Californians who've relocated to Oregon - weigh in (Portland, Medford: spring break, apartments)

[snuggarelli]

Yeah, I am looking to move a 4th grader as well. I thought I read that Oregon schools do better than Californian schools.

[WestCoastGirl]

My family is thinking about moving to Corvallis or Albany in the summer of '08. Here's a website I found that gives you some information about schools in all states: GreatSchools.net

Hopes this helps in your research on Oregon. Best of luck on your move. Maybe we will meet next summer!

West Coast Girl

[snuggarelli]

Thanks West Coast girl!

[krolen]

My Husband & I are moving to the Corvallis area this summer. We are leaving Sacramento behind in favor of a smaller Community. Corvallis reminds me of San Luis Obispo (where I grew up) 20 - 25 years ago. We are taking a chance and going without jobs. Fortunately, we have money saved up & equity we've gained over the years in CA. Our plan is to live a simpler life.
Our kids (11 & 8) are excited about the move. It's a risk but, I think a greater risk would be not to try it. We love the community and the people.
It's great not seeing BMW's, fake tans & body parts everywhere you go!!

[Kathleenh54]

We moved from Ventura County to Ashland a year ago. It was worth the move. I miss SoCal for the same reasons many people do but after my husband retired we just couldn't stay there. Anyway, we are very pleased to be here - lovely scenery, very nice climate and everything we need in terms of shopping and services. People always defend the schools but... well we'll leave that for another thread.

[Educatorspeakingtruth]

Here are my thoughts of Oregon vs. California!

What I remember from growing up and being raised in Oregon was that people are people. For the most part most people could care less what brand of clothes you wear, the kind of car you drive or even the house you live in. In Oregon ones Character was what mattered. How you treated the people around you, mattered. How you contributed to your community mattered. Being friendly mattered. How you raised a family mattered. Were you a good father/mother, a good husband/wife? Many places have a "blue collar" hardwork approach. People are fairly practical. You could drive a mercedes or a bmw (or any kind of luxary auto maker), live in a large house, be rich, and if you were an inconsiderate, arrogant jerk? You were still a jerk even if you had money! Here it seems like you can treat people anyway (as poorly) you want, and as long as you have money or are in a position of power, or look really attractive. People will want to kiss up, get as close as they can and be your best friend based on what you can do for them! In Oregon, that won't get you very far. Now, just like most places if you want to find that lifestyle and or those kinds of people,you can find them. I'm speaking about the norm, the way the majority think. Oregon is a liberal state in terms of government, but many of its values are conservative and traditional. In terms of having a childhood and growing up: It was SAFE to play and there was a lot of room in my yard or neighbors yards to play in. We didn't have to drive to a park to play ball, we just went to each others back yards, they were actual yards to play in. Also there were so many opprotunities to be in the outdoors. We were just minutes away from camping, fishing, boating, hunting, hiking, bird watching etc. Instead of being hours away. It was easy to get away from it all and relax with nature and be with your family. I never rememberd crowds anywhere, except, airports, state fairs, malls, easter egg hunts, competitions, sporting events (Beaver Games!) or concerts. Never at the beach, lakes, rivers, mountains etc. Unlike So Cal, where you go to get away from it all to go the mountains, beaches, lakes, and rivers only to be met by 1,000's of people all with the same idea and you have to wait in traffic to and from! Oregon seems more relaxing, even when you try to relax in So Cal it is a challenge. I never really saw pollution until I moved to California. The air is so clean in Oregon because of all of the trees! I never thought of buying bottled water (a big waste of money in Oreogn!)? The tap water was clean enough! Not in So Cal! I only drink bottled water here, the tap water in So Cal is disgusting! Also recycling is occuring in most homes in Oregon and many grow their own produce, and have compost piles. Oregon is fairly tolerant just like California on many issues; and that is both good and bad depending on how you look at it. Sometimes traditions get taken away, and also sometimes change slowly occurs. Shopping is not huge in Oregon like it is here, which surprises me because of no sales tax in Oregon! I'm sure with teens in every city, shopping is a must! I'm talking about the norm here, the majority of people are not going in droves to the malls everyday. Also, I've never heard or seen any of the rich people hiring nannys to raise their children so the Dads can work (or play golf) and so the Moms can go shopping with all of her girlfriends for new jimmy choos, or dooney and burkes! In the OC that is a rare occasion I'm sure. (I hope) But it does happen, I have witnessed it with my own eyes. Plastic surgery is also more hidden and occuring less frequently in Oregon compared to So Cal. Hollywood and "the other Hollywood" (Adult Entertainment Industry or PORN) doesn't have such a large grip on the culture of Oregon (or even the rest of the U.S.) like it does in So Cal. Here it seems like those industries have such a strong grip on the culture, especially with the youth, that people can't even recognize it! Almost like they have blinders on their eyes. The Red Hot Chili Peppers even wrote a song about this called "Californication". Anyways, I'm not bitter towards my experiences here or the people I've encountered here. I feel so blessed to have the experiences from living in California, it helped me grow into the person and into the man that I am! I feel now is the time for me to be a MAN and to make a grown, wise decision. That means moving to a place where I can be a successful future husband, future father and a successful professional teacher. A place that is affordable, and safe to start a family even though I don't have a family of my own yet. This is how I see some of the differences between living in Oregon and living in California. Is there Anyone else who shares the same or different experiences?

