Oregon: Corvallis, Philomath, Albany, Eugene - good retirement areas? (Silverton: house, purchase)

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Re the friendliness of Oregonians here is the story I like to tell about how we came to choose to purchase a home in Corvallis on our 2nd day visiting in town.
We were on a corner of 2nd St downtown and were discussing which direction we wanted to go. My wife pointed one way and I pointed another. I looked around and saw traffic stopped in all directions. I said to my wife that we needed to make up our minds as traffic was stopped waiting for us to enter the crosswalk! Mind you, we were on the sidewalk and not even in the crosswalk yet!
In Florida, where we were living at the time, drivers pretty much ignore crosswalks. It has the highest rate of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths per capita of any state in the US so this courtesy, whether state mandated or not, was quite a pleasant surprise to us.

Now that is marvelous!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by NW4me

Now that is marvelous!

That happens to be the law in Oregon, but if you are a pedestrian, don't count on it because there are a lot of people driving around in cars in Oregon who aren't from Oregon. Dont risk your life by assuming oncoming drivers learned to drive under Oregon traffic laws.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

That happens to be the law in Oregon, but if you are a pedestrian, don't count on it because there are a lot of people driving around in cars in Oregon who aren't from Oregon. Dont risk your life by assuming oncoming drivers learned to drive under Oregon traffic laws.

Actually that situation is not technically the law. In Oregon you are only required to stop for pedestrians if they step into the crosswalk (marked or unmarked) with the intention to cross. You are not required to stop for pedestrians standing on the sidewalk trying to make up their mind if they want to cross. LOL. Pedestrians should take the first step into the crosswalk and then wait for traffic to come to a stop.

OregonCrosswalkLawsENG

[Vic Romano]

Originally Posted by NBened

We've come to the realization that we may have to leave SoCal within the near future. We are in a fire-prone area that is overdue for a catastrophe, just having luckily missed an evacuation order by a thread a few weeks ago. Very, very scary situation that we want to avoid in the future. SoCal weather has changed a lot and it's become hotter for much longer time periods. We haven't had any measurable rain since last February. It's also gotten very expensive and now more so for us with the new tax laws coming into effect. Many people want to leave but can't because they'll be bankrupted by capital gains taxes. Sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Home prices continue their climb through the roof with a serious housing shortage. Then there's the increased traffic, congestion and constant road rage. It can be hours to get places that used to take minutes. It's unfortunately not the beautiful and affordable California I witnessed for the first time a few decades ago.

As far as climate goes in Oregon, we don't want an inordinate amount of rain and wind - as in the kind that Brookings and the Oregon Coast get. We do know that a good nine months out of the year it's drizzly, rainy and foggy in much of Oregon. That's just the reality (and which makes it so beautiful and green) and we're willing to compromise on that - we just don't want 50+ inches of it. We're keeping track of temperatures and amounts of rain and snow in the areas we're interested in. We traveled to So. Oregon last year and liked Ashland, Jacksonville, parts of Medford, Talent, Phoenix, etc. In May of this year we're planning a trip to visit friends and look seriously at the Corvallis area. We like that it's a small college town, is outdoor-oriented with biking/hiking and lots of nature, and is near to Eugene for the oh-so-important medical care. We realize that no place is perfect; it's just a matter of what you can tolerate and what you can't. We also realize that once we leave California we can never come back. And that's why we're doing a lot of research and taking our time.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Corvallis area? Commentary will be much appreciated!

We considered cities in the Willamette Valley as well as Medford for retirement before we decided to buy in the Reno area. These are the reasons:

1. Medford - the main reason is it's relatively isolated, not close to a large airport (Portland).

2. Weather in the Willamette Valley - it's gray a good portion of the year. Not as bad as Seattle, and not necessarily heavy rain, but lots of sprinkles and heavy drizzle. Something to get used to if you're from So. Cal. Some like it, some don't. Summer is beautiful.

3. Many of the people I've met are...different. At first, I couldn't put my finger on it but then I asked a friend from Washington about it and he said there's a lot of lack of accountability. Yes, I agreed with that. Now I'm not going to paint all Oregonians like that, but that was my experience.

4. Traffic can get VERY BAD approaching and around Portland. They don't have the highway infrastructure like So. Cal. If there is an accident on I-5, 205, 84, etc..., there are way fewer alternate routes to take. South of Wilsonville, traffic improves.

5. The homeless problem is pretty bad in some areas, but I think that's become a West Coast thing.

6. The income tax burden is higher, even compared to CA. No sales tax, though.

If we were to live in the Willamette Valley, it would probably be Wilsonville, Canby, Albany, Salem, Corvallis, McMinnville, perhaps Springfield. I was not impressed with Eugene, even in the nicer areas the houses didn't seem that well maintained, which surprised me.

You'll need to spend some time up there, especially in the winter and figure out if you like it.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

That happens to be the law in Oregon, but if you are a pedestrian, don't count on it because there are a lot of people driving around in cars in Oregon who aren't from Oregon. Dont risk your life by assuming oncoming drivers learned to drive under Oregon traffic laws.

I'm sure it's the law in California... but it's widely ignored, especially in San Francisco.

[wolfdog]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

That happens to be the law in Oregon, but if you are a pedestrian, don't count on it because there are a lot of people driving around in cars in Oregon who aren't from Oregon. Dont risk your life by assuming oncoming drivers learned to drive under Oregon traffic laws.

VERY good point.

[wolfdog]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Actually that situation is not technically the law. In Oregon you are only required to stop for pedestrians if they step into the crosswalk (marked or unmarked) with the intention to cross. You are not required to stop for pedestrians standing on the sidewalk trying to make up their mind if they want to cross. LOL. Pedestrians should take the first step into the crosswalk and then wait for traffic to come to a stop.

OregonCrosswalkLawsENG

That's fine, until a pickup, with those wide-out trailer mirrors clips someone standing in the crosswalk, waiting to cross. My Dad told me of a friend of his who was killed that way.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

That's fine, until a pickup, with those wide-out trailer mirrors clips someone standing in the crosswalk, waiting to cross. My Dad told me of a friend of his who was killed that way.

Well again, Oregon law only says that drivers need need to stop for pedestrians who move onto the roadway at a crosswalk. There is no legal requirement to stop for anyone who is still on the sidewalk. That is the law.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Well again, Oregon law only says that drivers need need to stop for pedestrians who move onto the roadway at a crosswalk. There is no legal requirement to stop for anyone who is still on the sidewalk. That is the law.

What impressed me was the Corvallis drivers stopping even when not required to by law.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by NW4me

What impressed me was the Corvallis drivers stopping even when not required to by law.

I find about 95% of drivers in Oregon to be pretty courteous. The other 5% are in varying degrees of road rage.