Best Oregon City for Young, Artistic Couple? (Portland, Eugene: apartments, co-ops)

[sidni]

I know there have been similar threads, but I'm hoping someone can help with our specifics

My long-time boyfriend and I are considering moving to Oregon next summer. We've talked about Portland but don't want to decide just yet- maybe somewhere else is a fantastic little gem and we just haven't heard of it since we're thousands of miles away.... Can anyone suggest other places we might want to consider? When we move he'll be freshly 30, and I'll still be in my 20s

We'd like to be near the water but it doesn't have to be coastal-- a nearby river or clean lake would be fine. Hiking, biking, all the outdoor stuff is a definite plus, but it seems that anywhere we go in OR we'll have access to that. He likes snowboarding... I uhhhh don't.

Somewhere affordable - maybe under 1200-ish/month - where we could have a bit of a yard and an extra bedroom or a garage to use as a studio would be great.

We're both involved in art/music so somewhere, and we lean very left politically. We're not interested in living in a very conservative town.

Farmer's Markets, Natural Food stores or co-ops are a necessity. Vegetarian /Vegan restaurants would be awesome, but we'll certainly survive without

So we need somewhere funky and "green" where we can have a yard and do our stuff! We're used to living in big urban areas so any size town will do, and we're not scared of cities that might be a little rough around the edges.

Please let me know if there are places besides Portland that might be good for us! We will really appreciate your feedback!

Cheers!

[Silverfall]

Sounds like Portland or Eugene, or if you want to go really small town, Silverton.

[delta07]

I have to agree with Silverfall, Eugene or Portland sounds like a great fit for you. The only thing you won't get on your wish list is the water, but you'll be within a couple hours drive to the coast, or a couple to mountain lakes. You might also look into Ashland, although it tends to be more expensive than many areas of Oregon. All of these cities are funky, liberal, and green!

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by delta07

I have to agree with Silverfall, Eugene or Portland sounds like a great fit for you. The only thing you won't get on your wish list is the water, but you'll be within a couple hours drive to the coast, or a couple to mountain lakes. You might also look into Ashland, although it tends to be more expensive than many areas of Oregon. All of these cities are funky, liberal, and green!

No water? Did someone in Portland drain the Columbia and Wilamette rivers?

[Wicked Felina]

Originally Posted by nanannie

No water? Did someone in Portland drain the Columbia and Wilamette rivers?

...not to mention the Sandy, Molalla & Clackamas Rivers!

To the OP: Anything in and around Portland and you'll be near water that you can swim and play in (with beaches-although rocky!). You'd be hard pressed not to find any outdoor sports areas, even in the desert.

It sounds though you might like the Hood River and Mosier areas or even Cascade Locks (not sure about it, but it's small & in-between Portland and Hood River). Try checking across the Columbia River into White Salmon and Stevenson, Washington.

They're all very beautiful, big water sports areas and also very close to Mt. Hood for snow sports. Check out the Columbia River Gorge on Google...tons of info there.

I know there's a vegetarian store & community in Hood River...there's also a vegan food production company there & sorry, I just can't remember the name right now.

Unfortunately, any little undiscovered gem has already been discovered, so to speak. As you can well imagine, the closer to the water you are, the more $ you'll be spending for housing. I think that given your price range you'll be just fine.

There are lots of artists communities on the Coast, but they might not fit the criteria for the other things you listed.

I live here in the Portland area. You'll have no problem finding vegetarian and vegan food options here. You'll be able to find farmers' markets almost everywhere.


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[skinem]

Almost anywhere in Oregon, even the east side, you won't be too far from swim-able, boat-able, fish-able water.

[plainbrowntabby]

You sound like Portlanders already! The neighborhood you want to check out is Alberta. Alberta Street Neighborhood in Portland Oregon. Also Hawthorne, Mississippi and Hollywood neighborhoods. The local alt.weekly newspaper is the Portland Mercury, gives you a feel for the "scene". http://www.portlandmercury.com
Eugene has a lot of problems related high unemployment, corrupt overbearing police, social problems downtown and a deep nasty stalemated culture war between leftist activists and greenies and conservative timber interests and land developers. Portland is a bit more.....mature. Literally!

[sidni]

Thanks everyone! It's all very helpful...
I've been looking at apartments to get an idea prices, sizes, etc, and I noticed that it is very gray outside in every photo. I know the NW is a rainy area, but I thought there were sunny days sometimes too?

Edit:
Now of course, 2 minutes after I typed this, I happened upon photos of homes with blue skies behind... Ha ha ha. I knew there had to be sunshine occassionally.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by nanannie

No water? Did someone in Portland drain the Columbia and Wilamette rivers?

Ha, ha, oops, guess you can tell I'm relatively new to Oregon! I wasn't thinking rivers for some reason. Thanks for setting the record straight!

[skinem]

Originally Posted by sidni

Thanks everyone! It's all very helpful...
I've been looking at apartments to get an idea prices, sizes, etc, and I noticed that it is very gray outside in every photo. I know the NW is a rainy area, but I thought there were sunny days sometimes too?

Edit:
Now of course, 2 minutes after I typed this, I happened upon photos of homes with blue skies behind... Ha ha ha. I knew there had to be sunshine occassionally.

The west side of Oregon and Washington is wet and rainy, often gray.
East side of Oregon and Washington is considerably drier and sunnier.
As an eastsider, I'm biased...if I lived on the west side I'm afraid I'd cut my wrists one winter...