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My wife and I have been living in Hawaii for the last 12 years and we now have a relatively successful small business with 5 full time employees. My business is not dependent on location and actually being in Hawaii has hindered progress if anything.
The Eugene area for some reason has been on my radar for 20 years although I have never so much as visited. I am ready for a change though and have been looking primarily at Eugene, Corvallis and Portland.
My wife and I have a 9 year old son who we would like to enroll in a good public school, although I suppose private is a possibility. Our son is now in a decent elementary school but at 6th grade will go to the local high school in the middle school "wing". We are not happy about that or the fact that the high school is mediocre at best. Would like to move before then and in the next year or two at most.
Here are the things we are most interested in.
1) Good schools with some diversity. My wife is Chinese/White and our son was adopted from China. Not a huge concern but coming from Hawaii we are used to lots of different types of people and don't want our son to stick out too much if possible.
2) An area that has reasonably priced commercial real estate available for rent or possible purchase, as well as people who are willing to work. We pay reasonably well I think. Starting pay is $12 an hour with the average at $15 once you are with us a little while. Would like to add a management job as well, where we would pay a bit more than that for the right person. Is this reasonable for Eugene and would we be able to find quality/qualified people? Quick learners with a decent work ethic are more important than anything.
Any business owners that have advice on running a business in Oregon?
We also currently offer health insurance although we might try paying a little more and drop that, since it is mandatory here in Hawaii to offer health insurance for full time employees. The ACA plans may end up being a better deal these days for individuals anyway.
3) Vegetarian friendly. My wife is vegetarian and would love to be in an area that actually had restaurants with more than the obligatory veggie pasta dish on the menu. Farmers markets and a wide range of foods along with an Asian market would be great as well.
4) Good quiet neighborhoods with privacy and homes in the 250k to 350k range. Could afford more but would like to keep the mortgage in that range if possible. 2-3 bedrooms 2 baths, don't need or want a huge house honestly. Saw a house on in the Hendricks Park area that seemed pretty reasonable and the schools are rated quite well there. Any thoughts on that area?
Noise is a concern for me as I am especially sensitive for some reason. Living in Hawaii we usually keep our windows open and that exacerbates the problem though. Paper thin walls don't help either. Would like to be able to bike to get around but as long as we are close-ish to town that is not a huge problem.
5) We are both middle aged and "progressive" for the most part and not religious really. More pragmatic and live and let live I think than anything. I have always been a bit of a hippie I guess but as I get older I lean more towards science for answers rather than gut feelings if you know what I mean.
6) Music and art scene. Seems as though Eugene has a decent bit of both?
So any ideas for areas in Eugene in particular? I am planning on visiting in the next month or so and would like to have an idea of what areas to check out.
People who know Corvallis are also very much welcome to chime in as well as that area seems to also fit the bill.
You would fit right in, but just why are so many progressives "Not Religious"?
Oh well, there must be an answer in their somewhere.
There seems to be a few Hawaii transplants in Eugene. Asians are common and Eugene's makeup is somewhat of a melting pot ethnically with many foreign students and residents.
I was told by a Hawaiian friend that the schools here are much better than those in the Islands. A super Progressive friend who spent many years in the islands vouched for her statement on the schools having two of his youngins in schools there and later here.
Thanks for the info. I also know that there are quite a few kids from Hawaii going to OSU and that there is even a Hawaii local kine grinds restaurant in Corvallis. One of our friends sons went to OSU and loved it actually. Although he has since taken a job in the Bay Area since graduating with an engineering degree.
I figured with the colleges in both Corvallis and Eugene, there would be a good mix of people from different backgrounds, some of whom inevitably stick around after school.
Hawaii schools are generally not known for their high standards. However, our sons current school won a National Blue Ribbon award twice now and is actually pretty good considering that it is rural, and that a large percentage of the kids receive help with their school lunch and so on. The lack of a proper middle school and the crappy high school are the problems we will face shortly though.
As for why "progressives" self identify as being less religious?
I think that early exposure to different cultures and religions through first hand experience and/or education makes one less likely to believe that any single worldview is the "correct" one. That in turn makes it harder to go "all in" with any one organized religion. In any case that is why I think I personally didn't gravitate towards religion. Can't speak for anyone else really.
But I seriously digress, interesting to think about this stuff though.
1) Good schools with some diversity. My wife is Chinese/White and our son was adopted from China. Not a huge concern but coming from Hawaii we are used to lots of different types of people and don't want our son to stick out too much if possible.
It's not the most diverse area for some races/ethnicities, but you're not likely to experience racism related to Chinese descent.
2) Starting pay is $12 an hour with the average at $15 once you are with us a little while. Would like to add a management job as well, where we would pay a bit more than that for the right person. Is this reasonable for Eugene and would we be able to find quality/qualified people? Quick learners with a decent work ethic are more important than anything.
