Small towns in Oregon (Portland, Salem: landscaping, live in, low cost)

[Bickie]

Gold Beach is nice, quiet , friendly and small.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by Myrtle Creek Oregon

It's nice here ! Please go take a look at: www.myrtlecreekchamber.com

Myrtle creek is just a dump with a bunch of M homes. Don't even use the bathroom there. Roseburg is the best small town in oregon. Nice parks, nice river, nice folks. Food, however is a problem. Not a lot of great restaurants there.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Myrtle creek is just a dump with a bunch of M homes. Don't even use the bathroom there. Roseburg is the best small town in oregon. Nice parks, nice river, nice folks. Food, however is a problem. Not a lot of great restaurants there.

A dump is where people take garbage. Myrtle Creek is far from that. Some of the nicest people live in M---Homes.

[lubner]

Hood River seems like the place that may be a good fit for us both. My husband is a lot more conservative than I am, I am fairly conservative, but don't see the world as black and white, just hope that is not an issue with the local people. Personally, I enjoy the vibe that Hood River gives off, very comfortable for me, and I don't get strange looks from my tattoos! Everyone has their own idea of what the "ideal" place is to live, it's extremely subjective, what surprises me is how vehement people are in their judgments. I really appreciate the suggestions and hope we can get to some of the towns that are being mentioned. Feel free to keep tossing ideas out, love to hear them.

[seashelly]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Myrtle creek is just a dump with a bunch of M homes. Don't even use the bathroom there. Roseburg is the best small town in oregon. Nice parks, nice river, nice folks. Food, however is a problem. Not a lot of great restaurants there.

Wow, I can't believe you called Myrtle Creek "a dump"! That's kind of harsh. Actually, I think of Myrtle Creek as connected to Roseburg from the South. The South Umpqua River is pretty in Myrtle Creek.

[Alexious]

Originally Posted by lubner

We love the Gorge area and especially like Hood River, but homes are a bit too expensive for our budget. Can anyone suggest some places to explore that would give a small town feel and a low key pace of life?

Well, if you're looking for sunshine, cheaper houses, and a more conservative vibe I'd take a look at Klamath Falls.

It's on the east side of the mountains, so there's plenty of sunshine. Housing prices have been rising there, but they're still cheaper than many towns in Oregon. Klamath is also still dominated by ranchers and farmers, so it's a pretty conservative place (even though there has been the inevitable California influx in recent years).

Definitely a "small town feel" and "low key pace of life," yet it still has some shopping and restaurants. It even has two good microbreweries!

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by seashelly

Wow, I can't believe you called Myrtle Creek "a dump"! That's kind of harsh. Actually, I think of Myrtle Creek as connected to Roseburg from the South. The South Umpqua River is pretty in Myrtle Creek.

did not mean to offend. MC is 20 miles south of Roseburg. Not connected. The river is nice, but the town is full of dumpy trailers and car repair places. You can get your tires changed every 100 ft for miles. There are few stick homes there. There are nice people that live in MH. I just would not want to invest my hard earned money in the middle of the long lost land that the 1970s forgot. To the last point, the South Umpqua River is nice everywhere. It would improve the valvue of a toxic waste land if it were to flow through it. Come on admit it.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by lubner

Thanks so much, a friend of mine had mentioned Roseburg, I'll look into that area. I'm beginning to realize that the dream of living in a semi-secluded area as CDA once was, is not longer an option, too many people everywhere. It's hard to come to terms with. Thanks again.

I don't think you are going to improve much on Coeur d'Alene. Maybe just south of you, north of Moscow you could find what you are looking for.

Most of Oregon is still pretty nice, away from the freeways and the Portland Metro area. Pretty much any area served by a freeway is going to have traffic jams.

[StealthRabbit]

Parkdale / Odell is better if you can stand the colder weather (tho not a lot cheaper, less yuppies)

Try Dufur (only 20 min to The Dalles) or Tygh Valley.

Goldendale, WA is a popular retiree spot (I'm waiting till they get a cover on their new pool). But I was hoping to move from the Gorge to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho or Tekoh, WA. Maybe we should swap digs!

[Waterlily]

Really Oregon has a lot of small towns. Cascade Locks is in the gorge area just not as far east as Hood River. I haven't checked the prices there but I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than Hood River.