? Which Corvallis neighborhoods close to walks/hikes for stay-at-home Mom (Albany: rental, house)

[PenelopeB]

Hi there!
We are moving to Corvallis. My husband will be starting a job with OSU. Right now we only have one car. I'm probably going to stay home with the baby for another year.

We'd love to be in an area that is reasonably close to OSU but not in an undergraduate neighborhood. We're moving from Davis, CA and know very well what it's like to have lots of undergrads as neighbors. We'd even consider Philomath or that area. We didn't really like Albany and I think DH doesn't want to drive much. We are spoiled here in Davis!

Ideally, I would be very happy to be in a neighborhood close to trails or parks for walking and relaxing. That way if DH needs to car to get to work I can go for walks with the kid.

Is it too rainy for DH to ride a bike to work regularly? We do that in Davis year-round, but figure in OR this is impractical.

I really appreciate that you took the time to read this and if you respond. That is so nice. I'm grateful. Thank you!

[jjpop]

My family and I just moved away from Corvallis after 11 years there, so I'm quite familiar with the city. I don't think you'll need a second car, particularly if your husband bike commutes.

There are a couple of neighborhoods in NW Corvallis that would suit your needs. The area to the north of NW Grant Ave between 29th St. on the west and Highland Ave. on the east gets you away from student housing but you are still within a couple of biking miles from campus. If you have a little more to spend, the College Hill neighborhood which is west of 29th St. is nice. There are other nice neighborhoods, but these are closest to campus and in the flats which makes for easy biking. Philomath would be a little too far out for me, both in terms of commute to work at OSU and access to services, but a lot of people like it there.

There are plenty of sidewalks in these neighborhoods in NW Corvallis and plenty of city parks, but not much in the way of trails when you are this close in. You can get to walking trails on the edges of town pretty quickly though.

It's not impractical to bike year round if you have a good set of rain gear. Most of the time the winter rains are steady but light with an occasional heavy rain, hailstorm, or snowfall.

Corvallis has good schools, both public and private. If you can afford housing (which can be pretty pricey) and have a steady income, it's a great place to live. Good luck.

[PenelopeB]

Thanks, JJpop!

Is there a lot of public land for hiking immediately outside of town? What neigbhorhoods on the edge of town have access to hiking? Are there trails along the river?

Thanks again!

[scottinpdx]

I live in the SW part of Corvallis and there are many bike path and trails out here. I pretty much walk or ride my bike everywhere in town.

[PenelopeB]

Originally Posted by burnhams

I live in the SW part of Corvallis and there are many bike path and trails out here. I pretty much walk or ride my bike everywhere in town.

Hi there, Burnhams. What is considered SW Corvallis? Is this the area near OSU or the part south of Philomath Blvd? I really appreciate your time. Thank you!

[mxpl]

I plan to move to Corvallis in about 10 years. What do you think the economy will be like then?
Also, I plan to buy a house in Corvallis in 2010 and rent it out until I relocate. What do you think?

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by PenelopeB

Thanks, JJpop!

Is there a lot of public land for hiking immediately outside of town? What neigbhorhoods on the edge of town have access to hiking? Are there trails along the river?

Thanks again!

There are some hills to the north and west of town that are great for hiking and biking. So the further north you go the closer you'll be to the trails, but the further you'll be from OSU. There is a short multi-use path along the river through downtown, but not really a connected network of trails along the river.

Bottom line: Corvallis is compact enough that wherever you live, at worst, you'll be within a short drive to a trailhead. And it is the most bicycle-friendly town I've ever seen (and I understand Davis is pretty darn bike friendly too), so you can bike anywhere. You need to visit to see what area meets your particular needs. If you spend 4 or 5 hours looking around you'll pretty much be able to tour the entire town thoroughly.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by mxpl

I plan to move to Corvallis in about 10 years. What do you think the economy will be like then?
Also, I plan to buy a house in Corvallis in 2010 and rent it out until I relocate. What do you think?

There's no telling what the economy will be like in 10 years, so I'm guessing here. Knowing what I know about HP, I would imagine that they will still be a presence in town, but with an even smaller workforce than they have now. The stock market likes the direction that CEO Mark Hurd has been taking the company, so they will likely continue down that path, moving work overseas and to U.S sites with a lower cost of living (Texas).

One or two of the empty HP buildings are being utilized by a group of companies and university cooperatives that are working to develop a nanotechnology institute, but it hasn't really taken off yet. Maybe it will when the economy improves.

OSU and Good Samaritan Hospital, the two other big employers, will probably be humming along just as they are now. I don't see any major initiatives that will push either of them to grow substantially. The economy will probably be even more reliant on retirees and students than it is now. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, but the tax base won't be as diverse as it used to be, which would worry me.

As for renting out a home for 10 years before moving to occupy it, 2010 might be a good time to start looking. I'd bet we'll be beyond the worst of the housing crisis by then. That said, Corvallis didn't have the same property value appreciation that other cities did, and hasn't had the property value drop like those other areas, so you shouldn't expect to find the bargains that you might find in other cities.

You'll have a built-in demand for your rental with the students there, but they usually do 10-month leases for the school year (September through June). If you buy further away from campus you could probably do one-year leases. There are some good property management companies if you are not going to be close enough to manage it yourself.

If you are retiring in 2020 or at least not expecting to find a job in Corvallis when you finally move there, I think it's not a bad plan. My wife and I have talked about moving back when we retire--it's just a nice place to be. Good luck.