Lakeview, Wilsonville, North Bend, Ontario, Salem, Tillamook, Pendleton, and Umatilla (Portland: for sale, real estate)

[loveagrey1]

These are all cities/towns that are hiring Correctional Officers...which one would you suggest for us to begin our life in Oregon? We are in our 40's and have no children. I would like to live somewhere that we could be comfortable with not much crime....I do not know anything about Oregon...we live in South Carolina right now but are from Pennsylvania....so I am thankful for any advice.

[Steve Pickering]

Same answers as your other posts, although many of these are rural and your dog has a better chance of finding a home.

Ontario is desert near Idaho. North Bend is actually Houser and very hillbilly. You will need to have some teeth removed to be allowed to live there. Coos County (North Bend) is having some serious financial issues right now. Salem is the Capital and has several Facilities. Some old, Some Newer. Pendleton is very rural and the weather is an issue. Tillimook is coastal and cost of living outweighs the job pay. Umitilla glows in the dark I understand, and when I quit laughing I'll tell you more about it. Lakeview, again rural and the bugs will eat you alive. Willsonville is a split between Salem and Portland. Lots of Farm country There is going to be a new prison in Junction City if you want Rural about 16 miles from Eugene. There is always openings in Corrections and they have a hard time filling many of the spots you asked about.

[Random_Walk]

Can't speak for the others, but Tillamook is a mostly rural town, with roughly 6,000 people living in it. It's a very friendly place, with a ton of outdoor activities (salt and fresh-water fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, etc) and is very agriculture-centered. It sits within a 20-minute drive to any beach you care to name in the county, so if you like coastal living, it's likely your best choice. Cost of living is lower than most of Oregon, and the folks are by and large among the kindest you'll ever meet. The vistas are well worth it, even after living in the county for a couple of months so far.

The only downsides I can think of as far as the town? The winters see almost constant rain and clouds, the Wilson River tends to flood once a year, and every spring will greet you with a smell consisting of wildflowers and, err, cow plop.

OTOH, even though I live up the coast a bit from it, I go into town quite often for pretty much everything that my missus and I want or need. I also pass through it every other morning for those days when I drive to the office in PDX.

[Nell Plotts]

You really need to define your 'comfortable'. I live in the north Willamette Valley so would be most comfortable in Wilsonville, and Salem just isn't my town. Housing prices are much lower in rural areas but they offer fewer amenities. Ontario isn't far from Boise. The localities you list have vastly different climates. Two are on the coast, two in the Willamette Valley, the others basically in arid or semi-arid environs.

Some have claimed that crime is higher in Ontario but I have never seen statistics to support that. Keep in mind that Ontario is in a farming area that uses a lot of Hispanics and that our state, as a whole, has a very low % of minorities. There may be bias in that claim.

You are better qualified than I to locate FBI crime statistics. My gut tells me that most are car prowls by drug addicts who can be found almost anywhere. Our public safety officials are not known to inflate or suppress statistics.

I just noticed your first response.. let me assure you Umatilla does not glow in the dark. [Arco, Idaho does.] Umatilla is the site of a pre WWII chemical weapons depot that is in the process of shutting down. My father was assigned there back in the day. Mom said that when she hung our our diapers on the line the first ones were dry before she finished. Windy, arid climate. To the dismay of my parents I loved retrieving snakes from the wood bins. Mom was happy to get out of there and when they converted the military housing to pig sties she quipped, "Now you can say you were raised in a pig sty."

Junction City could be a great location. Not far from Eugene which has excellent health care facilities, and the University of Oregon which draws performing artists.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Some have claimed that crime is higher in Ontario but I have never seen statistics to support that. Keep in mind that Ontario is in a farming area that uses a lot of Hispanics and that our state, as a whole, has a very low % of minorities. There may be bias in that claim.

FBI Crime Stats:

Ontario, pop 10986
Violent crimes: 47
Details: FBI crime stats for U.S. cities

Eastern Oregon town closest in population.
Baker City, pop 9367
Violent crimes: 3
Details: FBI crime stats for U.S. cities

The City Data statistics confirm the above.

[loveagrey1]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Same answers as your other posts, although many of these are rural and your dog has a better chance of finding a home.

Ontario is desert near Idaho. North Bend is actually Houser and very hillbilly. You will need to have some teeth removed to be allowed to live there. Coos County (North Bend) is having some serious financial issues right now. Salem is the Capital and has several Facilities. Some old, Some Newer. Pendleton is very rural and the weather is an issue. Tillimook is coastal and cost of living outweighs the job pay. Umitilla glows in the dark I understand, and when I quit laughing I'll tell you more about it. Lakeview, again rural and the bugs will eat you alive. Willsonville is a split between Salem and Portland. Lots of Farm country There is going to be a new prison in Junction City if you want Rural about 16 miles from Eugene. There is always openings in Corrections and they have a hard time filling many of the spots you asked about.

Oh my! Glad I asked!

[loveagrey1]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

You really need to define your 'comfortable'. I live in the north Willamette Valley so would be most comfortable in Wilsonville, and Salem just isn't my town. Housing prices are much lower in rural areas but they offer fewer amenities. Ontario isn't far from Boise. The localities you list have vastly different climates. Two are on the coast, two in the Willamette Valley, the others basically in arid or semi-arid environs.

