Corvallis vs Albany? (Philomath, Millersburg: hotel, work, townhome)

[Stonecoldharbours]

Affordability?
Housing for under 200k?
Schools (public)
Warmer air temps
Rain is ok! I know all bout the rain!!!
Crime?

Thanks!!!

[Marko3]

I have never lived in either city, but I have spent time in both over the years. Corvallis and Albany are roughly the same size as far as population. Albany is on Interstate 5, and Corvallis is about 10 miles off the "beaten path". Albany has a large paper mill just north of it in Millersburg along I-5, and you can smell it for miles on a hot day. I always remember to turn the air on recirculate while driving through that area on the freeway. Corvallis is a college town, and has a younger population. In the past, Oregon State University's campus has been rated one of the safest campus's in the PAC-10, but that was a number of years ago. Based solely on personal experiences, with no other information, I'd say I feel safer in Corvallis than in Albany. Housing for under $200K is getting more and more rare in Oregon. As far as air temps, Albany and Corvallis are very similar, there is even bus service between the two, so they're fairly close, and share a very similar climate. Corvallis has 8 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools and 2 high schools, in addition to the University which is the cities biggest employer. (Second largerst is Hewitt Packard). I guess if I were choosing where I'd want to live between Albany or Corvallis, I'd choose Corvallis hands down.

[Stonecoldharbours]

THANKS! I appreciate the feedback!!!

[Stonecoldharbours]

What bout bad areas to steer from? Anyone? I seen a very nice townhome for around 209, was impressive too, for a townhome, but I wonder if this will put me in a bad area?

[jjpop]

Affordability: Albany housing is more affordable than Corvallis, but other expenses are about the same.
Housing for under 200k: Again, probably easier to find in Albany, but there are some in Corvallis. Also consider Philomath (just west of Corvallis, almost considered a suburb) for more affordable housing.
Public schools are good in all these cities, although there are chronic funding issues.
Air temps will be about the same. It's a little windier as you head west.
Crime: maybe a little lower in Corvallis (although I myself have been a victim of auto theft).
Each of these towns have small pockets of areas you may not want to consider. Housing prices usually reflect this.
I can see paying $209k for a townhome in a decent part of any of these cities.

[Stonecoldharbours]

Thanks JJpop! It is much appreciated! Sorry to hear bout your car!

[CantWait2Bthere]

Most of the answers for the questions you have can be found at City-Data.com. Though the best research you can do is obviously to visit the two towns , which is what my family and I have done. Last July we stayed a week in Corvallis and we just returned Monday from spending Easter break in Albany. I fell in love with the downtown in Corvallis and all the tree-lined streets. Esthetically it is a "nicer" looking town than Albany I suppose and has many desirable neighborhoods. But going by my last visit to Albany I would choose to live there.

For all the great things said about Corvallis there is one thing that my husband and I both noticed in all the time we spent in each town...and this is something you can not experience by just looking up stats on a web site; and that is the sincere friendliness of the people.

Top rated schools ,a lower crime rate, a nicer downtown, and all the nice bike lanes once made Corvallis my first choice..but having all that doesn't hold a candle to living in an area with a better sense of community that we saw in Albany. EVERYONE was friendly there. Everyday we spent there it was like we were meeting up with an old friend. It seemed folks in Albany really follow the Golden rule because everyone treated us with kindness and respect.

The room we booked at the La Quinta was not quite what I expected and the staff upgraded us to a suite for no extra charge.

The waitress at Novak's spoke with us as we ate about the area and gave us her contact information if we ever needed a resident's perspective anything about Albany.

The owner of the Chinese buffet talked to us about herself and her family after complimenting our daughter.

One morning my free copy USA Today ended up missing from the front door of my hotel room and when I went to get a replacment copy I was told they were all out and mine must have been stolen. Two minutes later the maintence man showed up and gave us his copy.

On our last day in town one of the neighbors of a house we were looking at came up and spent lots of time talking to us and by the end of the day we were hanging out in his back yard sipping tea.

I am sure some of you all might not think any of the above occurances any big deal but where I am from this sort of kindness and openness is rare and if it happens once in a six month period you are lucky. Nothing against Corvallis, I am sure it has it's share of warm and friendly people. But this past week has proved to me that sometimes what looks good on paper is not always the best choice for every family.

[DavePautsch]

I would like to echo everything that Can'tWait2Bethere said...as a resident of Albany (and I worked in Corvallis for 4 years) I have found the same to be true!

Looking for a house under $200K...you get a lot more bang for your buck in Albany. There is even some new construction (decent neighborhoods) for that...if you don't need a huge house (up to about 1300 sqft).

Both are very liveable towns, both have great neighborhoods and some "not so great" but the schools are good, and the people are friendly.

Can'tWait2Bethere...thanks!

Dave

[CantWait2Bthere]

Hey Dave....you of course ought to have been #1 on my previous post but I didn't want anyone to question your intentions as to why you were also so nice and generous with your time. But IF ANYONE NEEDS A GOOD GUIDE OF ALBANY DAVE IS YOUR MAN. Check out his web page.