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[quote=haggardhouseelf;19495211]
The cost of living is different, the taxes are different, the lifestyle is different, the way people do business is different, the dress code is different, the food is different, the scenery is different, the weather is different, the people are different, the way people drive is different, the proximity of things is way different, it's just all-around NOT Texas. Which, personally I and my husband LOVE but some people come here and find they simply can't stand it and leave after a few winters.
Hi there again "haggardhouseelf"...we've been chatting on the "family of 4 looking for...." thread, and I'm just continuing my research of what sounds like the wonderful area of Eugene!
What, exactly, can you tell me about each one of the "different" items you listed....cost of living, taxes - are there any 'weird' taxes that we need to know about?.....the way people do business - what does that mean?....and the dress code - meaning really casual or something else?
I've already read about how people drive...that doesn't bother me a bit after living in a big city....all in all, it sounds like my family and I will LOVE it there just like you do! Just give me more details, okay? Maybe a few examples??
Cost of Living: In Texas we were renting a huge single-family home with a huge backyard and big front yard with nice hardwood floors, high ceilings, big sunny kitchen, nice neighborhood, for $800. a month. In Oregon... $800 might get you a dated rental with low popcorn ceilings, ceiling heat, no air conditioning, much smaller sq. footage, much closer to your neighbor if it's a single family dwelling but more likely it'll be an apartment or duplex, in an OK part of town but not the nicest. $200K will also get you a lot more house in Texas than it will in Oregon. Also, food costs more here (but IMO it is way better). So the cost of living is higher in Oregon than it is in Texas.
Taxes: In Oregon you have state and federal tax but no sales tax. In Texas you have Federal and sales but no state tax. Also, the property taxes in Oregon are much higher than they were in Texas. This is a good website that gives more state by state info regarding taxes: Taxes by State
Lifestyle: This is something which is hard to explain, it is more something you have to experience. But I'll give an example: In Texas when we would go out, we'd dress up. I mean dress up dress up. Do my hair, put on some makeup, wear a dress, heels, make sure my nails were done, put on my nice jewelry, etc. And I'm not a "girly girl", really, but it's just what you do - at least in Dallas where I was from. In Oregon... we got dressed up to go to the Symphony, and we were surprised to see people wearing sandals, flip flops, hoodie sweaters, jeans, shorts, etc - to an evening symphony concert! With a well respected celebrity conductor! That's just one small example. Oregon is WAY more relaxed about a lot of things. But in one way Texas is more relaxed - socially. In Texas people are more inviting, more social, more open. In Oregon people keep to themselves more, are more reserved, harder to get to know. They are nice, good, people (most of them ) it's just a different kind of culture. Also, the lifestyle in Oregon is more focused on recreation, enjoying nature, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, etc. In Texas people do those things, too, but there's much more of it out here. Spiritually Oregon is also a very different sort of place - people are more open-minded and tolerant here regarding spiritual practice.
The way people do business is different - we have noticed in Oregon that people tend to do more hiring from within, and helping their own family up, and keeping outsiders at bay. This is probably because it is so hard to get a job here, and there are fewer employers here and competition for jobs is pretty fierce. We didn't feel this so much in Texas. There were plenty more jobs there and we felt everyone had more of a fair chance most of the time. That's just one example.
The dress code I already kind of mentioned - it's just WAY casual here. Probably because of the weather. You see women who let their grey hairs show more often. You see a lot less makeup, a lot less mani/pedicures, a lot less fake tan. You see more healthy looking people, more real-looking people, more ladies going around in yoga and running outfits, more men who look like they work out or take care of themselves. But generally... people do not dress up here. I had jury duty recently and people were wearing flip flops and sun dresses, hoodie sweaters and shorts - to jury duty! You wouldn't do that in Texas. Or at least, I would never have done that in Texas!
The food is different. Yes it is. The only thing I like better about Texas food is the BBQ. People on the west coast don't know how to do good BBQ. (They will deny this and get defensive about it.) They'll invite you over for a BBQ and try to feed you hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill. Hmph. BUT - as far as produce, fresh meats, cheeses, wines, breads, coffee, teas, seafood, CHOCOLATE, mushrooms, wild foods, local foods, and just about everything else - Oregon has Texas beat. The food here is so good that now when we travel I miss Oregon food. James Beard loved Oregon for it's food, too, so I know it's not just me.
Scenery and weather I really don't have to explain - do I?
The way people drive. I always thought Texas drivers were pretty good. They weren't speed demons like the Californians and they weren't road ragers like the New Englanders. They were a happy medium, knew the rules of the road, followed them most of the time, etc. I have to say... people in Oregon are awful drivers. First - you have the "too nice" drivers. They'll sit at a four way stop waving others to go ahead of them when it's their turn to go. They will stop - STOP - on a highway to let people come in from an onramp. They will STOP or swerve on a highway to try to miss ducklings or deer or squirrels. They will slow down excessively on highways to let people cut in or change lanes. They will do all kinds of things in the name of niceness, which tends to make driving dangerous or frustrating. You just kind of have to get used to it. Second - you have the beligerant ignorant drivers. These are the people who speed, run red lights, don't follow traffic rules, text and drive, talk and drive (not with a headset), don't strap their kids up, take corners too fast, etc. Everyplace has these drivers but being a college town and also having it's fair share of "Bubba's" not to mention Duck's football players Eugene has quite a few of these beligerant ignorant drivers.
