Best place to live in Oregon (not including Portland) (Eugene: rent, homes)

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by jjpop

Sounds like I struck a cord. Look, I grew up in far northern CA and am well aware of the stereotypes. Imagine being from the part of California that’s California in name only. We didn’t even fit into the popular idea of what “Northern California” is, let alone “California.”

I spent a lot of time traveling as a kid and figured out very early that many Californians are geographically ignorant, plain and simple. Even about their own state. I did my undergrad in SoCal and could count on one hand the number of people I came across who knew anything about California north of SF/Sacto. Granted, 18 - 25 year olds aren’t the smartest folks around.

Yeah, I’m probably being unfair because I haven’t conducted a scientific poll or anything. Just relying on 45 years of travel and observation. So when the OP in this thread seems surprised that Oregon is so different from where she’s from, it’s not a surprise to me that she hails from our neighbor to the south. And I’ll add—other newcomer posters on C-D from other states seem to have different expectations of Oregon. But of course, the lion’s share of the moving to Oregon posts are from Californians trying to escape to cheaper and cooler.

I spend a lot of time explaining that trees need rain. So if they want the trees, they have to accept the rain that makes them grow. I get a lot of people that want the same weather, with trees, and little rain.

I also find it interesting that they want to escape California, but then immediately want all of the same big box stores that take up a lot of land and sprawl. I talk to and meet a lot of Californians over the course of a year when they come up to check out Oregon. I'd say at least half decide that California is really what they really want. They are in search of a cheaper version of California.

[sorupaa]

I know Salem and bend on the list. Both cool places, nice pedestrian bridges over rivers. Salem is a little nicer because of the old buildings, but the weather is nicer in bend. It’s sorta a toss up in Oregon. Can’t go wrong imo

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by jjpop

Sounds like I struck a cord. Look, I grew up in far northern CA and am well aware of the stereotypes. Imagine being from the part of California that’s California in name only. We didn’t even fit into the popular idea of what “Northern California” is, let alone “California.”

I spent a lot of time traveling as a kid and figured out very early that many Californians are geographically ignorant, plain and simple. Even about their own state. I did my undergrad in SoCal and could count on one hand the number of people I came across who knew anything about California north of SF/Sacto. Granted, 18 - 25 year olds aren’t the smartest folks around.

Yeah, I’m probably being unfair because I haven’t conducted a scientific poll or anything. Just relying on 45 years of travel and observation. So when the OP in this thread seems surprised that Oregon is so different from where she’s from, it’s not a surprise to me that she hails from our neighbor to the south. And I’ll add—other newcomer posters on C-D from other states seem to have different expectations of Oregon. But of course, the lion’s share of the moving to Oregon posts are from Californians trying to escape to cheaper and cooler.

Hell, I ran across Southern Californians, that didn't even know anything about San Francisco. For example they wondered why it's so cold in San Francisco, even though it's part of California. By cold they were talking about 55 degrees in January. The only time, some of them ever get out of LA is for a once a year trip to Las Vegas.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

I spend a lot of time explaining that trees need rain. So if they want the trees, they have to accept the rain that makes them grow. I get a lot of people that want the same weather, with trees, and little rain.

Wow, that's scary.... because those people can also vote.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by jjpop

I spent a lot of time traveling as a kid and figured out very early that many Californians are geographically ignorant, plain and simple. Even about their own state. I did my undergrad in SoCal and could count on one hand the number of people I came across who knew anything about California north of SF/Sacto. Granted, 18 - 25 year olds aren’t the smartest folks around.

Since there are no big urban areas in the northern third of the state, there's nothing to catch the attention of those city kids. But for nature nuts (like me), it's spectacularly scenic and delightfully uncrowded.

[CAjerseychick]

Originally Posted by Caliraiderette

No the weather in WA was not a dealbreaker for me. I never said that. I just said that living there for the first time I was surprised at how dark the sky was. I usually love the night sky because you see all the stars and the moon. But in WA the sky was pitch black. Maybe its because its overcast even at night. I dont know. And then the sky remained just as dark during the day most of winter. And Im a person who prefers overcast rainy days to hot sunny days (one of the reasons I was happy to get away from los angeles!). I cant stand hot weather. And I dont need a lot of sunshine either. And rain does not bother me. But Im just talking about the totally black sky we had for days on end. I hit the tanning salon to get my vitamin D. But I love spring and I loved fall. No where is perfect all year long. Like in CA I love our winters. Its finally my kind of weather! But I hate our summers. Way too hot and sunny.

