Looking for the right Oregon. (Portland, Eugene: real estate, apartment, rent)

[Ravie]

For a good two years now, there has been talk of My Wife and I (and now our daughter!) moving to SOMEWHERE in Oregon. We've looked at a LOT of different cities and I'm just having a hard time figuring out what the best places are.

Here's what we're basically looking for in the explanation of who she and I "are"

Me: I LOVE the outdoors. I like camping, hiking, fishing, boating. I'm also a Musician, and I'm into Blues, Jazz, and some other things (but not as much..) I like the idea of being CLOSE to a big city...but not necessarily LIVING in one... I'm a Mechanic for Honda cars right now, but plan on doing something else, don't know just what yet.

My Wife: Likes the beach. She's into the same kinds of music as me. She likes the City...the stores and the hulabaloo... She will be an Elementary Education teacher with an emphasis in Special Ed.

Neither of us likes a lot of rain.. I like the snow, she's not such a big fan. We both like the Sun, but neither of us like it "hot" or "humid." I can deal with the winters in Oregon being rainy and the summers being sunny...that works too. I can always go to the Mtns for some snow.

Good schools are a must. Not a lot of gang-bangers is a plus. Friendly people that are somewhat intelligent are a plus.

I was looking into the Eugene area.. Had looked at other areas too.. Maybe a suburb of Portland...I don't know.

Ask more questions...

Thanks,
Ryan

[Ravie]

Also, just wanted to add.. McMinnville looks really nice. home prices don't look insane right now, crime looks low.. Rain doesn't look too bad..

[Silverfall]

It really doesn't matter where you are in the valley our winters tend to be fairly close in the rain department. You do get less the farther you head down the valley, but not sure I would consider it significant. Portland does get more morning "fog/cloud cover" which burns off as the day goes on.

There is a large difference in size and culture between McMinnville and Eugene. McMinnville is much smaller and more conservative. Eugene is a college town and has a more liberal bent to it.

Oregon ranks around 35th in the nation for schools. We do have funding woes here. There is a serious demand and lack of special eduction teachers. Oregon tends to rank in the top 5 for rates of autism. I don't think she would have too much trouble finding a job out here. All of the larger cities have poorer areas. Gang issues tend to be concentrated in NE Portland, NE Salem, some parts of Hillsboro, and I don't know enough about Eugene to know what areas have the gang issues down there. You can google the Eugene police department or Eugene gangs and it will tell you where those problems tend to concentrate.

If you like McMinnville I would also look at Dallas, OR or Silverton, OR. It doesn't matter where you are in OR, there is outdoor stuff everywhere.

If you want more sun you could consider the Bend area and look at Redmond or Prineville which are more affordable than Bend.

[Ravie]

I don't know about Bend. a little far away from the bigger cities we'd like to visit.. Silverton might not be so bad, but I'd have to do some reading. I haven't read much about the Salem area, either..

[Silverfall]

Portland and Eugene are liberal cities. Salem is more moderate/conservative. All of them have smaller towns that surround them. It really depends on how you want to live and what you consider affordable.

Portland and Eugene will have the best music scenes since they are larger. Outside of Portland consider Forest Grove. Otherwise most of what surrounds Portland is fairly typical suburbia.

[EnricoV]

You might look at someplace like Hood River. It's not too far from Portland (too far to commute, but not for a day's shopping) but, being east of the Cascades will be a bit drier. The beach would be a bit further, but not outrageously so.

[Ravie]

I love getting answers from Real Estate Agents.. makes me feel like I'm getting good info.

We'll be looking for a "first home" if we do get a chance to move into a house. Here in Topeka, KS homes are dirt cheap compared to anywhere in OR pretty much. You can get a decent home around here for 120,000 in a good neighborhood. the same house in Oregon costs like twice as much from what I've read.

You never know. we could always rent a home with option to buy or we could find a nice apartment somewhere...but it will probably be 2-3 years before we're ready to move anyway. Just doing our research now so we can make an informed decision.

[Ravie]

I've been reading LITERALLY all afternoon and near as i can tell, somewhere near Portland has to be it.

Maybe...Southwest side..across the river perhaps.

[StealthRabbit]

I'd probably look to McMinnville and nearby if you can handle the westside rain.
That way you will be within ez commute to Portland or Salem from your music and still close to the beach.

If rain is a problem, then Hood River might work, but it is expensive

[Ravie]

near as I can tell, most of Oregon, except for the extreme northwest, gets most of it's rain when the rest of the US is getting winter/snow. That's fine for me. Reading some other postys someone mentioned: Multnomah Villagle, Hillsdale, Tewilliger, Capitol Hill, and Sherwood... which near as I can tell are mostly west suburbs of Portland..