Moving from Southern California to Oregon (Portland, Grants Pass: environment, relocating, insurance)

[Des_Demona]

Whatever! We've had record cold and heat as well this year in California (it's happened all over the U.S. or have you not been paying attention?) and it's killed all the grass and crops with everything freezing over and it's VERY VERY windy here in the LA area. The wind has sucked out windows of the high-rises which crash to the streets below almost hitting people walking by. They are tornado-like winds not to mention FREEZING cold winds. Oregon, when I was there this winter in Eugene and Portland, was much colder than California but with NO wind even the coast wasn't too windy and Oregon was anywhere from 28-46 degrees whereas in California it was around 55-60 degrees but freezing wind it feels MUCH colder in CA. I feel WAY colder here in California than I felt the whole time I was there in Oregon including Portland and the coast so you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

The weather has been bad this year EVERYWHERE not just Oregon. It's been all over the news in California how terrible it's been on Californians too, not to mention how horrible it's been for people in the midwest and the East! Snow-ins, sub-zero temps, blizzards, and the south? Gets the hottest muggiest temps not to mention the hurricanes and big bugs so before you get your one-sided facts and spew them all over a relocation forum where people are trying to get actual facts, please do some research.

EVERY place has it's bad points and it's good points. The plain and simple truth is that Oregon is a well-kept secret. It has great weather (I LOVE the rain and clouds =less wrinkles, less of a focus on being "tan" etc), they have the most beautiful landscapes, mountains, everything that I've seen and I've been to nearly all 50 states save for a few midwestern ones. Oregon has friendly people, nature, bike paths, it's environmentally focused, there are more trees there than I've seen anywhere else, less emphasis on every single person owning their own car (or worse an SUV). I mean, yes, the weather can cause people to flip their car, drive down an embankment, or if they are stupid enough to go hiking in a blizzard on the hardest mountain you lose some people to that as well, but the fact is, that every place has it's upsides and downsides and Oregon just has SOOOOOO many more good points than anywhere else that I've been. The only other place I could see myself is perhaps in the north east but their winters are too cold. At least in Oregon the winters are so mild. Compared to California maybe they are cold, but you can't even go outside in California anymore and do things because of the traffic and congestion without getting pissed off at the 7 drivers that cut you off, the rude people at the grocery store who cut in front of you in line or their kids who keep pushing your cart and running over your feet not to mention people are always speaking in Spanish which has become more than just a little irritation now. You can't take a nice drive to the coast anymore (and I live just 15 miles from the coast!) or a drive up to the mountains because traffic is just so bad that the driving part would take your entire weekend up and by the time you reached your final destination you would be so tired and irritated from the drive the whole experience is colored by this. Then you are thinking that you still have to drive back. California is NOT any better than Oregon, it's about 1000 times worse than Oregon.

The news in Oregon? One sad thing after another? What do you think NEWS is? It's all sad news, on any news station - ANYWHERE you turn on the news it's going to be bad news.. that's what sells and keeps people listening. Seriously, where have you been? Try turning on the news in California and hearing about the gang problem, drive by's, pollution levels, the child who got killed in a gang related shooting. Please, you think Oregon's got problems? No way! Oregonians don't even understand the concept of "gang activity". There's no way you could unless you've been here to experience it first-hand. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. You don't really feel the fear everytime you leave the house that you're going to be killed by someone whether it's their driving habits or their guns. I love to skateboard but I won't do it anymore because nobody pays any attention to the bike lanes and drives in them around corners and I live in a city smaller than Eugene. People are afraid to bike or rollerblade here. Maybe it's nature that's the killer in Oregon, but somehow I think if you play it smart and don't assume that you can outsmart the weather and nature then you'll do just fine. It's people that are the wild card and California's got too many dam* people!

[snb3]

Hey Des,
just returned on my first trip to OR.
No matter how much Oregonians complain about :traffic,weather,driving skills, rude people, illegal immigrants, real estate market, etc; everything pales in comparison to Cali. You Oregonians don't know how well you have it. I went from Eugene to Ashland and Cali has nothing on OR in respect to weather,traffic & friendliness. My wife and I are now actively working towards relocating to OR. OR might not be heaven but its equal to California minus say, 75% of its problems.

