The Wallowas (La Grande, Baker City, Enterprise: mobile home, university, utilities)

[J.Gatsby]

Lately I’ve been researching the area around the Wallowa mountain range in NE Oregon. It looks very beautiful there, and property is cheap. Can anyone comment on the livability of this area? Joseph and Enterprise look good based on what I’ve seen.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by J.Gatsby

Lately I’ve been researching the area around the Wallowa mountain range in NE Oregon. It looks very beautiful there, and property is cheap. Can anyone comment on the livability of this area? Joseph and Enterprise look good based on what I’ve seen.

It's a beautiful and isolated area. Bring your own job with you though.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

It's a popular vacation area because the area is beautiful and there is some good fishing and rafting relatively close by, but beyond that, I don't have much to offer. I guess "property is cheap" is a relative term. It doesn't look all that cheap to me considering that the lower priced (not particularly cheap) land has no utilities, and the "cheap" houses are mobile homes.


I suppose it all looks cheap to someone from Manhattan, San Francisco, or Seattle.


If you are thinking it would be a nice place to move to because your employer is now allowing work-from-home, be very certain that you can get useful internet. Sometimes rural areas don't have internet access.

[karlsch]

Joseph has cold winter weather compared to Western Oregon, with great summers, cooler than almost everywhere else in Oregon outside the coast. https://weatherspark.com/y/1999/Aver...tes-Year-Round

And, of course, it is a beautiful area: https://kuula.co/post/7P0Mh

A view of the Wallowa mountains from Baker County:

[J.Gatsby]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

It's a beautiful and isolated area. Bring your own job with you though.

Haha noted, thanks!

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

It's a popular vacation area because the area is beautiful and there is some good fishing and rafting relatively close by, but beyond that, I don't have much to offer. I guess "property is cheap" is a relative term. It doesn't look all that cheap to me considering that the lower priced (not particularly cheap) land has no utilities, and the "cheap" houses are mobile homes.


I suppose it all looks cheap to someone from Manhattan, San Francisco, or Seattle.


If you are thinking it would be a nice place to move to because your employer is now allowing work-from-home, be very certain that you can get useful internet. Sometimes rural areas don't have internet access.

Property in that area appears to be about 35% cheaper than homes in Tampa so that’s why it looks cheap to me. Granted, I could be looking in rough parts of town without knowing it.

You make a good point about internet access. I’ve been looking at Western NC too and that appears to be a problem there too. Apparently SpaceX is launching an internet service next year that should work anywhere so hopefully internet is a non-issue soon.

Originally Posted by karlsch

Joseph has cold winter weather compared to Western Oregon, with great summers, cooler than almost everywhere else in Oregon outside the coast. https://weatherspark.com/y/1999/Aver...tes-Year-Round

And, of course, it is a beautiful area: https://kuula.co/post/7P0Mh

A view of the Wallowa mountains from Baker County:

Thanks for the pictures!

I was looking more in this area and I’m beginning to think Joseph and Enterprise might be a touch too small. How are La Grande and Baker City? I saw they’re big enough to at least have a Starbucks.

[Skinem58]

Both beautiful towns, friendly people.
La Grande has Eastern Oregon University there,along with the usual attendant benefits that come with a small college town.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Skinem58

Both beautiful towns, friendly people.
La Grande has Eastern Oregon University there,along with the usual attendant benefits that come with a small college town.

If you are going to look at Baker City and La Grande, then I'd also look at Walla Walla WA which is on the other side of the Wallowas and has more going on if you are looking for a bit larger city in the same general area. I drove out there a few weeks ago with my daughter for a college visit and was impressed with the town. Seemed quite nice. it's in the heart of wine country so vineyards and wineries all over the place.

[J.Gatsby]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

If you are going to look at Baker City and La Grande, then I'd also look at Walla Walla WA which is on the other side of the Wallowas and has more going on if you are looking for a bit larger city in the same general area. I drove out there a few weeks ago with my daughter for a college visit and was impressed with the town. Seemed quite nice. it's in the heart of wine country so vineyards and wineries all over the place.

Thanks, I’ll check it out!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by J.Gatsby

Thanks, I’ll check it out!

The city does promo videos: https://youtu.be/qHJsW0dV3Lo

Personally if I was going to live in that corner of the world, I'd choose Walla Walla over La Grande or Baker City or anything smaller. It's a bit further from the mountains but not that much further. You have skiing at Bluewood less than an hour away. And the Tri Cities are less than an hour away for when you want something larger. I've done small towns before and like the greater autonomy and anonymity of living someplace a bit bigger. Where you don't exhaust all the dining options in a week's time. But of course your mileage may vary. If you are looking at Joseph then none of those things would be important to you.

[J.Gatsby]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

The city does promo videos: https://youtu.be/qHJsW0dV3Lo

Personally if I was going to live in that corner of the world, I'd choose Walla Walla over La Grande or Baker City or anything smaller. It's a bit further from the mountains but not that much further. You have skiing at Bluewood less than an hour away. And the Tri Cities are less than an hour away for when you want something larger. I've done small towns before and like the greater autonomy and anonymity of living someplace a bit bigger. Where you don't exhaust all the dining options in a week's time. But of course your mileage may vary. If you are looking at Joseph then none of those things would be important to you.

They sure did a good job on that video. And they didn’t even mention their biggest selling point to me which is no state income tax. Walla Walla looks ideal, I’m going to have to take a trip there.