Considering a move from Flagstaff to Eugene... (Springfield: houses, neighborhoods)

[FlagstaffMama]

In some ways the cities are similar....

I know about the economy in Eugene (I am in the Medical field and Eugene has more opportunities than Flag)

We, too have a transient problem. I go to Safeway with my daughter and have belligerent drunks harassing me in the middle of the day.

Flag is a bit too small. To go to say Trader Joe's you have to drive 150 miles.

The airport is very small, making it cost prohibitive.

It is too dry. I am originally from the Bay Area, so rain and fog and overcast days don't bother me. I miss rain...And humidity

I miss water!!!!! Lakes, rivers, oceans, I will take any or all of them! I miss green, too. All we have is Pine trees!!!! And dirt and rock.

The lack of people that support local business here is appalling.

There is NO agriculture here. I would love to grow a garden, but it is tough.

I really don't like being next to the Nation's largest Reservation. People are racist on both sides. And the issues spill over, too.

The cost of living.... Housing is still high here.

The wind stinks!!!!!! It is very windy here.

What neighborhoods are good for families? Any sustainable/New Urban/ Traditional Neighborhood Developments?

Any opinions? Thoughts? I am not looking for people to bash either Flag or Eugene, I already no many issues with both places.College towns all have similar issues with jobs, crime, etc. I am looking for opinions on the issues I have addressed.

Thanks!

[Rogter]

If you want my opinion...DO NOT GO TO EUGENE, or Oregon period! Everything is overpriced, too liberal and turning into the next California. We are moving to Northwest Arkansas. Yes....Arkansas. The people are wonderful, high quality homes for a fraction of what you pay here and the overall cost of living is way less.
No...Arkansas is not full of hillbillies. I've see more hillbillies and drunks in Oregon than I've seen anywhere. Im sick and tired of this state and cant wait to leave. The countryside is awesome and the mountains are spectacular but everything else has begun to stink. Do yourself a BIG favor and check out Northwest Arkansas around Bentonville or Rogers. You won't find bums begging for a handout and stealing you blind when you're not looking. Best of luck to you if you do come to Oregon but I'd look elsewhere.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by FlagstaffMama

In some ways the cities are similar....

I know about the economy in Eugene (I am in the Medical field and Eugene has more opportunities than Flag)

We, too have a transient problem. I go to Safeway with my daughter and have belligerent drunks harassing me in the middle of the day.

Flag is a bit too small. To go to say Trader Joe's you have to drive 150 miles.

The airport is very small, making it cost prohibitive.

It is too dry. I am originally from the Bay Area, so rain and fog and overcast days don't bother me. I miss rain...And humidity

I miss water!!!!! Lakes, rivers, oceans, I will take any or all of them! I miss green, too. All we have is Pine trees!!!! And dirt and rock.

The lack of people that support local business here is appalling.

There is NO agriculture here. I would love to grow a garden, but it is tough.

I really don't like being next to the Nation's largest Reservation. People are racist on both sides. And the issues spill over, too.

The cost of living.... Housing is still high here.

The wind stinks!!!!!! It is very windy here.

What neighborhoods are good for families? Any sustainable/New Urban/ Traditional Neighborhood Developments?

Any opinions? Thoughts? I am not looking for people to bash either Flag or Eugene, I already no many issues with both places.College towns all have similar issues with jobs, crime, etc. I am looking for opinions on the issues I have addressed.

Thanks!

Eugene is a wonderful town! It's easy-going, friendly, and with a fair amount of community involvement and environmental awareness. It's rather Kumbaya there compared to most places on the West Coast and that's what I love about it. If you are someone with "San Francisco values," then you'll love it too. It's also literally green; it's really a great place for gardening. Basically, from what you described it sounds like somewhere you'd really enjoy.

Have you been to visit Eugene that much or at all? I'd try to apply for some jobs online if I were you and try to make it out here if you decide it's for you.

Unfortunately, Eugene has a lot of suburban sprawl on its edges, but there are some great family neighborhoods, sprawling and not. I'm not sure what the quality of the schools and school district(s) are like, but I have heard good things about South Eugene High School.

