Relocating to Oregon (Salem, McMinnville, Newberg: fit in, sales, house)

[thompsonclan1]

Hi, I need help! I have never been to Oregon and Have lived in Arizona my whole life. My husband has recieved a job offer in Oregon. His work will be in Macminnville and Newburg. I am use to the small town, farmland, conservative way of life. I also have a 8yr old who has only been Catholic School educated and I want to find a good Catholic school in that area in Oregon. Any suggestions as to where I might fit in? I currently live in the outskirts of Sedona, AZ (very quiet and secluded way of life). It is beautiful here we are outdorsy people and my son is a boyscout. We like forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans! Any input would be GREAT! I do not like cookie cutter homes, I like homes with character,land, lots of flowers and trees!

Please Help!

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by thompsonclan1

Hi, I need help! I have never been to Oregon and Have lived in Arizona my whole life. My husband has recieved a job offer in Oregon. His work will be in Macminnville and Newburg. I am use to the small town, farmland, conservative way of life. I also have a 8yr old who has only been Catholic School educated and I want to find a good Catholic school in that area in Oregon. Any suggestions as to where I might fit in? I currently live in the outskirts of Sedona, AZ (very quiet and secluded way of life). It is beautiful here we are outdorsy people and my son is a boyscout. We like forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans! Any input would be GREAT! I do not like cookie cutter homes, I like homes with character,land, lots of flowers and trees!

Please Help!

Hi Thompson clan,

I think you would like Oregon if you love the outdoors. The weather will be a big change of course. If you have spent your whole live in AZ,it would have to be. I would not assume you will not like it, but that is a real possibility. The Willamette Valley has a long histor of settlement, so I suspect you will find a lot of interesting properties with character. Not necessarily cheap though. Can't help you with the Catholic schools. Hopefully someone can chime in soon.

[Silverfall]

Honestly living in McMinnville sounds like a good fit for you. St. James Saint James Catholic Church, McMinnville Oregon is there but I have no idea if it is a good school or not.

[Smiled]

I think it's a nice place, but it does rain (it's raining now, actually). Both McMinnville and Newberg are college towns (Linfield and George Fox). Newberg has more churches per capita than any other city in the state; however, Oregonians aren't all that churched (we live in Nature's church). You can find a small house in either place for the mid-100s; you can spend more if you want to.

[thompsonclan1]

Thank you I value your input! I am very excited and nervous all at once. The good news is the company is getting us a house in MCMinnville to use till we can find something we like! Watch out Oregon here we come in 3 weeks!

[philwithbeard]

Thompson Clan:

A few quick reminders, just in case you haven't run across them yet:

- State of Oregon has no sales tax, so $4.95 purchase is $4.95....

- State Law, you cannot pump your own gas. Anywhere. Just live with it, don't complain, just live with it, OK?

- If you look for a home in McMinnville, ask about in blackberry cane's taking over the back yard. Every one in Oregon just loves telling that story to newbies. Get the THICK yard gloves, well I shouldn't need to tell you about the gloves, you will find out for yourself about the large, sharp, and hard thorns. I swear, nothing that grows that fast should be visible without using a microscope.

- It rains for about 8 to 9 months, so High Humidity from Mid-November to at least Mid-June. So expect a bad hair day, every day, for at least 6 months a year. Short hair is common in Oregon.

- From what I know, the youth of Oregon last winter had an outdoor fashion of wearing a knit cap with ear flaps and a cord and tassel attached to each ear flap. A fashion-conscious person is warned to stock up on smelling salts, those hats have to be the ugliest, and I do mean UGLY, fashion in years and years. Viewing a young person with such a had will cause you to need smelling salts. But that hat does keep the ears warm, from what I can tell.

Enjoy the adventure of the move and learning a new town. The bigger the challenge, the better the tale to be told.

Phil

[mamh]

Thompson Clan
Welcome from Salem, its great up here..
Phil, thanks for the laugh on those silly but warm hats all the kids wear..
Have a safe trip up..
melanie

[thompsonclan1]

Wow thanks all of you are so friendly. I also found out too from my husbands boss (she lives in Oregon) When I called her cell she couldn't talk, its illegal to talk while driving so I need to invest in a bluetooth. I have checked out St. James, Its a little larger of a school then we are use to but you never know. I appreciate all the input, if there is more I need to know I look forward to hearing it. Only 6 more days to go till am officially an Oregonian.