Where is the Best Place to live in Oregon (Portland: foreclosures, neighborhoods)

[Cornerguy1]

As interesting as the snake stories are, folks, could we please get back to the topic of the thread: Where is the Best Place to Live in Oregon

Thanks for everyone's cooperation

[investorscooter]

To All:
Which of the Willamette Valley towns has the most liveable, charming downtowns? I'm thinking of a situation wherein there are actual mom/pop businesses on the main streets + single family homes within a couple of blocks of the commercial. Hopefully with historic architecture, etc. Husband & I are thinking of renting an RV and spending some time in a variety of places to see what they're like, late spring and into summer. Any feedback appreciated!

[Peanutt]

Originally Posted by investorscooter

To All:
Which of the Willamette Valley towns has the most liveable, charming downtowns? I'm thinking of a situation wherein there are actual mom/pop businesses on the main streets + single family homes within a couple of blocks of the commercial. Hopefully with historic architecture, etc. Husband & I are thinking of renting an RV and spending some time in a variety of places to see what they're like, late spring and into summer. Any feedback appreciated!

McMinnville with its 3rd street comes to mind. Sherwood's "Old Town" fits this description, at least at one time it did (I haven't been there recently, so that might have changed). Corvallis has a charming and nice downtown.

[jaada]

[quote=Leisesturm;2890016]Do you have children? Why do you think 'everyone' should want to live with a half acre or more insulating them from the rest of humanity? People who still are working (I suspect you are not) cannot live too far off the grid if they want to have a reasonable commute to their work. Likewise, if one is of a more gregarious bent it won't do for all their friends to need 4x4's when they want to come over for a game of Scrabble. We want to live in Oregon because we want more access to nature and seclusion than is possible in NYC but it wouldn't be reasonable for us to want to live in, say Silverton. You apparently want to live even more out of it than that. Fine, but to be amazed that more people don't share your penchant... ... well, thats just sick :-)




i agree with camper, i want to live off grid too. and commute

[Adonia1986]

Hello All! I just stumbled across this forum while looking for places to move. I am currently engaged and getting married in October to a wonderful fiance. Shortly after our wedding, we are looking to move to Oregon as we have heard many wonderful things about the state. Unfortunatly we as of yet have been unable to take a trip out there to visit places we may be interested in. That said trip is planned for late August to make sure the places we have been considering are as wonderful as we believe them to be. My hope is that those of you on this forum may be able to assist us in finding the perfect place to begin our lives. Here is our "about us"
I am 23, he is 27, both of us hail from midwest U.S.A. and currently reside in Green Bay, WI. He has a degree in Human Biology, a massage therapy certification and a degree in Chiropractics. I have a degree in Sociology and a masters in Social Work. He lived the majority of his life in a place so small you blink and it is gone, I on the otherhand grew up in Allouze, a suburb of Green Bay. We do have plans for having children in the future and want a place that would be good for them to grow up in. Despite both of us loving Green Bay, it has come to the point that we have begun to question the rising amount of violence and lack of healthy lifestyles.
Here is a list of things that we are looking for in a new place. We are both vegetarians and want a community that is at least remotely concerned with health. As my fiance has a degree in Chiropractics, we would be looking for an area with more "natural" health care empasis. As far as size goes, we would be looking for something similar to the size of Green Bay, ideally with a suburb not to far away. We both love nature, and the outdoors and are particularly fond of rock climbing. Having lived near a bay most of our lives, ideally we would be remotely close to a body of water, no matter what form. We both also share a love of music and theatre and love almost all weather. As far as living expenses are concerned, we would be looking to purchase a home no greater in cost than $150,000 in a neighbourhood that is both child and pet friendly.
I would like to take a moment and thank all of you for any imput you may be able to offer us and appreciation for taking the time to read this post.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Adonia1986

Hello All! I just stumbled across this forum while looking for places to move. I am currently engaged and getting married in October to a wonderful fiance. Shortly after our wedding, we are looking to move to Oregon as we have heard many wonderful things about the state. Unfortunatly we as of yet have been unable to take a trip out there to visit places we may be interested in. That said trip is planned for late August to make sure the places we have been considering are as wonderful as we believe them to be. My hope is that those of you on this forum may be able to assist us in finding the perfect place to begin our lives. Here is our "about us"
I am 23, he is 27, both of us hail from midwest U.S.A. and currently reside in Green Bay, WI. He has a degree in Human Biology, a massage therapy certification and a degree in Chiropractics. I have a degree in Sociology and a masters in Social Work. He lived the majority of his life in a place so small you blink and it is gone, I on the otherhand grew up in Allouze, a suburb of Green Bay. We do have plans for having children in the future and want a place that would be good for them to grow up in. Despite both of us loving Green Bay, it has come to the point that we have begun to question the rising amount of violence and lack of healthy lifestyles.
Here is a list of things that we are looking for in a new place. We are both vegetarians and want a community that is at least remotely concerned with health. As my fiance has a degree in Chiropractics, we would be looking for an area with more "natural" health care empasis. As far as size goes, we would be looking for something similar to the size of Green Bay, ideally with a suburb not to far away. We both love nature, and the outdoors and are particularly fond of rock climbing. Having lived near a bay most of our lives, ideally we would be remotely close to a body of water, no matter what form. We both also share a love of music and theatre and love almost all weather. As far as living expenses are concerned, we would be looking to purchase a home no greater in cost than $150,000 in a neighbourhood that is both child and pet friendly.
I would like to take a moment and thank all of you for any imput you may be able to offer us and appreciation for taking the time to read this post.

