Moving to Salem Oregon from the Southeast (Portland, Keizer: for sale, rental market)

[Phillipdani]

I am interested in moving to the PNW, and I have been reading a lot on here about the weather of Oregon, yet I am having trouble finding a definitive explanation of the weather in Oregon... I recently applied for a state level job in Oregon, not sure if anything will come of that.. Its in Salem, so I figured that would be the place to move? I guess is Salem a nice place to live? I am also a teacher by trade, is Oregon a good state for teachers? Is Salem a nice place for families? My children are 5 and 9...

[Silverfall]

Very generically, the weather in Salem is about 80 in the summer and about 40-50 in the winter with spitting rain/gray days. We have a mix of gray skies, partially sunny in the winter. We tend to get snow that sticks every few years or so, but get a wind or ice storm yearly it seems. There is no definitive explanation because it is constantly in flux. Being a coastal state, what happens in the Pacific Ocean impacts us here. If El Nino happens, then we have a different weather pattern.

Most state workers live in Salem. Salem is very family oriented. The biggest complaint about Salem is the lack of nightlife and energy that college towns bring to a city. I like raising my kids here. I rarely have to drive more than 20 minutes to get where we need to go for activities. There are plenty of festivals, fairs, and activities for the kids to do that are reasonably priced. There is no lack of outdoor stuff to do in the area.

I would not say that Oregon is a good state for teachers unless you have a special ed degree, lots of additional certifications, or are bilingual. If you just have a generic master's degree, I don't see it being easy to get hired here. There are something like 47 different languages spoken at home for Salem Keizer school kids so the need for bilingual teachers is huge here.

[Phillipdani]

Thanks, Where is the best places to live in Salem? Is it really hard to find a place to rent in a decent neighborhood? is there a big drug problem as I have heard here?

[Phillipdani]

Also, are there cities nearby Salem, that have better schools, lower crime that are in commuting distance? 45 min commute? this is pretty normal from the Atlanta area...? Also thank you so much Silver fall for providing information for me.. Sorry for so many questions but this would be a big move for me and my family.. Also, whats it like to work for state government?

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Phillipdani

Thanks, Where is the best places to live in Salem? Is it really hard to find a place to rent in a decent neighborhood? is there a big drug problem as I have heard here?

The best places to live depend on what you want in a neighborhood. Generally speaking, south and west Salem are considered the more desirable places to live because of schools, but there are lots of great neighborhoods all over the city.

Yes, it will be hard to find a house rental in a decent neighborhood. The rental market is very tight here.

You'd have to ask the Salem PD about drug problems. I know heroin use is on the rise everywhere due to the inability to get the stuff needed for meth. I drive all over this city for work and don't see people walking around tweaking and I don't fee unsafe in any part of Salem. We have drugs here like every other city.

You can see crime data on crimereports.com. Salem and Keizer PD post their monthly crime data on there.

Whether or not you define better schools than Salem-Keizer depends on what school a child attends. Some of the south, west and Keizer schools. No. None of the surrounding cities are as good. If your kid went to Richmond, for example, then yes the surrounding cities would be better.

Everything is commutable in the Salem metro area. 45 minutes is Portland to Salem.

As for working for the state, well that depends on who your boss is. Some people love working for the state, some people hate it. They are good solid jobs and people tend to stay in them for a really long time. You are at a serious disadvantage in applying for state jobs and not living in Oregon. Unless you have something special about your skills, they will hire Oregonians over out of state people.

[bler144]

Drugs are, imo, an issue anywhere in the country. The I-5 corridor is the conduit for traffic on the west coast, so it's inevitable that a lot of stuff passes through.

I agree with Silverfall though - while drugs are certainly present like anywhere else, they don't strike me as being high on the list day-to-day concerns with life in Salem.

As for commuting, 45 minutes does technically get you to downtown Portland if roads are clear, but with rush hour traffic in the metro getting worse I personally wouldn't recommend living anywhere north of Wilsonville. I know people who do make the commute from the city, but anecdotally they'll tell you that a drive that used to be 50-60 minutes now can run 90 in the evening fairly often.

But personally if making the move out here I'd live in West/South Salem before opting to commute even from Wilsonville daily. Much better things to do with that time and $$, and close enough to drive up for a special evening or museum or what have you.