The UO graduates a lot of students (UG and Grad) who want to stay in town, and so the labor market is tight. Paying 12-15 you'll probably be pleased with what you can snag. Comparing to Corvallis, it may depend on what you hire for. UO (Eugene) has the law school and architecture and nanotech, OSU (Corv.) has Engineering and Ag.
3) Vegetarian friendly. My wife is vegetarian and would love to be in an area that actually had restaurants with more than the obligatory veggie pasta dish on the menu. Farmers markets and a wide range of foods along with an Asian market would be great as well.
Eugene does well on this score. Not as many Asian markets as Portland, but some (Sunrise Asian Food Market - Eugene, OR) and lots of Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants and a very good farmer's market, CSAs, etc.
Even most restaurants that aren't specifically veg. will have very good options for diners who are - it's not a town where every salad on the menu has meat.
4) Good quiet neighborhoods with privacy and homes in the 250k to 350k range. Could afford more but would like to keep the mortgage in that range if possible. 2-3 bedrooms 2 baths, don't need or want a huge house honestly. Saw a house on in the Hendricks Park area that seemed pretty reasonable and the schools are rated quite well there. Any thoughts on that area?
The market under $250k is a bit squeezed, but if you can spend $300-350k you'll have lots of options. It's a small city, so honestly it doesn't take that much time to bop around and check out areas. Most of the area around Hendricks park is relatively high end, and the park itself is very nice. It's a fairly steep hill though, and you have to cross UO territory to get in/out to most places which can make things slower.
I'd probably also look at what that buys you on College Hill (not actually a UO neighborhood - though some faculty/staff live there it's farther west) or Fox Hollow. The two H.S. you're probably most interested in would be South (SE) or Sheldon (NE).
Noise is a concern for me as I am especially sensitive for some reason. Living in Hawaii we usually keep our windows open and that exacerbates the problem though. Paper thin walls don't help either. Would like to be able to bike to get around but as long as we are close-ish to town that is not a huge problem.
Outside of the Whit or right downtown (traffic, trains) or around the UO, noise shouldn't be an issue barring a bad neighbor. Eugene has a nice regional airport, but it's outside the city, and there's no motor raceway or anything.
5) We are both middle aged and "progressive" for the most part and not religious really. More pragmatic and live and let live I think than anything. I have always been a bit of a hippie I guess but as I get older I lean more towards science for answers rather than gut feelings if you know what I mean.
Both Eugene and Corvallis lean left. There are plenty of churches, but it's not a place where you have to attend church to fit in socially, unlike swaths of the midwest or south.
6) Music and art scene. Eugene is a great place for live music. Lots of venues, and multiple acts every night, with many venues being quite reasonable. Almost every west coast band will tour through, and some national acts.
If there's a major national act that doesn't play Eugene it's only 2 hr to see a show in Pdx. The Cuthbert in the summer gets major acts, and is a great outdoor venue - plus you can picnic outside the gates for free if you just want to enjoy the music and the park.
The downside is that a lot of shows start later. If you have a family/work, the fact that there are 2-3 great shows on a Thur night in Feb is probably cold comfort.
So any ideas for areas in Eugene in particular? I am planning on visiting in the next month or so and would like to have an idea of what areas to check out.
I'd worry less about touring neighborhoods per se. In your price range it's hard to go horribly wrong. Maybe drive/walk to the top of college hill just for the view (I forget the exact point, but roughly 22nd and Lincoln). Drive up Skinner's Butte. If you bring trail shoes (sneakers/boots) consider a hike up Pisgah or Spencer Butte. Go to Hendricks Park, past the Prefontaine memorial.
Walk around by 5th street market, maybe hit Smith Family bookstore. Walk around the UO a bit. See who's playing at the McDonald.
People who know Corvallis are also very much welcome to chime in as well as that area seems to also fit the bill.
Corvallis does in some ways, but it's a much smaller metro. The music scene is much smaller, and the selection of restaurants/shopping is going to be much more limited. The Albany-Lebanon-Corvallis "metro" is about 200k (and Corvallis isn't even really the hub of it) - Eug/Springfield is 350k with Eugene being the hub.
So far as the business and employees, small towns near Eugene like Lebanon, Sweet Home, etc. have higher unemployment and a much lower cost of living. Thus wages can be lower.
Look at the housing / rental costs for Portland all the way down I-5 to Eugene and they are quite high - also Corvallis. But get away from those areas a bit and the costs are much lower.
The cost of renting a building for the business will be much less expensive as well.
So far as the business and employees, small towns near Eugene like Lebanon, Sweet Home, etc. have higher unemployment and a much lower cost of living. Thus wages can be lower.
