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I am from Los Angeles but I moved to the suburbs to get away from the traffic, smog, crime, and homeless problem in LA and I lived here in the suburbs of CA about 15 years after leaving LA. But I got so sick of the rent prices and low paying jobs here so I relocated to WA for a year. Here in CA I would make $15-$20 hour but rent is $1800+ for 1 bedroom apartment or about $2500 for 2 bedrooms. I lived in Olympia and got a 2 bed 2 bath for only $1400 and loved it. I had some struggles there like trying to drive in snow (you never see snow where I'm from) and getting used to such a low amount of sunshine in the winter. I ended up coming back to CA and living with family to save on rent and I have been back for 3 years.
My family is retiring and moving out of state next year and I just can't afford to remain living in CA as a single person. I don't want to be living with roommates at 40 and the jobs here just don't pay enough for the housing cost. I looked into moving back to WA and rent had gone up a lot since I lived there a few years ago. So Oregon is my number one choice I'm looking into.
I visited Portland and didn't like it. It had the same big homeless problem and run down look as Los Angeles. I looked into the OR suburbs like Lake Oswego and Tigard. It was beautiful there and I loved it but the rent was a little too high. So now I'm wondering if Eugene or Salem would be a good match. I have not been able to visit either of these two cities in person yet like I did with Portland and Tigard and Lake Oswego. However I did find affordable housing in both cities so I know they are in the price range I need to stay in. If neither of those are a match for me I know I could be happy living in Olympia WA again IF I find an affordable enough place to rent. I know Eugene and Salem have slightly less snow and a little more sunshine than Olympia, which is good. Rain doesn't bother me at all so that's not an issue but I still have trouble with driving in the snow. I have never paid for snow tires but maybe that would make the difference.
Obviously there are many, many cheaper places I could relocate to if I am just looking to get away from CA prices but I just love a lot about the PNW. I am vegetarian, very into health and animal rights, I love hiking and exploring and camping and being in nature, I enjoy rain and love the beautiful colors of fall in PNW, I have tattoos and I don't know about all of Oregon but almost every person I saw over in Portland was tattooed. I want to make this move back to the PNW but would love some input from locals on the pros and cons and which city might be the best fit.
I've been reading many posts on this forum and I know the main advice everyone gives is just "get a job first" or "no don't come because there are no jobs". I am aware that Oregon has a high unemployment rate even though the minimum wage is "decent" like CA. I think Olympia WA has a slightly better unemployment rate. I currently own my own pet sitting business and I love it. However if I move I know I would need to find all new clients or get a whole new job. I've also previously worked at a mortgage company and a legal firm so I have some decent job experience, but no college degrees. When I moved to Olympia I did not line up a job first because its pretty impossible to interview there when you live here and no one will even give you the interview with a CA address. So I just saved up several thousand, got a rental, moved, then applied for jobs. And that's probably how I will do it again. But any feedback from current or former residents on Salem, Eugene, or Olympia would be so helpful.
Last edited by PNW-type-gal; 08-11-2019 at 09:46 AM..
Reason: added paragraphs for legibility (no content changed)
Either Salem or Eugene can work, there are lower-rent areas. It is difficult to find an apartment without being in the area and setting up a business such as pet sitter is difficult without local references. You may have to look at lining up an office job in your other areas of skill and start from there.
The weather in Olympia, Salem and Eugene is all fairly similar climates with cool, wet winters. Olympia is slightly wetter than the cities further south, about 50" of rain a year to Salem and Eugene's 40". In all 3 cities some snow in winter is always a possibility - as you have seen, it doesn't hang around long, but generally minor snow falls once or twice a winter. To get away from the likelihood of minor snow in winter, you might try the coast cities, but they aren't much less expensive (and full time jobs are harder to find) and snow is still an outside possibility.
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Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,028 posts, read 7,413,111 times
Reputation: 9749
Rents are increasing. Lots of people moving to the PNW for all the reasons you mentioned + unmentioned. If you are squared away, presentable, trainable, and good attitude, you can find a job fairly quickly. You may have to take 2 parttime jobs until you find something suitable. Confidence will take you a long ways.
washington has no income tax but has a sales tax. Oregon has an Income tax but no sales tax. Initially Oregon will be cheaper since your income will be not generate a lot of income tax but as your income grows, the Washington model looks better. Oregon vs Washington are different in a lot ways. Siblings
Thanks for the input. I did consider coastal cities to avoid snow even though it rained more, but found there seemed to be less jobs and stores, so I think Salem or Eugene would be best. Do you think snow tires are worth investing in?
I am okay with doing an office job. I know the change in climate may effect dog walking. Its sunny almost everyday in southern CA and almost never rains. Even though I like rain, maybe people don't want their dogs out walking it. Not sure how the dog walking industry is over there. But I have office experience too.
Even though I find affordable homes for sale on zillow, finding a decent apartment to rent seems much harder. I only saw one apartment I liked and it had a waitlist. I have been looking on Google and ForRent.com and most of them dont have what I am looking for. Maybe there are better sites to search for the good apartments there? Or maybe the good ones dont even have websites and you just have to see them in person? I want central heat and a/c (which seems as hard to find as a unicorn) and a full size washer and dryer in the apartment and a fireplace. Do you know of any apartments that have these 3 things?
