Sacramento vs. Salem (Portland, Eugene, McMinnville: fit in, transplants, real estate)

[Radio Flyer]

I posted in this forum awhile ago. I was probably rather vague. I'm going to get more specific now...

Oregonians, if you had the chance to move to Sacramento, would you?

Our history: My husband is a native northern Californian. I'm from Maine, but lived in northern CA for 20 odd years. We moved back to Maine 12 years ago. I wanted our kids to experience the four seasons and all they offer. The public education here is exceptional compared to CA and we were able to buy a nicer home here.

Current situation: Our sons will be graduating from high school in 2018 and 2019. Both boys want to attend college on the west coast and Mr. Flyer is itching to move closer to his family and life-long friends. There's a lot I like about New England, but I'm okay with moving back to the west coast now.

Financially: I work from home and Mr. Flyer can probably transfer to either city. Salem is definitely cheaper, but we could swing Sacramento, though not the Bay Area now.

Weather preference: I don't mind the actual cold of the winters, but I do dislike the drudgery and cost of heating our home here. I also prefer gray and drizzly, as long as I see the sun once or twice a week. I certainly wouldn't enjoy 5 months straight of grey though. I think that might take it's toll...But constant sunshine and high temps without any rain are worse for me. Extreme heat is not my friend. I also don't want to go from high heating bills to high A/C bills. Mr. Flyer isn't as picky. He's a lot easier to please.

People: New Englanders are a proud group. The come across as cold, but the truth is that they're genuine. They're loyal and generous, but they definitely want to get to know you, before they let down their guards. I like this quality. I think we're more likely to find that in Oregon over Sacramento, though Sac seems much better than the Bay Area.

Here's the "Toughy": The risk of the dreaded Cascadian quake. I'll admit, it does scare me a bit. We experienced the '89 quake in SF, though we weren't right in the city, so they're not new to us, but a possible 9.0 shaker is in another league.

Fortunately, we have a couple of years to decide and it might come down to where our kids attend college, not that we plan to move "on top" of them, but paying at least one in-state tuition would be nice.

Obviously, no one can give us a firm "Move here, not there.", but I'd love to hear your opinions and especially first-hand experiences, if you have them.

Thanks.

[Yankeemama]

Hi Radio Flyer!
Are you are in So Maine? I am familiar with So. Maine and The Bay Area, as a SF native. I have lived in OR for almost seven years. I would say no to Sac if you can't take the heat. Salem gets very hot in the summer, though. Salem is not a big metro like Sacramento but is situated so that you can get to the ocean, mountains and Portland in decent time. If you currently live in Portland, ME I would say that Salem would be culturally pretty different from where you are but the rest of Maine is more like Salem IMO. Oregonians are similar to Mainers but there aren't as many as you would think. The state skews more transplant. Your husband may go crazy here but again, don't know where you live currently. My family in The Bay Area enjoys visiting us in Portland metro but none would want to live here. Your husband may be like the many NorCal transplants that love it here. I can't say. I live here because it's great for my children but if it were just my husband and I we would probably live back in The Bay.

[Radio Flyer]

Hi Yankeemama...We live in Brunswick, about 20 miles north of Portland.

About my husband. I'll put it bluntly. He's heavily into politics and is quite conservative (too conservative, in my opinion). He grew up in Marin county, but when he was a kid, it wasn't as affluent or snotty as it is now. He's warm, talkative and very social. He fits in well here. But none of us are getting any younger (including his parents) and he wants to be closer to his home. The CA politics are a negative for him. It's ironic, but on the political level, I fit in a bit better in CA.

I know the heat in Sac is bad. If we choose to live there, I told him that the A/C will be running frequently, for my sanity and in turn, HIS! I'd also want to live on the western side of the city, as to experience the "Delta Breeze".

Obviously, it would be a quicker jaunt to Marin from Sac, but I want to like the actual place I live, not just the proximity to other places. Plus, Oregon is a heck of a lot closer than Maine, so it's a huge improvement in that category.

Back to Mr. Flyer, among his many interests is UFO's. I showed him real estate and info. on McMinnville. He was intrigued. Who knows, maybe that's where we'll end up.

