Looking for sunshine (Portland, Eugene, Medford: sales, apartment, for rent)

[angelaf]

Hello,
I'm researching a possible move to Oregon and need some help.

SUNSHINE is the big thing--while researching Eugene, Portland, ect. it looks like there is very little sunshine in the winter months. I'm leaving the midwest and the long, dark winters are the worst part about living here. Klamath Falls looks like an exception to the rule re: low sunshine in Oregon, but in looking for jobs and colleges, Klamath seems to be limited. My boyfriend and I both work in customer service right now but don't want to continue in this field. I have a degree in English and would like to get a teaching certificate to teach Special Ed. My boyfriend will be returning to college but isn't sure for what (likely to be business/marketing or art related). So we need jobs and affordable housing (we have a large dog so will need to rent a house) and colleges nearby--but I must have SUNSHINE! Can anyone tell me if I'm wasting my time looking at the Klamath/Ashland area? They have great sunshine but the other things, we're not so sure about. If I AM wasting my time looking there, can anyone tell me if there might be somewhere else in Oregon that will be sunny and also have the things we need? We are trying to be within a reasonable driving distance of Salt Lake City (like within 12 hours or so) but we love green scenery and mountains, hate the desert.

Does this sound like a tall order? I sure hope not, and will appreciate any insight!
Thanks!
Angela

[Bendite]

Have you given any thought to Colorado? It might fit your requirements better than Oregon does

[angelaf]

I haven't really looked at Colorado... We were planning to move to North Carolina but have recently decided we need to be closer to family in Salt Lake. Where in Colorado would you suggest I look? (I think cost of living in Colorado was something we'd been warned about.)

[Steve97415]

I, too, think that your climate/landscape objectives are completely unrealistic. You're not going to find verdant landscapes under sun-baked skies.
Klamath Falls and Ashland are not too far apart, but they are in completely different climate zones and shouldn't be lumped together. Klamath Falls has a continental mountain climate with abundant winter snow, whereas Ashland is more of Mediterranean climate with rainy winters. I know in the Midwest you typically have to go hundreds of miles to get to a significantly different climate, but on the West Coast, altitude, rain shadows, and distance from the ocean can cause quite different climate zones over distances of 20 or 30 miles. While areas in southern Oregon have sunnier weather in the shoulder seasons (spring and autumn) than the Willamette Valley, they can still be quite dark for many weeks on end, and the river valleys easily fill up with dense fog in the winter.
I would have suggested Grand Junction in Colorado, but since you want sun AND green, your best choice might be someplace like Durango. If you think the cost of living is high in Colorado, then Oregon is out, too. Something you need to understand is that if a place has high livability and a desirable climate, it will be expensive; there are no exceptions. If you want something more affordable, you'll have to make some concessions in your climate wants.

[nbres]

In Oregon it is found east of the Cascades.

[total_genius]

If you look at weather stats Eastern Oregon has more sun than the west of the cascades locations but during the winter it is still awful cloudy in eastern Oregon even though it is dryer.

[Nell Plotts]

Basically the clouds that make it east of the Cascades have less water content, they are thinner. Central Oregon is quite sunny and dry. The green found in central Oregon is either high up where it catches more rain or is green from the moisture of snow melt.

When you find a green, sunny and cheap place to live let us all know.

[angelaf]

Thank you all for your honest responses.

I did find that perfect place... Western North Carolina. Sunny, green mountains, short winters, colleges and jobs, low cost of living... but it's even farther from Salt Lake than we are now.

So, the search continues. I have lived in the Midwest all my life and have struggled with seasonal affective disorder every year. But--the winters are not only dark but COLD here. So maybe if Oregon has warmer winters, I could get outside more. Plus I'm sure the winters must be shorter there-- Here, we have about 8 months of misery, very long stretches without sun, very cold and windy. So how about Medford? Looks better job/school-wise, and the cost of living looks fairly reasonable... Right now we make about 60k between the two of us and if we don't take much of a pay cut, we should be able to afford around $800 a month for rent--more than what we pay now, but I'm assuming we won't have such outrageous utilities. An average winter month, just heat and electric run $400-$500.

