Sun and Seasons? (Portland, Eugene, Bend: new home, community college, camping)

[SunTrailsFood]

Hey thanks in advance for the help!
My husband and I lived in Michigan for most of our lives. It's nice other than the 6 months or so of grey skies and it's pretty flat. Now we live in San Diego and it's great other than there are no season changes and it gets hot if you're not literally on the coast (as in, don't drive 10 miles inland).

I've read alot of the posts and I understand that Oregon is rainy. I don't mind some rain (in fact a good storm is always fun), but I can't take constant drizzle or grey. What we're looking for is a decent helping of sunny days (who isn't?), trails for running/hiking/mtn biking (we're ultramarathoners so we need long trails), but also leaves changing color in the fall and snow in the winter.

I know it's crazy to have drinks and food as a criteria, but it'd be nice to move to an area with good places to eat, grocery shop, and (let's be honest) good microbrews (admit it - you want that too). :)

Is there a place in Oregon that fits this description or should I be looking elsewhere?

Thanks for the advice!

[Steve97415]

While Oregon has many different climates, it doesn't sound like any of them would be a very good fit for you. Colorful fall leaves are common, but snow is not. While most of Oregon has warm sunny summers, the "constant drizzle or grey" that you despise is a force to be reckoned with for a least half the year in most areas. We don't get thunderstorms -- just quietly weepy gray skies.

There may be some good prospects without leaving the state of California. Once north of the mid-valley -- and away from immediate coast -- you'll get lots of seasonal variation. Fall is very colorful in Sonoma and Napa Counties. The northern Sacramento Valley has nice seasonal variation with long summers and short winters. But as for snow...well that's what most people come to the West Coast to escape from. You might look into Colorado or Utah if you want your winters to be that cold. Flagstaff, AZ is another possibility.

[ColoQuadRacer]

Due to the seasonal tilt of the earth, during wintertime in Oregon the sun sits pretty low in the southern sky.
If we do get a sunny day, the sun is not really that warming, and in the dead of winter it sets around 4:30pm.
Add the grey and drizzle, and it makes for a pretty depressing late fall, winter, and early spring.
If we do get clear cold sunny winter days in Portland, you can bet the cold east wind from the gorge will remove any fun that comes from being outside.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by ColoQuadRacer

Due to the seasonal tilt of the earth, during wintertime in Oregon the sun sits pretty low in the southern sky.
If we do get a sunny day, the sun is not really that warming, and in the dead of winter it sets around 4:30pm.

The average high solar irradiation here in December/January of 08/09 was about 600w/m(2) which is enough to get 160 degree water in the solar thermal system and enough to make 35 degrees and sunny warm enough to walk around in shirt-sleeves.

That's true of much of the Bend - Klamath Falls - Lakeview - Burns high desert area. Since we're in the high desert, though, we don't have the fall leaf turn like, say, the Northeast, instead it's mostly aspen. Although the various Chambers of Commerce like to claim 300 days of sun out in the high desert, that's mostly BS - in Klamath Falls it's more like 220-235.

[Silverfall]

I was thinking Bend myself with the exception of the fall leaf color. I think that is the city closest to your description.

[Bendite]

I think we have some nice fall colors - mostly comes from the grasses, but there are bushes that turn red, the aspens change, of course, and people have planted non-native trees that turn too. Along some of the streets, like Mt. Washington Drive, it's lovely. It's not New Hampshire colors, but it's pretty

[whirnot]

Fort Collins Co.

[eyeblazy]

Sounds like central Oregon might be right for you. Bend is the fastest growing city in Oregon. It definitely has seasons! Summer is hot, but dry. Winter has snow. Zillions of recreational opportunities and lots of good microbrew places and good food.

I like on the coast, but I like rain, drizzle, fog. Fortunately we are also blessed with many, many warm sunny days. Winter storms are awesome.

Good luck in your choice!