[Waterlily]

Wow! I must have missed somebody's message complaining about the weather here in Oregon. Thanks for defending Oregon Des Demona and snb3.

Well I'm living on the coast in Oregon and I just want to say it's a beautiful day today. Oh it's probably not as warm as California but it's pretty nice. Yep it's in the 50's and the sun is out. Sure we get rain in the winter but that's why everything is so green.

[tiffela74]

Jeez Des, now ya got me worried about you!! Hurry up and move on up here!!
I cant even imagine living like that......
And I'll second Waterlily, Thanks Des and Snb3 for the good words and Oregon defence. hopefully you'll both be here before long.
Tiff

[mr. grieves]

I wanted to say thanks to those who responded to my initial inquiry. Your input is much appreciated. My wife and I have continually researched potential Oregon areas of residence, and we seem to be leaning toward Eugene or Cottage Grove to the north, and Medford or Grants Pass to the south. For me, the main criteria is artistic culture: good book stores, movie theaters, and places to see non-mainstream bands. For my wife, it's more about a non-gloomy climate. [Portland, as great as it sounds, doesn't seem to be an option.] It appears that Eugene, given the college alone, will offer more in terms of said culture, whereas Medford seems to have the nicer weather my wife prefers. Is there an Oregon city or town that has a balance between the two? A few have mentioned Ashland, but it seems pricey and riddled with Shakespearean sonnets. It would be great to hear the opinions of any respective Eugene or Cottage Grove and Medford or Grants Pass locals.

On a more serious note, whether moving across the country or across town, relocating can always be a stressful experience. I find it unfortunate that a few people on this forum choose [and it does come down to choice] to instantly assume the worst about others moving into "their" area. It's sad that there are those who continue to refer to other human beings as "foreigners." That's an incredibly narrow-minded view point, especially in the 21st century. The way I see it, we're all foreigners, whether in Oregon, California, or America, even. Just shake the branches of your family tree. The only true "Americans" are the natives now living on the literal fringes. I've been heartened to hear many still referring to themselves, like their ancestors before them, as "citizens of the earth." But that's a whole other topic. Again, thanks to those who've kept an open mind with regards to "outsiders" relocating to their chosen neck of the universal woods.

[earthtorachel]

