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Since we'll be up looking around Eugene in August, I was wondering about Springfield as well. Are there any good areas that are within 15-20 minutes of the Valley River Center, where my husband will be working?
Is it worse/better/the same as Eugene? What about schools?
We're a fairly conservative family, so I want to make sure we land in the best place for us.
Valley River is in Eugene, the mall in Springfield is Gateway. I personally prefer Gateway because I prefer its movie theater. I suppose you could get to Valley River from spring field in 15-20 minutes, but it depends on how far out you live. I think living in Eugene would be the better choice, for both time convenience to his job and Eugene is nicer than Springfield. There are a ton of nice areas near Valley River Center, just look around a bit first.
Don't get me wrong, Springfield does have a couple of nice areas, but for the most part It's not dangerous or anything like that, but Springfield tends to have a lot more meth heads from my experience. The schools, if you mean public, are not good in either place. Oregon public schools are pretty bad across the board, they are always begging for money and saying that they are underfunded, but this is simply not true.Tax payers give them more money all the time, it's just going to the administration and not the schools themselves.
By conservative do you mean politically so? If yes than you might be in for a shock as Eugene and Springfield are some of the most liberal cities in the world. Some of it is ridiculous. But I lived there (I'm a native of Eugene in fact) and I'm a Conservative Republican and for the most part, people don't seem to care. But I don't run around advertising my views all the time, most of the people who find out that I am a conservative don't pay it any attention, though around the University I might get some looks. Bunch of radical Marxists there. There are a lot of Conservatives in Eugene, we may not have the power but we do exist.
Eugene is a fine place to live. It's my home town and I do miss it sometimes. It's got beautiful scenery and is pretty safe overall, not much in the way of violent crime (again just a lot of meth heads). But I hate the weather, way too dark and gloomy for me. Not a lot of opportunities either, at least from my experience.
More conservative in the way that nanny states drive me nuts. There are all sorts of regulations here that don't make any sense when you actually think about it. I was raised Pentecostal, so that influences my views quite a bit, but I don't go proclaiming it to the world.
I just want to make sure that where we live is safe for my son and I to be home alone late at night as my husband will be working odd hours. We can always look into private schools if we need to, since that's what we would most likely need to do here.
More conservative in the way that nanny states drive me nuts. There are all sorts of regulations here that don't make any sense when you actually think about it. I was raised Pentecostal, so that influences my views quite a bit , but I don't go proclaiming it to the world.
I just want to make sure that where we live is safe for my son and I to be home alone late at night as my husband will be working odd hours. We can always look into private schools if we need to, since that's what we would most likely need to do here.
There is a lot less Government inteference in Oregon compared to California. You can put up a fence and not have to get a Government person to okay it (at least it used to be anyway, haven't lived there in a couple years but am going back to visit family next month). There isn't really a Nanny State presence like it exists in California, gun laws are much better in Oregon, you can own as many guns (including handgun ) as you like, you don't have to register your guns, you can buy out of state and the State does not care, getting a conceal carry is easier. Just take a quick class and that's it, you don't have to get permission from the sheriff like in California. Taxes are also lower, so is the overall cost of living (especially housing), however the pay is a lot lower than California's so that's something you may have to consider (I don't know what kind of job you have or do, so it might not be an issue so much).
You don't have to worry about people breaking in and harming you and your kid, such a crime in Eugene/Springfield is considered very rare and would make front Page news in the area. It would be all over the community, literally. Not saying that it couldn't happen, but it's just very rare in Eugene. Most of the crime involves meth heads stealing stuff from cars , bikes (never lock your bike up outside in Eugene, it WILL be stolen), shop lifting etc.... Petty crimes for the most part. Meth heads looking for a fix, you will find most of them downtown at the Eugene Bush Station. Just ignore them, if they ask you for money say no and they go away. They're very unlikely to attack anybody.
The liberals encourage them IMO because they keep giving them handouts all the time. The Mayors of Eugene last time I was there was Kitty Peircey, don't know if she is still in office but she is a terrible mayor, completely out of touch with reality. She is as far left as one could go, borderline Marxist. For example, there used to be a cross up on Spencers Bute (or was it Skinners? I forget), basically a big hill that overlooks Eugene. You could see the cross from anywhere in the city. But Kitty Peircey thought it was offensive so she took it down. Yes, I'm serious. Those kinds of people who run Eugene, even though most of the community wanted the cross to stay. It's now on a different hill. I'm also a Christian, I'm a former Jew who converted, best decision I have ever made IMO. Changed my life completely.
Private School is probably the best way to go IMO. There are quite a fewe private Christian Schools in Eugene, I don't know what the rates are though. The schools are not bad in the sense of gangs and crime etc
.. It's nothing like that. Just lack funds and they tend to have some bad teachers, but some of the schools are okay I guess.
The best area is South Eugene. Bailey Hill is nice too. There are not really any '' bad'' areas of Eugene in terms of gangs, murder etc.... Doesn't really happen too often and there are no real gangs in Eugene, just punk kids. The only rough areas I can think of would be the four corners area (Roosevelt) it's run down and has drugs and prostitutes, stay away from there after dark. West Eugene, where I grew up, is alright but not the best. North Eugene is probably the least desirable, but it's not bad or dangerous by any means.