The neighborhoods you might want to look at are the Amazon/College Hill area south of the University; the Friendly area, which is indeed pretty friendly; the Autzen area bounded by the Belt Line Freeway, I-105, I-5, and the Delta Highway; the Western Eugene and Bethel-Danebo area at the Western terminus of the Belt Line; and the Thurston area of Springfield. I would avoid the Santa Clara area, the areas by the airport, anywhere too close to West 11th Avenue, anywhere too close to the Gateway Mall, and perhaps the rest of Springfield besides Thurston. That said, there are few places you can really go wrong in Eugene.

[FlagstaffMama]

Backdrifter,

Thank you very much! That is EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for. Positive info, not trying to convince me how horrible Eugene is. No place is prefect, and I understand that completely! I like liberal places, very outdoorsy, nice people, etc.

Again, thank you!!!

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by FlagstaffMama

Backdrifter,

Thank you very much! That is EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for. Positive info, not trying to convince me how horrible Eugene is. No place is prefect, and I understand that completely! I like liberal places, very outdoorsy, nice people, etc.

Again, thank you!!!

You're welcome! Glad to be of service! Let us know how it goes. And let me know if you have any more questions about Oregon or Eugene!

[Mr Eugenified]

Eugene sounds perfect for what you are looking for. Plenty of green here if you don't mind the rainfall that is needed to sustain it.

In terms of neighborhoods, here's my take:

South versus Central versus North:
-South is my favorite by far.
-Central area is located on the other side of the river...sorta salt and pepper over there. One street is nice and the next is a bit trailer trashy.
-North has best buys in terms of housing but also is a bit sketchy in terms of crime. Usually just annoying domestic dispute stuff, but sometimes more serious. Not for me.

Looking at various areas in the south side of Eugene:
-downtown is too grungy to live in my view. Nice to visit for restaurants though.
-west of UO campus: mainly college kids but some nice older houses with long term residents. If you can stand the "mix" of lifestyles, maybe ok/funky place to live.
-east of campus: more grad students and professors over there. Houses are pretty high priced especially based on what you get...an old run down house with one-car garage if you are lucky.
-Amazon: cool area with nice aged-hippie culture, but the houses are a bit run down. Some exceptions though. Usually a house of X quality in this area will sell for $25K more than the same house in south hills, due to Amazon being in the South Eugene High School district (the best).
-Southeast: Some nice houses out there but be careful to get one with lots of sun, as it gets very wet there.
-South Hills: also lots of nice houses. Quite hilly.
-Friendly: Too rundown for my taste. Also the houses are definitely on the old side. Quite a few one car garages, i.e. 50's and 60' era houses (or older).
-Southwest: My favorite. Lots of nice houses with beautiful scenery and reasonable prices. Churchill High School is not the best, but it is improving as involved/concerned parents move into the area.

[FlagstaffMama]

Mr. Eugeneified,

Thanks for the neighborhood rundown! VERY helpful. The main reason for leaving Flg would be lack of moisture, and having only one hospital (harder for me to keep my job). It has been rainy and in the 50's here in Nor Az all week, and we LOVE it. SF is pretty foggy and rainy, so I don't think it will be an issue. We enjoy overcast weather. Flg is too sunny!

[Mr Eugenified]

I was very worried about the weather before I moved to Eugene. The forums (like City Data) are filled with people babbling about the rain in Eugene, warning about deep mental depression that will invariably result, and other such scary stuff.

But I can honestly say that I have really learned to love it (I am originally from Southern CA, so you can guess that I was accustomed to lots of sun). My strategy is simple: My wife and I agreed to never talk about the rain.
-We don't wake up and say "Oh, it's raining".
-We don't say "Look how hard it is raining outside."
-And we don't make any changes to our plans. If we were going to go grocery shopping, we do it no matter what the weather.

Now, you may think this sounds a bit strange, and admittedly it took a little getting used to, but in the end, it worked great for us. We basically ignore the rain and then enjoy all the other days. Which works well since there are probably only 40 days per year when it rains all day (totally unscientific estimate). Probably another 100 days where it rains less than half the day and the other half of the day is beautiful sunny/cloudy. The rest of the days are sunny/cloudy with a very light/short sprinkle every 7 days or so. Hey, all the beautiful greenery we have around here needs to be watered, right?

You can be sure there are LOTS of days with tremendously good weather. For example, light mist plus sun (happens a lot around here; good for growing rainbows). Or light sun but a cool breeze (especially in the southwest hills where I live). Or light rain in the morning turning into sunny/cloudy skies after 11am (this happens a lot also). The possible combinations are endless, and we get them all here in Eugene.