Small town: North of Seattle vs South of Portland? (Eugene: home, job transfer)

[clare_n_tim]

Hi,

In about a month my husband and I will be relocating (job transfer) to either a small town about an hour north of Seattle, or and hour south of Portland. We have to make a decision soon and are looking for some help.

We are early thirties/forties, expecting our first child (want to do a homebirth with midwife), a little hippie, mostly liberal, sometimes conservative, love farmers markets, live music, and outdoor activites. If you are familiar with Northern CA, we used to live in Humboldt county and miss it dearly. Finding another small town with simlar "green" eco values, local pride and culture, peaceful small town hippie vibe, and great local produce and restaurants is our ideal. In addition, my husband is a homebrewer and LOVES riding his sportbike. And no, the rain does not bother us a bit .

Based on this criteria, where would you recommend living?
Thank you to all in advance.

[OneOfMany07]

I grew up near Portland, and worked in Redmond, WA for a few years. They had a farmer's market in downtown Redmond, and I've seen a few around Portland too. Portland definitely feels more hippie to me. But I never lived in Everett (I think that is about an hour north of Seattle).

I'd also guess home prices are cheaper in OR, but maybe that doesn't factor in to what you're looking for...

[suncat]

You say "an hour south of Portland." If that's an understatement, then you may find Eugene to be a good fit. If you're talking about Salem, then you'd probably be better off north of Seattle. Salem is pretty conservative. Is the Washington town you're considering Bellingham?

[clare_n_tim]

Originally Posted by suncat

You say "an hour south of Portland." If that's an understatement, then you may find Eugene to be a good fit. If you're talking about Salem, then you'd probably be better off north of Seattle. Salem is pretty conservative. Is the Washington town you're considering Bellingham?

We were originally looking at Bellingham, but his company said no further north than Mt. Vernon. I was looking at Eugene if it was OR, but I just found out they think that is too far south, so it would be in the Salem Vicinity most likely. And, I have not heard many great thing about Salem, in terms of what I am looking for.

Thank you so much for your input! It looks like we are headed to Mt. Vernon!