Salem, Oregon area relocation (Portland, Eugene: appointed, real estate, to rent)

[missikie]

My husband has an opportunity to take a very lucrative postion in Salem, Oregon. We currently live just outside Santa Rosa, CA. My family lives in Cottage Grove, Prineville and Baker City. I have read good and bad things about Salem.

Here is a bit about our background. My husband was born in Iowa and raised in Chicago and longs for the small town environment. I was raised on a small farm in Santa Rosa until I was about 10 and it became somewhat urban. We have a 13 year-old and 9 year-old and want a calmer environment for them. Good schools are very important, as the 9 year-old needs extra attention.

I am hoping to be able to stay at home with the kids...something I can't afford to do here in California. Gang problem have become rampant here. Are there gang problems in the Salem area?

We have a dog and love to hike. We like to go to the movies. What is shopping like in Dallas? Is there more than a grocery store? We also like being close enough to the city (Portland) for busines strips and weekends out without the kids.

I was looking into the Dallas area or the South and West areas of Salem.

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

[Silverfall]

Hi missike,
To answer your questions...
Schools: I have a 6 year old special needs child and depending on what their issues are the special ed services can be great or not so great. I live down south Salem and my son attends Schirle Elementary. My son has 24 kids in his 2nd grade class. My daughter is not at Schirle yet, while we still try and work out her IEP with them. I'm not going to lie...it has been a difficult process working with the schools on her IEP. I've been happy with the school so far for my son and I really like the staff. I have friends at Pringle, Sumpter, Wright and they are all pleased with their children's education as well.

A 242M school bond was just passed which will add a new elementary down south, one out west and one north and a new middle school out west. Our schools are bulging so I was glad the bond passed.

Gangs: We do have some gang problems in Salem that are mostly concentrated in the N/NE areas. We do have a gang task force and you can call them an ask about activity if that is a large concern for you.

Dallas: Dallas has everything you need for daily living, but it only has 15,000 people so there really isn't a lot of shopping. Woodburn, OR has the outlet/store shops and it is huge. There is also great shopping at Bridgeport Plaza for more upscale shopping which is in the Tigard area.

Salem has around 150,000 people or so, so the towns (Salem vs. Dallas) are very different. I am originally from Illinois, went to school in the Chicago area, and then came Portland to Salem. I had a lot of culture shock downscaling to such a small town, but it sounds like that is what you are looking for.

As a parent, I appreciate that everything I need for my kids takes me 20 minutes at the most to get to. We pretty much have access to everything here in Salem that you need. Portland is only an hour away for the Science Museum (OMSI), the zoo, shows, etc. They have a good children's theater up in Portland, which we have been to a couple of times with the kids.

What you think about Salem depends on what you are looking for. People looking for a faster paced lifestyle will be sorely disappointed in Salem. It is not like Portland or Eugene that way. It is much more slower paced. It took me a while to adjust, but I appreciate its slowness as a parent.

We have two off leash dog parks and plans for a third. There is plenty of hiking all over Oregon and Silverfalls State Park is one of my favorite places. It only takes 30 minutes to get there from Salem. I also take the kids to the Santiam River on hot days.

The Salem Metro area has many small towns surrounding it, so there are many festivals from the Woodburn Tulip Festival, Keizer Iris Festival, Silverton StrawBerry Festival, etc going on all of the time. Mt. Angel has Oktoberfest...Lots of community festivals that happen here. Your kids are a little older than mine, so the festivals may be uncool for them...

Anyway...those are my thoughts! Hope this helps!

[sandie_zurcher]

There are many small communities outside of Salem, such as Silverton, Mt. Angel, Albany that you may be interested. Salem/Marion County is home to many vineyards, Detroit Lake, and a host of many activiites. Come visit!

[mamh]

Come visit, you'll love Marion county..The children will love the childrens garden out at Oregon Gardens in Silverton, its neat for the kids to play and mom and dad to relax in the middle of a beautiful garden..

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by missikie

My husband has an opportunity to take a very lucrative postion in Salem, Oregon. We currently live just outside Santa Rosa, CA. My family lives in Cottage Grove, Prineville and Baker City. I have read good and bad things about Salem.

Here is a bit about our background. My husband was born in Iowa and raised in Chicago and longs for the small town environment. I was raised on a small farm in Santa Rosa until I was about 10 and it became somewhat urban. We have a 13 year-old and 9 year-old and want a calmer environment for them. Good schools are very important, as the 9 year-old needs extra attention.

I am hoping to be able to stay at home with the kids...something I can't afford to do here in California. Gang problem have become rampant here. Are there gang problems in the Salem area?

