Please Tell Me About Eugene (Portland, Green: job market, transfer, theatre)

[Lindacy]

Hi!

I am hoping that you can describe your experiences of visiting/living in Eugene, as I am considering a move.

My goal is to move to the Pacific Northwest in September. After looking into Seattle, I think it may be too expensive/traffic-ridden for me. Portland? I suspect that it has become too much of a "place to be" and also expensive.

A bit about me: I am a 45 year old female, looking to settle in a small-ish/mid-sized city/town in Oregon or Washington. I guess you can say that I am a bit of a "hippie" (though I don't care for the term): I bike/walk/use public transportation (do not own a car), I am vegan, an artist/crafts person and I will be bringing my two dogs along with me.

Areas of importance for me:

* Very good public transportation
* Affordability
* Employment Opportunities (most of my experience is in Office Administration/Management)
* A more liberal political climate
* Arts/culture (does not have to be NYC, but a good library system, movie theatre, some art galleries, book stores, etc. are desirable)
* Outdoor activities/nature/dog parks
* Descent shopping options (Trader Joes, a farmer's market, etc.)

Does Eugene sound like a good fit? Are there other towns/cities that you have visited/lived in that seem to fit my bill as well? Please share...thanks for reading!!!

[bler144]

Eugene matches all those things very well, with the caution that employment opportunities are more middlin'

There is employment there, and your skills are probably transferable to a range of sectors/positions which helps, but be aware the job market overall is just "okay."

Similarly, depending on where you're coming from in the U.S. even if it's cheaper than Portland COL vs incomes may still be a surprise. Median household income in Eugene falls roughly 5% below the national median; COL is about 10% above the national median.

[Lindacy]

Originally Posted by bler144

Eugene matches all those things very well, with the caution that employment opportunities are more middlin'

There is employment there, and your skills are probably transferable to a range of sectors/positions which helps, but be aware the job market overall is just "okay."

Similarly, depending on where you're coming from in the U.S. even if it's cheaper than Portland COL vs incomes may still be a surprise. Median household income in Eugene falls roughly 5% below the national median; COL is about 10% above the national median.

Thank you Bler144 - these are good things to know...I am currently living in St. Petersburg FL...I moved here 6 years ago after a family member became ill and now it's time to go - prior, I lived in Oakland/SF CA area and I just cannot afford to return...but I digress...

I think the COL vs. median income is probably worse here in St. Petersburg thank in Eugene...the unemployment rate is slightly lower here, but the most plentiful jobs are minimum wage retail jobs with crazy turnover rates...I "lucked out" when I landed an Office Management job, working for a large non-profit...but my salary has been stagnant for almost three years, while prices on everything around me increase...but that is another thread I suppose...

[Mini-apple-less]

* Very good public transportation - Yes, for an American medium sized city Lane Transit District is unparalleled. I think Eugene has better transit than Portland nowadays which has gone downhill a LOT. You will still want a car though since it doesn't run between 11-12 and 5-7 AM or so depending on the line and Sunday service is even shorter.

* Affordability - Eugene is the best bang for your buck on the West Coast for what you get. It's more expensive than the Midwest, but it's not ridiculous or anything.

* Employment Opportunities (most of my experience is in Office Administration/Management) - Not the best economy here. Oregon isn't a place you go to make money in general.

* A more liberal political climate - Eugene seems pretty liberal. I've chatted with people who are very socialist in their outlook here, only other place I've done that is Victoria BC (which is like the Canadian Eugene kind of). But there are lots of conservatives here and you can be happy and accepted regardless of your politics.

* Arts/culture (does not have to be NYC, but a good library system, movie theatre, some art galleries, book stores, etc. are desirable) - We have a nice library, the Hult Center has a lot of ballet and stuff like that and probably symphony sometimes. Book stores should probably be decent. Don't know about art.

* Outdoor activities/nature/dog parks - Yes, the park system here is excellent and it's easy to access the Oregon Coast and the Cascades. Spencer Butte is just south of the city and makes for a good hike.

* Descent shopping options (Trader Joes, a farmer's market, etc.) - Yes, a variety of grocery stores and affordable food by West Coast standards.

[Lindacy]

Originally Posted by Mini-apple-less

* Very good public transportation - Yes, for an American medium sized city Lane Transit District is unparalleled. I think Eugene has better transit than Portland nowadays which has gone downhill a LOT. You will still want a car though since it doesn't run between 11-12 and 5-7 AM or so depending on the line and Sunday service is even shorter.

* Affordability - Eugene is the best bang for your buck on the West Coast for what you get. It's more expensive than the Midwest, but it's not ridiculous or anything.

* Employment Opportunities (most of my experience is in Office Administration/Management) - Not the best economy here. Oregon isn't a place you go to make money in general.

* A more liberal political climate - Eugene seems pretty liberal. I've chatted with people who are very socialist in their outlook here, only other place I've done that is Victoria BC (which is like the Canadian Eugene kind of). But there are lots of conservatives here and you can be happy and accepted regardless of your politics.

* Arts/culture (does not have to be NYC, but a good library system, movie theatre, some art galleries, book stores, etc. are desirable) - We have a nice library, the Hult Center has a lot of ballet and stuff like that and probably symphony sometimes. Book stores should probably be decent. Don't know about art.

* Outdoor activities/nature/dog parks - Yes, the park system here is excellent and it's easy to access the Oregon Coast and the Cascades. Spencer Butte is just south of the city and makes for a good hike.

* Descent shopping options (Trader Joes, a farmer's market, etc.) - Yes, a variety of grocery stores and affordable food by West Coast standards.

Thank you Mini-apple-less: this is super-helpful and really great to know...Eugene sounds like exactly what I am looking for in a living environment!

Employment Opportunities: again - not looking to get rich. The goal is to find a job that will allow me to support myself and my two small dogs...and we live very simply.

[bler144]

Eugene is quite good for bookstores, esp. for its size.

Smith Family has 2 large stores with a nice mix of new/used (not Powell's, but then what else is?). Then you really have 4 other boutique/niche bookstores: Tsunami, Black Sun, UO bookstore, J. Michaels, with Tsunami/Black Sun being the hangouts on the left, J Michaels being slightly more upscale, and the UO kind of all over the map.

There are Christian bookstores that come and go but I don't know what's there now.

[Lindacy]

Originally Posted by bler144

Eugene is quite good for bookstores, esp. for its size.

Smith Family has 2 large stores with a nice mix of new/used (not Powell's, but then what else is?). Then you really have 4 other boutique/niche bookstores: Tsunami, Black Sun, UO bookstore, J. Michaels, with Tsunami/Black Sun being the hangouts on the left, J Michaels being slightly more upscale, and the UO kind of all over the map.

There are Christian bookstores that come and go but I don't know what's there now.

Thanks for this: Smith Family looks awesome! I worked at Strand in NYC when I lived there many years ago and frequented Green Apple in SF when I was a resident...I love big messy used/new bookstores such as these!!