What can you tell me about Ontario? (Portland, Corvallis: sales, apartment)

[whattoknow]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone would give me an idea about living in Ontario. It looks to be right on the border of Oregon and Idaho so I was wondering about apartment rents, weather, and culture. Anything you might share would be appreciated.


Thanks

[Sage of Sagle]

The river is the Idaho/Oregon border. Moved to Oregon forum section where it should get better answers.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Lots of Potatoes there.

[skylar0201]

Originally Posted by whattoknow

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone would give me an idea about living in Ontario. It looks to be right on the border of Oregon and Idaho so I was wondering about apartment rents, weather, and culture. Anything you might share would be appreciated.


Thanks

The weather over there is crazy. Summer time the temps often get close to or exceed 100F, winter time is VERY cold, snowy and the area is windy I would say almost 24/7. Very open, desolate area. Not too far from the Pendleton round-up rodeo though every August or Sept ( about 150 miles to the west of Ontario. ) Very small-town life, "redneck" land.

I've never lived in Ontario, but traveled through there ( and stopped there ) extensively.

[skinem]

Originally Posted by skylar0201

The weather over there is crazy. Summer time the temps often get close to or exceed 100F, winter time is VERY cold, snowy and the area is windy I would say almost 24/7. Very open, desolate area. Not too far from the Pendleton round-up rodeo though every August or Sept ( about 150 miles to the west of Ontario. ) Very small-town life, "redneck" land.

I've never lived in Ontario, but traveled through there ( and stopped there ) extensively.

Redneck. Real nice.

Weather is subjective. Many think Ontario's weather is nice and not crazy. There's no way it's "snowy" as the above poster stated--it only gets about 9 inches of precip a year total. That's borderline desert. It's not like the Oregon that many people who have never been picture--wet, gray, rainy, heavily forested. It's sunny and dry with definite seasons.

Area is primarily ag-driven--potatoes, sugar beets, onions. It is the commercial center for a large area on both sides of the border. In many ways, Ontario is more attuned to Idaho than Oregon...it's separated by a time zone from much of the rest of Oregon and is much closer to Idaho's main economic, political and commercial and shopping center--Boise, than it is to any comparable place in Oregon. It's only around 60 miles to Boise, so you're close enough for some city-type activities. It's mid-way between Salt Lake City and Portland

Great hunting and fishing, wonderful outdoor activities available...wonderful desert scenery, river canyons (like Hell's Canyon, the Owyhee) with white-water rafting, and fishing. Also mountains (Seven Devils, the Eagle Cap, Blues) not far off for a variety of scenery. Good place if you like outdoor activities. Many feel it's a good place to live the rural, outdoor-oriented life with having some bigger city amenities not too far off.

Friendly people.

Whattoknow, sorry, cant help you with apartment rents, but rather than just depend upon people for opinions which may or may not be informed, take a look at this for some data. (And as an aside, the Pendleton Roundup, one of the 10 biggest rodeos in the world, if you didn't know, is always held the 2nd full week in September.)

IFA Infrastructure Finance Authority

Recreational Opportunties

[whattoknow]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. You have all helped very much.

[Hometown Josie]

Ontario has limited upscale rentals. Area near I-84 (Idaho border) is a shopping hub for several neighboring towns. Oregon does not have sales tax while Idaho does. Lots of fast food options, not very many fine dining options. Mall on west side of town is nearly empty. Ontario has a school district that gets mixed reviews but is currently undergoing some major changes. There is some tagging, vandalism, and beginnings of gang activity. Prison, farming, hospital, and college are some of the area's employers. Rural areas that are irrigated can be serene, but I agree with poster who pointed out that this is desert. It is dry and totally different than western Oregon. Can get 100 degrees for several weeks in the summer, but it is seldom humid so it is a dry heat. Sure it can snow, but winters IMO sure could be a lot worse! I would consider "winter" about 10-12 weeks. The only downside is the "inversion" that sometimes can sock in the Treasure Valley causing gray days from time to time in the winter. Nice points include Boise only an hour away for many amenities, outdoor fun (hiking, hunting pheasants), moderately conservative area, TVCC, and family oriented community. I grew up there and had a wonderful childhood.

[Hometown Josie]

BTW - there are some taters here, but Ontario is actually a major source of onions!

[Hunter Wold]

Went thru there this summer,(Aug), about 85deg, like the feel of small-ag town. Wal-mart(one of the better ones I have been in), plus many other stores (Bi-mart on the Oreside).
Pump your own gas in Idaho, lazy cross the river and Ore does it for ya.

Nice, nice river.
freindly area.

After being in NM for sooo long and being 65 miles from anything then this looked good to us.
BUT; we want to be near the ocean, so went to Corvallis and hope to relocate there.

Jobs in Ontario???

[skylar0201]

Originally Posted by Hunter Wold

Went thru there this summer,(Aug), about 85deg, like the feel of small-ag town. Wal-mart(one of the better ones I have been in), plus many other stores (Bi-mart on the Oreside).
Pump your own gas in Idaho, lazy cross the river and Ore does it for ya.

Nice, nice river.
freindly area.

After being in NM for sooo long and being 65 miles from anything then this looked good to us.
BUT; we want to be near the ocean, so went to Corvallis and hope to relocate there.

Jobs in Ontario???

Well, Corvallis is *closer* but I wouldn't necessarily say it is close to the ocean--Ontario would be about 7 hrs drive to the coast, whereas Corvallis is about an hour--maybe more if you go there on a summer weekend or near a holiday. Hope you aren't working for HP in Corvallis, or hoping to. They have been going through a lot of downsizing lately ( even compared to other Oregon companies. ) Just sayin'....make sure you have a good-paying job in Corvallis before moving there.

The gas thing here in Oregon is sorta a two-edge sword. On one hand, at least it creates jobs for folks who desperately need one, but OTOH, I'd rather pump my own gas. When I ask for a fill-up, I want it filled up. Oregon fails miserably in doing this--this should have been in the state constitution when they inserted it in there. I am not saying to top it 100%, but when I can ask for a fill-up in Portland near the airport and drive 6 miles north to a gas station in Vancouver, WA and top it off myself and manage to get 4 more gallons into it ( of a 17 gal tank ) something's wrong...