Living inland while still enjoying to the beach (Portland, Eugene: smog, trip)

[MtnSurfer]

Hello,

I live in Colorado with my family currently and we really love the mountains. But I am orginally from So. Cal. and miss the coast at times. Colorado has so many other things we have come to appreciate like lower cost of living, higher quality of life, beautiful mountains, 4 seasons, friendly people, 'less' crouds, smog, traffic jams, etc...

So I am considering Oregon as it has many of the positive aspects of Colorado + the coast!

I am a software engineer working in aerospace currently. The downside is that there are not a lot of engineering jobs, especially near the coast in Oregon.

So I was wondering what drives to the beach are like from the main cities with IT work like Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, Salem, etc...?

Also are there any good bedroom communities between the beach and these cities?

Thanks for you input.

- Derek

[LarryMorris]

Portland to the coast is a breeze especially if you live on the westside. But then your mtn drive can get a bit long. If you live S. Portland you can be reasonably close to both.

I live in Sherwood and it's a srtraight shot to Linclon City, or I can take scenic back roads to HWY 26 and avoid the traffic. It's a breeze getting on I-5 and Hwy 205.

[MtnSurfer]

Thanks Larry,

Sherwood looks like a nice place to live. If I work in/near a big city, I prefer to live on the outskirts of it. I was also thinking the Hillsboro area might be good as well. It looks like from there you could go to Cannon Beach or Rockaway without too long a drive.

I really like the ability to be able to visit either the mountains or the coast. It sounds like you are in a great place for that. I don't think I could say whether I like the mountains or coast more. Rather I really like being able to visit both.

Hood River looks 'really' good for being closer to the mountains. But do you think it would be too far from the coast for day trips? On the other hand it would probably be a grind of a commute into Portland daily. Hmmm...

- Derek

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Thanks Larry,

Sherwood looks like a nice place to live. If I work in/near a big city, I prefer to live on the outskirts of it. I was also thinking the Hillsboro area might be good as well. It looks like from there you could go to Cannon Beach or Rockaway without too long a drive.

I really like the ability to be able to visit either the mountains or the coast. It sounds like you are in a great place for that. I don't think I could say whether I like the mountains or coast more. Rather I really like being able to visit both.

Hood River looks 'really' good for being closer to the mountains. But do you think it would be too far from the coast for day trips? On the other hand it would probably be a grind of a commute into Portland daily. Hmmm...

- Derek

The daily Hood River to Portland commute would be a hassle, especially in winter - the Gorge winds mean you get a lot of ice on the roads in winter. Not necessarily snow, as in Colorado, but black ice, which is pretty treacherous. The commute in to Portland proper would be a couple of hours, less if the job was in Gresham or Troutdale.

Hood River is also pretty far from the coast for a day trip, unless you're willing to leave early in the morning and get home very late at night.

The drive between the coast and Portland (or anywhere in the Willamette Valley) is comparable to the drive between Denver and the ski areas, on a small scale - there are only so many ways to get there and back, the roads are narrow and small with few passing opportunities, and if you try the Friday afternoon/Sunday evening weekend trip thing, there's a fair amount of traffic. Not traffic on the I-70-to-Denver scale, but you're often part of a 10-15 car chain behind a truck, winding through the Coast Range.

[MtnSurfer]

Thanks PNW-type-gal,

It sounds getting to the coast takes some degree effort with narrower, sometimes single lane roads. From google maps these roads look similar to smaller mountain type roads. So I would guess the closer your starting point is the better.

I like to get an early start for day trips anyway. So normally it probably wouldn't be too bad. But I guess the idea of just jumping in the car to catch the sunset might be out of the question.

Thanks for the info regarding commutes. It sounds like commuting from Hood River to Portland would be too much. I guess it depends also where in Portland one is commuting to.

Denver has a tech center where a lot of the high tech jobs are located. Does Portland have a 'tech center?' Or are the techie jobs sort of spread out throughout the city.

Thanks for the help,

Derek

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Denver has a tech center where a lot of the high tech jobs are located. Does Portland have a 'tech center?' Or are the techie jobs sort of spread out throughout the city.

The Beaverton-Hillsboro area is called the "Silicon Forest" - here's a wiki page that lists the larger companies, but keep in mind there are a ton of smaller ones, too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Forest

[janb]

How about this joint ? Insitu, Bingen, WA Sounds like some fun aero jobs (Drones)

http://www.insitu.com/career_openings.cfm

Live in White Salmon or Bingen, (WA = no income tax)
Mtn = 1/2 hr - Adams - north (cross-country / snowmobile / summer camping, hiking and fishing) or -Hood - south for Skiing / climbing

Beach = ~ 2.5 hrs, but the weather is SO MUCH better in Hood River / White Salmon. Having been a Colo. Resident for 25 yrs myself, and now 25 in WA, the 280 days of clouds, many with rain will not be great in Portland or most of the west side. (Roseburg / Sutherlin are less rain)

Other options for living / employment = Portland Aero jobs (Precision Cast / Boeing) and points north (Everett / Seattle area for Boeing related)

Living to the North and East of Everett is not too bad, but... the ocean portion of the Puget Sound is more Kayak than surfing (tho really beatutiful)

BTW, We live between HR and PDX and often get to the beach for sunset after work. Remember !, our summer nights last till 10PM.

[MtnSurfer]

Wow Jan,

Thanks for the great info! That White Salmon area sounds really nice. I didn't there were aero jobs out that way. I did here that Google had planned to bring some tech jobs to that region.

That is 'really cool' that you could potentially catch sunrise in the mountains and sunset at the coast in the same day.

I have a weather question for the group. I have read that there are not many micro climates around the Portland area. But then I have heard that Hood River has potentially better weather. So I guess I am not sure what to think regarding weather in northern Oregon. Jan mentioned Portland has 280 days of clouds. Is there a good website which provides statistics on sunny/cloudy day averages per year?

I found this site which includes 'major' cities:
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/westcomp.ovc.html

Also # of cloudy days means different things in different places. In Colorado as you may know the weather fluctuates radically. So you can have many 'sunny' days which also have clouds/rain/snow in the same day. In California the ocean regulates the weather much more. So a cloudy period could last for many days in a row (with no breaks of sun). Is that the same way things are in Oregon? Just curious.

[dachmom]

Having lived in Eastern Oregon (The Dalles, where Google just came in) and Western Oregon. The differences are: Eastern Oregon is drier, more arid and more WIND. Hood River is a windsurfing capital, gorge winds blow year round. It is sunnier there, so you have to trade cloudy, rainy days for sunny, windy days. On the Western side yes, it is wetter, more rain and clouds, however we get most of the wind in the winter so when it is sunny in the summer there is no wind and it is beautiful. Also, Eastern Oregon has smaller communities with fewer job opportunities and stores. Most people have to drive to Portland (60 miles west of Hood River) to shop at major stores, malls, etc. There is a Home Depot and a K-Mart in The Dalles and a Wal-Mart in Hood River, those are the only "big box stores" in the area. On the Western side, there are more stores and job opportunities if you live in the bigger cities like Portland or Salem. Personally having been born and raised in the gorge (eastern oregon) I didn't think I would like living in western oregon, but I have been here 4 years now and I really like it.

[MtnSurfer]

Dachmom,

Thanks for the Western/Eastern comparisons. If I move to the East I will probably need to take up windsurfing;-)

I don't know if my wife could get used to such small towns. I think it would be pretty cool myself. But there are some definate advantages/disadvantages with either area. In one place you are closer to the mountains in the other the coast. I enjoy nature photography and outdoor sports so both appeal to me.

Thanks again for the help,

- Derek