Moving to Oregon? (Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis: big house, neighborhoods, buy)

[tbird57]

My husband and I are considering retiring to Oregon, possibly the Eugene area. What I am looking for is something different than where I live now (rural NC). Diverse, in some sense. Not so hot yet temperate, with public transportation, good veggies, library(s), moderate-progressive generally, and things to do fairly close. I also would like a community college nearby to complete my degree. Not much to ask, huh?

Any help appreciated!

tbird57

[westvillemama]

Eugene would be great! The COL is higher than you're going to be used to here in NC, especially considering you are currently in a rural area. Property taxes are higher. Gas is higher. State income tax is higher, although since you're retiring that won't be so much a direct issue, but it does affect the cost of products and services to some degree.

The climate in Eugene is lovely. Wet all winter for sure, but summers are moderate and low humidity, positively cool compared to the southern and eastern parts of the state! Springfield is right across the bridge from Eugene, with a somewhat lower COL. It's a former mill town with a good deal of growth in the last decade but still has mostly a small town feel despite development.

The bus system in the area is pretty good for a large sized town! There is a community college on the outskirts of Eugene, Lane Community College. There's summer markets and organic produce in town, and produce stands a-plenty in the surrounding countryside. Progressive, because it's a university town and also due to an influx of socially minded people during the 60's and 70's. Old hippies, progressives, activists. I worked for Greenpeace when I lived there. There is also a more moderate element for sure. People tend to be more socially conscious on whatever issues.

One thing that might be a negative is that coming from the south it will probably take you some time to break in to the local attitudes. Westerners aren't afraid to say what they think, but it's different than say on the east coast-- less... direct... but not quite as nice as southerners. Different. Nice folks overall, but different. It has taken me a while to get used to the south after living in OR my whole life, so I imagine it would be true the other way around too!

[tbird57]

Thank you so much. That's sort of the opinion I have formed of Eugene. I know the COL will be higher but we don't need a big house. Just a cat and a garden and good markets.

Therese

[OrygunBorn]

Well, on the lower end you can buy a nice stick built house in or just outside of Eugene for $180k-200k. Less for a manufactured home on a smaller lot. Up to $300k for a nice moderate size house in a really nice hood. More for bigger and newer houses on larger lots and in more spendy hoods. Lane Community College is good, as is the UofO and OSU which also have extended studies and other courses that anyone can take (though the budgets are getting slashed for extended study budgets here of late). COL here is higher than NC for sure. Gas in Oregon is the 4th most expensive in the US, and Eugene has a special gas tax on top of that. Gas is about $4.30 a gallon here now (last I looked, it changes daily).

It is not the south, no. And Oregonians have always had an attitude about outsiders. Just ignore it. I do, and I am from here. Maybe I can claim diplomatic immunity or something. When I lived in CA they bashed me for it. I ignored that too. The weather here is wet, wet and more wet. Then it rains. And snows. There should be 20 terms for rain here. They call it 'moisture' on the news. Eugene is actually in a rain shadow, and where I live now in the coast range gets two to three times the rainfall that Eugene does. That said, it rains as much of the time in Eugene as it does here, just less rainfall there than here. It can be depressing, and after the 2nd winter a lot of people leave Oregon for nicer climates, or return to where they came from.

The late spring and summer months are usually rain-free and warm though. This spring has been particularly wet though. Only one week of 80-90 degree weather here all year so far. Cool, wet, and green. If that is what you like, Eugene is for you. Frogs and ducks love it here. There are 27 shades of green. Fall colors here are often times quite spectacular. But did I mention it rains a lot here???

[tbird57]

Sorry to be so slow responding. Yeah, I heard it rains there a bit. It rains here a lot (for days and days) in the winter and in August, unless we have a drought. We have just decided that if we do move, we want something different. If folks are slow to warm, its OK. We live in a small town.