[Radio Flyer]

Oh yeah...What are your thoughts on the infamous impending earthquake?

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

Oh yeah...What are your thoughts on the infamous impending earthquake?

I am from SF and honestly, I don't think about it much earthquakes. I think Sacramento would be a good fit politically, as well as , Salem. Brunswick is pretty away from liberal Portland and hasn't changed much since I was a kid. If he can live in Brunswick, I think Salem will be great fit. Sacramento is getting crazy hot. You may like the suburbs of Sacramento and they are more conservative but the heat will get you. The traffic is crazy especially compared to Maine. My family used to summer in Maine, mostly in 70's and 80's, and the summer traffic along the coast is bad but wait until you see the freeways in Sac. I couldn't do it. You should check out Silverton, near Salem.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

Oh yeah...What are your thoughts on the infamous impending earthquake?

Realize that if you settle in the Willamette Valley you will be about 80 miles from the fault. There will be quite a bit of damage as the Oregon Coast lurches west about 6', but it will be nowhere near as bad inland as the hyperbole would have you think. Things would be interesting for a while, and a big quake would shake our volcanoes like a bottle of pop. Eruptions often follow a major quake.

[therese marie]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

Oh yeah...What are your thoughts on the infamous impending earthquake?

I am born and raised in California and have heard about the Big One all my life (56 yrs) so far so good.. We have plans to retire in Oregon next summer, near Eugene.. I can't let fear rule my life.. It may or may not happen in my lifetime.. But the chances of getting in a car accident or getting cancer are much higher.. So what am I going to do, never drive or eat a cheeseburger LOL..
Now if I were you, I would pick Oregon first.. If you stay in No Ca, I would move to Auburn ♥

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

........Oregonians, if you had the chance to move to Sacramento, would you?
..........

No.

If I wanted to live in Sacramento, I'd be living in Sacramento.

If you'd like to offer me a nice house for free in Santa Barbara, I might consider it.

[Radio Flyer]

Originally Posted by therese marie

I am born and raised in California and have heard about the Big One all my life (56 yrs) so far so good.. We have plans to retire in Oregon next summer, near Eugene.. I can't let fear rule my life.. It may or may not happen in my lifetime.. But the chances of getting in a car accident or getting cancer are much higher.. So what am I going to do, never drive or eat a cheeseburger LOL..
Now if I were you, I would pick Oregon first.. If you stay in No Ca, I would move to Auburn ♥

Therese: I hear ya on the CA "big one". I'm not so worried about that one 'cause they have lots of little ones to relieve the pressure. I'm talking about the Oregon, REALLY BIG one.

Larry: I like your advice, since it's probably obvious that I'm leaning towards Oregon.

Woodsmoke: Free house? Ahhh, we can all dream....My fantasy location is a little further up the coast in Monterey. I love that spot.

Yankeemama: Thanks again for all your advice too.

More thoughts and advice are welcome.

[annoyingcherry]

Well, both places seem to have plenty of affordable housing so that wouldn't be a difference. Also, both places are warm in the summertime, but cool off quite a bit at night (unlike the east coast locations where I've lived) plus lower humidity during the warm periods. It looks as though drinking water quality is good in Sacramento (for California) but not as good as in Salem.

For local Salem insight (I'm new to Salem) I would say it's a nice place to live. I walk around my south Salem area quite a bit for exercise. The neighborhoods are well maintained with charming houses. It's is common to see neighbors chatting. Some of the major streets have more traffic than I like (such as Liberty and Commercial). I don't know for a fact, but would guess the car emission standards in Oregon are not so good. Possibly because the air quality is so good they don't see the need to regulate? The air on major streets can smell strongly of car emissions, but so far smells good away from the major roads. The area that I live is pretty flat, but is hilly further south and by the river. Some of the hills are fairly steep, so walking in those areas would get old fast (for me at least).

RE the potential earthquake, just doing my best to prepare. I think the issue was discovered fairly recently, who know where the next one will be discovered.

Folks, don't forget we have our own special Salem forum. Use it or lose it, as they say :-)