Towns near Eugene? (Junction City, Creswell: low crime, new house, neighborhoods)

[familyfolk]

Hi! My husband, my infant son and myself will be relocating to Eugene in 2 months. We want to go finish grad school in Eugene but hear that living in Eugene itself isnt such a good idea. Bad crime, air quality, etc. We want to pick a town slightly outside of Eugene so we can commute to the college. We want a small town that is family friendly, low crime and away from the drug problems. We want to buy a house up to 350K but of course would prefer something affordable and yet nice and roomy for our growing family. Good weather (as much as good weather can be in Oregon) is a plus too!
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

[elcapitan]

Originally Posted by familyfolk

Hi! My husband, my infant son and myself will be relocating to Eugene in 2 months. We want to go finish grad school in Eugene but hear that living in Eugene itself isnt such a good idea. Bad crime, air quality, etc. We want to pick a town slightly outside of Eugene so we can commute to the college. We want a small town that is family friendly, low crime and away from the drug problems. We want to buy a house up to 350K but of course would prefer something affordable and yet nice and roomy for our growing family. Good weather (as much as good weather can be in Oregon) is a plus too!
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

I would be pretty skeptical about the advice you were given regarding Eugene. Did you consider the source and what they are used too? Besides, 350,000 will get you into a pretty nice neighborhood anyways. Trust me, we have small children and we would not live here if the crime/air quality was that bad.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by elcapitan

I would be pretty skeptical about the advice you were given regarding Eugene. Did you consider the source and what they are used too? Besides, 350,000 will get you into a pretty nice neighborhood anyways. Trust me, we have small children and we would not live here if the crime/air quality was that bad.

I'll echo elcapitan here. I lived in Eugene for almost 5 years while attending grad school and the "problems" with Eugene you cite wouldn't keep me away. And I have 2 kids under 10 now.

[familyfolk]

Hi! Thanks for the quick replies. I am glad to hear that it isn't as bad as some people have said to me. Not all of what I have heard so far is bad, a lot of people rave about Eugene. My mother went to college in Eugene and loved it. That is part of why we are drawn to the area. I think though, that we do prefer a really small town, smaller than Eugene. Any recommendations for a good area for families? Something with great weather and scenery ? Thank you all so much!

[FoxyKnox]

Check out Junction City (about 25 minutes south of UofO). It still has it's small town feel, but is growing. New housing developments are going in, the schools are good, and there's still lots of room to play outside.

[DBNN]

Greater Lane County Oregon : Cities, Small Towns and Areas

Here is a map of Lane County.

[jiffin4java]

Originally Posted by DBNN

Greater Lane County Oregon : Cities, Small Towns and Areas

Here is a map of Lane County.

Ooh! This is helpful! Thank you for posting this.

[k2dental]

We live in East Eugene on a hill. Nice area near the I-5 but not a lot of families. Check out Creswell. It is 9 miles south of Eugene. Very nice area. You should be able to find a nice house for your price point. Look at the neighborhoods on the east side of the freeway just North of the Rays supermarket. There are a lot of very nice new houses that have just gone in.

We have friends that live in a nice DR Horton neighborhood on the West side of Eugene close to schools, supermarket, etc. Tons of young families in the neighborhood, professionals, etc. If you want I can get the exact location of that area also. Very nice houses in your price range.

I'm not as big of a fan of the Junction City area. Just my opinion though.

I'll answer any questions as I do currently live in Eugene.

[DBNN]

Originally Posted by jiffin4java

Ooh! This is helpful! Thank you for posting this.

jiffin4java

Your
http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/4.gif (broken link)

Have A Great Day!

[flippytheidiot]

Hi, I went to the UofO and lived in Eugene for 5 years. At the time our kids were preschool and 1st grade. Eugene is like someone you love and hate at the same time. Lots of environmental activists there, yet the air, water, and soil quality are highly polluted (Merchant Madness powered by Gomez, Inc.). The city itself has an identity crisis. South and east Eugene are quaint and cozy until you go up into the South Hills area where the homes are larger and nicer (that is, not full of mold spores). There is a ton of crime in Eugene. You cannot leave anything of value laying around for a moment. But there are tons of nice restaurants (LOVE Tio Pepes), festivals in the summer, Saturday and Holiday market, and parks parks parks. North and way out west Eugene are urban sprawl nightmares with prepackaged homes that are way too expensive, no good bike paths (in my opinion) and row after row of stucco malls. It's hard to find a place near Eugene that isn't just as expensive (Junction City, Creswell, Loraine, etc), but I've always loved Eugene and want desperately to move back. I have lived in many parts of America, San Diego, Knoxville, Atlanta, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Wyoming, et al, but love Eugene the most. The only major downside for students and people like me (a teacher) is the price. It's just so darn expensive.
There are probably more activities for children in Eugene than most cities of that size. And Eugene has something like 120 city parks. That's a tremendous amount.
I wish you luck.