How to Oregonians feel about Calif. transplants (Portland, Eugene: fit in, house)

[Lynn Hummer]

Hello all,
I am a native Californian, now in my early 60's... Born in Santa Clara County, now affectionately known as Silicon Valley. My husband, (also from the same county) and I have been married 30 years. The south bay area is unrecognizable from our childhoods in the '60s. We contemplate moving to the Ashland area. I'm also looking at Europe, but have only visited there for 21 days. I've been traveling through Oregon my whole life. My mom was raised on Puget Sound. My biggest question is ... How do the Oregonians feel about Californians moving in.
I've been dealing with it personally, all my adult life, And it's important to me not to encroach. We are very community-minded. I created and have run a horse rescue in Santa Cruz County for over 15 years...But the spread in Cal. keeps getting worse. When COVID eases up, the traffic will once again be unbearable...
any thoughts are much appreciated.
I love the thought of a jewel box town and friendly neighbors . Hate the thought of not being wanted.
Thanks
Lynn

[mathlete]

I'm an Oregon native, lived in Mountain View for a couple of years. I still own a house in Oregon.

Long story short I ended up in Hokkaido, Japan. It's as close as I've found to the rural PNW I grew up in. The big plus is, unlike the PNW, it's depopulating at the rate of 40,000 people per year so there's no overdevelopment problem. It's actually reverting to nature.

[texasdiver]

Don't be an annoying entitled rich jerk and no one will care where you are from. Be an annoying entitled rich jerk and no one will like you no matter where you are from.

Oregon outside of a few enclaves like Portland suburbs and Bend is generally less affluent than CA, and especially the affluent parts of CA. So if you are used to driving around in a Tesla Model S and living an affluent life you may need to dial it back a bit to fit in. In a small town like Ashland you are more likely to have more modest neighbors than some place like Santa Clara.

[StealthRabbit]

I suggest looking very seriously at overseas locations, there are very pristine regions on most continents. Sorry, but you just missed NZ immigration age cut-off. (You are too old to be reasonably priced, but you can bring $3m investment to qualify (farm / business))

Total Healthcare cost for retirees can be a fraction of USA premiums alone.

Rural places are still rural in much of the world (including much lower acquisition prices and often multiple residences on one parcel (if you stick with horse rescue or want a farm / vineyard with a FT caretaker)

Go live a few places for 6 months or so and see what you find.

[Silverfall]

There are so many Californians here. The biggest issue, honestly, is that CA home buyers come up here with serious cash and they bid high on homes. Many locals are priced out of the market and rents are really high. Our homeless population has increased significantly as home prices/rents have gone up a lot.

I have to agree with TD that Oregon isn't really a flashy culture. We don't see a lot of beemers, Mercedes, etc outside of some specific cities/areas. Lots of women don't wear makeup or wear minimal makeup, not super trendy/fashion-oriented here. Oregon is a HUGE animal culture so clearly, that is your thing, so I don't see a problem with you blending in. Oregon takes dogs and cats from high kill shelters all the time.

I sell homes to Californians all the time. At least half of my client base comes from CA. I've only had two move back after deciding they wanted more sun. You'll be fine as long as you slow yourself down to the pace of Oregon and aren't flashy. Flashy doesn't go over well here.

[blazenjames]

My family moved to Oregon when I was in child in 1978 from Orange County, California. We were a middle class blue collar family that drove a station wagon. As soon as we got to Oregon, people saw the California plates and were flipping off my Mom as she drove to the grocery store. Things haven't changed too much since then. Oregonians have an irrational hatred for Californians. It comes from jealousy, envy and ignorance. Personally, I wouldn't choose Oregon to retire if you have other choices like Europe. Oregon is pretty backwards in so many ways.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by blazenjames

Oregonians have an irrational hatred for Californians. It comes from jealousy, envy and ignorance.

I haven't found this to be true and my CA clients have settled here just fine. There is nothing to be jealous or envious about with CA. If you prefer the state that is fine, but CA has its fair share of issues, just like every place does. People just need to decide if those issues are deal-breakers or not for them.

[NW4me]

I'm also in N Calif, but have been exploring Oregon as a place to move.

Once I went to the Portland public library and asked a librarian for resources on relocation,
and also her own thoughts about Oregon... she replied, "well, we moved up here from the valley
15 years ago, and we love it here." (she was referring to the San Fernando Valley).

Moral of the story is, you'll meet other transplants.

Ashland especially is said to have a large number of Californians (and why wouldn't it --
it's only about 12 miles from the state line).

It's a very attractive town. My biggest concern would be the wildfires.
The heavy smoke is nasty enough, but this year a big fire wiped out most of Ashland's
two northern-neighbor towns, Phoenix and Talent. Had the wind been blowing from the north
instead of the south, the fire might've destroyed much of Ashland.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by blazenjames

My family moved to Oregon when I was in child in 1978 from Orange County, California. We were a middle class blue collar family that drove a station wagon. As soon as we got to Oregon, people saw the California plates and were flipping off my Mom as she drove to the grocery store. Things haven't changed too much since then. Oregonians have an irrational hatred for Californians. It comes from jealousy, envy and ignorance. Personally, I wouldn't choose Oregon to retire if you have other choices like Europe. Oregon is pretty backwards in so many ways.

I'm a 5th generation Oregonian and have never really noticed that. Sure, if some entitled jerk in a $60,000 BMW with CA plates cuts you off on the freeway you notice and get annoyed. But ordinary folks going about their ordinary lives? Not so much. As a cyclist, I bet I get 10x more abuse from a**hole Oregon drivers than anyone with CA plates ever gets. And OR is supposed to be a cycling-friendly state.

And besides, you can go to the DMV and get your OR plates the day you arrive. You are supposed to by law do it within 30 days.

Now you probably don't want to drive around Eugene or Corvallis with UCLA or USC stickers on your car. But that's a different issue

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You are unlikely to encounter any Oregonians. Everyone living around you in Ashland will be Californians who have relocated to Oregon.