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Old 08-28-2011, 10:05 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,494 times
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any input would be appreciated. Our situation is 3 adult siblings planning to relocate to the PNW-preferably Oregon. Age range (64-60-53) 1 employed (long haul truckdriver) male;1 disabled but ambulatory Vietnam Vet male: and 1 (me) female laid off telephone operator wanting to go back to college.No school age children to consider. We are locating from different climate areas. the Vet is wanting to get out of the Arizona heat, I've been in Central British Columbia, Canada for 3 years taking care of my now deceased father. After we liquidate the property and settle his debts we should have aprox $50K. As I've only driven through Oregon I feel we should try to find a place to rent (I have 2 cats) while we scope things out. I'd like to find aprox 1-5 acres with a VA Loan suitable house on it. We need reasonable access to decent grocery shopping, a library and basic amenities. Hip night life is not a high priority. Close enough to a college / university would be nice. I'd like to eventually build a home with cob and I know that the Cob Cottage Company is located in Oregon. I'd like to try organic /eco-friendly gardening with expanding into a farmer's type market business. We need to find some acreage at a reasonable (yes- I know) price in pretty much any area on the western side of the state. Although I know that nationwide the job outlook isn't great right now, I would need to find something while going back to school (probably in the medical field). The one brother has been through Astoria, and I've seen Grants Pass which seems nice enough. Any thoughts form anybody out there in Oregon? Thanks in advance, everybody.--Mary
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Old 08-28-2011, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,988 posts, read 20,510,182 times
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Take a look around Monmouth, a town west of Salem. Western Oregon University
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Old 08-28-2011, 11:11 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,410,280 times
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Due to historical land use laws in Oregon, you're going to have a hard time finding land in that size range. Not impossible, but it's rarer. If you can up yourself to ten acres, you'll have more options.

Since you want to small scale farm, and want to get to farmer's markets, you'll need to look in the Tualatin and Willamette Valleys to be close to Portland Area markets. There are farmer markets in other parts of Oregon, just the bulk of them are in PDX.

I'd suggest starting with Newberg, McMinnville, Sherwood first. The Tualatin Valley has slightly better grow patterns for veggies then the Willamette. It also has the advantage of better land use laws due to being outside the Portland Area's Urban Growth Boundaries.
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Old 08-28-2011, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,539 posts, read 40,308,808 times
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So your plan is to have your brother, who is disabled, apply for a VA loan? Does he plan to work? Do you then plan to put the Cob House on the same property or buy another parcel and build the cob house?

1) Cheap land and close to a university don't typically go together.
2) Oregon has strict land use laws. As such finding affordable hobby farms that will qualify for VA in what might be your price range will be difficult. I assume the three of you would be buying together?
3) In parcels that size you will most likely not be able to have two residences due to zoning laws, and you can't remove a house that has a VA loan on it.

Other than those things, I think you'd need to be outside the Salem or Eugene metro areas. If you do Monmouth/Indpendence/Dallas, then you'd have Western Oregon University or Oregon State to tap into. I doubt you can afford Newberg acreage, but there might be something outside of McMinnville that would be affordable for you.

On 1-5 acres you aren't going to be growing a ton of food. I think you could sell most of it at the Wednesday and Saturday Farmer's markets in Salem or you could always sell in the ones in the smaller surrounding cities too. Eugene has farmer's markets too.
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Old 12-01-2011, 01:23 PM
 
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I'd think the Eugene area might work. Of course I just bought my retirement home in the Oakridge, OR area. 35 miles from Eugene, pretty cheap land prices up there. 1000 feet elevation, sunnier than Eugene. Lacking in a number of services, BUT Eugene is close and bus service to Eugene is cheap (Diamond Express).

Might want to try Redfin website for locating property. Its pretty good and might help you find what you want in your price range.

Good luck
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Old 12-02-2011, 03:44 AM
 
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I also agree that Eugene could be just what you are looking for! Especially the outskirts, where there is much more land and open space, but close access to the amenities of daily life. The U of O and Lane Community College are located in Eugene, close to Springfield.
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Old 12-02-2011, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,624,485 times
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Take a look at water rights before you buy. Past a homestead garden, you need water rights to irrigate in Oregon. As they say in the West, "Whiskey is for drinkin', water is for fightin'." A few years ago (2003?) they shut down all water rights later than 1970, and a lot of land went dry that summer. There's not enough summer rain here to grow anything but orchard and grains without irrigation. People talk about how rainy Oregon is, but we have a summer drought every year that starts in June or July and doesn't break until September or October.
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Old 12-02-2011, 04:04 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,410,280 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell View Post
Take a look at water rights before you buy. Past a homestead garden, you need water rights to irrigate in Oregon. As they say in the West, "Whiskey is for drinkin', water is for fightin'." A few years ago (2003?) they shut down all water rights later than 1970, and a lot of land went dry that summer. There's not enough summer rain here to grow anything but orchard and grains without irrigation. People talk about how rainy Oregon is, but we have a summer drought every year that starts in June or July and doesn't break until September or October.
That's what shut down all the homestead Towns in Central and Eastern Oregon, and partially why we have so many Ghost Towns. Couple that with promised irrigation pipes that never came, and over zealous land speculators... and well, there is a reason why many Oregon counties have more cattle then people.
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Old 12-02-2011, 06:24 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,988 posts, read 20,510,182 times
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Documenting irrigation rights got started in earnest when some *amn fools in California started eyeing our rivers and talking about transporting fresh water south. The locals in OR & ID began eyeing their titles and water rights. BTW, the Willamette Valley doesn't have irrigation ditches like California and Idaho, at least none that I have seen. The irrigation that you see is from well water.

We will not let the Columbia become the Colorado.
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