First and foremost, read this prior post by another poster. The importance of its message can't be overemphasized.

Originally Posted by backdrifter

For all you who are currently considering a move to Oregon, you may want to think about the unemployment rate here. We're among the highest in the nation at 9.9% at the state level (in January I believe, and it may be higher now), with regional unemployment getting as high as 15% or more in some areas. Just something to think about. Times are tough in the whole country, including Oregon. You should definitely have a LOT of money saved up before you move out here, or have a definite job waiting for you. Unless, of course, you're an RN/LPN, because every place can always use nurses. But other than that... Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

As far as living expenses are concerned, we would be looking to purchase a home no greater in cost than $150,000 in a neighbourhood that is both child and pet friendly.

Either there is a zero missing from your purchase price limit, or you come from an area where home prices are extremely depressed and need a major order-of-magnitude reality check about West Coast realty markets. You'll need to at least double your $150k budget to buy into the lower end of the detached single-family house market in an Oregon city.

[Adonia1986]

Guess according to you, Oregon isn't such a great place to live afterall. Thanks for the depressing and very unencouraging information. I will have to look on other sites for perhaps persons who are a bit kinder.

[X1Leanne]

Originally Posted by Adonia1986

Hello All! I just stumbled across this forum while looking for places to move. I am currently engaged and getting married in October to a wonderful fiance. Shortly after our wedding, we are looking to move to Oregon as we have heard many wonderful things about the state. Unfortunatly we as of yet have been unable to take a trip out there to visit places we may be interested in. That said trip is planned for late August to make sure the places we have been considering are as wonderful as we believe them to be. My hope is that those of you on this forum may be able to assist us in finding the perfect place to begin our lives. Here is our "about us"
I am 23, he is 27, both of us hail from midwest U.S.A. and currently reside in Green Bay, WI. He has a degree in Human Biology, a massage therapy certification and a degree in Chiropractics. I have a degree in Sociology and a masters in Social Work. He lived the majority of his life in a place so small you blink and it is gone, I on the otherhand grew up in Allouze, a suburb of Green Bay. We do have plans for having children in the future and want a place that would be good for them to grow up in. Despite both of us loving Green Bay, it has come to the point that we have begun to question the rising amount of violence and lack of healthy lifestyles.
Here is a list of things that we are looking for in a new place. We are both vegetarians and want a community that is at least remotely concerned with health. As my fiance has a degree in Chiropractics, we would be looking for an area with more "natural" health care empasis. As far as size goes, we would be looking for something similar to the size of Green Bay, ideally with a suburb not to far away. We both love nature, and the outdoors and are particularly fond of rock climbing. Having lived near a bay most of our lives, ideally we would be remotely close to a body of water, no matter what form. We both also share a love of music and theatre and love almost all weather. As far as living expenses are concerned, we would be looking to purchase a home no greater in cost than $150,000 in a neighbourhood that is both child and pet friendly.
I would like to take a moment and thank all of you for any imput you may be able to offer us and appreciation for taking the time to read this post.

I hope that you're not too discouraged about Oregon. I currently live in WA state but Oregon is my home state.
I grew up on the coast (Reedsport) and Eugene during the sixties. I've always thought that Eugene in particular is very forward looking...the first Farmers market in the nation started in Eugene (I'm hoping I'm quoting this stat accurately). I also feel that the western part of the state as a whole places a great deal of emphasis on healthy life styles.
I think the Willamette Valley is a good choice because you are an hour away from the mountains and an hour away from the coast.
It's a beautiful state, but the economy could use a boost. Real estate is not as high as California or Seattle area, but is a great deal higher than some other parts of the country. Employment is interesting, too.
I would recommend taking a visit, doing some research and talking with some other Oregonians.
HTH
Leanne

[mermaidmichelle]

Don't give up. Depending on where you want to live $150K is not necessarily totally unreasonable. You might want to consider Roseburg. Although unemployment is an issue, it is an issue everywhere in the country, not just Oregon. I'm not sure of the size of Green Bay, but Roseburg is approx 25,000 with many smaller surrounding communities within easy commuting distance (I'm 10 miles away in Winston, my parents are another 12 miles down the road in Myrtle Creek). Roseburg has many grocery stores that provide for vegetarian needs and more "outdoorsy" activities than "indoorsy" ones. The climate is significantly milder than Wisconsin, we average 2-4 days of snow in my neighborhood, more if you go to the higher elevations. Good luck, and don't get discouraged until you've actually been here yourself and seen what Oregon has to offer you.

[Roobs2868]

To the Lake Oswego complainer:

Wow if you are looking for a friend you may want tone down on the negativity and complaining and stereotypes. Just to let you know Oregon State University is an excellent college. They don't take just anyone; you have to meet certain grade requirements. Visit their website and check it out, go to admission requirements. OSU is also well known for their Oceanic studies and many people all over the US come to Oregon for that reason they are one of the best schools in the department, and their college of Business Department is also very challenging.

Have you thought of starting your own club instead of complaining about people? one that involves outdoor activities? Maybe these women need someone like you, have you thought of that?

By the way I'm a student at Oregon State University and I'm about to graduate, it's an excellent school with amazing professors that make you think and challange you.