T

[haggardhouseelf]

I think Eugene would have everything you mentioned. I love LCC (the community college) and once you learn your way around via the bike paths and walking and hiking trails you find that Eugene is actually not as big as it seems. Everything is close by. It is a bit funny, really, because my husband and have lived in large cities where traffic is horrible and it takes 45 minutes to get anywhere... when we first came to Eugene we were thrilled with how quick you can go anywhere. Now after getting used to Eugene, we gripe when it takes 15 minutes to drive somewhere!

The winters can be long, wet, muddy, misty, and almost always overcast... but there is beauty there. There will be varying shades of grey skies and everything stays so green and the mist is all silvery and actually feels good on your skin. You are sort of put into a mindset of wanting to cuddle up and read or knit or focus on learning new skills or studying or cooking. I love being able to wear jeans, boots, and comfy sweaters almost all year long. In fact - if you head for the coast or the mountains during summer you can wear your boots, jeans, and sweaters all year long! It's cold on the coast - even in August. And many places in the Cascades will still have snow to play in all summer long, not to mention some of the deepest and purest lakes in the world. (Crater Lake, Lake Waldo...)

I think you'd love it here. Best wishes to you!

[fishnoise7]

I also really adore Oregon. I've lived in Eugene for about 4 years now. The weather is great because it's never super super cold, but we do get snow occasionally. I find the rain to be very refreshing.

I attended Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, both of which were wonderful. Lane has a lovely campus and really nice instructors.

The bus system is extremely good. You can take th bus to most areas of town and the ones to Valley River Center mall and the college and LCC are actually pretty clean.

Good veggies shouldn't be a problem either as you can buy them from local farmers.

Eugene is a fun place to live. However, there are a few downsides. The transient population is fairly large. Most of them hang out downtown though, so when you're looking for a house, I'd suggest south eugene. Springfield is not as nice as Eugene, but does have some pretty neighborhoods.

I read that you're from NC. My bf and I are planning to move to Raleigh in about 3 weeks!

[jensen]

Corvallis is wonderful! Have you decided yet if you will move to Oregon. I moved here from SF three years ago & it is excellent. Check it out!
I put a bunch of area links on my webpage under 'about the area' & then 'links.' Free free to ask me any questions you would like. Jenny

[GrannyII]

Are the police trying to discourage the wayward youth from congregating downtown?
I think that the buildings there are sad looking - so many empty storefronts.
But, Fifth St. Public Market is still nice and parts of downtown have very nice businesses.
I particularly like their high-end gift stores.
I personally think that Eugene has much more to offer than Corvallis, but both have great colleges. U of O is more difficult and more vibrant, in my opinion.
Corvallis was apparently the safest town of it's size in the US - last year. It is a bit sleepy, but kind of sweet.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by GrannyII

Are the police trying to discourage the wayward youth from congregating downtown?
I think that the buildings there are sad looking - so many empty storefronts.
But, Fifth St. Public Market is still nice and parts of downtown have very nice businesses.
I particularly like their high-end gift stores.
I personally think that Eugene has much more to offer than Corvallis, but both have great colleges. U of O is more difficult and more vibrant, in my opinion.
Corvallis was apparently the safest town of it's size in the US - last year. It is a bit sleepy, but kind of sweet.

According to the paper, the police have stepped up their efforts to clean up downtown at night.

My husband and I laugh every time we go downtown to the library - which is right across the street from the Eugene Pit. Those of you that live here know what I'm talking about! We always talk about possible uses for "the pit"... perhaps they should just fill it up, put a pump in there, and make it a fountain! Something along the lines of Las Vegas... you know... the Bellagio fountains? Make it a tourist attraction. Right now it's an eye sore!

Eugene has so much potential. I feel like our Mayor has lost touch with what we need, though. She keeps sourcing from outside the area for services. She keeps refusing to listen to the people of the town when we speak and when we vote. I was a bit embarrassed how she handled the whole Olympic track trials thing. She tried to make a much bigger deal out of it than it really was - and many area businesses, as well as city departments, are now suffering financially for it. Mayoral elections are coming up and I am hoping for a positive change. She has done some really good things, but I think it's time for her to move on and let someone else have a chance to do good for this wonderful little town.