Husband commuting to Eugene and I to Salem. where to live in between?

[samsgson]

Well, that's good that your husband has had that experience driving that freeway. However, it does not have much to do with the dense fog that has caused a good many multiple accidents right around the Santiam River area on I-5 over the decades. Of course, it may mean that another one is due sooner rather than later. Take the snows of this winter for instance. The last time the Valley had snows this big was 1968. You will/should have, at least, some culture shock coming from NM. It will be very green and, in all likelihood, considerably wetter than you can currently imagine unless you've lived in wet counry before. (put on flak jacket) My explanation of my home(ory gun) over the years has been 10 months of dreary, mostly low hanging clouds with drizzle or rain. August and September are, for the most part, the summer months AND there is an Indian Summer the 3rd week of February every year. Keep in mind that is my attempt at a humorous, albeit not as much of an exaggeration as one might think, description. I can not think of a more wonderful place to live and raise a family. My family, parents, siblings, children, cousins, grandchildren and great grandchildren put together have lived there for more than 80 years and I know of no one in my family that would rather live somewhere else.
Keep in mind, if it even matters to you, that Oregon is known as a pretty liberal state although it's been my personal belief that most of the liberals are in Portland and Eugene with the rest(including the many in my family) scattered throughtout the state. The latest goody from Oregon is to put a GPS in your car so they can tax you on the miles you drive. It remains to be seen if the bill gets passed. Although they try from time to time to install a sales tax it has been voted down for many decades. Property tax is generally high in most cities and surrounding areas. Income tax is on the high side compared to some states. Hwy 99 through Corvallis would be a more interesting drive but the freeway would be faster and, probably, safer over a long period of time. It seems like I always got pretty bored on the freeway the last 15 or so miles no matter which direction I was driving.

[Silverfall]

I think black ice causes many more accidents than fog. There are black ice accidents every year. Maybe you and I have a different definition of dense fog...

As for the drive to Corvallis from Salem. It takes my husband 35 minutes doing the I-5 corridor. His work is on the east side of Corvallis and most of the housing is on the west side, so I would think 45-50 minutes to account for going through town.

[Badgerett]

Your best bet is to find a home in Brownsville, Harrisburg or Halsey. My husband works in Eugene and I work in Salem. We looked in these three places and found a lovely home in Brownsville. 30 Minutes from Eugene and 40 Minutes from Salem.