Is there a country town like this in Oregon? (Salem: crime, house)

[Kitebird]

Here's what our family hopes to find somewhere in Oregon:
Most Important:
#1. A smaller, caring Hospital for employment!
2. A town (5,000+-) or nearby country area where people value community.
3. A hope for a modest energy efficient house, a little fertile land (acreage?) for an Organic Garden, small orchard, some poultry/ducks.
4. A good food store nearby (with organic), maybe a Farmers Market or CSA's, local food growing/making/baking, & some ma and pa stores for basic necessities.
5. A place that doesn't have a reputation/industry for Marijuana growing, drug use crime & transients.

Would be nice:
1. The less the better of - big box stores, Interstate Hwy. Energy, housing developments and feed lot living.
2. A place where the local's are slow, can meet & talk, still care, know & help neighbors. A community with neighborhoods within that still have common meeting grounds - like a Library, Church, Feed store, a good breakfast place! How wonderful it would be to find a town that still has a village like feel, a little culture, a bit of creativity & with a big dash of generally Intelligent common sense people. Yet not "over run" with too many tourists.
3. Where our kids can grow up (Home schoolers) and make contact with some other wholesome kids; where the girls don't mostly look/act like fish bait - or the guys don't just live for the latest technology games, power machines, or DRUGS.

We would travel a little ways for:
1. We like being in a singing group, chorale or church choir.
2. Public lands nearby to photograph nature/wildlife, take walks. Still water kayaking. Good Fishing!
3. A Photography club.
4. Black powder shooting (MuzzleLoaders) or family style Gun club.

We would describe ourselves as "somewhat" progressive Green to libertarian/conservative Yankee types. We don't watch TV. We don't get board - as long as there's some wild nature around us. We lean towards locavore, alternative energy, sustainability and have old fashion grandma values. We feel we're very tolerant/respectful of others, but demand that they act responsibly, don't put an air on of "superiority" or act criminally. Or center their life just around profits & greed. We often think we might do well in Vermont, but worry that the long freezing snowy winters there, just might be a little - too much.

From a few camping trips a while back, we really liked the feeling of Port Orford a lot! The Mitchell/Fossil/Mt.Vernon areas are kinda like the way we are - but unfortunately, they either seemed not to have a Hospital nearby, organic food, little fertile lands or the right climate for gardening/orchard.

From Internet research, would the edge areas around the Willamette Valley, say from Corvallis to Cottage Grove, or the Coquille Valley & other areas around Coos Bay work? Tillamook? Are we looking in the right areas? Any ideas about which towns/areas to go explore that might fit us? Thank You for any replies.

[Silverfall]

Silverton has a fabulous hospital. In fact I drove from Salem to Silverton to have my son be born there because I liked it better than Salem. Salem has a birthing center now, but I liked the staff way better at Silverton.

Mt. Angel, Scotts Mills, Shaw all surround Silverton. Sublimity is close and very community oriented. Silverton has some kind of festival going on every month. It's very community oriented there.

I don't know about gun clubs but I am sure we have them in the area because we have a lot of hunters. We have two CSA's in the area. http://www.gardenripe.com/ is in Silverton and Denison Farms Organic Produce Corvallis Oregon is in Corvallis. Both provide excellent produce. I have done Denison Farms and one of my friends uses Garden Ripe.

As for still water kayaking, most of our rivers have good flow, but Detriot Reservoir would work fine and it's pretty there.

OOPS I forgot to add that there is a Yahoo group from homeschoolers here where the post field trips and the Oregon Connection Academy is an online homeschool program, that is technically a charter school, and it is huge here as well.

[Kitebird]

Thanks Silverfall, this is the kind of info. I like to hear. - a good RE agent - you listen to people's needs and offer good advice!
Yes for us a good Hospital is #1
& CSA's wonderful!

so far so goodhttp://www.city-data.com/forum/images/smilies/oglvvd.gif

[Summertime]

I totally agree with Silver Fall
that this is the town for you
based on your descriptions.

And the hospital... I purposely
chose a doctor in Silverton so
that I could have surgery there
in January.. wonderful staff,
clean, friendly, and you can
actually PARK and WALK through
the front door without valet service
for parking your car somewhere
out in netherland.

Silverton was worth the short
drive, the lack of stress and
hassle... and it is a unique
village, ample markets,
nice stores.. and if you want
big shopping, Salem is not
far away .. easy drive on
a choice of country roads.

[StealthRabbit]

Hood River (or Parkdale / Odell), The Dalles, or / White Salmon, or Goldendale, WA

Trout Lake, WA is great, and really fits your lifestyle desires, but you would end up driving to Hood River frequently (30 min)

[luckyland]

We moved to Coquille 4 years ago,and love it here. It virtually crime free, great weather less grey days and rain, then the crowed coast tourist trap coastal areas.
The hospital is small, but caring, with very decent hard working ethical people running it. The Coquille is beautiful with fertile ground. perfect for animals due to the mild no snow climate.World class fishing on our river. we are only a 15 minute drive to the coast, and big box store shopping. Its a good blance we get out beach fix, and shopping fill, and only have to do a quick drive back to the pristine country setting we live in. Just right. the best of both worlds.
The historic down town area is super cute and hows a turn of the century quaint feel. People are kind, and keep to themselves mostly. The only negative is the schools are not very current on curriculm with their 10 year old school books. More concern on sports then education. But we home school so it doesnt effect us. Our home prices are holding up better than at the coast due to the low amount of housing units, and demand for the warmer valley. We moved her from Ca. Its this has been a wonderful change for us..Good luck..

[Kitebird]

luckyland, about Coquille, every informative!

Our thoughts:
Your area was one of our first Ideas to explore. A nice area & seems to have all of our "would travel a little ways for" stuff in or around Coos Bay. (Love the Ocean areas of CB & South) And CB and Bandon do also have hospitals, I understand - so we would have a few choices for employment possibles. Good!
But, Oh dear, "low housing units" - sounds pricey - for a house with any land & also may be hard to find. Yep, thought so.

You said in your post that this valley is a "farming area" & a "warmer valley" - so what do they grow/ranch there? See any people that have year round veggie gardens - other than say leafy greens & berries. Can some fruit trees grow there - Nut trees? Or would they have troubles from the coastal dampness? Any farmers markets with local foods around? Local Bakeries. Organic stuff etc.

I hear there maybe some problems from economics starting up, with drugs & drug crimes in Coos Bay, is this correct? Regardless, this will be one of the areas we will be exploring for relocation this coming spring. (Hopefully that is, if our economy can whole together until then - hmm)

Anyway, Thanks to All, we're busy doing net research about those other recommendations too.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Kitebird

We would describe ourselves as "somewhat" progressive Green to libertarian/conservative Yankee types.

[Kitebird]

CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!
Jaw on floor,
Hamster now in critical condition ^~~^~^~~~~~~~~^_________ .

[dsh1127]

Have you checked into any areas in Southern Oregon? There is a hospital in Grants Pass and plenty of outlying areas that would seem like they would fit your bill.

Ashland sounds like it may be a fit for some of your wants, but may be way off on others (has a hospital). Areas around Jacksonville/Applegate are great (hospital in Medford or Grants Pass within an hour tops). Medford is kind of busy, though - for me anyways!

The areas around Grants Pass/Rogue River are my personal favorites!

Good luck!!