From Maine (Portland, Eugene, Medford: sales, 2015, rental)

[timetomove43]

My family is thinking of making a move to the West coast within the next 2 to 3 years. Right now we are looking at Southern Oregon. We are both teachers and have 2 kids, that at the time of moving would be in high school and elementary. Good schools are a must for us, we are also looking for reasonable rental areas that are PET friendly, nice climate (Maine is very, very cold lol), and VERY little crime. Thanks

[Harpaint]

A working knowledge of Spanish could help you find teaching jobs. Living in Ashland or in East Medford would most likely appeal to you and be nice for the kids. There is a state university in Ashland and it is an "artsy" community. Summers are HOT; lots of days in the 90's and some 100+. Very mild winters. We raised our family (all boys) in So. Oregon and they loved it, but none returned after University in Eugene because the job situation in the Rogue Valley is dismal. Rents? Who knows where they will be by the time you move! Good Luck.

[Larry Caldwell]

Get your Oregon teacher cert online and your applications in by Spring for the next school year to nail down a full time job with benefits. There is always a demand for subs though. Starting teacher pay is pretty low, but if you stick with one school district you get steady pay raises, so if you switch schools do it in the first year or two. You aren't going to be sending your high schooler to a university on starting teacher pay, but he can start at a local CC, get an associates degree, and transfer with no more requirements for lower division classes. It's a big time saver.

[ExNooYawk2]

What Larry Caldwell said.

[texasdiver]

Honestly if you want good schools, especially at the HS level where resources are more important, then you'll want to stick to the more affluent suburban areas of the larger cities which would include Medford but not much else in southern Oregon. Oregon has a hugely inequitable system of school funding and rural schools throughout the state are struggling. About the only place you will find good public schools that are well funded by east coast standards such as in CT or MA would be in suburban Portland and a few of the other larger cities in the Willamette Valley like Corvallis and Eugene. But even those are somewhat struggling.

May not be the climate you are looking for, but generally speaking schools are doing better north of the border in Washington State. Washington is also struggling with school funding but is well ahead of Oregon in finding solutions.

[BendLocal]

A few relevant articles.

Report: Oregon lags in school funding, hurting students | News - Home

Oregon School Funding Still A Challenge, 25 Years After Measure 5

Oregon school funding paradox: How could $600 million not provide a boost? | OregonLive.com

GoLocalPDX | Why Oregon Ranks 36th for School Funding

[StealthRabbit]

why not WA? (climate is similar, and many diverse and affordable choices of locale)

Free FT college instead of wasting away in High School
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Start

Better funded public schools (if you want 'consistent' work...) I have 2 SIL who are OR teachers (when OR can afford to keep them on staff)
WA is generally a better / more diverse economy
no state income tax (important if you are still in your 'earning years'.)

If you are fixed on So OR, choose a town with a Community College,

I like Winchester (Roseburg); others include:
Ashland
Medford
K Falls
Ontario
LaGrande
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ties_in_Oregon

WA similar...
for a dry(er) / southern Oregon type climate, look to Walla Walla, or Wenatchee
Camas, WA if you want GREAT public schools, many nearby teaching opportunities (including Oregon) and an excellent airport to escape PNW on rainy days. and... 20 + local colleges / private U's in Portland / Vancouver, WA region

Camas is a tad spendy due to school quality, but, there are options in the $1,000 / month / $200k range if you head rural. Nearby Hockinson, WA is also an extraordinarily good school district. (Many engaged parents who are engineers / professionals / business owners)
FREE COLLEGE with excellent Math and Science in vancouver, WA (15 min)

there are other criteria to consider, COST (housing), JOBS, climate, wages, activities, family, healthcare... (We need more info)

If you can deal with cold and wind.... WY is a good choice for good schools, teaching jobs, and excellent low cost U. (Income tax free as well, and on your way to West coast)

AK is a great choice as well, (for teaching and school funding) there are many locations of moderate (but wet) climates. No state income tax, No state Sales tax ! Come on out and take a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) (from Bellingham, WA) That way you can explore the region and pick a spot to land.

[Hockeygirl063]

WA has higher taxes don't they? Just asking. They have sales tax in WA and Oregon does not.

Washington is really nice and they are very similar as far as climate goes. Seattle is pretty spendy but Vancouver which is just north of Portland seems nice have several friends in that area and they all love it

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Hockeygirl063

WA has higher taxes don't they? Just asking. They have sales tax in WA and Oregon does not.

Washington is really nice and they are very similar as far as climate goes. Seattle is pretty spendy but Vancouver which is just north of Portland seems nice have several friends in that area and they all love it

Washington has sales tax but no income tax.
Oregon has income tax but no sales tax.

For the median person it might be a wash but no one is really median. Basically if you are lower income then Oregon will have the lower tax burden. If are a higher income professional than Washington will have the lower tax burden.

Vancouver is where people live who want to minimize their taxes because you can earn money in Washington income-tax free but drive across the river to shop in Portland sales-tax free. Which a lot of people do, especially for big ticket items. Go to Costco or Ikea on any given weekend right across the 205 bridge and half the cars in the parking lot have Washington plates.

It doesn't work though to live in Vancouver and work in Portland as you'll still pay Oregon income tax on all the money you earn in Oregon. Oregon employers will take it right out of your paycheck like Federal taxes.

[PNW-type-gal]

While the climate is generally similar (cool, cloudy wet winters, warm summers), there is quite a bit of difference between parts of Southern Oregon and Portland/Vancouver. Southern Oregon (Grants Pass - Medford - Ashland) gets about half the rain Portland/Vancouver does and has a much longer, hotter summer. It's also sunnIER than Portland Vancouver, about 200 days vs 140 days of sun/part sun a year.

On the other hand, Southern Oregon cities (msa pop 200,000) are much smaller than the Portland metro area (msa pop 2,200,000), with far fewer employment opportunities.