[Chrysaliswriter]

We moved back to Oregon 5 yrs. ago after living 8 yrs. in San Diego (Poway, to be exact) and Salt Lake City area for 10 yrs. Portland is my place of birth. We have had a tough time adjusting to the grey, lots of rain, wind, and unseasonably low temps during Spring and even some of the summer time. I have acquired severe degenerative arthritis and this is made much worse by the climate. We have looked at Bend ( it is still higher humidity than you'd expect) and are leaning strongly towards Klamath Falls. Someone mentioned that there really aren't as many as 300 sunshine days but more like 220-235. Even at that, the factor that plays heavily into our feeling better is the lower humidity! It can be chilly or even cold, but if there is some sunshine and the humidity is low, the felt cold and the aches and pains factor is minimized. A friend of mine, suffering from some of the same health conditions, says her physical therapist moved from the rain-belt (Willamette Valley) to Klamath Falls and has never felt better. She is very happy with her new home and is able to do alot more without the aches and pains often experienced in the rain belt area of both Oregon and Washington state. Klamath Falls has trees/evergreens and great camping areas. There is a serenity found there that 120 miles north in Bend, had long ago, but is now vanished. There is road rage there often, and much of the big city hustle and bustle that big city people are trying to get away from! Klamath Falls is gorgeous and the nature areas surrounding Klamath Falls are still preserved to enjoy. Know your body! Know if you are suffering seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which can strike and last for 8 months here in the rain belt. Do you have FM or arthritis? We have one of the largest populations of folks with disabling arthritis right here in Oregon, as per an R.N. who teaches gerontology classes at the local community college. If you need sunshine, you'll more likely find that in the eastern half of both of these states. You'll find more 4 season climtates, too, which we happen to love. San Diego was a fun place to raise our kids for 8 yrs., but it also was so boring to always have Spring or Summer and we enjoy the vigorous transitions in seeing the seasons truly change from one to the next! Hope this helps some who are looking to relocate to Oregon. Utah is a vibrant and beautiful state, but Oregon is home, so we opted for moving our family back here. Hoping you find the place that is just right for you. We don't want to leave our family and grandchildren, all in the Portland area, but if we can feel better and be healthier in another community that is 4 1/2 hr. drive, we are feeling that's what we will need to do.

[FVWinters]

Originally Posted by Chrysaliswriter

....Klamath Falls has trees/evergreens and great camping areas. There is a serenity found there that 120 miles north in Bend, had long ago, but is now vanished. There is road rage there often, and much of the big city hustle and bustle that big city people are trying to get away from! Klamath Falls is gorgeous and the nature areas surrounding Klamath Falls are still preserved to enjoy. Know your body! Know if you are suffering seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which can strike and last for 8 months here in the rain belt. Do you have FM or arthritis? We have one of the largest populations of folks with disabling arthritis right here in Oregon, as per an R.N. who teaches gerontology classes at the local community college....

Are you well and truly locked in to staying in Oregon? Because if not, moving less than 200 miles south of K-Falls will take you to Susanville in California. At an elevation of 4500 feet you escape the heat of a place like Red Bluff but it is far enough south that temperatures still average about 3 degrees warmer than in Klamath Falls. Since it sits right on the shoulder of the southern Cascades, there's an extra 3 to 4 inches of annual precip but also since it sits a little farther south of the winter storm track there are about 10 to 15 fewer days of measurable rainfall per year as well. Don't know what the average number of sunny days per year run but It's very likely to beat K-Falls' 225 to 230. Humidity is similarly low so it should be as easy on the arthritis.
We've been through Susanville many times and it is a good looking, well kept city without too much urban sprawl (yet!). There's the Great Basin and the high desert facing east and Mt. Lassen, high lakes and hundreds of square miles of greenery and forested areas immediately to the west with all the recreational opportunities that implies.
If you can stand to be that far away from friends and family, Susanville is worth a peek.

To the Original Poster.
The gloon'n'doom of our winters is a tough thing to get used to. I've been living in the Willamette valley for over 40 years and have still not gotten acclimated. You get some of that even on the east or "dry" side of the Casacades. And there is a little of it even in Susanville but not nearly as much as in Bend, let alone Corvallis, Eugene or Portland
Though there isn't a whole lot of hiking and biking opportunities in Susanville itself, there are scads of trails for all kinds of recreational use immediately outside of town in the Lassen and Plumas National Forests. The city is big enough to have at least one major chain grocery store and may have specialty shops as well (though I don't know that for sure).
As with any new place, it is worth visiting for a few days or a week to get a feel for the place before pulling up stakes and making the move. But from what you've told us, Susanville ought to be on the list of places to check.