Eugene or Springfield: Which is more liberal and diverse? (Portland: crime, buying a house)

[3243]

I am currently considering buying a house in either Eugene or Springfield. I know Eugene has a highly liberal reputation and is also known for demographic diversity. How does Springfield measure up to Eugene in terms of political/social atmosphere?

Thank you in advance.

[Metlakatla]

Historically, the "diversity" belongs to Eugene, and Springfield is considered the less progressive location.

They're so close together that I don't think it really matters.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Springfield is a working class town. Eugene is the one with the liberal arts college and all the students.

[Metlakatla]

There are many "working class" neighborhoods in Eugene proper. You really only notice the student presence in certain parts of town. Neither place has much real diversity unless your idea of that is white people wearing dreads driving Subarus.

[Steve Pickering]

The towns are growing together. The yuppies are embracing Springfield for cheap properties (relative), and the working class and unemployed side of Eugene is growing.

[Billy_J]

In my opinion...

Springfield recently built a 100 bed jail and is saying NO to drugs and crime - a good place to raise a family.

Eugene does not believe in locking people up, its jail is overflowing so much they release prisoners early, and is a destination location for druggies.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Billy_J

... ...
Eugene does not believe in locking people up, its jail is overflowing so much they release prisoners early, and is a destination location for druggies.

This has nothing to do with Eugene one way or the other. Eugene does not have a Jail.

It is the county that does the catch and release.

And Springfield had the bigger drug problem and needed to take control of their own garbage.

But yes now Springfield can be the better choice.

[pnwmdk]

To view "diversity" as focusing on skin color... Seems racist, to me.

"Diversity" is more about intellectual diversity, as it concerns ideas, thinking, attitudes, and focus.

If you mean 'diversity' as "ethnic foods", that seems shallow, as well.

That being said, liberals towns never have diversity. They are 'conform or get lost', and willing to hound any non-conformist out of town merely for the sin of not agreeing.

[nutleynut]

pnwmdk,
Diversity in the context of the OP question about "demographic diversity" and in contemporary society for more than 20 years is a shorthanded reference to Racial Diversity. The topic originally came up in the discussion of the representation of minorities in media and other places in the general society and that term was one of the results of that discussion.

[dperry9]

No part of the entire state of Oregon is particularly diverse, Including Portland (see the "lack of Asians in Portland" thread).

We have a relatively small Latino culture here, mostly in some of the smaller towns in the valley like Independence. There are very few blacks.

I think liberal is the word for PDX and Eugene (and Corvallis) rather than diverse. Oregon is a white state.

As far as the paint brushes and whether liberals in Oregon are insincere, etc. etc., I'll stay out of that argument. We have a whole other thread in the Portland forum about how everyone in the ENTIRE Pacific Northwest is cold and surly if you want to join in on that...FWIW

Edit: I didn't mean to dismiss the Latino population in the Portland Metro area, but it isn't that big compared to other cities in the West.