Young couple considering move to Portland area--advice?? (Eugene, Salem: home, job market)

[alisonelaine]

My boyfriend and I are thinking about moving to Oregon or the surrounding cities (any suggestions would be awesome) after we are done with our undergrad, but we have never been there and might not be able to visit, so we need advice!
1. We are both 22, so we want a place that has a young vibe, cheap downtown where we could live close-enough to the center not to have to take an expensive cab home every weekend night. What kinds of fun things are there to do?
2. Jobs! He works in marketing and executive business so there needs to be some good large companies in that realm... and I am going to go through an alternative certification process to become a middle/high school english language arts teacher, so there has to be a need for those teachers! Also, how is the school system?
3. We are extremely active--love running, so there needs to be lots of trails, 5ks, etc, and like biking to work and going to parks/swimming pools. We also would prefer to live really close to water. And--we need a professional baseball or basketball team that the city gets really into supporting!
4. What is the arts scene like (plays, etc)? Are there farmers markets, wineries, or health foods stores?

So pretty much, do you think that this city is a good fit for a really young, semi-conservative, artsy, active couple AND will we be able to find jobs here?

THANKS!

We are considering a TON of cities in Oregon right now if you can help us narrow them down: Lincoln City, Newport, St. Helens, Dallas, Lebanon, Wilsonville, Woodburn, McMinnville, Lake Oswego, Albany, Tigard, Corvallis, Springfield, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Gresham, Salem, Eugene, Portland, Beaverton, (and Vancouver in Wa.)

[subsound]

I would pick somewhere else.

A) Downtown/Pearl is not cheap
B) unemployment is bad, 12.4%, but starting to get better as the percentage increases drop. I would still wait if you have a job.

[alisonelaine]

Thanks for that info...why would you still wait even if you had a job?

[juggler]

To address a few of the specifics in your questions:

Big and/or well-known companies here are Nike, Intel, Adidas, Precision Castparts, Columbia Sportswear, Providence Health Systems. Good luck find a job though. Companies are leaving, and you and 250,000 other people want to move here.

School Districts: Portland is average to below average, suburbs, particularly districts like Lake Oswego are much better.

Live near water: The Willamette and Columbia rivers run through/adjacent to town. The Pacific ocean is 1.5 hours away

Sports teams: NBA Trail Blazers is all we've got. MLS is supposedly coming to town in a couple of years, however.

In general, the "young couple wanting to move to Portland" question has been asked a thousand times on this forum. You should do a search to get a lot more information.

[subsound]

Originally Posted by alisonelaine

Thanks for that info...why would you still wait even if you had a job?

If you had a job where you are at, but I would be careful even if you were offered a job out here. It's kind of the tough lesson that (and it happened in my own company) the last people hired were mostly the first to go when times got tough.

More employment news from the NY Times on Oregon (first part focuses on Bend though)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/us...n.html?_r=1&hp

[John Shaft]

The Portland area would really fit your stated interests, with the exception of #2 jobs. The job market in Oregon is always boom and bust, but it is REALLY hurting right now...and even the urban area of Portland is not immune.

[alisonelaine]

Thank you very much everyone! I have put all of your advice in our spreadsheet...

I think right now our list is:
1. Denver, CO
2. Vancouver, WA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Portland, OR

If anyone wants to comment on our list and offer suggestions or more advice, we'd really appreciate it! Thanks!!

[Benzito]

You can achieve items 1, 3, and 4 fairly easily and stay in Portland proper. If you want to avoid cab rides and long commutes to get to the "excitement," I'd skip Vancouver. It's a bedroom community.

I'd take caution in the job market here ... 12% unemployment is scary, especially when a fair portion of those who are employed have college degrees and work as baristas, in retail sales, part-time gigs, etc. If you can lock in a job BEFORE you get here, I'd consider it. Otherwise, you probably need a nice savings account to weather the economic downturn or better get used to beans and rice.

[pdxlibrarian]

Advice: get jobs before you come. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and you'll face steep competition from all the other young people doing exactly what you are. Check it out: 'Youth Magnet' Cities Hit Midlife Crisis - WSJ.com

[goozer]

Originally Posted by pdxlibrarian

Advice: get jobs before you come. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and you'll face steep competition from all the other young people doing exactly what you are. Check it out: 'Youth Magnet' Cities Hit Midlife Crisis - WSJ.com

Good article. But as it explains, young people are unlikely to stop migrating to Portland simply because the job situation is abysmal. As a lifestyle city, it is too much of a draw for 20-somethings who don't know what they want as far as a career goes.