Towns in OR for us? ~ If you are up for a challenge~ (live, rated)

[bluebird39]

You know, I probably shouldn't jump in here, as I hate these kind of flame wars, but come on, I wouldn't blame anyone trying to leave California. We left Oregon for similar reasons... a better quality of life for our kids, more affordable housing, etc... That said, we're now trying to figure out a way to move back, now that the housing prices have lowered.

As to schools, be warned that schools in Oregon have been suffering a great deal for many years.

I'd look into Ashland if I were you. You'll be closer to CA, so it wont' be as big of a shock. It seems like well over half of the Rogue Valley are CA transplants. Plus Ashland has good schools, it's a smaller town, etc....

I WOULD be careful what you say. Hunting and fishing are a way of life for many folks. I sure miss the elk my husband used to kill every year to feed our family. There's a great disparity between many of the urban and rural residents in income and affordable housing. Many people blame it on "the Californians". Sorry, but that's an easy scapegoat. I never felt any hostility towards CA folks though, because frankly I liked everyone I met from CA, and yes, they had more resources than I did, but I can't blame them for doing basically the same thing we did, only we ended up in Michigan.....

If you want a place 60,000 or less, I would stay away from the Portland area. It's one big urban area. Bend or Ashland are the only place I can think of that might fit your bill. The rest sound like they might be too "hick-y" for you. Oh, Eugene might be good too. It has good schools and less people.

I don't think I've met any Oregonian that gave a **** about what kind of purse you use, car you drive, etc... so that shouldn't be a problem anywhere, but please try not to care if someone else drives a truck with a gun in the back.

[kimhamblin]

You need to decide is if you prefer a suburban atmosphere or a rural atmosphere. The 2 are very different. Here's a couple of suggestions that might meet your needs:
If suburban suits your needs, I would think about Sherwod- good schools and a target with a bit of a rural vibe, although a lot of malls and shopping too.
The next town I would consider in Newberg, which is just SW of Sherwood. It's becoming a bedroom community of Portland which is why I prefer McMinnville.
I think McMinnville could be a good suit for you. It's quaint, but hip too. Good schools, low crime, most everything you need, 35 mins to Target, good restaurants, quaint downtown.
BTW, I was not offended by the hick term, although I prefer redneck . I live in a community, (Sheridan, Willamina area) with artists, loggers and hippies and we all get along farily well, it's just a common respect for each other. You'd be surprised how often the communities overlap. Although a gunstrapped pu is more common then a guchi bag!
Take care, feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by walkerdawg

Oregon, in my opinion, having lived there, is a failing state ... live in Vancouver, Washington which is a nice city ...

I would recommend Camas, WA (Next door to Vancouver)

Great schools
small and trendy
10 min to PDX
no Income tax
variety of suburban, small town, hobby farms, or rural wilderness, all within 15 minutes
proximity to Columbia Gorge 10 min.

just be a wise shopper and narrow your search via understanding the property tax situation. You might want to go east 10 min further and get into Skamania county and drive your kids to Camas schools (Or let them go to college as soon as they get to High school age)

[izziya]

I'd like to add corvallis to the list... definitely a college town, but downtown is cute, and you're still within driving distance to bigger places.

[kander63]

How about Hood River - a little over an hours drive from Portland, great downtown, access to all kinds of recreational opportunities, etc.

[pdxlibrarian]

I'm thinking Sherwood, Oregon is your town. It's kind of a cheaper wannabe Lake O.

[LewisMel]

You may like to look a little further into, Sellwood, Damascus or West Linn. Right now you are likely to pick up some good prices for land, especially if you have the means to buy some without selling on a contingency, capitalising on the housing market before it starts to trickle up, which has started. Who knows you may be able to get some equity before you move and spend a little more than once planned.

[lifes2short]

I agree that Sherwood is a great little town But I don't know anyone here who thinks of ourselves as a LO wannabee. Small town, good schools, strong sense of community, a couple grocery stores and a Target, less than 10 minutes to Costco in Wilsonville, easy access to I-5 via backroads to Wilsonville, close to wineries, housing costs are reasonable, nice parks in town, saturday market, old town that is undergoing renewal. Thats the gist of it here

[PDXKompressor]

I like Wilsonville, St. John's, Sellwood, Milwaukie, Oregon City and Hillsboro area is nice if you want some land but still stay near the city center, only about 15-30 minutes depending where you choose.

I would like to point out that Portland isn't some haven of free thinking and openess as many would have you believe. Sure the city itself is quite liberal but leave those confines and you witness the same activities and mindsets as any other small city surrounded by a large rural area. I have discovered that people in Oregon tend to remain relatively closed-minded themselves except in the city areas which have been populated by more liberal locals and out-of-towners. I moved here two years ago and have been reading this forum since then but just decided to join and post today because I feel the opinions are biased against those who wish to move here from elsewhere.

Despite what others have said, they do look down on you if you have any visible signs of success. It's almost as if they want to punish you for having "nice things" and by that, again, I am speaking generally, obviously not everyone in Portland follows this path. There are many wonderful people here, and that's the #1 reason I moved here, but the jerks are the most visible and vocal ones. Case in point, on my first month here I stopped at Ace Hardware in Park Rose area of town. As I pulled in I waited for a gentleman to cross in front of me so I would not crowd him. How did he repay my kindness? He yelled to me as I got out of the car "Daddy'c car huh?" and threw me a rude glare. I challenged him to repeat what he said to me but he walked off in silence, surely not expecting to be confronted for his rudeness. I drive a Mercedes-Benz but so do about 1,000 other people in town, my car is far from extravagant as it is 10-years old but the funniest part of this story is that I am 36-years old! You see why it was so laughable to me that he accused me of borrowing my father's car.

Portland is very advanced in terms of food and sustainable living, I love the mandatory recycling, no sales tax, and natural beauty. it is unmatched in these areas for it's size in my opinion. Also the variety of architecture is stunning as are the vintage neighborhoods and homes within.

[BhamRez]

I lived in Vancouver, Washington from 1986 until 2005. When we first moved there, it was honestly the nicest place I'd ever lived, with rolling farmland about a five-minute drive from the center of the quaint downtown area.
I hate to be cliche', but about five years later, the Californians began moving in by the droves, and that farmland I mentioned? It was quickly replaced by one walled-in, cookie-cutter subdivision on top of another, many with McMansions on postage-stamp-sized lots. Schools quickly became overcrowded, infrastructure was overwhelmed, and strip malls popped up everywhere.
Yes, this is growth, but it was so fast, and so intense, and it felt like Vancouver turned into Orange County Part Deux! I also observed that most of the bleached-blonde transplants drove humungous SUV's and other super expensive toys (since they had bajillions to spend after selling their Cali home). And did I say that the price of homes in Vancouver went sky-high?
This wasn't just an impression...this was fact. I worked for the local newspaper (The Columbian) at the time and they did a story about it; a huge majority of the new residents were from SoCal. It absolutely ruined the city.
I guess this post isn't really relevant to the original question...sorry!