Moving from Southern California to Oregon (Medford, Phoenix: wedding, to buy, university)

[Scarysher16]

Really folks watch your potty typing... who watches over these site any who???
Two of the most beautiful places ever, San Diego and Oregon, And I have met them all in both places, Rude, Nice, druggies, down home, citified, country fried...
Born and raised in San Diego, coranado beach was my stomping grounds on the weekend, back when it was safe to run around there as a kid that and Balboa Park and the Zoo. Mom would drop us off for the day, But of course there a bunch of us, so we always feel safe. Now Balboa Park is one of the biggest hang outs for pedifiles around... Saw it in a documentry on TV.
Portland reminds of San Diego, especially down by Saturday Market... way to busy for me, nice to visit though.
All I miss is the weather and some family. I guess it has changed alot since we lived there.
BTW, I consider myself as a Oregonian, no one else may. But I do.
LOVE IT HERE!!!

[buzzkirk]

people in Oregon seem to go out of their way to be nice. drivers in Eugene are the best I've ever seen. Bend is a different story - pity what's happening there.

[ssrafferty]

Scarysher16 , thanks for the info! We'll have the license before we move for OR and are looking forward to working there. Hopefully we can find enough to keep up! Thanks again!

[Clear2land]

Hi Scarysher16:

Once you acclimate to the weather, you are an Oregonian. You can never be a Native Oregonian because you were not born there. But hay; if you can wear a canary yellow raincoat and high sheen galoshes in public you can call yourself an Oregonian. The fact you love it there also makes you an Oregonian. I have webfeet so I know I’m an Oregonian. Lastly, you can call yourself an Oregonian if you pay state income taxes there. Having said all that, an Oregon Drivers License is not enough.

[happ]

Originally Posted by QuintusCinna

Good eye, Happ and I was wondering if anybody would catch that. According to climatology, California does not have a true Mediterranean climate. Ith as a climate similar to Portugal (surprising, isn't it?). Southern Oregon has a climate paralleling Rome and Athens. I remember this from my classes but when I looked it online, here was one of many places that explained the situation: http://www.answers.com/topic/mediterranean-climate . Another good example is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climate . Good discussion and before this class I would have agreed with you thinking California's was of that climate.

QuintusCinna,

Can't quite access the links. Can you attach/print part of the articles?

Latitudinally, you're stretching things a bit. Oregon is at latitude 42 to 46N. Rome is a bit below 42N and Athens is at 38N. The Bay Area/Sacramento are at the same latitude as Athens as well as southern Spain/Sicily.

Central/southern France/northern Italy are comparable to Oregon; marginally mediterranean but generally classified by Koppen as:

Cfb Marine west coast Mild with no dry season, warm summer [eg. Portland/Medford]
Cfc Marine west coast Mild with no dry season, cool summer [eg. Astoria/Brookings].

San Francisco has a quite cool summer but a somewhat long and distinct dry season [approximately 5 months]. Sacramento Valley experiences a long summer 10-20 degrees hotter than the Willamette Valley.

Being a gardener I refer to the Sunset climates zone. Zone 7 encompasses the Roque River Valley as well as middle elevation mountains as far south as the Bay Area due to overall "hot summers and mild but pronounced winters."
Zone 17 is found from Gold Beach/Brookings Oregon down to Pismo Beach/Santa Maria California. This is the strongly marine climate of near frostless winters and foggy summers. Essentially it is the lengthier rain season that distinguishes Oregon from Northern California.

I am puzzled that Southern Californians would complain about the climate in Oregon. A little basic geography would help them understand that 1000 miles north is that much closer to the Arctic. duh!

Some family members relocated to Newport/Coos Bay and up into Washington/Seattle/Olympia. They quickly acclimated to the cooler climate well over 20 years ago and now consider California as too humid. I love to vacation in Oregon during the summer; just about perfect!

Here in Los Angeles I grow exotic palms and tropical flowering trees as a way of taking advantage of the climate. If I moved to Oregon I would plant those wonderful rhododendrons/fuchsias that refuse to grow in Southern California.

Socio-ethnic differences are quite evident since California was part of Spain/Mexico and has very large Pacific-Asian populations. It is quite diverse, crowded and is heavily Democratic and Catholic. My sense of Oregon is that it is dominantly Anglo/WASP, environmentally-minded, libertarian. Both states are cool with me!

[Clear2land]

Here in Southern California we have four seasons Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, and Fall. Actually, Palm trees grow all the way to Portland. I agree with you that the best Oregon weather is in Southern Oregon from Brookings to Medford. The only difference I see in the weather is the amount of rain and the length of winter. Our cool months in California are December, January, and the first two weeks of February where in Oregon winter is from November through March with some rain in April to bring May flowers. We are going to be retired so we'll just winter along with the rest of the snowbirds in Palm Springs or Scottsdale. For the majority of the year, weather in Oregon rules!