[snuggarelli]

You know educator, my husband lately has been saying how pretentious people are in the Bay Area. He is from the South, so he doesn't like how people are really into themselves here. I think the central valley is more friendly, but the air quality and commute is pretty bad.

I'm not even sure what dooney and burkes are. i think jimmy choos are shoes?

Also, I actually know people who have hired nannies, and I swear they should not have had kids in the first place. They seem to take no interest in them, and they are plenty rich where one of them could raise the kids.

Actually, that was one of my questions - is Oregon more liberal than California? I like it to be more middle ground - not too conservative nor not too liberal.

I'd like to have a yard again. I have a "paseo padre" house in Dublin which I paid a ton of money for, and I really miss having some place for my child to play and ride her bike. My husband promised me a house with a yard when he finishes his degree, but I'm not sure how we'll afford it unless our business starts doing well in addition to our 2 full-time jobs.

Yeah, I agree - I am one of those people shaking my fist at the traffic, just trying to get home, while everyone and their mother is trying to go to the mountains or delta with their skis or big boat. I also wonder how is it that people afford things here when pay does not measure up to cost of living. I guess everyone must be on the non 30 year loans, like me, just working to pay the mortgage and boy, forget retirement. I do know a lady who is moving to Baja California (El Dorado Ranch) because she said that it's too expensive to retire in California. That is one thing that I worry about is that I want to settle some place and retire in that same place so that my daughter can always come home. I also haven't been trying to have a child because I worry about how to afford having one, besides the difficulty in getting pregnant.

Boy - I really gotta find a way to make it out to Oregon, just to lay eyes on it. It sounds really beautiful. I love trees - naturally grown ones, not city-planned. I esp. love the fall color from my years in college in Connecticut. I've been trying to find an area in California which has lots of trees, and it is not easy. I mean, San Ramon and Danville look like they have trees from the road, but not sure if they really have it throughout the towns. My husband says he wants to live in a naturally occurring tree area, like his boyhood home Virginia. Oregon sounds like it has lots of trees.

[CAGirl71]

Dear Educator,

I loved reading your long post. I am 54 and have been in Orange County 46 years, back in the days when population was 1/3 what it is now, traffic wasn't anything like "traffic" is today, these were the days when Aerospace jobs were plentiful, computers were non-existent, Montgomery Wards and Sears were our two biggest stores and we didn't even know what a mall was. I saw my first mall at age 12 in Indiana and then they built our first indoor one here soon after and haven't stopped since. Historic districts are now preserves rather than just the way it is. I remember the entire attitude of everything being different, slower, friendlier, more of over the back fence kind of neighborlyness, I remember more spaciousness and open areas, tree lined dirt roads, and certainly the "availability of casual lifestyles" if you know what I'm refering to was not as prevalent. Before the internet made everything easy to find, from Starbucks to a date for the evening. I grew up with orange groves and corn and bean fields, when the county was much more agricultural and I wish it still were this way. Is it any wonder I miss all this? Is it so hard to figure out why I want to go elsewhere? There is almost no trace left here that it was ever this way. Everything is being torn down, rebuilt - reinvented and everything they rebuild is more expensive. In fact I think if it weren't for the continuous construction going on here, 50% of jobs would be non-existent. I myself, even though female have been in construction oriented jobs for the last 5 years as they are one of the most plentiful and easy to get for just straight office work and pay a decent wage. If they were to stop building and remodeling here which is the "craze" now, I think a lot more people would be moving elsewhere to try to make a living. From all that I've read on this website so far, Oregon sounds pretty good to me vs. California

[Educatorspeakingtruth]

Snugg & Everyone else!
Come visit Oregon! You all are welcome! One really needs to see it with their own eyes to put everything into a proper perspective. Best months to visit are June-October. Hope you make it to Oregon sometime!

[snuggarelli]

will do! I'm hoping I can make it over the Thanksgiving holiday. Will the fall colors still be there in November?