Stay away from Glenwood, it's a small area between Springfield and Eugene, that whole area is a dump. Downtown Eugene is okay, as long as you're not near the Downtown Bus Station, but I don't think it would be ideal for raising a family. Some areas around the River Road area can be sketchy, so look around the area first if you're considering that location. The 5th Street Public Market area is the best area downtown, lots of shops and restaurants. I would recommend South Eugene area if you can do it, the best part of town by far. Also Eugene is very bike friendly, lots of trails and beautiful parkways, it's quite pleasent.
Good luck and welcome to Eugene! It's a nice town overall and I'm glad I grew up there. Though I don't want to live there again, I prefer just visiting. I like living in California more (the Bay Area), but everyone is different.
PM me if you have any more questions!
Last edited by West Coast Republican; 02-23-2014 at 02:39 PM..
My husband will be able to transfer, so I'm not worried about the pay rate. It should stay the same no matter where he is at.
From the research I've done, it looks like the school get higher marks overall than the school in CA. We'll have to see what there is and what we can afford in terms of private school. I wouldn't mind it. He is at a private preschool right now and really likes it.
There are definitely areas here that I know to avoid, even in the daytime. It seems like these areas are getting larger and we really want to get away from it. It's sad when the law-abiding people can't even go where they want for fear that something will happen.
The Bay Area can be nice, but we're in the valley. It gets so hot out here that we can't even enjoy it. My son's eczema is worsened by it and I hate having to keep him in so much. His dermatologist told has that the best place for him is somewhere where there is more moisture. I'm also looking forward to living in a place where there is more rain and cooler weather, so it's not just for our son.
Oregon public schools are pretty bad across the board, they are always begging for money and saying that they are underfunded, but this is simply not true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by West Coast Republican
The schools are not bad in the sense of gangs and crime etc
.. It's nothing like that. Just lack funds . . .
Wait, which is it? Haha, I'm just giving you a hard time. I agree with and like almost everything you said.
Regarding the OP's questions, the 126 freeway runs the entire length of Springfield so getting to VRC only takes 10-15 minutes anywhere you live. Eugene is largely restricted to surface streets so getting to VRC can easily take 20 minutes.
Compared to the rest of the country, both Eugene and Springfield will seem liberal, but locally speaking, Springfield is more conservative than Eugene, with blue collar roots that are still appreciable today. This, in turn, means that Springfield is more affordable but generally poorer than Eugene. However, as WCR mentioned, Kitty Percy is at the helm of Eugene and steering the ship whichever way the wind blows, for better or worse. So, pick your poison, like anyplace there are pros and cons to each city and it may take living here for you to decide which one you prefer.
Wait, which is it? Haha, I'm just giving you a hard time. I agree with and like almost everything you said.
Regarding the OP's questions, the 126 freeway runs the entire length of Springfield so getting to VRC only takes 10-15 minutes anywhere you live. Eugene is largely restricted to surface streets so getting to VRC can easily take 20 minutes.
Compared to the rest of the country, both Eugene and Springfield will seem liberal, but locally speaking, Springfield is more conservative than Eugene, with blue collar roots that are still appreciable today. This, in turn, means that Springfield is more affordable but generally poorer than Eugene. However, as WCR mentioned, Kitty Percy is at the helm of Eugene and steering the ship whichever way the wind blows, for better or worse. So, pick your poison, like anyplace there are pros and cons to each city and it may take living here for you to decide which one you prefer.
Lol yeah it's cool! By '' bad schools '' I meant that they are underfunded and underperform compared to the rest of the nation. The schools are not '' bad '' in the sense of gangs or inner city type schools, nothing like that.
The schools in Oregon are always asking for more money, we give it to them, the problem is that none of that money goes to the schools themselves. Just to the administration crap.
I agree that the OP should just compare and contrast. Most importantly look at the area first before you decide on where to live. There is a lot to like about Oregon and the Eugene area. Just hope you can stand the gloomy weather. That's was the biggest issue for me.
If I recall the prior thread, someone had recommended you look at Santa Clara. Unless you've ruled it out already, I'd suggest that over Springfield.
That said, 'liberal' is largely a relative question. Springfield votes about 55 dem/45 repub on national elections, but they're much more traditionally conservative on many local issues, and Springfield views itself as more conservative ("pro-business") than its hippie neighbor. It's not tea party country, but in the broader picture it's not far from the middle of the road politically. Conservative lawn signs and billboards aren't going to be out of place.
As for travel time, it will depend on where in town but 126/105 (or alternatively Beltline to Delta Hwy if you live up closer to Gateway) make it at least feasible to make it in 15-20 min, particularly off peak. Times will be longer around the holidays or home games at Autzen.
Springfield is like Coos Bay. Filled with Pro Gun Conservative democrats'. Conservatives' outweigh Liberals and Progressive Socialists by almost two to one.
Springfield is like Coos Bay. Filled with Pro Gun Conservative democrats'. Conservatives' outweigh Liberals and Progressive Socialists by almost two to one.
I was actually inclined to say that same thing in my post as well but deleted it since I haven't seen any hard data. I can't think of any gun control measures that have gone to ballot nor any actual ownership data.
That said, I think it's generally more of a pro-hunting stance than pure second amendment fervor.
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