Would love to hear about Salem, OR??? (Portland, Eugene: violent crime, hotel)

[CocktailPro]

I am in the process of relocating to Salem, OR. I will be living on the NW side of town by Glen Creek and Wallace. I have a few questions I'm hoping you may be able to help me with?

1. What do you think of the area I'm living in? Is it a good area? crime? any issues?
2. I'm a Bartender/Food Server/Bar Manager with a great education and lots of experience - do you think it would be hard to find a job in Salem or the surrounding areas in my field?
3. What do you think of the area in general?

Thanks so much for your input

[dachmom]

West Salem (were you will be) and South Salem are the two nicest parts of town.

I can't give you any info on bar tending jobs, etc. maybe someone else can help you with that.

Sounds like you will be close to Wallace Marine Park, it's a nice park along the Willamette River with baseball and soccer fields.

The only thing is, if you work in downtown or any other part of Salem you will have to cross the bridge which can get congested during "rush hour" in the morning and late afternoon. That may not be a problem with your line of work.

Welcome to Salem and good luck in your job search.

[eric351982]

Try Portland.......then Eugene.....then Salem......

[Leisesturm]

It might be 2000 feet from Glen Creek to Downtown Salem, I would hope CP either hoofs it or pedals it home. Thing is, I am hanged if I can remember more than five bars in Salem. There have to be more than that but not a LOT more. Eric just may have a point... ...

H

[Silverfall]

Glen Creek and Wallace are two of the main streets out West. Wallace can get quite congested and there is a lot of development along that street since it is a rejuvenation district.

The only higher crime are out West is in the flats, but it is a lot of petty theft type of stuff. Oregon in general ranks high on petty crimes (so lock your car doors) but lower on violent crimes. Glen Creek is one boundary for the flats.

I can't see anyone making good money as a bar manager here, since we don't have really trendy bars here. Both the colleges in town are small and private so we don't have a college population to drive the bar business.

I would think trying to get hired at Bentley's, J. James, Da Vincis would be your best bet since they are the nicer restaurants in town. For as large as Salem is, the restaurant scene is sorely lacking.

[mamh]

We have lived in NE Salem for 5 years and love it..We enjoy the whole area and all that it has to offer
On the Job situation, go to Moonstone Properties.com or call oregon gardens in Silverton..Moonstone properties has a hotel about 1/2 done up there and having a job fair I think its July 16th, apps are avaliable at the OG vistors center..
Its going to be a nice place and a view that is to die for..
I'm a volunteer out there is why I know this..
Good luck

[Fighting For Air]

I live in West Salem ... have been here since 2003.

To piggy on some of what's already been said:

Stay away from the flats if you can. Neighborhoods in the west hills are nice but a bit more expensive. Property taxes are a bit high unless you get outside of city limits. There are many new housing developments and a lot of unsold homes right now, so the prices are dropping. Many of the developments are poor construction. JLS homes has horrible subs doing the finish work. I know. The house we just bought is a JLS built in 2004/2005 and we've repainted, adjusted doors, working on laying new flooring, etc.

Traffic is only bad coming across the bridge during certain short periods of the day. Heading east into town from 7:30 to a little after 8:00 a.m. Heading west back into west salem from about 4:30 till 6:00 p.m. It is worse when schools are in session.

The bar and pub scene in Salem is very pathetic. So much so that the wife and I are looking into possibly opening up our own place. A nice Irish brew pub and billiards joint would go over well, I think.

[dachmom]

The bar and pub scene in Salem is very pathetic. So much so that the wife and I are looking into possibly opening up our own place. A nice Irish brew pub and billiards joint would go over well, I think.

Sounds good! I would definitely check it out.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Fighting For Air

The bar and pub scene in Salem is very pathetic. So much so that the wife and I are looking into possibly opening up our own place. A nice Irish brew pub and billiards joint would go over well, I think.

I was just trying to convince one of my friends to open a wine bar.

If the billiards was non-smoking, I'd be there.

[bobmulk]

Silverfall--keep pushing your friend to do so. My friends and I are turning into oenophiles and we've been wishing for a wine bar. The closest we have now is Grand Vines.