I'd like to move to Corvallis, but... (Portland, Eugene: crime, unemployment)

[jjpop]

I can add a couple more things to what's already been said. I've lived in Corvallis for 10 years.

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

First, cost of living. I know it's higher than WI or here in GA but realistically, what is the price of a loaf of bread, gallon of milk, produce, gas, etc? Is it so bad that it crimps your lifestyle? How about eating out prices?

I don't think you'll find the basic costs to be that much more than anywhere else in the US. There are several grocery stores that range from low-price warehouse (WinCo Foods) to more expensive natural/organic foods (http://www.firstalt.coop/). Also Albertson's, Safeway, Fred Meyer (Kroger).

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

Second, housing seems very high priced, is this true in the real world? I notice from my research on Sperlings that most people seem to have very average household income of 40-50,000 but houses are upwards of 250-300.000?! I don't mind renting but would like to own someday. What are average rents?

DavePautsch is the authority on the topic of housing prices. I will say that the household incomes are low probably because a large portion of the population are students. I think home prices are high in part because of the limited growth, but also because of demand. Corvallis is considered a desirable place to live. Albany is really not that far, and I think you get more house for your dollar there.

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

Third, jobs - the unemployment rate there, according to Sperling's is 3.30, lower than here or WI so I'm confused by people I know who have lived there saying the job market sux. I work in a library and my husband does security. We don't care about careers as long as we like our jobs and make enough to get by. Is this possible out there??

This is an interesting question. Benton County has always had low unemployment rates, but it's not because of burgeoning industry. I think a substantial number of people here are underemployed (also a contributing factor in the low median income statistic). It is definitely not a great job market here--take it from someone who is currently looking! I may have to expand my job search to Salem and Eugene in order to find the right job. And now the Hewlett Packard plant is on the verge of cutting about 400 more jobs. On the other hand, if you work in a library, Corvallis has one of the best libraries I have ever encountered (Corvallis-Benton County Public Library) and there are also libraries on the OSU campus.

So to bottom-line it for you: Corvallis is a great place to live if you are fully employed, but I would caution you not to move here unless you have secured employment because it may be hard to find.

[abuckeye15]

Nausicaa

That's very interesting. My wife & I are heading out to Oregon this summer to do the big loop (HWY 5 from Portland down to Salem & Albany, then HWY 20 out to the coast from Newport down to Florence, back over to Eugene down HWY 5 to Roseburg, Grant's Pass and into Medford/Ashland then over to Klamath Falls & Crater Lake, up to Bend, up to the Columbia River/The Dalles and follow 84 back into Portland). I'm pretty sure we'll be able to see a little bit of each town (not a full day) and get an idea of what part of Oregon we'd like to live in.

From our reading this forum & online research, we've narrowed our list to Corvallis, Lebanon, Eugene, or Salem.

We've lived here for most of our lives and are just tired of it. It was a nice place before 1996 Olympics, but you can't get anywhere now, traffic & pollution is out of control. I'm originally from Chicago & my wife is originally from Long Island, so the cold won't be a problem, we'll just get used to it again. As for the issues of 'cloudy skies', that's no problem either. My wife & I are homebodies, on a clear-sunny day in the mid 70s in Atlanta, we'll be in our basement watching movies or reading. Based on what I've read on the boards here, we're not going to have much of a problem adapting.

What drew us to Corvallis is the number of intellectuals, the large majority of the population that reads, the liberal leanings (though we understand the conservative areas around the city - nothing compared to what's outside of Atlanta), low levels of church attendance (we don't exactly enjoy the fact that the 2nd question asked in Atlanta after 'how are you?' is 'what church do you go to?'), environmental awareness, organic awareness, etc. It basically is like a dream town for us (on paper) we'll know a lot more when we get out there in a few weeks.

