Corvallis (Albany: real estate, homes, neighborhood)

[CMKM-Miller]

I've posted before about my desire to leave CA but my family and I made a recent trip to Corvallis and Albany this weekend and we absolutely love it !!! For those of you living in the area and are familiar with California, what town does it remind you most of ? I thought Napa for a moment due to how the downtown area looks, but other than that, I can't think of another Ca city which compares. The people were extremely nice, the city was quiet and so peaceful, traffic ?? - what's that, and it even rained a little. I have to ask, is the town always so quiet and calm ? I've heard Divinci days can be interesting. I love the local farms, multiple festivals in the area, quick drive to the coast, and the major shopping area in Albany isn't that far.Also, does anyone know about the volunteering with the local Sheriff ? I haven't seen it so extensive in any other area as it appears in Benton. I'm looking forward to additional insight from people.

[jax111]

I lived in Southern CA for years before moving to Albany, OR 12 years ago and I have no desire to return. There is none of the traffic jams that CA has and also people are more likely to help you out if you have a car accident. I rarely saw anyone in CA stop to help out a fellow driver. I think you would be very happy in either Corvallis or Albany. Plus the rents and homes are alot less costly than in CA. It does however rain alot here. If you do not like rain then I suggest you do not move here. I got rather used to it quicky and the pros far outweigh the cons of living in Oregon. I hope this helps. Jacki

[WestCoastGirl]

After doing a lot of research on Oregon, my family settled here in Corvallis. I would compare Corvallis to Sebastopol, CA, though I think Corvallis is a much more scenic place than Sebastopol is, and I loved Sebastopol.

It's not been raining so much this year as snowing. We woke up to a beautiful winter scene right out of Currier & Ives this a.m. My son got three snow days off this week. Everyone in the neighborhood has told me that this is very unusual weather for Corvallis, especially this time of year. Per the weather reports, we can look forward to snow and snow mixed with rain as the precip for the next several days. Glad I have some warm wooly clothing!

That being said, I agree with JAX111, you have to be able to handle the long stretches of cold, rainy, foggy days during the winter. The payback comes from the beautiful green hills and the flowers in the spring and summer and the bounty of crops at the farm markets. There's even a section in the local classified ads entitled "Good Things To Eat".

Both Albany and Corvallis have their plusses and minuses. The housing market is less expensive in Alabany - you get alot more home and property for your buck than you get in Corvallis. Here's a good local website for real estate info: Willamette Valley Multiple Listing Service (http://www.wvmls.com/web/index.asp - broken link)

Hope this info helps!

[DavePautsch]

I would agree with both the posters above. We moved to Albany 7 plus years ago. I lived in SoCal for many years prior. Albany is probably a little like Merced, CA I'd think...small freeway town, near agricultural area (here in Linn county its grass seed). Corvallis - I'm not sure what I'd compare it to. Expensive housing costs, nice downtown, good restaurants...there have been some GREAT posts on this board that compare Albany and Corvallis...both very accurate and descriptive.

DaVinci days are great - and Albany has similar stuff in the summer time (River Rhythms, Mondays at Monteith - if you like music - even get some big names sometimes), the historic carousel is about 2 years from getting completed in downtown, great farmers market, Art and Air Festival (art and balloon rides).