Gotta get out of the Midwest... How about Oregon? (Portland: fit in, job market)

[Snuggle500]

My boyfriend and I are from the metro-east St. Louis area. We are desperate to get out of here. The weather is awful, air quality poor, not very bike friendly, and there is not much to do that doesn't require a road trip...

We've always had our eyes on Portland, but heard that it's not so hot on the job market right now. He'll be graduating in May of next year and we're really wanting to move in the next year to 3 years at the most. He's a social work major and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do (though I do have my BS in Business Admin so I could at least find a job to pay the bills). We are very open minded and we have a wide range of interests: owning our own restaurant, working with and helping people, organic farming, raising alpacas!

So with all that said, we were looking for other places besides Portland that would be good to move to. Or if someone has more hopeful news about Portland, I would be more that happy to hear. Thanks!

[BUBBA1994]

Try Medford. It has nice weather (cold in winter, hot in summer), and it's only 27 miles from the California border. Plus it has many close by great towns you should visit including: Grants Pass, Ashland, Jacksonville, White City, Winston, Yreka (CA), and more. Medford is the perfect place to live.

[Silverfall]

We do have high unemployment in Oregon right now. Portland is a great city and I'm originally from Illinois. I loved Portland.

You should try and do a trek out here in the winter to see what you think of the gray winters. Maybe over his winter break from classes...

[Rob Allen]

You sound like someone who would fit in well here. Good luck with the job search!

[backdrifter]

You've heard Portland's economy sucks, but it is pretty much the best in Oregon right now. The whole state is doing rather terribly.

You definitely, right now, would want to find a job before you moved out here or have a lot of money saved up no matter where in the state you were moving to.

I would not recommend Medford however. The city itself is really not that nice of a town, but in the Southern Oregon area it is going to be the place with the jobs most likely. The surrounding areas are BEAUTIFUL though.

I'd look into Eugene if I were you, once the economy hopefully starts clearing up someday. Hopefully in a year or two or three it'll be a better situation out here.

[Snuggle500]

Thanks for the advice! We know a few people around here who are from Oregon or lived there at one time. We've only heard good things, minus the economy, but that seems to be the situation everywhere.

So... find a job first (I was figuring that much, as we aren't rolling in the dough).

Any advice on pet-friendly places?

[Snuggle500]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

We do have high unemployment in Oregon right now. Portland is a great city and I'm originally from Illinois. I loved Portland.

You should try and do a trek out here in the winter to see what you think of the gray winters. Maybe over his winter break from classes...

That's a really good idea! We are hoping to have the opportunity to do so this winter. Are the winters any worse than they are around St. Louis? We've had some pretty rough ones the past few years. We like the cold and the snow, though, so winter isn't a big complaint for us.

[Melissa E]

Hey I'm from Missouri, too .. by Columbia and my boyfriend and I feel the same. We are ready for a big change. Missouri can be great, too, (especially the seasons) but we are just ready for a BIG change, so we went to Oregon recently for 10 days from North to South and loved it. I think the rain would get depressing in the Northern area, but it really is beautiful (we went on all sunny days though for 10 days, so we were a bit deceived) ... I think Southern Oregon is veryyy beautiful, too, though. I'm sure you could find fun things to do around Medford, ect., and you can always take road trips to the coast (stay in the Heceta Head Bed and Breakfast sometime!!! It is the most beautiful place on Earth, imo) and to California ... so it's a good location with better weather.
Go to Visit Oregon site for lots of good info. Plus you can find great info here on each individual place on the stats page.

[ShirleePR]

Oregon currently has the 2nd-highest unemployment in the US . . . and Portland has among the highest percentage of homeless.

I suggest having a job lined up before moving, or staying where you already have a job until the economy improves.