Look at the housing / rental costs for Portland all the way down I-5 to Eugene and they are quite high - also Corvallis. But get away from those areas a bit and the costs are much lower.
The cost of renting a building for the business will be much less expensive as well.
True, though to some extent you're talking about a potentially very different employee base (blue collar/long-time residents vs. college degreed/mobile). As we don't know what type of business he's talking about specifically it's hard to say which employee base would be preferable.
Also, income is generally pretty low in Eugene compared to the cost of living. Housing costs are inflated by retirees, students, and trust funds, not salaries/wages. $12-15 with some benefits is still going to be fairly attractive for people working in Eugene. Could you pay $9 in Sweet Home? Probably.
Hi,
Eugene is a great city, I've been proud to call it home. If you move to Eugene most likely your costs will be lower than in Hawaii (you'll need to check out our local and state laws for comparison), and if you can still produce the same amount of income then that's a smart business choice!!!
However, Eugene doesn't offer everything you're looking for, and you'll have to account for higher labor costs unless you already pay them which it sounds like you're getting cheaper labor costs over there.
When deciding where to move It's very important to follow your heart in deciding, but be smart at the same time.
1. Middles Schools and High Schools are ok in Oregon but honestly not the best. I've gone to school here and in another state and it was better in the other state in terms of quality education. In the other state I had better books then I had than here, I also had more experienced teachers, better lessons, etc. One teacher of mine here actually got fired for drinking alcohol in class. Our colleges are good though
2. OR min. wage is $9.10/hr, so Supervisors are making around $10 to $12, and some employers are starting out at $10-$12 (not very common in Eugene). $12 is low for a Manager, you might have some difficulty finding someone because you might think that you've found someone then they get a call for a higher paying position. But by the same token we have a bad economy here that is slowly getting better at slower than turtle speed, and people are looking for work.
3. Shouldn't have a problem as I know vegetarians who do good here. We do have a lot of meat here though.
4. If you can't find a place for $250-$350,000 then you're seriously being way too picky. Average homes going for $120-$150,000+
Check out home listings. Craigslist is great in Eugene.
I would highly recommend you getting a car or 2 or 3. LTD is ok, but not ideal for parents who are also business owners, or people who don't work 8am-5pm, etc. That doesn't help the traffic jamming problems we tend to have during rush hour. Not to mention it'll make shopping much more convenient.
If you have $250,000-$300,000 in budget kinda you should be able to buy those cars
South Eugene to UofO area is my fav residential areas in Eugene. Cell phone reception is spotty though in parts.
I also really like the outskirts of Springfield.
So for your noise concern...
I have an air filter in my room.
It's so awesome to have, and it picks up a lot of dust. Not only does it do that, but it also blocks out traffic noise which it's not like we get a lot lot of it here, but then you get those loud trucks or cars.
If you want quiet you'll pretty much need to be on the outskirts, which you'll need a car for that.
Creswell is also very popular to live in which has boomed in the past 5 years.
Also what people fail to realize (myself included) that is on average our area sees 120 sunny days per year. I thought that it'd be more like my hometown where the rain comes in, then moves out. When it's not raining or sunny 80% of the time it's grey and gloomy, which is very hard to adjust from a sunny spot.
5. You'll fit in. I voted Republican in 2012 and I haven't been voted out of any social groups
6. Lots of people love music here. Lots of people becoming musicians.
4. If you can't find a place for $250-$350,000 then you're seriously being way too picky. Average homes going for $120-$150,000+
That's probably a bit optimistic.
At 120k you're largely only talking about lots/condos. At 135-150k you can get a 2BR/1BA or town home. Since they have a child I'm wagering they're looking for a 3BR+, and most of those are going to be in the 200k range, though you can find a few starter home types lower.
The overall median sales price in Eugene is over 200k, and the asking price 250k.
Now, if you were asking me if houses in Eugene should be closer to 150k, that I'd agree with. But the market disagrees with me on that. You can potentially find some deals in Springfield, particularly if you want to buy low and invest in a fixer-upper.
... ...
The overall median sales price in Eugene is over 200k, and the asking price 250k.
Now, if you were asking me if houses in Eugene should be closer to 150k, that I'd agree with. But the market disagrees with me on that. You can potentially find some deals in Springfield, particularly if you want to buy low and invest in a fixer-upper.
There are a lot of houses available in Eugene for under $150,000, but they are not in modern subdivisions.
Oh ya if you're right, if you're wanting modern subdivisions $150k isn't going to get you anything. But if you expand out then you can find better prices. I just got emailed a listing for a house that is 1970's home, 3bedroom 2 bathroom for $155k, but that's over there by Big Lots. I have noticed that rent and house prices seems to keep going up every year as our min. wage goes up.
Last edited by jj85; 01-31-2014 at 06:45 PM..
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