Some have claimed that crime is higher in Ontario but I have never seen statistics to support that. Keep in mind that Ontario is in a farming area that uses a lot of Hispanics and that our state, as a whole, has a very low % of minorities. There may be bias in that claim.

You are better qualified than I to locate FBI crime statistics. My gut tells me that most are car prowls by drug addicts who can be found almost anywhere. Our public safety officials are not known to inflate or suppress statistics.

I just noticed your first response.. let me assure you Umatilla does not glow in the dark. [Arco, Idaho does.] Umatilla is the site of a pre WWII chemical weapons depot that is in the process of shutting down. My father was assigned there back in the day. Mom said that when she hung our our diapers on the line the first ones were dry before she finished. Windy, arid climate. To the dismay of my parents I loved retrieving snakes from the wood bins. Mom was happy to get out of there and when they converted the military housing to pig sties she quipped, "Now you can say you were raised in a pig sty."

Junction City could be a great location. Not far from Eugene which has excellent health care facilities, and the University of Oregon which draws performing artists.

Thanks Nell...could you elaborate more on Junction City then? I am sort of seeing why they have alot of job openings in these town!?

[loveagrey1]

Originally Posted by Random_Walk

Can't speak for the others, but Tillamook is a mostly rural town, with roughly 6,000 people living in it. It's a very friendly place, with a ton of outdoor activities (salt and fresh-water fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, etc) and is very agriculture-centered. It sits within a 20-minute drive to any beach you care to name in the county, so if you like coastal living, it's likely your best choice. Cost of living is lower than most of Oregon, and the folks are by and large among the kindest you'll ever meet. The vistas are well worth it, even after living in the county for a couple of months so far.

The only downsides I can think of as far as the town? The winters see almost constant rain and clouds, the Wilson River tends to flood once a year, and every spring will greet you with a smell consisting of wildflowers and, err, cow plop.

OTOH, even though I live up the coast a bit from it, I go into town quite often for pretty much everything that my missus and I want or need. I also pass through it every other morning for those days when I drive to the office in PDX.

I see they say Tillamook is pricey? What do you think is the average home price? I mean small home, condo, etc...there are only two of us! Thank you!

I guess I mean by comfortable...a nice town with minimal access to all kinds of shopping, activities...cost of living amicable...not too poor not too rich...NO rednecky places either...for crying out loud..that is why I want to leave South Carolina!!! Again, Thanks!

[Nell Plotts]

I have no personal experience living in Junction City but do have family who live/have lived in and around Eugene. That is a town where if a resident has a family wage job they rarely leave. The University is the economy there, if you Google Eugene and look at E. Game Farm Road east of I-5 that office building with acres of parking is Symantec. The UofO has a very good software engineering program, they want to grab their graduates before Microsoft or the Silicon Valley.

Eugene is where you will find Costco and Trader Joe's. Valley River Center is the location of Nordstrom's and the like.

Housing in Corvallis is hard to find because construction has not kept place with enrollment at Oregon State. No bargains there. The realtor John L. Scott has a fantastic home search tool, it overlays listings on Microsoft's map program.

I would not buy property in any 100 year flood plain - shoot for at least 150. The COE has done a decent job with flood control along the Willamette but still.. If you use Google Maps you can see the river meandering north between Eugene and Corvallis.

Be aware that football games draw a lot of attendees to both UofO and OSU. I-5 and 99W is overwhelmed on those days so consider your husband's route to work when finding a place to live.

With regard to an earlier post about crime, remember you want to compare those rates to the towns you are considering. I don't recall that Baker is on your list.

The whole Willamette Valley is green neck.

[Random_Walk]

Originally Posted by loveagrey1

I see they say Tillamook is pricey? What do you think is the average home price? I mean small home, condo, etc...there are only two of us! Thank you!

I've seen rents average from $650/mo. for small-but-cozy 1bdrm apartments, and I'm currently (from Rockaway Beach, but the prices are similar) paying $950/mo. for a 4-bdrm house.

Home prices are variable, depending on location. If you want to live in nearby Netarts or Oceanside (both of which are on the beach), it'll cost you a lot more than a home up along one of the rivers and/or in the hills. A good place to start for sale or rent would be here:

Tillamook Real Estate & Tillamook OR Homes for Sale - Zillow

(note that this site works for other areas as well, and it lets you zoom in, etc).

I guess I mean by comfortable...a nice town with minimal access to all kinds of shopping, activities...cost of living amicable...not too poor not too rich...NO rednecky places either...for crying out loud..that is why I want to leave South Carolina!!! Again, Thanks!

Not exactly sure what you mean, exactly, by "rednecky", as I'm originally from the Ozarks in Arkansas.

If you mean culture-wise, no problem - there are constant streams of cultural events (plays, wine-tastings, art exhibits, etc) all up and down the coast in and around near Tillamook. If you mean politics? You get a mix of both sides of it here, with a few other sides that no media outlet could make sense of if they tried. Music? Oldies, Country/Western, Gospel, a Rock station, and all the AM radio you can stand (due to the mountains)...

Shopping is fairly decent, with a few larger-chain stores such as Fred Meyer (think something like a small Wal-Mart or a big Target), various services, and most of what you want or need. Now if you wanted, say, "Pier1" type of stores, you'd likely have to take the 90-minute drive into the Portland Metro area (though I think you'd be surprised).