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Old 07-11-2009, 01:03 PM
 
2 posts, read 5,127 times
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Hi there!

My boyfriend and I are making the move from Phoenix, Arizona to Eugene, Oregon, hopefully sometime in August. We both visited Portland recently and loved it so we decided to take the plunge and move to Eugene because we've heard great things about it and it appears to be a bit cheaper.

I have looked for apartments on the usual sites, rent.com, apartments.com, etc. but I wondered if there are some other websites anyone can share with me. Or if you can let me know of some apartment complexes we can contact directly that would be even better.

We are looking for a one-bedroom, preferably near the university/downtown area. While both of us have graduated from college already, we would like to be in the hub of things so we can network and hopefully find some good jobs. We both work as newswriters right now but we want to be in Oregon for the weather, recreational activities, not to mention the beer!

If anyone can please let me know which are the dodgy areas to avoid, and which areas are generally quite nice. I would be happy moving to a place that is a little ways away from downtown if there is some kind of public transportation to get us there.

Like I said neither of us have been to Eugene so we are just taking a leap and heading out there to see what happens. Any information or tidbits about the place would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for any help!

Carley
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Old 07-12-2009, 10:20 AM
 
Location: Eugene, OR
231 posts, read 777,552 times
Reputation: 223
Firstly, I am a little worried that you decided to move to Eugene based on your visit to Portland. They are quite different places in my view. Portland is a much bigger city, with lots of traffic, lots of driving here and there, and lots of people. Eugene is much smaller, both in population and space (everything in Eugene is within 15 minutes drive; whereas in Portland you can be stuck on the highway in traffic for 15 minutes). Eugene definitely lacks some of the nice retail of Portland, as well as cool ethnic restaurants (we have one or two decent Thai places, one or two so so Indian places, but no good Chinese places...see my website for more info).

Anyways, let's assume you made the right decision. In my view, you did, but everybody has their own likes and dislikes.

Job: I am worried that you do not have jobs. As I mentioned in another recent post, it is very important to have work lined up (or retirement income) before you come to Eugene. From what I have heard, the job market is extremely tight unless you have some unique and in-demand skills.

For the next section about location in Eugene, I will reference the Trulia real estate heat map that can be found here:

Trulia Real Estate Map

This map has nice definitions of the main areas in Eugene. Just roll your cursor over any of the colored areas and the name of that area will appear. There is probably some other info on Trulia that might also be of help to you, although it is mainly targeted at home buyers. (For the record, I am not affiliated with Trulia in any way).

Areas to live:

Downtown area: very cool, young, hip in a Eugene sort of way. It's "downtown", so there are plenty of cars. But walking anywhere is easy. It's also very near UO. The downside is that there are a certain number of dicey characters walking around at night. Mainly homeless people and an odd assortment of grungy teens that hang around the bus terminal (why the hell do they do that? What exactly is the attraction?). The closer you get to UO, the less of these types that you will find. The whole area can get pretty noisy during the evenings, and if you have bad luck, you might live in a building with excitable college freshman...

Market District and Whiteaker: Similar to Downtown, and there are some sections that have some cozy old houses, nice neighbors, and nice streets to walk. On the other hand, there is a mix of light industrial in that area, some of it vacant, so it can also be a little creepy at night.

(I wonder how loud the train is in those areas at night? I can hear it all the way up in the southwest hills at night, and that's far away. It has a soft, distant, "old time" sound way out here, but downtown, it might be more "hard", "close" and "damn loud" at night. I am not sure. You might want to stay in a motel down there to check it out.)

Bethel-Danebo: So so area I would stay away from unless you own a gun, a pickup truck, and your boyfriend has a mullet. Of course, if you own a gun, a pickup truck, and your boyfriend has a mullet, you might love it there. As Triump, the Insult Comic Dog, would say, "I kid, I kid"...but not by much.

West Eugene: This sounds like the perfect area for you. It is some distance away from the University, but can be easily walked. There are some apartments, mostly close to 18th and 11th, with small older houses between the two. There is not much retail in the middle area, especially as you move west, but again, everything is walking distance (mainly on 18th).

Friendly: Not many apartments in this grown-up hippie (a contradiction? I kid, I kid!) area.

College Hill: Great area if you can find an affordable apartment there. You probably can not.

Amazon: Another nice area for you to consider. Distances are greater, so you would at least need a bike or maybe a car to get around (if you are lazy like me). Some nice retail (my favorite Market of Choice at 29th and Willamette) and nice restaurants sprinkled around. Not real close to the university, but not too far either.

Western: too far for you. Southwest hills are awesome for home buyers, but there are very few if any apartments out there.