Oh on a side note, we (wife & I) absolutely can appreciate and understand native Oregonians not wanting an issue with overpopulation/overgrowth. That is one of the legacies of Atlanta, and a reason that house values never hold here, because of too much competition/lack of zoning laws/lax building/growth constraints.

Also, we can absolutely identify/sympathize with the frustration/anger over the driving habits of 'Southern Californians' (ie driving too fast, too close) etc. In Atlanta, you're either dealing with those that believe they belong in Talladega or Indianapolis on a daily basis, probably why we have so many accidents & traffic problems.

[abuckeye15]

Quick Question for the board (btw: you all have been outstanding in helping out with questions): I work in the IT field and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to work from home when we move to Oregon. My wife is a teacher, Social Studies/History (certified K-12) with a specialty/certification in ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages). Do you think she will have much trouble finding employment? How are teaching jobs in Willamette Valley area? Are there many students that speak English as a second language (Hispanic & Asian students)?

[Nausicaa]

Hey, abuckeye, sounds like we oughta share costs on the trip, heh heh! My hubby and I need to go out there but eek, so expensive to travel!

Thanks again for all the great advice everyone!

[Nausicaa]

Any more good advice/info folks? I just saw that Airtran has a sale to Seattle that I could get for $300 round trip! Close enough to drive to Oregon.

[abuckeye15]

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

Any more good advice/info folks? I just saw that Airtran has a sale to Seattle that I could get for $300 round trip! Close enough to drive to Oregon.

LOL Nausicaa! That's what the wife & I are doing. We're renting a Prius and driving down to Portland to begin our trip. On sharing the moving costs...we're looking at moving during summer of 2012. We have some saving & some other things to get ready before we make the big transition to our new home.

[YankeeTom]

Originally Posted by Coldylocks

I have some perspective on your dilemma, though no answers, because we're in a similar boat. We live in Madison, WI, which anyone will tell you is a dream city. In a million ways, it is, especially for raising kids. Unfortunately, we moved here from Portland, and can't get the Northwest out of our hearts. We checked out Corvallis last summer as a potential spot and interviewed lots of people who love it, but I felt like it didn't have very nice flow or something. We wanted to love it, but we just didn't. The houses seemed to be all ranch homes, which isn't our style, maybe that was some of it. We're thinking about Eugene now. Basically, we want to move our sweet little Madison to another region.

Question; Ever consiter Portland? Portland Maine that is.

[abuckeye15]

Well, the wife & I are very excited! Tomorrow we will be in Portland and spend Saturday in the city. Then we're heading on our big trip (the loop).

Nausicaa - will let you know how everything went, our impressions of the towns, the state, everything.

Really looking forward to this! To everyone who has put in feedback and suggestions, thanks so much!

[Comedy]

My wife and I are trying to decide whether or not to move to Bellingham or Corvallis. One of our backup towns is Madison, WI which I think is funny. Anyway, we need to live in a college town, and my wife wants to goto WWU. Now theres a B'Ham thread which goes into Mercury being dumped in the ground which is a major concern, and the job market is poor. I hear the job market in Corvallis is tough too, but atleast there are surrounding cities to work. Now Corvallis is the more practical choice, but Bellingham is so beutiful. If there are any better schools please let us know. I am biased about PAC-10 schools since I am ASU alum, and it would be cool to have my wife goto OSU. Hows the job market in Eugene? Its late, I'm getting dilusional, but I want to make sure our next move is the right move. Thanks for your help.

[yegods]

Being from Wisconsin, I love Madison. I would like to toss out Ithaca, NY as a suggestion. We've been voted "the most enlightened city in the US" by Unte Reader. Several magazine rate it "top ten places to live". It's liberal, has Cornell university and more restaurants per capita then New York city. A few miles out of town you can be in the National Forest. Cities Ranked and Rated named Ithaca the best "emerging city" to live in the United States. In 2006, the Internet realty website "Relocate America" named Ithaca the fourth best city in the country to relocate to. Outside magazine ranks us high also.