[farmgirl]

This is my first post to this forum. I am researching my next move from a “Californian” perspective. What things are deal breakers for you? Cold Weather, lack of shopping, lack of restaurants? What things does it take for you to eliminate a place from contention?

You see, I am a native Oregonian and I abhor the lifestyle changes that the influx of Californian’s has brought to my state. The only thing I dislike more than most Californian’s is the low-life scummy real estate speculator’s who have made it easy for you to come up here and **** in my nest.

I believe you have no one to blame for ruining California but yourselves. You failed to implement land use laws and immigration reform- happily utilizing all those illegal immigrants to work in your companies, take care of your lawns and wash your behemoth S.U.V’s. Now that you have managed to ruin your state beyond redemption you are looking for new fodder and the N.W. appears to be your target.

You have come up here and destroyed the farm ground, sticking Disneyland houses on every nook and cranny you can find and lording it over the native population with a generalized “I am smarter than you” attitude.

Well, you can’t be all that smart or you would have been able to stay in California with better weather, a higher income, all the conveniences of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. If you didn’t like your neighborhood you should have moved to another one- not another state. You sure should have been responsible and tried to fight the tides that tore your state apart… Not just cashed in and moved on without looking back. No, you arrive in Oregon with a chip on your shoulder, a bad attitude, and your tail tucked between your legs. You may be able to build a big house but you aren’t fooling any of us.

I have grown weary of your never ending assault to the things that made Oregon special. At least I am not leaving without a fight. I have spent 40+ years dedicating myself to supporting Oregon’s land use laws and I can see the writing on the wall. So you may have the state of my birth-you may now feel free to go forth and trash it as you trashed your former home. Just please tell me one thing before you start…Where can I go that you won’t follow? Just how cold, desolate and boring is too much for you to bear? I have a feeling I will find plenty of other native Oregonian’s headed there with me.

[mariatherese]

Originally Posted by farmgirl

Where can I go that you won’t follow? Just how cold, desolate and boring is too much for you to bear? I have a feeling I will find plenty of other native Oregonian’s headed there with me.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

LOL- please say there is one other Yooper on here besides me who will get that joke. Probably not... OK it is for my own amusement, then... HA!

[Clear2land]

Hi Farm Girl:

since you know so much about California, I suggest you move here and meet some of the people you hate so much. I am a native Oregonian who has lived 21 years in Oregon and 20 years in California. I disagree with you on every point. Californians are not trashing California, Oregon, or any other state. I think Oregonians need someone to blame other than themselves and Californians are as good as any to pick on. To here you talk, only Californians are moving to Oregon. That is not true. This mobile society is moving all over these United States. You hate Californians for driving up the cost of your real estate. Well if that is so, and it is not, then lower the asking price of your homes. We would be very happy to pay you less. Knowing I have to live next door to you, is reason to live somewhere else. I don't want to live next door to someone who is complaining about Californians all the time. If you can't talk about something positive, then keep you thoughts to yourself. All this complaining about Californians is making Oregonians like you look bad. I had a step grandfather that tried that out on me and I will not put up with it for one nano-second. "If you can't say something nice then don't say nothing at all".... Thumper from the movie Bamby.

[happ]

Strong sentiments, farmgirl. A lot to agree with and a few things to differ on.

Its strange to be interacting on this forum since I followed a link here from a gardening web site. This discussion is interesting though I have no plans on moving to Oregon, so you can rest easy a bit.

Your disgust of current trends is shared by many other Americans. Our nation's population is large and getting larger. We can't stop progress. In-fact there is another topic on the issue of immigration that expresses similar opinions on over-crowding.

The outflow of Californians is the desire to live where it is less crowded. Oregon borders the largest state population in the nation. People are more mobile as Clear2land stated. The lifestyle of our childhoods is gone. Trying to stop growth is a noble if not impossible effort. Arcata/Chico/Marin County/Monterey/etc have attempted to legislate zero growth. Even in LA foothill/canyon areas are being preserved to leave some semblance of open space/wildlife. California is the home of the Sierra Club and a state assembly/courts who resist Bush's every attempt to sell off public lands & mine/drill for oil in the deserts/mountains/seashore.

I understand the resentment over boorish/selfish Californians but they do not represent other Californians. Stories of Hummer owners finding dog**** on their car doors in Malibu/radical eco-activist burning down new construction in San Diego/ setting fires to car dealerships in LA demonstrate the frustration of some Californians.

Alaska is the destination of those seeking solitude/escape.