Philomath, Or (Salem, Corvallis, Albany: sales, loan, houses)

[awama]

What is Philomath, Oregon like? Is there land available? We are interested in being close to Corvallis for our son, who will be attending the university.
We raise whippets, so we need property and I love to garden.
Thank you for any comments about this area or surrounding areas.

A.
New Mexico

[honeybharris]

Philomath is about five miles from Corvallis...it's almost more like a suburb since the outskirts of both towns "touch". We love living here. We hardly ever go into Philomath for shopping; we just go to Corvallis since it's so close and Philomath doesn't have much in the way of grocery stores.

There is land/houses with land in the area. How many acres are you looking for specifically? What is your price range? You'll find that Philomath is somewhat less expensive than Corvallis. Philomath has a cute little library, a park, etc., and it's surrounded by beautiful mountains. It's less sophisticated than Corvallis, but it's a pleasant place to live. We live right near the "border" of Philomath and Corvallis in the country, and I feel like I'm just as much a resident of Corvallis as I am of Philomath.

[awama]

We were hoping for around 2 acres at least. Not sure what our price range will be if we do move, since our son will be buying the place through a VA loan. I am planning on working full time, too. How is the job market in the surrounding areas? I have worked retail as a manager and have worked for the post office as a Postmaster relief, which is not a career position, but a part time position. My husband is applying for disability, so my son and I will be both working. How is the weather in this area?

[Redrover]

I thought I would chime in here although I don't live in Philomath. My sister does and has quite a bit of acreage. She is a physician in Corvallis so if you need an ophthalmologist...

In my numerous visits there my impression is that Philomath is not really a suburb at all. It feels like a rural community with few amenities but if you work in Corvallis it is a pretty timbered area in which to live. Except for a few service jobs I don't think you should expect to work there. But you could also consider Albany or even Salem for employment, not just Corvallis.

[honeybharris]

It can be hard to find jobs in Corvallis. People love living here, so the job market is glutted...especially if you don't work in a field that is in high demand. But you never know--you could find something. I'll ditto what the OP said about looking in Albany. Salem would be quite a commute. I wouldn't want to drive that far everyday.

As far as the weather, it's either cloudy or raining a lot in the winter, although it's relatively mild and doesn't snow much if at all. Spring and Fall are absolutely gorgeous and perfect temp wise. Summers are warm to hot. It gets over 100 degrees some days, but mostly stays 80-93. Last summer was cooler and we've had a lot of rain this spring, so maybe it will be cooler this summer too. It's Oregon, so you have to get used to clouds and rain. If you don't like either, you probably won't like being here most of the year! I love it though

[awama]

Thanks for the information! I have been checking out Albany, too. I can handle cloudy days. I think it would be nice to have some humidity! We have living in the Southwest for 27 years and would like to have a change. One thing I do love about the West is the open skies. I love to garden. Someone wrote and said the Willamette Valley area has clay soil? I used to live in Georgia where we had clay like soil and grew wonderful veggies.
Are there any lakes around where one can sail in? I want to get back into sailing and am not ready for the ocean yet! My son loves to snowboard, too.
What is the largest industry around?
I have to commute 40 miles round trip right now, so commuting is no problem to me. I read where you dont have any sales tax?
Just randomly asking questions to anyone out there!
Thanks,