Thoughts on NE Oregon (Portland, Salem: houses, university, living)

[aep73]

I am wondering what people's thoughts are on Union and Wallowa Counties. This is some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. Do others feel the same? Does anyone currently live or vacation in this area? If so, how do you find it?
Thanks!

[skinem]

Lived in a neighboring county and have relatives in both Union and Wallowa counties, as such, I've just always known of it. I'm always amazed at the sheer number of Oregonians who seem to have never heard of the place much less never been there...but most natives don't mind that!

Yes, IMO it's some of the most beautiful country on earth, just wish there were more/better jobs there. However, if that was the case, it would be more crowded and therefore, again IMO, not as beautiful.

[hamellr]

It was quite crowded there during the 1860's to 1880's you couldn't walk a mile without coming across a miner, a saloon, or an abandoned mine shaft.

[skinem]

Originally Posted by hamellr

It was quite crowded there during the 1860's to 1880's you couldn't walk a mile without coming across a miner, a saloon, or an abandoned mine shaft.

Much of eastern Oregon was more heavily populated around the turn of the century than it is today. MOST of that was due to the larger need for manpower to farm than is needed today. Eastern Oregon is also full of old abandoned homesteads, farmhouses, etc. It took some people a while to learn that you just can't hardly consistently and successfully farm above 4000 feet...

[oregonstateofmind]

Hello! I have written extensively about this area on other threads about Joseph, Oregon, so I'll try not to repeat myself too much here. NE Oregon is a tourist's paradise! The area is very diverse, consisting of high mountains, green valleys, deep canyons, rivers, lakes, and semi-deserts. It is extremely beautiful and fun to explore. There are things to see here that you'll not find anywhere else in Oregon. The area has many hard-to-access places for the adventurous that are worth the extra effort to discover. Hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, skiing, hunting, fishing, hang gliding - the area has it all.
Living here has it's challenges. Wallowa County is very isolated because of its geography. Surrounded by mountains and canyons, it has only two roads into and out of the county. The third road out is only open during the summer. It takes an hour and a half (longer in the winter) to get to the closest towns of any size: La Grande to the west and Lewiston, Idaho to the north. Both roads are tricky to drive (especially Hwy. 3), but you get used to it. Locals drive these roads usually once or twice a month to get supplies they can't get in Wallowa County, like groceries at Costco or home improvement stuff at Home Depot, or everyday stuff at WalMart. Wallowa County does not have any chain businesses except a Safeway and a Subway. So folks pile into their pickup trucks and make the trek to Lewiston, where you'll inevitably bump into other Wallowa County locals in the Costco and you'll stand and chat for hours. If I had to pinpoint one defining term to describe the county, I'd say that word would be isolation. It is truly a world apart, both in terms of geography as well as state of mind. Locals are more involved with living their day to day lifes than, say, getting involved in politics. Indeed, residents aren't really influenced by what's going on in the rest of Oregon, let alone the rest of the country. It's not that they don't care, really, it's more that outside headlines don't affect the daily lives here. People are surrounded by natural beauty and each other, so they are more affected by the weather and their neighbors than by whatever is happening in Portland or Salem. Locals work hard in the summer, either by getting cattle and crops raised, or by keeping tourists happy, and then in the winter it calms down as the tourists leave and the snow arrives. The pace of live slows down and residents are left to each other until the roads clear up in the spring. To live here requires stamina. It teaches you how to appreciate nature and how to get along with others despite your differences. You depend on each other.
Union County is more on the beaten path, since the freeway runs right through it. La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, the only 4-year institution of higher learning in all of eastern Oregon. It is a small town of about 25,000, but draws people who come to shop from all the outlying tiny communities in the area. Union County is also very beautiful, surrounded by mountains: the Wallowa Mountains to the east and the Blue Mtns. which run south west to northeast of La Grande. Cabbage Hill, the portion of Interstate that runs between Pendleton and La Grande as it crosses over the Blues is a nasty, treacherous stretch of road when it snows. There is a small ski area north of La Grande called Tollgate, which attracts more locals than outsiders. Another ski area, Anthony Lakes (slightly larger than Tollgate) can be found southwest of La Grande, but I think it is in Baker County. Most of the countryside in Union and Wallowa counties is in National Forest, some of which is wilderness.
My impression of Union County is that it is more conservative, despite the university in La Grande, than Wallowa County, for what that's worth. It is also more "plugged in" to the outside world than Wallowa County. This is definitely an area that deserves more attention than it currently receives - it's an under-appreciated gem of a place!

[Fiddlehead]

I, for one, agree that NE Oregon is not only one of Oregon's forgotten gems, but one of the finest areas in the United States. I hope it stays that way for a while.

[lilypad]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I, for one, agree that NE Oregon is not only one of Oregon's forgotten gems, but one of the finest areas in the United States. I hope it stays that way for a while.

Me, too. Let's keep it a secret! It is beautiful, love the high desert/plains. Have not been over in awhile, except when I travel through back to Texas from time to time.