Thanks for the input. I was aware of the no sales tax in OR and I do like that. I think its unfair when you get taxed when you make your money and then taxed again on the same money when you spend it. It should be one or the other, not both.
I don't know what presentable means to you. I have a lot of tattoos for example, but I have good hygiene, a good resume, am hardworking, dependable, and outgoing. I feel I make a good impression, unless you have a snap judgement against tattoos. But I did see many people with tattoos when visiting Oregon.
If you want low cost of living, you need to go east from LA, not north. If you go far enough east you can get the beautiful mountains ans nature without the high cost of living.
I agree with Oregonwoodsmoke on this one, Oregon is becoming an expensive state to live in, I think now it is ranked about 7th or 8th nation wide as to expense. I was born and raised in Oregon and have spent most of my life here, now at 69 years old I'm thinking about moving from Oregon, I'm considering Idaho.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,028 posts, read 7,413,111 times
Reputation: 9749
Didn't say that. Many interviewees come to the interview being less than presentable. Clean clothes, combed hair, washed, clean finger nails, etc. Because OR and WA is seen to be "liberal" the interviewees have a different expectation than the interviewer.
You'd do OK. GoodLuck.
Last edited by leastprime; 08-11-2019 at 01:58 PM..
I am from Los Angeles but I moved to the suburbs to get away from the traffic, smog, crime, and homeless problem in LA and I lived here in the suburbs of CA about 15 years after leaving LA. But I got so sick of the rent prices and low paying jobs here so I relocated to WA for a year. Here in CA I would make $15-$20 hour but rent is $1800+ for 1 bedroom apartment or about $2500 for 2 bedrooms. I lived in Olympia and got a 2 bed 2 bath for only $1400 and loved it. I had some struggles there like trying to drive in snow (you never see snow where I'm from) and getting used to such a low amount of sunshine in the winter. I ended up coming back to CA and living with family to save on rent and I have been back for 3 years.
My family is retiring and moving out of state next year and I just can't afford to remain living in CA as a single person. I don't want to be living with roommates at 40 and the jobs here just don't pay enough for the housing cost. I looked into moving back to WA and rent had gone up a lot since I lived there a few years ago. So Oregon is my number one choice I'm looking into.
I visited Portland and didn't like it. It had the same big homeless problem and run down look as Los Angeles. I looked into the OR suburbs like Lake Oswego and Tigard. It was beautiful there and I loved it but the rent was a little too high. So now I'm wondering if Eugene or Salem would be a good match. I have not been able to visit either of these two cities in person yet like I did with Portland and Tigard and Lake Oswego. However I did find affordable housing in both cities so I know they are in the price range I need to stay in. If neither of those are a match for me I know I could be happy living in Olympia WA again IF I find an affordable enough place to rent. I know Eugene and Salem have slightly less snow and a little more sunshine than Olympia, which is good. Rain doesn't bother me at all so that's not an issue but I still have trouble with driving in the snow. I have never paid for snow tires but maybe that would make the difference.
Obviously there are many, many cheaper places I could relocate to if I am just looking to get away from CA prices but I just love a lot about the PNW. I am vegetarian, very into health and animal rights, I love hiking and exploring and camping and being in nature, I enjoy rain and love the beautiful colors of fall in PNW, I have tattoos and I don't know about all of Oregon but almost every person I saw over in Portland was tattooed. I want to make this move back to the PNW but would love some input from locals on the pros and cons and which city might be the best fit.
I've been reading many posts on this forum and I know the main advice everyone gives is just "get a job first" or "no don't come because there are no jobs". I am aware that Oregon has a high unemployment rate even though the minimum wage is "decent" like CA. I think Olympia WA has a slightly better unemployment rate. I currently own my own pet sitting business and I love it. However if I move I know I would need to find all new clients or get a whole new job. I've also previously worked at a mortgage company and a legal firm so I have some decent job experience, but no college degrees. When I moved to Olympia I did not line up a job first because its pretty impossible to interview there when you live here and no one will even give you the interview with a CA address. So I just saved up several thousand, got a rental, moved, then applied for jobs. And that's probably how I will do it again. But any feedback from current or former residents on Salem, Eugene, or Olympia would be so helpful.
There is no place in Oregon, or the United States that doesn't have a homeless problem, and it's only going to get worse. Traffic and crime are also a problem in any of the larger cities, as is smog. Add to that wildfire smoke in Oregon.
You should get a camper van or an RV and look for pet and house sitting gigs. There are many websites and apps to help you with that.
Last edited by Cloudy Dayz; 08-11-2019 at 03:13 PM..
Salem would be a better bet than Eugene because if you didn't find work in Salem you could at least theoretically commute to jobs in the Portland metro area. Lots of people do that. Sucky commute but possible. Especially if you locate in the north end of Salem or the Keizer area and not across the river in West Salem. Eugene is pretty isolated and if you don't find something in Eugene there is basically nothing else.
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