Is it true that Oregon is like the redneck/hillybilly version of the West without city vibe of Seattle? (Portland: middle-class, for sale)

[MitchArk87]

I heard people are saying that Oregon is like the redneck/hillybilly version of the West that is similiar to southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, etc because it's stuck between two bustling states with big economies (CA and WA) with its timber industries declining quickly.

Is that true at all? I find it very hard to believe because I know Oregon is still very liberal with Portland being known for its pro-environmentalism/pro-green stances and excellent city planning for future growth plus it's also one of the most gay-friendly cities along with stunning scenery.

I would like to know more about Monmouth (Home of Western OR University) and the City of Salem. Is it an attractive area to live with good job market with excellent graduate school/Oregon School for the Deaf nearby with little city life vibe/amenties?

I am considering a move to marine-climate Oregon for a change. I hate humidity and hot summers in both the South (Arkansas) and the Midwest (Illinois). Western OR University has a major of Rehabilitation Counseling in Deafness that I am interested in for graduate school also.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by MitchArk87

I heard people are saying that Oregon is like the redneck/hillybilly version of the West that is similiar to southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, etc because it's stuck between two bustling states with big economies (CA and WA) with its timber industries declining quickly.

Umm... I don't know where you heard that, but that's ridiculous.

Oregon is nothing like the South.


And it's not just Portland that is liberal. Other parts of the state are too, and there are undertones of environmentalism in most Oregonians, even the "conservatives." Salem would be relatively conservative for Oregon, but in the South it'd probably be considered extremely on the left. Salem is a nice place to live, even though it's not as liberal as it could be. The job market isn't that great there, or anywhere else in Oregon right now.

[Silverfall]

Oregon is not hill billy. WA, CA, and OR all have rednecks. That is one of the craziest things I have heard.

Monmouth is just outside of Salem. Monmouth was founded as a religious town and so it had conservative threads running through it. In fact you couldn't buy alcohol in the city of Monmouth until a few years ago. Monmouth is a cute little town, I think. It is a small town.

Salem does not have a good job market, but nowhere in Oregon does. The state has a 12.2% unemployment rate. As for Salem being an attractive place to live that depends on what you are looking for. Salem has typically been thought of as the ugly stepchild compared to Portland, Eugene, and Bend. Some of that has been richly deserved. I can also tell you that in the almost 10 years I have been here, some really, really nice changes have happened in the city and downtown. If someone says bad things about Salem ask them if they have lived here in the past three years. If they haven't then their opinions are outdated.

Salem has a way to go to get that "great vibe" that Bend and Eugene have, but there is nice progress. If you are a young single person, the singles scene is still lacking here. We've had some really great restaurants open here and they are packed regularly but not a lot of active bars. We are having more live music and events here so it just depends on what you are looking for.

[backdrifter]

^^ Agreed. Salem is honestly underrated and given the Cinderella treatment all too often (like Tacoma in Washington)... It's getting better all the time. Still a ways to go, but very underrated in my opinion.

[Smiled]

+1 what Backdrifter said.

[hamellr]

In deep Eastern Oregon you might see some red neck tendencies. Or maybe among rural teen agers trying to be cool and manly. In the past we have tended to be a lot more racist that some of the Southern states but it was rarely out right hostilities. There may be a bit of that left but now days it's more classest, I've seen middle-class blacks be down right hostile to the gang banger wanna-be's.

[jjpop]

Just to chime in here--there are some hillbilly areas of Oregon. I'm not sure I'd classify it as Deep South Deliverance-style dueling banjoes hillbillyism, but I don't think that even exists in Mississippi/Arkansas/Louisiana anymore with the proliferation of satellite dishes.

As for California being hillbilly-free--I grew up in rural northern California, and there were some pretty backwoods people there.

And I agree about Salem. 15 years ago, I don't think I would have considered Salem very desireable, but now I think the city has some very cool aspects to it. Now if Salem could just do something about Lancaster Drive...

[sarahkate_m]

OP: yes, how observant, please tell all your friends. additionally: we're highly overpopulated. the non-desert side is moss infested. today the humidity at 10 AM is 90%.

*you probably don't want to come here*

Kate

[John Shaft]

You say there's no redneck presence in Oregon.

I say Aloha, Tillamook, Prineville, Madras, Terrebonne, and a double handful of farming/logging towns on the west side of the Cascades, plus tiny ranching towns on the east side.

Portland is proud of its progressive/liberal/socialist/urban snobbery bent, but compared to Washington and California, Oregon is definitely the most redneck-ish of the three.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by jjpop

Now if Salem could just do something about Lancaster Drive...

I second that idea...maybe we can talk the developers of the Boise Cascade plant (the plans are beautiful by the way) to head over to Lancaster for their next project.