One of Tom McCall's quotes and your take on it. (Medford: transplants, to live in)

[green_mariner]

I happen to know about one of Tom McCall's famous quotes:"We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't move here to live. Or if you do have to move in to live, don't tell any of your neighbors where you are going."
I think about this quote sometimes and I spoke to a native Oregonian about it. She told me that it the former governor was worried about "Californication". At first when I read this quote in a book about Oregon, I thought "Well, what if someone wants to move to Oregon and become a native Oregonian?" I would like to hear your take on it. All are welcomed to respond. I especially would like to hear a native Oregonian's perspective on it.

[EnricoV]

Well, to start with, you can't "become" a native anything. You have to be born it. That's the meaning of the word.

But ... people take that statement out of context. And it's a good soundbite, so I understand it. But putting it into context makes it much more understandable, and not at all harsh (in my opinion, as a native Oregonian.) A higher percentage of people moving into Oregon have always come from California, but I doubt the statement was directed at them in particular.

Tom McCall was responsible for giving Oregon back to the residents, and protecting it from mass, unregulated development. He instituted a lot of new programs, cleaned up a lot of environmental problems, etc. What he was saying was .. we've just started down that road. We're not ready to handle a huge increase in new-residents. There was no infrastructure to it. Land use planning had just begun. It wasn't "we don't want you" ... it was "we're not ready for you."

Basically, he was saying ... we just bought a fixer-upper house. Come look at it and tell us what great potential it has, but the guest room's empty, so you can't invite you to stay. Wait until we have it furnished and decorated.


An even better, in inimitable Tom McCall fashion, is what he had to say about it, years later:

"There's been a lot of bad mouthing about 'visit but don't stay'. It served its purpose. We were saying 'visit but don't stay' because Oregon, queen bee though she is, is not yet ready for the swarm. I am simply saying that Oregon is demure and lovely, and it ought to play a little hard to get. And I think you'll all be just as sick as I am if you find it is nothing but a hungry hussy, throwing herself at every stinking smokestack that's offered" - Tom McCall in July 1982

[subsound]

You think both Oregon, and the transplants who desired to move to it, would have changed in 25 years that his quotes would stop being referred to. It gives me perspective that in 1982 I was 3, the world has changed so much you think both sides of people would get over it.

[green_mariner]

I was born in 1986, so I wasn't even born when this statement was made. It does make me wonder sometimes because I have never wanted to stay in the current state I live in now. I did consider moving to Oregon when I was 16. I later read a book about the state of Oregon and found the statement in there. It made me wonder if non-Oregonians would be welcomed to move there. On the other hand, I still have some other prospective places to think about.

[Bendite]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

It made me wonder if non-Oregonians would be welcomed to move there.

I'm a native of Oregon but I've lived in California, Michigan and Colorado for more years combined than I've lived here. Because I was born here (my Dad and my grandmother were too), does that make me a better resident than someone born somewhere else? I am sure that is not true. I think there are certain elements to being an "Oregonian" - a sense of independence, an intense caring for the natural beauty of this State, a desire to live in an unpolluted environment. Someone should start a new link - what makes us Oregonians? To answer your question, if you bring the values that an Oregonian appreciates, a non-Oregonian is very welcome here.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Bendite

I'm a native of Oregon but I've lived in California, Michigan and Colorado for more years combined than I've lived here. Because I was born here (my Dad and my grandmother were too), does that make me a better resident than someone born somewhere else? I am sure that is not true. I think there are certain elements to being an "Oregonian" - a sense of independence, an intense caring for the natural beauty of this State, a desire to live in an unpolluted environment. Someone should start a new link - what makes us Oregonians? To answer your question, if you bring the values that an Oregonian appreciates, a non-Oregonian is very welcome here.

I don't know if I will move to Oregon, but I did live in the state north of it. I would like an unpolluted place, which is part of the reason I occasionally pick up litter from the sides of the road.
I asked the question as a way to get a perspective from others about this famous quote from Tom McCall.

[backdrifter]

That quote is my mantra. Not that I will be unhelpful to people who wish to move here or unwelcoming to people who have moved here from other places, but I still feel that every person who moves here really does take away from the reason why we want to live here in the first place. It's makes it more crowded, less livable, the more people that move in. It makes smart growth more difficult if not impossible in some areas (Bend, Medford). It's not like we can build a 50 foot wall on the California border, but the reality is we experience faster than average growth and we might as well try to make the best of it. It does nobody any good to treat outsiders poorly. But it'd do Oregon better if they didn't move here in droves. You just can't become a native if you're not born there. Even though my parents moved to Oregon when my older brother was 3 years old, I still would not consider him a native. And yes, I am a natural born Oregonian.

[spIdeZ]

The only way to stop population growth is to stop issuing building permits. Of course, then housing prices will go sky high and lots of native Oregonians will have to leave.

[subsound]

When does it end though? I bet there was a Native American who look at the guy next to him when Lewis and Clark came up the river and said "This isn't going to end well"...if it was recorded should people champion a quote like that and say Oregonians don't like transplants?

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by subsound

When does it end though? I bet there was a Native American who look at the guy next to him when Lewis and Clark came up the river and said "This isn't going to end well"...if it was recorded should people champion a quote like that and say Oregonians don't like transplants?

That is one thing to think about. Quite an interesting perspective.