Considering a move to Oregon - advice on where to look please (Portland: real estate, homes)

[BuddahBoy]

Greetings one and all - I have lived in Los Angeles, then in the very rural Buckingham, Virginia for the 8 years previous to moving to Las Cruces, NM. From what I gather from speaking with friends and family who have lived in Oregon my desire to live in a small community, rural setting, lots of nature and trees around, hills, etc [my old Hound Buddy sure misses that!] that is inexpensive enough for myself and my current fiance [we're 58 and 60 - she's the young'un] to live comfortably on my income as a web designer.

We are more interested in simple dwelling, not too large but cozy and in the country. Not worried about the weather patterns that have been explained to me - no heat in the summer and no snow to speak of in the winter and drizzles most of the year - my sweetie is from Manchester England so that would serve to make her somewhat at home, right?

Thanks for taking the time to read this - I get carried away sometimes, but I'd really appreciate some suggestions on where to look. We expect to come for a road trip later in the year when she gets to the US and would love to have an idea of where to go.

All the very best
Blessings
Ron

[BLAZER PROPHET]

That's pretty vague to go on.

If you don't want extreme heat (southern Oregon) or large cities (Portland area) or the always cold coast and if you don't want snowy winters (east of the Cascades) and still a true rural setting and want to find work as a web designer I might look at Corvallis, or Dallas (easy commute to Salem) or Cottage Grove (commute to Eugene), or Silverton (easy commute to Salem) as a start.

[BuddahBoy]

Thank you for that well expressed info - I actually don't the cold at all and don't mind some snow but not really heavy snow for months at a time - my web design work is all online, I commute online and will have customers and portfolios to manage upon arrival - just hope that Oregon is better than Virginia with broadband in rural areas 8>)

I'll begin looking into the areas you mention as a couple have been mentioned quite a bit on these forums.

Thank you once more for taking the time to write - much appreciated.

Ron

[Nell Plotts]

I wouldn't consider the towns mentioned as "rural" but your understanding of that term, and mine, may be different. There are many small towns with farming nearby in the Willamette Valley that could meet your needs.

Providers such as Comcast do provide high speed internet service, you should check with them about band width, speed and areas served. Quest, my telephone service, provides business level broad band. I am sure there are others.

In the past it was wise to verify the claims of broadband providers. Because this service is critical to your business I recommend third party confirmation that the provider meets your needs. The following resources may be helpful: Oregon Broadband Mapping Project About Us

http://www.oregon4biz.com/The-Oregon...bandOregon.pdf

[NW Crow]

You might also look at Rogue River and Grants Pass, a bit west of Medford.

Though it is hotter in summer than the good spots mentioned above by Blazer Prophet further to the north, it will have only half as many days over 90 degrees as Las Cruces (50 instead of 100) and it is not as humid as VA.

You'd be near Ashland and its Shakespeare Festival and all the related stuff and the people who like it, if that were of interest to your finance and possibly you. The median price of Ashland real estate is on average about twice as expensive as Rogue River and Grants Pass, so that is why I suggested less expensive areas with modest density but some infrastructure.



The broadband performance chart by city on page 13 of the link Neil provided seems worth looking at.



If being near a large or even moderate size metro is not that important to you, you might look at La Grande in northeast Oregon.

[lance]

I would definitely consider the Philomath / Corvallis area. Particularly Philomath if you like the idea of a smaller more rural town (just a couple thousand people). But you're only an hour form the coast, you have the mountain range for a view, and you're just 10 minutes from Corvallis (college town of about 50K) which would have everything you need.

[BuddahBoy]

@ Nell Plotts - thanks much for taking the time to write. I am finding that the Willamette Valley area may suit our needs - been doing some research, although much more is warranted, but the climate seems great in the area and having farms around is excellent.

By rural, I basically mean small communities away from the metro areas. I'm currently in Las Cruces and we are pretty rural and only 20 minutes from town. Lived in Virginia where I had a perfect place for my taste, a small 1 bedroom on about 1 acre with hundreds of acres of trees all around for my hound - the only drawback was the extreme humidity in spring-summer and heavy snowfall in winter.

@ NW Crow - thanks much for the info and suggestions, getting back to research - much appreciate your time.

All the best - happy 4th!
Ron

[Larry Caldwell]

You might also look at Banks in Washington County, or Molalla on the other (east) side of the valley. Gales Creek west of Forest Grove is really nice. Other rural communities are Silverton, Stayton, Sheridan, Lebanon, Philomath, Monroe, Brownsville or Cottage Grove.

[Nell Plotts]

Oregon land use rules have made it difficult to subdivide agricultural zoned land into small (1-2 acre) lots. The goal is that agricultural properties must be large enough to farm. There are some lots that were created before those laws went into effect but they are hard to find.

Keep in mind that homes in rural areas may mean that you are dealing with a septic system and may be on a well. Wells and septic systems must be certified by the county health department.

Moderator cut: Recommendations for real estate agency's are not permitted.

[Silverfall]

Oregon is almost all smaller, rural towns. It is kind of the essence of Oregon, IMO. So it really depends on what you want in your smaller town and how many people you define for "small town" living.

Rural internet access in the Salem metro area is spotty in some places and you'll have to expect down internet as part of your work schedule.