California to Oregon-Question for those who made the move (Portland: car registration, homes)

[whaddado]

I am a single mom with a teenaged son. Tired of Southern California and just struggling to get by every month. I want to move to Oregon and wonder if anyone who has made the move could tell me the major differences and any advice? Is the weather tough to get used to?

Thank you for any advice/thoughts etc..
I am planning a visit soon and can't wait!

[mamh]

Hello
Our move to oregon came with knowledge of the weather and that was it..
We love it up here..We are in the Willamette Valley.
One of the big things you'll learn to deal with is weather..Its most definitely colder than the LA basin
but not rainy and gloomy like some want you to believe..You'll learn to wear layers in the winter and keep a rain jacket handy..We each have umbrella's in our cars that are rarely used.
Love the summers up here..
Its a slower pace, most people are friendly and fairly outgoing..
Be sure to have a job in hand before you ever leave LA.
Car registration is far cheaper, you don't pump your own gas (love not having to do that)the summer
fruits and veggies are out of this world..
Come up and take a look
My husband and I are retired but just the same we had to reach out and make friends and find things to do..
Good luck

[pdxMIKEpdx]

If you get a chance, drive the six or so hours from Portland to Boise, Idaho.

It has most of the things that Oregon has to offer, and in some ways offers more.

Go visit the city-data Boise, Idaho forum!

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

I’ve been coming up here since October and living here since March. First let me say that all and all, I really enjoy Oregon and specifically Portland. This is my first experience living the urban ‘lifestyle’ and I love it! Portland has one of the most interesting and affordable (compared to many areas of California) downtown areas that I’ve ever seen.

But I have to dispute mamh’s assertion that it’s not raining and gloomy here ‘like some want you to believe’, as I believe it is.

I’ve read many posts from people who’ve grown up here who claim they love the rain and cloud cover and that makes perfect sense. Although I also live in the bay area, I was raised in southern California, and for someone used to seeing blue skies on a regular basis, I would have to say the weather is tough to get used to.

I was transferred up here along with 130 co-workers and a large percentage of them feel the same way. It’s not so much the rain as the constant cloud cover that I find so depressing. So if you can handle the weather, there’s a whole lot to like.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

People are free to say that they aren't bothered by the gloom, or even that they object to the use of the word "gloom" to describe constantly overcast skies, but make no mistake, the degree of sky cover in the PNW is many many times what you're used to, especially in winter. I've lived in western Oregon for 21 years and I still haven't quite gotten used to the winter weather. As Dual Citizen mentioned, if you've grown up with blue skies, at least half the year here can be quite tough. I think there are "sky people" and "greenery people." The Greenery People are just happy being around trees and grass, they don't notice the quality of light that comes from above. For them, the desert is the worst place imaginable. They typically like cooler temperatures as well. The Sky People, by contrast, are less sensitive to heat but reduced light levels diminish their sense of well-being. They find it more difficult to feel comfortable in cool weather, especially if it's damp.

Most of the people I know who say that the winter gloom doesn't bother them aren't really outdoors people to begin with. They are people who spend a lot of time indoors. So, if you really love the climate of southern California but you want to leave for socioeconomic reasons, you might spend a lot of time feeling homesick between mid-Oct. to mid-May. If SoCal weather isn't that important to you, there shouldn't be much to feel torn about. You should try and visit Oregon between Nov. and April when the weather is the toughest to handle.

P.S. There ARE places in California that aren't much at all like SoCal. The whole northern third of the state to the north of Sacramento has many of the qualities of southern Oregon. I think one of the biggest mistakes that Californians tend to make is presuming that they need to get entirely outside the state borders in order to alleviate the dissatisfaction they have with the part of the state they currently reside in.

[aroseinrain]

I'm definitely "greenery people". Maybe it's 'cause I grew up in Eugene though. The sky here in California (SF bay area) is best described as oppressive IMO. The sunlight is constantly beating down on me here and I wish that, like some evil scientist, I could find a way to extinguish it. Or, if not, to at least add a whole mess of dramatic looking clouds. My eyes are killing me.

Seriously though, Oregon has a lot going for it in other areas too. How many restaurants do you know of that have pie on the menu? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get pie in the SF bay area? I want pie every day! Same with drive-through coffee places. I know of two of them; one's in San Bruno and one's in San Jose. Why isn't there a drive-through coffee place every few blocks? Nobody knows. And don't get me started on beer!

If you like pie, coffee, and beer don't move to the SF bay area.

Oh! I almost forgot about the ice cream! You'd think that someplace with weather like this would be overrun with ice cream joints! NOPE.

[ExNooYawk]

The southern part of Oregon, which includes places like Medford and Ashland, doesn't have gloomy weather beyond what a normal change of seasons would entail. Winters are a mix of rain and sun with a few snowflakes tossed in; usually gone in a day or so. We like the climate here.

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by whaddado

I am a single mom with a teenaged son. Tired of Southern California and just struggling to get by every month. I want to move to Oregon and wonder if anyone who has made the move could tell me the major differences and any advice? Is the weather tough to get used to?

Thank you for any advice/thoughts etc..
I am planning a visit soon and can't wait!

Howdy Whaddado...

For well over 4 lustrums we've happily lived here in the country on a beautiful forested mountain.

Most years we get more sunny warm days, then cloudy rainy days here on the mountain. & it's mostly mild cuz the mountains protect us from the wind.

But i also love the rain. It keeps our forests green. It helps with fire danger. The rain keeps our waterways full.

Happy fishin'...

Best of Luck on where you choose to live. Welcome.

[mamh]

The winter months don't bother me ,I garden most of the winter so am outside a lot and enjoy it.
Some of gloomest weather we ever lived in was in the eastern part of solano county in california..Fairfield can be so over cast in the winter months that you head for coast to see sun..
For someone coming out of southern Ca they'll find the four seasons enjoyable...

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by Dual Citizen CA-OR

But I have to dispute mamh’s assertion that it’s not raining and gloomy here ‘like some want you to believe’, as I believe it is.

I didn't agree with that poster's comment, either.