the US - the most common is a standardized type of inexpensive Americanized menu which features mostly fried dishes or foods with noodles. The other type of "Chinese" restaurants are those which try to emulate the cuisine from China itself, without the Americanization. These tend to be somewhat more upscale and expensive.

Hopefully, those scattered cultural notes will give you a few insights. Feel free to ask more questions, of course, or for clarifications.

[desray]

Here in NZ the petrol stations have moved into the help yourself mode. I like the idea of a pump attendant pumping your petrol for you, it is good old fashioned service. You don't end up smelling like petrol when you get back into the car, especially helpful if you are going to work, travelling a long distance or with the children. My husband on the other hand is more than happy to pump his own petrol. I drive to my favourite station on the other side of town where they know me and fill my car up for me - keeping in mind that our town is quite small.

What special days are celebrated throughout the year? My children have been asking about halloween. Is it big in Corvallis?

Our schools generally run from 9am to 3pm (or 5 to 15 minutes either side) - what are the hours that students are in class? I know in some countries attendance is strictly monitored and any absences need to be pre-approved. In NZ we are able to take days off school, informing the school of what we are doing. No one minds if your attendance is good. The schools do not have to give permission. How does it work in the USA?

Thanks for all the wonderful information so far, it helps to create a great picture for us. I know we are going to enjoy being in Corvallis.

[tablemtn]

There are ten "federal holidays" in the US. These are days where most government business stops, and schools do not meet, though non-government jobs may still be expected to be active.

Those are:

New Year's Day on Jan. 1

Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, on the third Monday in January

George Washington's birthday, on the third Monday in February

Memorial Day, on the last Monday in May

Independence Day, on July 4

Labor Day, on the first Monday in September

Columbus Day, on the second Monday in October

Veterans Day, on Nov. 11

Thanksgiving Day, on the fourth Tuesday in November

Christmas on Dec. 25

Halloween is a major holiday, though not a federal one. There are usually various Halloween parties and festivities on the weekend nearest Oct. 31.

Thanksgiving is generally associated with large family dinners featuring turkey meat and gravy.

Independence Day is often simply called "the 4th," and is marked by barbecue and fireworks in the evening.

Memorial Day is usually noted as the beginning of the summer vacation season, and is marked by a large amount of traffic on the highways.

Similarly, Labor day ends that season.

The school day generally runs from 8:30 or so in the morning until slightly after 3pm. The exact schedule depends on the school. Afterschool activities or athletics might add a couple hours to the school day a few times per week.

Attendance policies also vary by school. Usually, if a student will not be present, the school expects a parent to call the school's office, and make a notification. Unexcused absences will be problematic.

Also, as a side note - if you see buildings around Corvallis with two or three Greek letters plastered on the side, these are residential student "fraternities" (of men) or "sororities" (of women) associated with the university. These "frat houses" are chapters of national organizations which operate in universities across the US and Canada. Members often call themselves "Greeks." Some criticize them as being obsessed with partying and troublemaking, though this really depends on the particular organization. Students apply to join a particular fraternity in a process called "rushing," which sometimes involves various pranks or hazing activities. I don't recall the exact percentage of students at OSU associated with frats and sororities. I think it might be around 30%.

[desray]

thanks for all the info.

The majority of shops in NZ close at 5pm on weekdays and lunchtime on Saturdays. Things are pretty much closed on Sundays except for supermarkets, restaurants and petrol stations. What happens in Corvallis?

[tablemtn]

Many smaller businesses will have an 8am-6pm or a 9am-5pm schedule, or something close to that, but most "chain" businesses will have longer operating hours. Generally, they will be open until 9pm or so, and will have weekend hours as well. Government offices work a fairly strict Monday-Friday 9am-5pm schedule. You'll want to conduct government-related business during those hours.

But most other goods and services can be obtained "after hours" from various places. Some services, such as food, will be available 24 hours per day.

Alcohol has its own set of laws. In Oregon, alcohol can be purchased from 7am to 2:30am from stores, although grocery stores may only sell wine and beer (along with similar products such as sake, port, ciders, etc.), while liquors are only sold in dedicated liquor stores (which, confusingly enough, may sometimes be located as outlets inside of larger stores).

[desray]

Thank you.

Health or medical insurance? In NZ there is no need to have private health insurance as the public hospitals treat you for free. All children at school have free dental, children under 6 years have subsidized doctors appointments - some are even free. It usually costs about $50 to go to the doctors here. I do understand it is completely different in the USA. Who are the good health insurers? Are there good local insurance companies accessible in Corvallis? Who would you recommend?

[Nell Plotts]

One question that has been in the back of my brain, desray, is why are you moving to Corvallis? In the US most health insurance is through the employer. If you or your spouse have a job in Corvallis you need, first, to ask them what is available through them.

[desray]

We recently had interviews and then visa's issued with the US Consulate in Auckland for green cards. We are presently moving with out jobs, hence the health insurance question. This is an opportunity that has been presented to us and an adventure that we are embarking on with our family.

My husbands area of expertise lies with helicopters, Corvallis is an area which has many of these companies based around or within commuting distance of it. He may continue his overseas contracting for a short period until we get things sorted and secures a job with a good company.

Initially we will give ourselves a couple of years and then review things. If we like it, which we know we will, we would like to live long term in the USA.

When I visited Oregon many years ago it had a feel similar to the South Island of New Zealand. Corvallis has many positives to it. From what I have been reading it is a great place to bring up a family. It has everything that one needs, or is close to a town that does. Being a university town has many positives including good quality education. We are outdoors people and love exploring the surrounding area, Corvallis offers that as well as access to the coast. I also hear that it is an 'arty' community and I look forward to exploring that. The message that I get about the people of Corvallis is that they are friendly and open minded. All of these are wonderful attributes that are good for our family.

I would like to make a smooth transition to Corvallis, so any helpful tips/hints/information you are able to give us is fantastic and very much appreciated.

[Crandall1]

If your husband is going to work for a professional company, he will most likely get health insurance for your whole family as part of his job. Generally, this is the way it is done in the US. What you'll rapidly find out, however, is that it is an incredibly confusing process, and the coverage is rarely what you expect. This will be one of the most annoying aspects of living here, especially if you or your family is prone to health problems. All friends I've had that were from nations with nationalized health care are utterly stunned by our system.

After reading this whole thread, it's worth mentioning that there are some very informative posts here, and you've definitely got the highlights. I just wanted to make a couple other comments which may inform your preconceptions:

1) Petrol is much, much cheaper here than it is in NZ (roughly half the cost), as is food. Also, we have no VAT, so pretty much everything is much cheaper. By the same token, you won't make as much money, so it evens out. Oregon is a fairly expensive state to live in generally, relative to other states, but it is still significantly cheaper than what you'll be used to.

2) I've been in every state in the Union except Alaska, and most countries in Europe, and I can say with an informed opinion that you really couldn't pick a better place to move to, coming from New Zealand. As long as you avoid the area just north of the University, you can live and work pretty much anywhere in Albany/Corvallis/Philomath, and you'll be perfectly happy. Just keep in mind that these towns reside in a largely rural area, and as soon as you get outside the city limits, it is farm land or forestry.

3) Regarding public transportation, if you don't want to drive right away, get a bike. Larger towns in Oregon all have fairly extensive bike path networks, and this is the preferred mode of travel for people without cars. The public bus system is fairly lacking, and there is no light rail in Corvallis.