I've heard that Eugene is bad for winters--long stretches with very little sunlight. Is Medford the same?

[Bendite]

Originally Posted by angelaf

I haven't really looked at Colorado... We were planning to move to North Carolina but have recently decided we need to be closer to family in Salt Lake. Where in Colorado would you suggest I look? (I think cost of living in Colorado was something we'd been warned about.)

Back to thinking about Colorado - you might look at the Ft. Collins area, including Loveland and Berthoud. Ft. Collins has a slightly lower cost of living than Eugene. Colorado State University is there for the educational aspects of your search; you would be closer to SLC and you would have lots of sunshine much of the year and its got trees (not as much green as where it rains a lot, but green none-the-less).

[westvillemama]

Re: Medford

The grey/cold season in Southern Oregon generally runs from about the end of October until roughly April. Don't panic just yet!!! When I say grey season, I mean there tend to be more days with rain and clouds than sunshine, I do not mean that it is grey and rainy all the way through!!! By cold, I mean that it can sometimes in mid-winter get all the way down to the teens, but usually the coldest nights you will have are in the 20's or 30's. There's very little snow on the valley floor, so Medford is reasonably snow-free, but if find you you miss the snow, Mt. Ashland ski area is a jump away. During the late fall and all the way into spring, it will rain a good deal, but you will also get nice long breaks in that rain when the sun shines and it warms all the way up to the 40's! There are usually two false springs-- one around February, and one again in early April, when it gets quite toasty for a week or two, and then the rain will return but not as grey as before. Spring is gorgeous in So. OR, more sunny than not, but it is rare that it doesn't rain at least somewhat into June. You want that lengthy precipitation, because the summers are dry and hot, hot, HOT! It's green most of the year, but come summer So. OR dries out fast. Water rations are not uncommon during the heat of summer. Medford can sit at around 100 degrees for pretty long stretches. The surrounding countryside will be cooler, somewhat, maybe by 5 to 10 degrees. White City and Eagle Point (outside MFR) will be hotter than say, Talent or Ashland (also outside MFR). The weather is the good news.

Most homes are heated with either baseboards or gas forced air, which is nice and spendy but still much cheaper than oil. Very few will have a/c or heat pumps, but some may, if they're newer. Now for the bad news. I think you will find that your heating bill may be cut significantly, but that other COL expenses will be higher. I highly doubt you'd be able to find a house in a good area for $800/mo. Maybe an apartment, maybe, but it most likely won't take pets if you have one. Plan on a minimum of $1000/mo in rent for a 2 bedroom if you'd like an actual neighborhood and not to live near the freeway or a busy street. Rent will be no cheaper in the rural areas. There's not really a downtown scene to speak of, and public transportation, while it does exist on a small scale, is not a very efficient means of getting about in Medford. Plan on driving everywhere. A lot. I don't know if that matters to you now, but it might later seeing as gas is so much more expensive in OR than in other self-serve states. Be prepared to pay higher prices AND not be allowed to pump your own gas!
There's no sales tax in OR, but the state income tax is one of the highest in the country. Anyone else see the correlation there? LOL.

It's a beautiful area, no doubt. I lived all over the Rogue and Illinois Valleys for 32 years, and I do miss most of what So. OR has to offer. The COL to good paying job ratio (or lack therof) is what eventually drove us out, though, so I would try and secure something before you relocated, seriously. Many, many qualified applicants for each position. We simply couldn't afford to raise a family there, sadly. (whaaa!)

Whatever you decide, I highly advise visiting before you make your choice. Medford can seem sprawling at times-- not too bad but too much for the locals, for sure. Growth is somewhat restricted by lack of water but it is still happening!