Dalls, Oregon--how far to the coast? (Portland, Salem: rental homes, house, schools)

[Griffis]

We relocated to Portland two years ago and absolutely LOVE Oregon. Between my wife and I we have lived all over the USA and this is the only place we've still been happy to be in after 2 years. Oregon has everything.

However, I would like to be a little closer to the coast. I just saw a job in Dallas that I was thinking of applying for, but I wondered if that would put us much closer to the coast to make it worthwhile to move (again) have my kids change schools, etc.

Any info is welcome. Thanks!

[Griffis]

PS: I forgot to ask--are rental homes available in the area? Would we have a hard time finding, say, a simple 3-bedroom house that would allow a small dog?

[NWbyNW]

Dallas, Ore is only about an hour and 15 minutes from the coastal town of Lincoln City, and even closer to beaches and state parks. It is not any further then Portland is, and in Dallas, you have no traffic.

Dallas is also close to major retail shopping and services in Salem, and other suburb communities around it. Dallas is surrounded by farmland and is in a fairly rural area around it. It is at the foothills of the Coast Mountains, and is a nice mix of rural and suburban.

Downtown Dallas is quaint and historic, and has some small town style shops. In the northern ends of town, there are also some big box stores for cheaper items.

As for finding a home, I don't think it would be to hard. You would have to look for that yourself.

In short, you are not that much closer to the coast. You are closer to Lincoln city, which has some outlet malls and resorts, as well as a beach. But many would argue the beaches of Cannon Beach and Seaside to being better.

[Larry Caldwell]

Dallas is about half an hour from the coast through Valley Junction. It's less than an hour from Newport if you head south through Kings Valley.

[Griffis]

Thank you folks for the information. We really like the idea of moving to a smaller, family-friendly town. Actually, Portland is quite family-friendly as well, but it is just so large and spread out and trafficky.

We have moved around a lot and have lived in big cities and smaller towns (as well as way out in the boonies!) and we like all three, but a nice smaller town like Dallas seems perfect for us and it is in a great location.

Wish me luck on the job!

[Silverfall]

Where are you living in Portland that you are loving it and happy. Not to discourage you, but culturally Dallas is VERY different that Portland and I am concerned you will leave a place you are happy for a place you won't be.

[Griffis]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

Where are you living in Portland that you are loving it and happy. Not to discourage you, but culturally Dallas is VERY different that Portland and I am concerned you will leave a place you are happy for a place you won't be.

Silverfall,

Thanks for your response. I'd like to be clear that while we enjoy Portland, what we are REALLY excited about is just living in Oregon. My wife's sister and her husband moved to Oregon back in the mid-90s and we started coming out here to visit back then. We knew this was the state we wanted to live in, but my work kept taking us other places. We finally made it to oregon two years ago.

As I say, Portland is fun and there is a lot to do, but it's far larger a city than we are used to and the high population and traffic and such is kind of getting to us.

We'd love to relocate to a smaller town and Dallas seems charming and in a good location.

We aren't big night life people. Our kids are just becoming teenagers, so we enjoy spending more time as a family, outdoors, etc. than taking part of a lot of what Portland has to offer. Also, we aren't really political at all so we feel equally comfortable in more liberal and more conservative places.

I have lived all over this country and traveled widely throughout it as well. My wife has also lived in and traveled around a lot. For us, no place we've been beats Oregon. We just love it. It's got everything--desert, mountains, Ocean...it's the first place I've lived that I felt at home in and wanted to stay. Usually when I move to a new place after about 6 months I am planning my escape route. In Oregon we hope and plan to just remain here, but we sure aren't married to Portland. It's a great city, but only a tiny part of what we love about the state overall.

[Steve Pickering]

If you arrived here by now you know Dallas is one cool city to live in. And everything Portland had to offer is within 15 minutes to an hour away.