How are Eugene and Salem? (Portland, Cottage Grove: apartments, lease, home)

[fluffydelusions]

Currently in Olympia, WA but we are exploring our options for when are lease is up in a couple months of where to move. I work from home so location isn't really an issue but we don't want to move somewhere with a super high COL such as Portland or Seattle but we would like to live in a moderately sized city with close by amenities and such. We just need a studio or 1br apartment and we noticed Eugene and Salem seem quite a bit cheaper than a lot of places in western Washington. Never been to either so just curious about them. I'm into the outdoors so which is the better place to live in terms of access to hiking? Also, which city is more bike friendly? From googling around I suspect it's Eugene but I'm not 100%. Anyway, I'd love to hear opinions about both these places.

[princessgrace79]

Eugene, 100%. Salem is not a particularly interesting town. Plus housing costs are getting pushed up there from Portland overflow, Eugene is getting much less of that.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You live quite close. You can see both of those cities as a day trip on the same day. You know better than we do what you are looking for in a place to live.

If you move to Oregon, you will start to pay state income tax.

[Silverfall]

Eugene is much more bikeable. Both have good access to hiking as the forests aren't too far away from either.

Eugene has a more grunge or hippie feel to it where Salem is more traditional. I know people that have moved from Eugene because it is too grungy for them, and people move to Eugene for the same reason. It just depends on what kind of vibe you want in your city.

[fluffydelusions]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

If you move to Oregon, you will start to pay state income tax.

Yeah I know =\ BTW, how are utility costs compared to Wa?

[datguy95]

Well for hiking both are pretty accessible, biking wise Eugene is superior. Salem is a bigger city and with the proximity to Portland it does feel like a pretty big sprawl while Eugene feels a lot smaller while still being a city with a lot to do. Both Eugene and Salem have equal access to the coastline as well

The biggest advantage to Salem is you are close to Portland meaning you have access to Portland Interation Airport and everything Portland has to offer

Eugene has the advantage of being smaller and being a college town with everything that has to offer.

hope this helps

[therese marie]

Can I ask why you want to move away from Olympia? I was just there last month to check it out for retirement and just loved it.. Originally we were looking at Eugene/Cottage Grove area, but after going to Olympia ( and Gig Harbor) not sure anymore..

[fluffydelusions]

Originally Posted by therese marie

Can I ask why you want to move away from Olympia? I was just there last month to check it out for retirement and just loved it.. Originally we were looking at Eugene/Cottage Grove area, but after going to Olympia ( and Gig Harbor) not sure anymore..

We are not 100% sure we are moving from Olympia yet but we are considering it. But the main reason is apartments are pretty pricey and that cost is only going up. Nothing wrong with the area or anything like that. It's just we can basically get a studio or 1br for ~$200-$300 cheaper in say Eugene compared to most places up here.

[NW4me]

Rainfall in Eugene & Salem is less than in Olympia, correct?

[tablemtn]

Salem's main selling point is "Portland proximity without Portland prices." We'll see how long that lasts...