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Old 09-19-2011, 11:16 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,574 times
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My family is looking to move to the Salem area from the Texas Panhandle. Could someone please tell me about Dallas? The school district, the town, housing, cost of living etc. We would also be interested in the High School Sports and Academics particularly Softball. My husband and I are both lab techs, him chemical and me medical. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Old 09-19-2011, 11:33 PM
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The couple of times I've been to Dallas, it's been okay. Lots of towns that size seem to be really run down and dirty, but Dallas for the most part seems pretty well kept (though there are certainly some ugly buildings around). That said, it's very small (not much to do unless you enjoy hanging out at the local (non-super) Wal Mart) and the high school is pretty terrible.
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Old 09-20-2011, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,624,485 times
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Dallas is the Polk County seat, and the economy is based on agriculture, which has been fairly steady, and forestry, which has lost jobs to automation. Western Oregon State University is a short distance away in Monmouth, which also hosts the state police academy (separate institution). Many Dallas residents work in Salem, which is a short commute away on Hwy 22. West Salem is in Polk County. The eastern boundary of the county is the Willamette River.

If you buy rural property, examine the water situation very carefully. There are areas in Polk County where salt domes are very near the surface. If you drill deep enough to hit water, it's salt water. There was a beautiful Victorian mansion between Perrydale and Dallas that sat empty for 60 years because they built the house before they dug the well, and there was no water. It finally was occupied when a rural water system was installed. Don't count on building and hooking up to a rural water system either, because some of them are not accepting new subscribers. This particularly applies to areas NW of Dallas.
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Old 09-20-2011, 02:50 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,410,280 times
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I've heard - but am not able to confirm, that Dallas's political climate leans heavily towards the whims of one family (decedents of the original town founders) who own most the buildings and businesses downtown. When the City Council does something they don't like, they'll close down the local grocery store or gas station until the City Council relents.

Please take that with a grain of salt, my information could be outdated, but it could make for some interesting living.
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Old 09-20-2011, 05:14 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,539 posts, read 40,308,808 times
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Dallas has about 15,000 people. The city had quite a bit of growth in the boom and some needed rejuvenation occurred in the city. I'd' say the city is conservative. There have been some other threads about the city on here where current and former residents spoke about the city. I would go to the search tool up top and type in Dallas Oregon to see some of the old threads.

The high school is quite average. They haven't meet their AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) goals since they started tracking them in the 2000's or so. I don't know anything about their athletics program, but not sure how much of that will survive due to ongoing budget issues with schools anyway.

I do agree with Larry that the well water issues are well known in Dallas so be careful if you are buying rural property there.
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Old 09-21-2011, 09:11 PM
 
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Thanks for the input everyone! Lot's of good info to keep in mind.
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Old 09-14-2012, 10:51 PM
 
Location: Dallas, Oregon & Sunsites Arizona
8,000 posts, read 17,293,324 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
I've heard - but am not able to confirm, that Dallas's political climate leans heavily towards the whims of one family (decedents of the original town founders) who own most the buildings and businesses downtown. When the City Council does something they don't like, they'll close down the local grocery store or gas station until the City Council relents.

Please take that with a grain of salt, my information could be outdated, but it could make for some interesting living.

Not even close. My wife is from the oldest familys here (Carrie Embree) and one of the first Applegate Trail pioneers and founders (David Guthrie). We don't run anything but our own lives. The Applegates who arrived a year before the Embrees are few and far between and have nothing to do with the operation of the city. The only grocery store to close was in buisness for fourty years and as since reopened after only being closed for a few months. None of it having anything to do with the city council.

Even a grain of salt is too much for this rumor.
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Old 09-15-2012, 04:17 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,410,280 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pickering View Post
Not even close. My wife is from the oldest familys here (Carrie Embree) and one of the first Applegate Trail pioneers and founders (David Guthrie). We don't run anything but our own lives. The Applegates who arrived a year before the Embrees are few and far between and have nothing to do with the operation of the city. The only grocery store to close was in buisness for fourty years and as since reopened after only being closed for a few months. None of it having anything to do with the city council.

Even a grain of salt is too much for this rumor.
So what you're saying is that on the off chance the rumors are you are closely related to the families that would deny them?
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Old 09-15-2012, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Dallas, Oregon & Sunsites Arizona
8,000 posts, read 17,293,324 times
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Yep. Want some salt?
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Old 09-16-2012, 06:47 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,565 posts, read 47,729,085 times
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I like Dallas. It is a farm town, but it is only a couple of miles to hop into Salem for cultural events, great shopping, and an excellent hospital.

It's not a bad drive to go over to the coast, either. And you can get to Portland easily if there is something in Portland that you want to see (or the airport)
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