The Decline of Rural Oregon (Portland, Roseburg: 2015, find a job, to buy)

[Yankeemama]

Portland metro libraries are always busy when I go with my kids. I see people of all ages using the library in a variety of ways. Not funding libraries in rural Oregon will widen the gap of the haves and the have-nots in the state

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Here the bulk of the new taxes for schools is to bulk up the underfunded retirement for educators...

What state are you in? In Oregon that wouldn't be possible.

[Ultrarunner]

I'm predominantly California and Washington... with a minutely small presence in the Portland Metro.

California and the SF Bay Area voters approved just about all ballot tax measures to the point of excess... most unbelievable because some of the measures or for a very long time... like 48 years!

[Terryj]

I recall a few years ago Jackson county voted to have a new library built, then they refused to fund it, so the new library sit closed until they voted to fund it.

[zardac]

Rather than a casual commitment to ignorance, it could be economic uncertainty.
The timber's long gone and federal safety net funds seem increasingly ephemeral.

The citizens of Douglas County are likely just stuck on the bottom tiers of the Maslovian Pyramid.

[888metro]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I keep thinking about this thread. I wonder if Americans have stopped reading. Look at all the bookstores that have gone out of business all over the country.

While I am a library supporter, I am not in there very often. I haven't been in the library in Bend for several years, when I was there several times a week. I would be the only person in the stacks looking for books, but there are about 40 computers and all would be in use.

The library in Yachats I was in last spring, and again, I was the only one looking for books, but there would be up to 6 people using the internet.

Both libraries have excellent programs for children and those programs are well used.

That is a good question. I wonder if demand correlates with the education level. In Southern CAL, I have been to the TOVCCA, Temecula, and Murrieta libraries, recently, with lots of patrons, same with La Quinta.
Sorry to hear that the good folks of Roseburg will see their library close. Roseburg has a low college attainment rate.


As for the post above about haves, have nots. Very good point. Temecula and Murrieta were once rural and are now urban. The valley is 500,000 if you go up to Perris and Menifee and count everyone.

Parents move their families from The OC and San Diego. They're used to urban levels of service, which Riverside county now provides, since its recent urbanization and population explosion.

I suppose the demographics are different compared to Douglas county on I-5 which is less affluent.

Libraries, in southern Ca,, remodel frequently. The Carlsbad library just re opened, haven't seen it yet but I hear its tremendous.

Could this also be a cultural issue, such as Californians like to hang out in their libraries, or, that libraries sponsor more events and public meetings?

Or, a place for the kids to go spy on the good looking?

We are glad to have WINCO foods down here headquartered up there !

And we have Skechers and you have Nike !

[888metro]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

The Manhattan Institute, not surprisingly, argues that California Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax hike on the November (2012) ballot could spur more migration from the Golden State. We'll see if that is the case. But it's safe to say that the Beaver State will continue to be heavily influenced by Californians who are turning into Oregonians.

Report: Oregon No. 4 destination for ex-Californians | OregonLive.com

three of the 10 most popular out-of-state cities for CalPERS beneficiaries are in Arizona and three are in Oregon.Many Retirees Receive CalPERS Benefits After Leaving California | California Healthline


and...The Beaver State ranked as the worst place to retire, according to Bankrate.com.

Oregon got dinged for its cost of living (37th), below-average temperature and hospital bed availability, as well as its above-average tax and crime rates.

Worst States To Retire: Oregon, Alaska, Washington, California, Wisconsin At Bottom Of Study | The Huffington Post


YET, many folks still come (hundreds / month) (but maybe only 2-3 people come Feb - March)

Yes, rural taxes / costs / libraries / roads (AND INTERNET) is a wasteland.

A lot of us younger folks, however, went south due to issues such as high unemployment, escalating crime rates, worsening weather, and increasingly liberal politics. But I would always vote yes for taxes for homeless and libraries.

[keitherb]

I just moved to Roseburg about 6 months ago. I am extremely depressed about the library. I have two small boys who love books and love visiting the library. Libraries are a basic function of local government. The are a great equalizer of the rich and poor. They are the only access many poor and elderly people have to the internet and to educational resources. I visited the library on Saturday and it was crowded with kids, families, and retirees who are about to lose this vital resource. Local conservatives succeeded in shutting down our entire county library system is their senseless battle against anything labeled government without any regard to the people they hurt. Roseburg is beautiful but I am seriously doubting my decision to move here.

