We're moving to the area & we don't know where to start :/ (Eugene: houses)

[sunnygordy]

My husband is being transferred to Eugene in 5 weeks for work. Other than driving through about 5 years ago, we know nothing about the area. We have 2 kids, one of which is in kindergarten, so we're wanting to make sure we pick the best area for young families & where we can get a house for 275k or less. We have so many questions! But mainly...
Why is Springfield so much cheaper? Should we avoid it? I saw a post from a couple years ago, just wondering if much has changed.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Springfield is connect to Eugene, but on the other side of the freeway. It's where working people live. Lots of tract houses, perfectly good shopping, easy access to the entertainment events in Eugene. Closer to the pretty mountain drives and winter sports.

I don't see anything wrong with Springfield unless you must have an upper class house with upper class neighbors-- which you aren't getting for $275K in Eugene.

I suspect that at that price you will be limited to specific areas Not luxury, not slums. Find out where the husband's job is located and try to get as close to that as you can. Traffic in Eugene can be heavy. Your husband will appreciate fewer commuting hours. We do outdoor recreation in Oregon, so give him time to enjoy that.

From either Eugene or Springfield, you can drive up the McKenzie River Canyon, which is one of the prettiest drives in Oregon. You can also easily get to the coast for spectacular scenery and fresh seafood in season.

[bpcbp541]

There isn't anything wrong with Springfield. I don't know enough about it to point you towards actual neighborhoods, though. I live in Eugene and there are many good family neighborhoods. The elementary schools that feed South Eugene High are good. In your price range, a house might be smaller and need some work, but you could find something. The Friendly neighborhood is nice: flat and bikeable, close to everything. There are lots of nice areas if you don't need a new and fancy house.

[sunnygordy]

Thanks! Nothing fancy or big...just a classic 3+2 & at least 1500 sq. ft. We're coming from the land of newer, cookie cutter construction & we'd like to get away from it.

[bler144]

Well, you should at least look at Santa Clara despite the architecture issue.

But as long as you don't insist on the prime neighborhoods of south eugene, 275k should be ample enough to get something you can be happy with in Eugene or Springfield.

Friendly is nice and possibly in play - though you might end up having to look just west of there based on price/size.

Springfield is fine on the whole, with a mix of neighborhoods. I'd be careful of buying anything there sight/unseen or until you'd actually checked out the neighborhood.

[haggardhouseelf]

If you want an area in Eugene with the best public schools, you'll want to look into the school area that feeds into South Eugene high school. They do allow transfers - between schools as well as between districts - but then you have the headache every year of applying and wondering/hoping that your child will be able to go to the school you want for them. Since you're moving into the area, you can save yourself that headache by settling down in the good area to start with. (You can read other threads and get a lot of info about the schools and neighborhoods.)

Here is a link to school boundary maps: Neighborhood School Boundary Maps

We really like Springfield and sometimes wish we had settled there instead of Eugene when we relocated here. There are good and bad areas of both Eugene and Springfield. One is no better than the other, they just have different attitudes. Because Eugene has the University, it definitely has more of that college town vibe - all the good and not-so-good that goes along with that. Springfield is much quieter and IMO in many ways seems to have a better head on its shoulders.

Also I feel that you could find a really good home in a really good area for $275K. Eugene or Springfield. Go look around zillow or other websites like that and it will give you a good idea.

You should know, too, that in some areas like Santa Clara which are not incorporated into the city you will not have city services or you will have to pay more for those services if you use them (library, city police, etc.). Some people don't mind, but it is definitely something to consider. You'll save on property taxes but you may have to wait for a long time if you have to call 911 about something.