Almost made it to Portland... (Brookings: homes, schools, college)

[MtnSurfer]

Hi all,

Well after our Spring trip out to PDX and the Oregon coast I was psyched and ready to make the move out to the PNW!

But my wife's sister has become very ill and she wanted to be closer to her. So we decided to move from our home in CO to Monterey CA so that we could at least be within driving distance (San Diego). Anyway I always told my wife that if we did move to CA I would want to live in Monterey because I love Big Sur and the outdoors as many of you know.

So I just wanted to thank all of you here who went out of your way to befriend me and and give us great advice on Portland and Oregon. You truly live in a wonderful state. Maybe one day we will be able to move there. But at least I can now do a long drive to the CA/OR border when I am having withdrawls.

Thanks again to everyone who provided advice.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

On an up note here are few shots of our new digs:

[tiffela74]

Oh Im so sorry to hear about your wifes sister.
How very wonderful though that you guys are able to move near her! Your wife is a very lucky lady to have a husband like you that is willing to do that. Good Man!
LOVE the pics!!! Stunning!!! I'd say I hope you love living there, but that'd be almost silly, how could you NOT? Beautiful!!
Wishing you and yours peace and happiness!!!
Tiffany
ps. - Oregon will always be here if you decided someday to make that move....

[MtnSurfer]

Thanks Tiffany. I really appreciate all your tips and encouragement. It is folks like you that make Oregon wonderful place to visit.

I am glad I can take a road trip to the Oregon border when I start going thru withdrawls.

It was a tough decision. But we decided relationships, especially family, have to come first.

Derek

[KarlaT2]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Thanks Tiffany. I really appreciate all your tips and encouragement. It is folks like you that make Oregon wonderful place to visit.

I am glad I can take a road trip to the Oregon border when I start going thru withdrawls.

It was a tough decision. But we decided relationships, especially family, have to come first.

Derek

Sorry to hear about your wife's sister. She is lucky you are a person to whom family is important.
Looks like you'll be getting back to the beach though, so happy for you about that. I've never been to Monterey, but hear good things about it. Are the schools good? Is it as expensive as So Cal?
Like you said, at least you'll be close enough to drive to Oregon. More time at Brookings would always be great. I sure loved that town.

Good luck.

[Bluesbabe]

Wow! Those are awesome photos! Thanks for sharing.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by KarlaT2

Sorry to hear about your wife's sister. She is lucky you are a person to whom family is important.
Looks like you'll be getting back to the beach though, so happy for you about that. I've never been to Monterey, but hear good things about it. Are the schools good? Is it as expensive as So Cal?
Like you said, at least you'll be close enough to drive to Oregon. More time at Brookings would always be great. I sure loved that town.
Good luck.

Karla,

I would say Monterey is pretty expensive and probably comparable to SoCal coastal community prices. You can definately get more home for your $$ in Oregon than in both the Bay area and Monterey. However one of the good things about Monterey County recently is that RE prices have dropped ~47%. So for folks like us thinking about getting into the market here it is a pretty good time. We are waiting and watching right now after selling our home in CO. I am hoping that the over priced CA market isn't done seeing its current correction.

One thing unique about Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach is that they have not really grown in population over the past 10 years. These beach communities are 'very' protective of their land, historical homes and environment. This is very refreshing compared to my home town of Hermosa Beach CA which grew with seemingly no bounds. And the coastal enviroment really paid for it. Also the Bay area is only ~ hour away and Yosemite/Sierras ~3 hours.

It is for some of these reasons that Monterey will always be a desirable coastal community to live in and hence maintain higher prices than the rest of the nation.

But the Oregon coast is unequaled for natural beauty IMO. It is just hard to live in places like Brookings and find any kind of decent paying job. So for now I will be happy to visit there. And I am keeping a keen eye on it as a great retirement option.

Derek

[Nell Plotts]

Others have asked about molds in Portland. My son and his wife lived in Pacific Grove after college. Talk about molds! Tennies in the closet quickly look like a petri dish.

[MtnSurfer]

Interesting, I haven't really noticed any significant mold problems in our home here in PG. But like anywhere with a lot of moisture in the air including the PNW keeping things clean, dry and taking normal precautions indoors helps out a lot.

[PeacePlease]

So Derek, did you post some interesting photos of Monterey? :-)