[mollyblythe]

Originally Posted by keitherb

I just moved to Roseburg about 6 months ago. I am extremely depressed about the library. I have two small boys who love books and love visiting the library. Libraries are a basic function of local government. The are a great equalizer of the rich and poor. They are the only access many poor and elderly people have to the internet and to educational resources. I visited the library on Saturday and it was crowded with kids, families, and retirees who are about to lose this vital resource. Local conservatives succeeded in shutting down our entire county library system is their senseless battle against anything labeled government without any regard to the people they hurt. Roseburg is beautiful but I am seriously doubting my decision to move here.

This kinda breaks my heart. I'm not in Oregon yet so won't speak to the economics of library closures.

Most readers have their library stories. Though my family had a bit of a storytelling tradition and taught us to read early, I don't recall anything but the Bible and a few church quarterlies in our house when I was little (over 60 years ago.)

I eagerly anticipated starting school. We lived in Drain, OR at the time. The first grade readers weren't exciting, but, oh, to have a book in my hands!

Then we moved to CA and, joy of joys, our small town had a relatively nice library. It was policed with an eagle eye and stern voice by Mrs. B., the librarian. She intimidated me, but not enough to deter me from going in to carefully scrutinize the shelves bi-weekly and come away with as many books as I was allowed. I had to walk a mile and a half each way (not through the snow ). The world opened up to me in so many directions from those excursions and the hours of pleasure that followed. I learned the responsibility of caring for my treasures and not incurring fines for keeping them too long. ( A few "oops" on the latter.) Being able to absorb myself in a good book got me through hard times, took me places I could never go and taught me skills I didn't know I was learning.

When we went thrift store shopping, my small allowance was spent on books. As a teen, my first big independent outing was by Greyhound to the large library 20 miles away. Shangri-la! It was in that library I learned about genealogy which still is an interest in retirement. I don't go to the library as often having achieved that fortunate place in life to be able to buy my books. I now have my stash with one always waiting in the queue. Love the internet, but it doesn't take the place of an engrossing book. I KNOW what a library can mean in someone's life.

I know a lot of younger (and older) people now read online and don't read books much. Still, I know there continue to be those who love the library. And, there are little kids yet to discover this thrilling world. Whether one goes to the local library for the love and adventure, for convenience or because, economically, there aren't other choices, I HATE to hear of a library closing. That much worse in a rural area where there is no other one readily accessible across town. So sorry for those of you losing yours.

[Surging Chaos]

A bit late to the party here, but given that I grew up in Roseburg I figure I'd share my two cents.

Right now in rural Oregon there is a colossal amount of brain drain. Roseburg and other small towns struggle to keep the successful kids in the community after they graduate and start their own life. I would know, because my sisters and I are those people. One of my sisters lives in Ashland. The other one lives in Albany. I live in Happy Valley. Our parents still live in Roseburg, but they're about to retire. That's par for the course, but the point remains. The rural parts of the state struggle to keep young, educated individuals and can't attract outsiders that aren't retirees in.

The people that do stay in the area tend to not be... let's just say not so successful. Likely working dead-end, low-paying jobs, getting in trouble with the law, and so on. A common complaint among employers in Douglas County is that they can't find anyone to pass a drug test. Well, the reason that happens is that all the people who *can* pass a drug test don't want to live there!

A great example of this phenomenon is with Roseburg Forest Products. Last year they moved their corporate HQ to Springfield. The CEO of RFP openly admitted that the reason he relocated was that they couldn't attract white-collar professionals to live in Douglas County. Which is true. The professional class wants to live in or close to cities. They want amenities, they want things to do, they want good schools for their kids, etc. There just isn't that much you can sell for rural Oregon. Yes, the area is beautiful and there's a lot of outdoorsy stuff, but all of Oregon is like that due to how UGBs limit sprawl.

The library closures were something that, sadly, do not surprise me. Ever since the 2008 financial crisis, Douglas County has been cutting the library budget year after year. The cuts have been relentless and staggering in nature. The libraries had to operate at fewer and fewer hours each week until they became so economically distressed that they said they were going to close without getting a new infusion of cash to stay open.

That's what lead to the property tax measure that went on the ballot. Not surprisingly it got voted down because of the ruby red type of conservatism that permeates the area.

What I fear is that this is going to send a toxic message to people and businesses and keep them from wanting to move to the area. Who wants to live and invest in an area without libraries, especially when they see that they were voluntarily voted down by the voters themselves? All it does is just reinforce the "poor, uneducated redneck" stereotype.

I just don't see a future for rural Oregon. Even if a lot of timber regs got rolled back (which I know many in the area are hoping for from the Trump administration), the jobs would not come back like they used to due to automation and global competition.