And lastly the proximity... in Texas you pretty much have to drive everywhere you go, and to get anywhere takes you 45 minutes. In Eugene, you can bike from one end of town to the other in about an hour or less. You can drive it in 15 minutes. That's what I mean by proximity. Because Oregon towns are smaller, you drive more distance to get from one town to another, but once you're in the town it takes hardly any time at all to get to where you're going. Portland, of course, is the one exception.
Last edited by haggardhouseelf; 07-25-2011 at 03:05 PM..
Is finding a low-class job that bad? For example a gas pumper, dish washer, bus boy, etc. Do you know anything about the local paper and their need of photographers??
tidak... Eugene is crawling with starving artists/musician/college students and special needs people, as well as retirees who just want to do something easy to make a little extra money to pad their wallets without making too much money so they don't comprimise their benefits. Most of the low-wage jobs which require little to no technical skillset go to them. Because of UofO Eugene is chock-full of jobless and hunting liberal Arts majors, I would seriously doubt that the newspapers here or magazines are suffering a shortage of photographers, to be honest.
I would not come here expecting to find a job very easily, especially if you don't know anyone here. You might get lucky, and I would hope that anyone looking for a job would, but the reality is - if you don't have a job lined up, don't expect to find one too soon after you arrive here. I would definitely have money saved up so that you could live jobless for up to a year if needed.
I know a guy who recently spent an entire day turning in resume's and applications. 20. I was with him so I know he wasn't lying or exaggerating about it. This was in May. He only received a reply back from one business and that was to say "Thanks for your application, but we're no longer hiring." Every day he goes out and applies at more places, and has applied to everywhere he can think of online as well. Even places like Toys R Us and grocery stores and doing car washes at the auto dealerships, etc. Like I've said in other posts, you'll meet people with masters degree's and Ph. D's working retail and slinging coffee because they were laid off and can't find a job, or they moved here and never could find a job relating to their studies so they just took whatever they could find. We've made friends with lots of family's here who have had to move to California or Arizona because for one reason or another they lost their jobs and had to go where they could find new ones that would pay enough to support their family. The summer camps my youngest son likes to go to are run by people who graduated U of O with teaching degree's who have been trying to find teaching jobs in Eugene or Springfield for 5 - 7 years. They've spent the years running summer camps and doing day care jobs just to get by until they land a teaching job. They said it's even hard to get hired on as a substitute. It's just really tough out there right now.
Wow, well that was kind of my situation here in San Marcos, all the jobs went to the college kids, except I did manage to land a retail job for the seasonal period. Then I ended up getting work from a Friend who needed land cleared and cleaned out on his ranches. That last post was kind of frightening, but I feel I will get lucky, and find a job. My best friend lives up there and doesn't have any college and has been working with Cabellas for awhile and also worked at Papa Murphy's. I am confident I can find something, because I do not have enough money to last me a year. Anyways thanks for the notice
Please let us know how you fare. I have never heard of anyone saying they know they can find work in an environment where there is none because they "do not have enough money to last me a year."
Oh and btw - my husband says Bi-Mart is hiring... his office is near a Bi-Mart and he said there was a huge sign saying that they are hiring. Just FYI. Good luck with your job hunting!
The bike path around the river is epic. Lots of kids swim in the river right below the Autzen Stadium foot bridge (follow agate street north across Franklin blvd, down below train tracks, walk through soccer field down to river to swim).
Try out Bryce Creek Trail near Cottage Grove (20 mins south) for another place to swim.
Fern Ridge Reservoir is so-so for swimming, better for boating, wakeboarding. Fall Creek reservoir isn't too far away (about 45 mins east, on way to Oakridge)
McKenzie River recreational area (east on 126, about 40 minutes and you're in the rec area) is epic -- fishing, rafting, kayaking, mtn biking, swimming in the various reservoirs (Cougar Reservoir, Cougar Hot Springs, Clear Lake -- a little cold, but pretty.)
If you like two-wheelin' it on a mountain bike or road bike, the Eugene area has a lot to offer.
WOW Hall and Hult Center are the places to see music acts. Occasionally MacArthur Court hosted acts, comedians, etc. -- probably the Knight Arena will now (UO campus)
bar scene around campus is mediocre, but worth checking out, including Max's, Rennie's, Taylor's, 19th Street Cafe McMenamin's, John Henry's -- live music here -- and the Horsehead near Willamette Street downtown.
West end fo town is sketchy, not as cool. North and east of the river is more high-dollar, family-oriented housing -- same with South Hills. Around campus there is cheaper college housing, but watch for slumlord areas. You can also find cheap housing in apartments around the Delta Highway areas, near Valley River Center (main mall in the area).
Lots of beer and breweries! check your yellow pages!
Eugene's a great place, don't listen to the haters!
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Which, personally I and my husband LOVE but some people come here and find they simply can't stand it and leave after a few winters.