We have a dog and love to hike. We like to go to the movies. What is shopping like in Dallas? Is there more than a grocery store? We also like being close enough to the city (Portland) for busines strips and weekends out without the kids.

I was looking into the Dallas area or the South and West areas of Salem.

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

It is funny, I am researching the Santa Rosa area for a relocation. I have friends that live in the Salem area and they love it. Although, I suspect it will be a weather change from California. Salem is a little chillier but it does have fresh air and open spaces. Plus the views are fantastic. Not mention the real estate prices are lower and I believe the pace of life is slower.

If you have any thoughts on The Santa Rosa area Iwould be glad to hear those also. But, I wonder if I am commiting a mortal Forum sin by asking for information from one area on another! Will I burn in cyberspace Heck???

[Oregonbeachlover]

I just had to post when I saw "Santa Rosa". I went to high school in Sonoma and have lived in Sebastopol and Petaluma. I raised 3 kids in a small town outside of Salem, but my kids went to Sprague High (in south Salem) and our lives were all in Salem. I thought that Salem was a good place to raise kids and we never had any problems. We are moving to the coast because we love the Oregon coast more than anything!! (that is another subject ) We have lived in west Salem for several years and it is very pretty with the hills (very easy to find a house with a panaramic view of Salem). My only caution is that you have to go over the bridge for everything and it gets congested. I don't want to put any other parts down, but I would only look at the south or west areas of Salem. I also like Dallas and it is a pretty area with some major stores (has its own Walmart). Housing is a bit cheaper there than Salem too.

[Leisesturm]

Hijacking a thread, not a mortal sin. Mentioning W*lm@rt favorably... yikes... get yourself to a priest, and quick!

H

[missikie]

Originally Posted by Oregonbeachlover

I just had to post when I saw "Santa Rosa". I went to high school in Sonoma and have lived in Sebastopol and Petaluma. I raised 3 kids in a small town outside of Salem, but my kids went to Sprague High (in south Salem) and our lives were all in Salem. I thought that Salem was a good place to raise kids and we never had any problems. We are moving to the coast because we love the Oregon coast more than anything!! (that is another subject ) We have lived in west Salem for several years and it is very pretty with the hills (very easy to find a house with a panaramic view of Salem). My only caution is that you have to go over the bridge for everything and it gets congested. I don't want to put any other parts down, but I would only look at the south or west areas of Salem. I also like Dallas and it is a pretty area with some major stores (has its own Walmart). Housing is a bit cheaper there than Salem too.

Thank you oregonbeachlover. South Salem and Dallas are on the top of my list. I have also been researching McMinnville. Are you familiar with that area? My husband doesn't mind commuting up to 45 minutes or so.

[missikie]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

It is funny, I am researching the Santa Rosa area for a relocation. I have friends that live in the Salem area and they love it. Although, I suspect it will be a weather change from California. Salem is a little chillier but it does have fresh air and open spaces. Plus the views are fantastic. Not mention the real estate prices are lower and I believe the pace of life is slower.

If you have any thoughts on The Santa Rosa area Iwould be glad to hear those also. But, I wonder if I am commiting a mortal Forum sin by asking for information from one area on another! Will I burn in cyberspace Heck???

Dean Trails -

I was born in Santa Rosa and up until the last of my family moved to Oregon a few years ago, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Northwest and East Santa Rosa are your best bets if you want to live in town. Southwest Santa Rosa is much lower income and has gand and drug problems. There is also a very large hispanic and undocumented worker population here (due to the vineyards and orchards). However, it is a very beautiful place to live. We ar eonly and hour waya from San Francisco or the ocean, and 3-4 hours from Tahoe.

I live in Windsor, just about 9 miles north. It has a population of about 26,000 and a new "old" downtown. I like the community feel here much better, as Santa Rosa seems a bit disconnected. We are close to a large movie theater, have two grocery stores, a drug store, a Wal-Mart, a bowling alley, an Applebees and a Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn. Plus quite a few very nice restaurants. (I am going to miss that). Home prices have dropped, but you are still looking at paying about $350-$450K for a 3 Bdrm home (or $1600+ to rent one). I pay $1300 rent for a 2 Bd apt. I moved to Windsor after my son was born for the schools. They are some of the best in the county. santa Rosa schools are some of the worst. If schools are important, lokk for Piner-Olivet in Northwest or Rincon Valley and Bennett Valley schools in the East.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your relocation.

[mamh]

missike
we live in salem and love the entire area but you made me a tad home sick..I graduated from Napa High many moons ago, we use to bowl in windsor with a travel team from Fairfield and have dear friends out on west side of santa rosa..
Enough said
merry christmas