Where is there a small mnt town in OR like Crestone, Colorado? (Eugene: homes, homeschooling)

[oregonbecker]

Been doing my research. Been looking hard. Been searching foe awhile now. We are headed to Oregon in a month. Really looking for a small (1000-3000) mountain town that has an active downtown (like a coffee shop, pub, library, stores other than walmart, target, etc), a cohesive liberal community that is friendly but not in your business if you dont want. we have a small list (and i realize my population desire- 1000 to 3000- does not match some of these towns) (or mountain town) but just wanted to give you an idea of where we are at: corvallis, newport, port orford, astoria, bend, williams, oakridge...

but what i really want to find is a friendly colorful small mountain town thats not touristy that has homeschooling families and alternative building (strawbale, earthships, cob, etc) and maybe even a good montessori or waldorf school if we dont homeschool. i feel like my little wonderful town does not exist in OR, or at least i cant find it yet! i have scoured thru many many many many many hours of posts on the oregon forum so it is not like i am asking for repeat info, i just want to make sure i am not missing something. where is this gem town?

thanks for your insight. (and yes we do have the land 35 miles from klamath falls but we will not be building there for awhile).



oregonbecker

[rgvg]

Powers, Oregon

[PNW-type-gal]

There really isn't one. Once you get out of the Willamette Valley, you can toss the term "liberal" out the window (Ashland, parts of Bend being the exception - maybe stretches of the coast).

Probably the closest thing you'll find is Sisters or Hood River, maybe Joseph, but those are all touristy (Sisters being the "touristy-ist"). I think you'd find some of what you are looking for in or near Bend.

I googled Waldorf locations and was surprised to see some out of the Willamette Valley - Ashland and Bend.

[delta07]

If you're looking for a town like Crestone, why are you not considering Crestone itself? Is there some reason you want/need Oregon?

I don't think Sisters is what you're looking for. It's definitely a tourist driven town and the only people who live there year round are extremely wealthy or those that commute to other communities. It also doesn't have the general feel of what your looking for. Bend actually fits the bill, with the exception of the population and tourism. If you're familiar with SW Colorado, Bend reminds me a lot of Durango with 3-4 times the population. Ashland, as someone else stated, sounds like a possibility as well, but again the population isn't what you're looking for.

[Silverfall]

I looked at a video of Crestone on YouTube and I don't think Newport, Corvallis or Bend look anything like that. They are nice communities, but they are much larger and as such have a much less desolate feel.

Sisters has great views of the mountains, but it is touristy. I still love that town despite the touristy nature of it. I think it is great.

I also would also take a look at Sandy, OR before Corvallis for that more mountain feel since Corvallis is not in the mountains. I think I'd choose Silverton over Corvallis for what you are looking for.

[Fiddlehead]

Best I can come up with from my memory banks is Etna in far Northern California. An old mining town that sits at the east edge of the Marble Mtns. I nice old brewery in town, and some hippies around. Excellent hiking right out the door and not very touristy to my knowledge. Takilma is a little hippy town in SW Oregon with mountains around, but it is not as high up. Joseph, Oregon has the grandeur, though I agree with others that it is pretty touristy.

[oregonbecker]

delta07 wrote: If you're looking for a town like Crestone, why are you not considering Crestone itself? Is there some reason you want/need Oregon?

yes, my partner goes to university in oregon (online degree) and we need to pay in-state prices (we could also live in washington and pay Oregon prices too, or CA but we dont want CA). also, we bought land in OR so we wanted to give it a try. so i guess if anyone has any thoughts on WA as far as my description goes... we are fairly flexible at this point, as long as we can pay in-state prices, so WA or OR.

i really appreciate everyone's responses and will definitely look into some of the suggestions!!!

OBeck

[oregonbecker]

does takilma have a downtown...
couldnt seem to find any pics of it if there is...

how 'bout cave junction for what we are looking for?
or williams?

thanks again. you guys are awesome and very helpful!

OBeck

[skypros]

how about:
Gilchrist, OR 97733

[delta07]

Originally Posted by skypros

how about:
Gilchrist, OR 97733

Gilchrist has a mountain town feel, but it doesn't have the feel of Crestone by any stretch of the imagination. It doesn't appear to have much of anything from what I can tell when I drive through. Maybe I'm missing something though...

Oregonbecker, can you do a search of homeschooling communities in OR and WA and see what comes up (perhaps you already did this)? I know OR in general has a do it yourself type attitude, and there are quite a few homeschooling communities here. Honestly, I think you're best bet is Ashland, Bend, Eugene or Corvallis and maybe Hood River, but these are not small communities in general. I don't know much about Joseph as I've never been there so it might be worth checking out. It's small, but eastern OR tends to be pretty conservative.

You might also look at Bellingham, WA (again a bigger city that you're looking for).

Are you looking for weather similar to Colorado as well? Or can you live with the rainy season that the western side of Cascades brings?