North of the river: For what you are looking for, forget about it. Some nicer areas there, but some not so nicer areas also. Too far from UO and the river makes a big barrier with the interesting areas downtown. I suppose if you didn't mind crossing the river everytime you wanted to do something, it might be ok though.

Where to find apartments: Driving around looking for signs in the simple (?) way. Even better would be to check Craig's List. You can also find listings by searching on Google and visiting the websites of the big rental agent companies.
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Old 07-13-2009, 11:48 AM
 
6,066 posts, read 15,020,617 times
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To the OP - I would recommend reading around the other posts relating to Eugene. Many of those threads will have lots of your answers there already for you.

I'd also ditto what Mr. E said - he knows his stuff. Except for suggesting West Eugene. Maybe we're thinking of two different areas in West Eugene... but I don't recommend it to people. Scary. Not safe. Ugly. It's cheap for a reason. Too far from the things you mentioned you wanted to be near. But - he's not too far off about Bethel-Danebo! lol
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Old 07-13-2009, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Eugene, OR
231 posts, read 777,552 times
Reputation: 223
Quote:
Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf View Post
I'd also ditto what Mr. E said - he knows his stuff. Except for suggesting West Eugene. Maybe we're thinking of two different areas in West Eugene... but I don't recommend it to people. Scary. Not safe. Ugly. It's cheap for a reason. Too far from the things you mentioned you wanted to be near. But - he's not too far off about Bethel-Danebo! lol
I was referring to "West Eugene" as defined by Trulia... the area between Chambers/Willamette and 7th/18th. (see the Trulia link above). That area is OK in my view. I was even considering buying a house there until I thought about all the work I would need to do to upgrade it...then quickly decided on the southwest hills area.

I think you might be referring to Trulia's "Western" area, especially the northern section of this area (uhhh...northern Western?). I agree, that area, north of 11th gets pretty "mulletish" (Copyright, Mr. Eugenified, 2009).

Trulia's definitions are a little weird, and the names of Western and West Eugene are confusing, but I have never found any better resource for area names. Actually, I think the "West Eugene" name comes from way back when that area was actually the western edge of the city.

Last edited by Mr Eugenified; 07-13-2009 at 12:45 PM..
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Old 07-14-2009, 08:29 AM
 
2 posts, read 5,186 times
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My husband and I are moving in the Fall and both will be attending UofO for Grad school, we're young but probably a little older than you guys. We found a house to rent through craigslist really easily, it was through Pioneer Mgmt... you have to pay a fee, but it was worth it for the quick and easy rental.

The house is right above Beltline in North Gilham, which I believe is a little out of the way and more suburban so it is probably not what you're looking for, but I recommend using a mgmt company to help you find something especially if you're like us and really don't know the area. It is only 6 miles from campus and we have a car, it seems like a really small town, so I can't imagine anything being too out of the way.

I have to say I'm also having trouble judging where the dodgy areas are. Also, getting real perspective on the crime in Eugene is proving difficult. I've been a little put off by all the posts regarding the awful crime and drug problems. We've been living in San Francisco for 10 years... so again, is the crime really that bad (should I start carrying pepper spray or a knife in my purse) or is it just "small town" bad (if that makes sense)??

Good luck! We'll be right there with you!!
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:35 AM
 
Location: Eugene, OR
231 posts, read 777,552 times
Reputation: 223
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDGM View Post
Also, getting real perspective on the crime in Eugene is proving difficult. I've been a little put off by all the posts regarding the awful crime and drug problems. We've been living in San Francisco for 10 years... so again, is the crime really that bad (should I start carrying pepper spray or a knife in my purse) or is it just "small town" bad (if that makes sense)??
Here's my answer from another thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/9673309-post3.html

In short, it's not a big deal. Common sense and "the company you keep" are the two key factors.

By the way, I also previously rented a house via Pioneer Mgmt (TJ Weese). They did a good job for me.
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Old 07-14-2009, 11:29 AM
 
2 posts, read 5,186 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Eugenified View Post
Here's my answer from another thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/9673309-post3.html

In short, it's not a big deal. Common sense and "the company you keep" are the two key factors.

By the way, I also previously rented a house via Pioneer Mgmt (TJ Weese). They did a good job for me.

Thanks Mr Eugenified, that's exactly what I figured... living in L.A. and S.F. all my life I've learned that common sense is key.

Used TJ Weese as well and so far so good!! Looking forward to coming up in the Fall, should be quite an adventure for us city folk!
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Old 07-14-2009, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,379,702 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Like I said neither of us have been to Eugene so we are just taking a leap and heading out there to see what happens.
Very foolish thing to do. What do you intend to do about making a living? And you want to move to one place just because you have seen another? They are very different places. One thing they do have in common is their high unemployment rate. It isn't too difficult to "see what happens" if you don't have money and a plan.
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