Amen Des! We just had a baby and decided we didn't want to raise our kids in LA so we moved to Portland. We are both artists so this place is incredible! I was floored at how much more supportive it is to its art community here than LA is when LA is an arts mecca. It is funny how there seems to be such a negative force on forums.There are two kinds of people: the glass is half full and the glass is half empty. You choose to believe what you want to believe by identifying with the nature in which you tend to lean towards. In the end, you have to make your own decision and the best way to do that is to go drive around the different cities and one will speak to you! That was Portland for us. I need to be near a big city and Portland is just big enough to give me that feeling and still providing all the things I want my kids to be able to grow up with that we could never provide to them in LA. Little thing like riding their bikes with neighborhood friends without supervision. Unheard of in LA. You practically have to put your kids on a leash to keep them safe and the threat of stray bullets from gang related gunfire is everywhere down there. We could not find a decent 3 bdrm house with a yard in a good school district for under 800K and even if we could afford that, the homes were small and left much to be desired. Here, our kids will experience seasons, not just hot and cold. The leaves on the trees turn gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow, some like nothing I have ever seen in person, snow, and nature. There is an amazing park in every single neighborhood, people wave and smile at you when you walk down the street, people are interested in you and not just what you do, people are conscious of the environment and not hypocritical about it, there is COMMUNITY here, something I have so longed for but never found in LA. NO SALES TAX. People are not absorbed with trends and ego, I haven't seen one Corvette or tricked out Denali with spinning rims since we got here. Very few SUVs actually which is nice because no one knows how to drive those things and I had begun to develop a fear of them on the road after being nearly run over by one last year. People smile here. You drive around and people are smiling and hapopy. In LA, people are posing or stuck in the future planning. People seem more in the now here which is something I love to see. Things we no longer deal with: traffic (and I mean REAL traffic, in LA, we never went anywhere because it was such an ordeal to have to deal with the traffic that it wasn't worth going at all if by the time you get to your destination, you are in a bad mood and drained from dealing with LA drivers in bumper to bumper traffic. What should take 15 minutes taking 2 hours) ; gangs (there are NO gangbangers here, I haven't even seen a wigger!); rude non english speaking people working in establishments where I am paying my money for their service; rude immigrants (we lived in an area that was predominantly armenian and in LA, cultures band together and generally all hate Americans and aren't shy to express it. These people are nasty and rude and I cannot be happier to no longer have to deal with their nasty attitude every day); inflated prices and yes inflated egos. I am a photographer by trade and am currently on maternity leave but have already generated prospective clientele from the few outings we have had to baby stores and restaurants. In LA, you aren't anything if you haven't shot a celebrity. It is so exciting as an artist to be in an area where people appreciate art and the value of good work. For those who resent people from all over moving to their area, I have one thing to say, deal with it. The population in America is growing so fast that the people have to go somewhere. With our weak immigration laws, we as a nation, have to expand out of the already over populated states. You should be glad that it is english speaking americans moving to your area and not American hating immigrants coming to make use of the opportunities in this country and outwardly hate those native to it. You should be glad that people wanting a fresh start with noble and positive motives are migrating to your area, wanting to embrace the beauty and safety of your home. Driving up home prices is a bad thing? No my friends. Seeing the economy of a city grow is a good thing! It always means more jobs and more opportunities. Is it a bad thing that people are more interested in improving the neighborhoods and renovating their old homes? You can't fight change and with change comes growth. It is inevitable. As an Oregonian now, I hope it is more people like us who continue to migrate here. People who come here for the community, for the beauty, for the safety and want to protect that. Oregon is attracting good people. You should be glad.

[freedom]

EarthtoRachel,

We are glad to be here, its nice to see someone else is too. Best wishes on the photog. business/art. Invite your like minded friends.

freedom

[ExNYC]

There was a report yesterday on CNN which cited information from moving companies. The number one destination for movers last year was North Carolina and the number two destination was Oregon. Now that we're here and getting used to not being part of a major urban area, I can say we like it just fine. I miss SoCal but not enough to trade this place to go back. I also miss NY but wouldn't consider going back there.

We've had almost a week of bright sunshine in Ashland with temps in the upper 40's/low 50's. Great walking weather during the day and cold enough at night to crank up the fireplace and have a nice glass of wine.

[tiffela74]

EarthtoRachel,
What a wonderful post!! Thank you!
Im so glad youre loving your new home here in Oregon!! Its a great place to be and raise a family. Mostly. You'll have to check out the baby show at the convention center when it comes around again. They have hundreds and hundreds of booths with everything for the little ones. From organic foods, to handmade clothes, inventive toys, to incredible furniture. You might look into getting a booth of your own set up there too, its great exposure, not to mention you should check it out too so you can meet others in your line of work and see whats popular and what you might be able to market on. new friends too of course!
Congrads on the new baby, theres not much better in life than that!!
I have to admit.....Im a native Oregonian, as is my husband, and....well.....gulp....he owns a corvette w/spinny wheels....it was his mid-life crisis/quitting smoking incentive...sorry! lol
Its been quite lovely weather on the coast too! Gotta love a clear blue day in such a beautiful state!
Tiffany

[freedom]

Tiffela,

Now thats funny, corvette with spinny wheels, I am jealous. Your husband rocks I want a ZR6 but haven't had my crisis yet, and I quite smoking 20 yrs ago. Can you think of anything that I can use to justify the purchase? I think I could even right it off on my taxes if I work it right.
Again, God bless your husband, he is a lucky man............

freedom (to drive fast and like it)