Moving from Southern California to Oregon (Portland, Eugene: environment, relocate, vacation)

[outdoor girl]

After reading about all the gloom in Northern Oregon, I'm not sure if Portland will be a good place to live. Our Transfering choices are Portland, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Roseburg and Salem. Now, just because we come from Los Angeles, doesn't mean we are sun worshipers. The Summers here have reached 106 and Winters get as cold as 34. We really could do without the heat, but at the same time don't want freezing temps in the Winters everyday.

We have vacationed quite a bit in Oregon. We have been to Gold Beach- alone the Rogue River, Oregon Dunes, Diamond and Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. All which we love and helped to make our decision to move to Oregon. We are an Outdoor loving family. We need lots of trees and streams to go fishing. Rain doesn't bother us. I'd rather have rain than snow since my husband drives class A trucks. It's just all the "depression" stories that is making us think twice about Portland. We are looking to feel safe and enjoy a good quality of life. All opinions/comments are appreciated.

[outdoor girl]

Which of the above cities would you recommend and why? Thanks for the input...

[gidgedvm]

Hello! I am also from the L.A. area (Burbank, to be exact). We definitely are moving to Southern Oregon- just accepted a job in Talent, so we need to look for a place in the surrounding areas soon(Medford/Ashland/Phoenix area). We are actually moving mid-September.

I was there last Thursday and Friday, and the temp. there was about 96 or so, which was kinda the same as it was here at that time. Last year, when we were there, the temp. was in the 100's, but that was when there was a heat wave all across the western U.S. I have never been there during the rainy/cold season, but on my side bar weather info. of Yahoo, it was showed that it was colder up there, sometimes up to about 10 degrees difference.

My fiance is an outdoor person- fishing, camping, hiking, etc. I don't like severe cold weather since I grew up in a tropical country, and long gloomy days depress me. I can stand some rain but not lots. We have a 13 month old son and we don't want to raise him in the L.A. environment. We are hoping to buy a house in the near future and with the cost of living here in L.A., we are looking for a better/cheaper place. These are our reasons to leave L.A. and move up to Southern Oregon.

I will have to take a pay cut though, but since cost of living there is lower, I am hoping that things will work out fine. I hope things work out for you as well.

MG

[Rainclouds]

Just as a precaution for those of you who enjoy warmer weather year round and not a lot of rain or clouds.

I grew up in the Northwest. Spent 28 years in Washington and Oregon. It is cloudy a lot! It also does rain quite a bit. A lot of people such as myself who don't like the rain and clouds all the time and the fog and musty, windy weather have relocated to the southwest area. Arizona, Nevada, Utah are all great states to move to.

The weather is sunny most all year long and the shopping is superb in Las Vegas. There are also A LOT of jobs in Las Vegas, Nevada and St. George, Utah, believe it or not. In fact in most cases, you can almost find a job right away. I know my friends and I have. There are also beautiful rivers and outdoor fun galore in Utah and Nevada. A lot of people I've talked to can't believe it, but it's true. In fact, you can be outdoors even more because it's NOT raining. Even during the winter which is great. If you like the outdoors, and don't like the foggy depressing Northwest Coast, I'd look at Southwest Utah. Specifically the town of St. George.

You can still live in a smaller town and then get away to Nevada on the weekends. Which is what most people do around here.

Hope this helps!

[Eugguy]

I'm from Los Angeles and I moved here to Eugene for school. I really like it here, but I love L.A. and miss the big city life. I've met a lot of fellow Angelenos here at the University of Oregon. And the weather is VERY nice here right now. Summer's are great here, but the winters do get cold and are wet. I've survived last year, so it's not as bad as people might say. But, it does make you appreciate the "perfect day" weather in L.A. where we enjoy mostly sunny and warm temps throughout the year.

Look into the Eugene area, and I bet you'll find something that suits your needs.

[Steve97415]

Bend is not in western Oregon and will be sunnier, but it will be snowy and have freezing temps in winter. I don't mind the rain in western Oregon. In fact, if it's not going to be sunny, I just as soon have it raining. But it isn't the rain that makes life difficult here. It's the GLOOM. Gray skies. Imagine May Gray/June Gloom for six months out of the year. Mornings that are dark are the most difficult part for me. But it's the price you pay for forests and greenery in a summer-dry climate. Check the seasonal affect ratings in Retirement Places Rated to get an idea of what to expect. I think it helps to live in a place where there are a lot of indoor attractions in a winter-rainy climate. That favors Portland and Eugene.

[WorkinStiff]

Bend is booming, spreading in all directions...The Infrastructure hasn't kept up so there are frequent traffic jams.....However, it's a wonderful place for hunting/fishing/camping etc and is surrounded by pine forests with great rivers & lakes for fishing.....Property values are soaring & it's turning into a bit of a yuppie heaven & lots of working folks settle in LaPine or Redmond or Prineville.....It gets much more sun then cities in the willamette valley..

[Silkyred]

Originally Posted by outdoor girl

After reading about all the gloom in Northern Oregon, I'm not sure if Portland will be a good place to live. Our Transfering choices are Portland, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Roseburg and Salem. Now, just because we come from Los Angeles, doesn't mean we are sun worshipers. The Summers here have reached 106 and Winters get as cold as 34. We really could do without the heat, but at the same time don't want freezing temps in the Winters everyday.

We have vacationed quite a bit in Oregon. We have been to Gold Beach- alone the Rogue River, Oregon Dunes, Diamond and Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. All which we love and helped to make our decision to move to Oregon. We are an Outdoor loving family. We need lots of trees and streams to go fishing. Rain doesn't bother us. I'd rather have rain than snow since my husband drives class A trucks. It's just all the "depression" stories that is making us think twice about Portland. We are looking to feel safe and enjoy a good quality of life. All opinions/comments are appreciated.

Hi, I find myself in the same place you are trying to find the best place in Oregon to move. We tend to stay away from the coast due to the gallons of rain 9 months out of the year (that might be a little high...but there is a LOT of rain). My husband and I think that Bend is a very nice town, as the rain is reasonable (about the same as So Cal) and the snow is not awful. Do you know anything about a little town called Altamont?, close to Klamath Falls, where the snow is very little and the rain still not bad. We are going to visit there on our next trip to Oregon in September. Maybe I can find someone who has heard of this place, and who can give me some accurate stats. Silky

[AeroAngel]

I don't think there's anyplace in Oregon worth moving to. I too came here from Southern California and wish I was back home! I hate Oregon, it's so gloomy & filled with "back-wood" hicks and uneducated cowboys, not to mention all the spanish speaking mexicans (guess they're everywhere now though)! Anyway....good luck to you.

[fastfilm]

AeroAngel, where do you live in OR that you hear mainly Spanish? Is it as bad as Los Angeles, where English is spoken so seldom that one does a double-take every time one hears it at all?