Thats true I have ruled out Portland. I didnt feel safe in the city and that huge for me. And yes I agree the Portland suburbs were lovely. But Ive looked at homes there. And the decent ones were above $300K. Eugene, Bend, and Salem had more in my price range. So I would like more info on those areas.

Someone said I should just adapt to whatever stores are around but I think they missed the mark there. I was asking, what ARE the big stores in OR?? Do you have something that compares to Sephora? Or Costco?? I read somewhere that OR has a fred myers and thats the big thing. Is that correct? Also I read plastic bags are totally banned?? As in you cant have them? Here in CA bags cost .10 now but are not banned. Some people actually re-use plastic bags for things like the litter box cleaning so that seems like a dumb rule. Curious if its true. The effort behind the idea is good. Promoting less waste.

Someone said Eugene is also flooded with homeless... is this correct? Is it as big of a problem in eugene as portland?? That would be a deal breaker for me. In LA there is lots of homeless too. But in OR you see a different vibe. The people seem content being homeless. They had signs that said fishing for beer money, or weed please. This disgusted me. People were sitting on the sidewalk in the middle of the day getting drunk. These were not like the people I see asking for help because they are retired veterans with children to feed and asking for money for food and even standing on the corner willing to take work. I dont like the whole vibe of, I dont have to help myself because someone else is going to do it for me. I dont think people like that deserve hand outs. Just my opinion. Is there any OR city thats not very expensive that does not have a rapid homeless issue?

I think someone mentioned Medford? Maybe Im mistaken. I had been looking farther south than Eugene originally but was warned by a local that crime was high and drugs were a problem. As a single woman, safety is important. I have not spent real time in the area so Im only going off of one visit and driving through the state more than once and the say of locals.

Portland feels very safe to me, OP, its street by street, in the neighborhoods, some are run down and "sketchy"- some are full of committed full-time homeowners and residents and very neighborhoody and safe.

Milwaukie would be in your price range- my friend moved from the bay area early this year (to be close to ailing and failing relatives ) and she is single and in her 30s she LOVEs the area and her house was right around 200K.

Look alittle closer, although I do like Eugene (but its a peripheal view as we visit friends there but don't live there)... There is gonna be crime everywhere there is people, and I just had a rural experience, and guess what there still was crime. Its mainly drugs and the sequelae there of - sadly not restricted to the metro areas....

(the exception would be, the middle of nowhere, which does not seem to fit your parameters, either)....


PS
ETA: I have a teenager, and she has found plenty of shopping, plus we have Costco here too, no worries on that- well no worries if you are within a 30 mile (maybe more )radius of PDX metro

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Hell, I ran across Southern Californians, that didn't even know anything about San Francisco. For example they wondered why it's so cold in San Francisco, even though it's part of California. By cold they were talking about 55 degrees in January. The only time, some of them ever get out of LA is for a once a year trip to Las Vegas.

People who live in cities are pretty hazy about geography. I have met people who lived their whole life in Portland who have never been to the coast or Multnomah Falls.

[wolfdog]

I have a golf buddy here on the coast. Lived here 30 years, but admits to never EVER walking on the beach.
"I have no dog. Can't walk my cats on the beach."

[NW4me]

If California ever does get divided into three states, perhaps the northernmost one could be named "South Oregon."

[dtuba]

Medford /Ashland seems to get a bad rap around these parts but it is not the cultural wasteland/gang ridden hellhole that people make it out to be. Hey, I grew up there in the 80's when the timber industry was starting to take a dive- you want to talk about depressed? It has slowly but gradually dug itself out of that mire.

Ashland is not the only liberal part of the region - I have several friends who live in Talent, Eagle Point and even Medford who vote blue- Because yes, they've all been priced out of Ashland.

The weather is quite decent- it rarely snows, and gets way less rain than Portland or Eugene- the worst part is the air inversions: fog, smog and (especially last summer) forest fire smoke.

Retail? yes, Fred Meyer is king, but there is a Costco. There is no Nordstroms or Saks 5th Avenue in town, but this ain't Bellevue or Lake Oswego. There is, however, the Internet.

No place you find will be perfect, but Southern Oregon is far from being the worst place you could move to. Just be sure (as everyone here has said a million times) make sure you have work lined up first.