Where to move. Or., Wa., N Ca., or Juneau Ak.? (Portland: theater, living in)

[Jessie28]

I am looking for some feedback on moving to Newport or nearby town, Seattle Wa., Eureka Ca., or Juneau Ak. We are interested in arts, music, theater, outdoor activities and wildlife. My daughter is interested in doing the teen programs at an aquarium. Although the move won't be based solely on that. My biggest concern is my husband works out of state and will need to commute back and forth to the airport 3 times a month with the exception of living in Juneau. What is the drive like from Eugene or Portland to the coastal towns? He would most likely need to be driving early morns 5-8am and evenings 6-9pm. How bad is the fog, rain, and winters? I would really appreciate any info on the commute, aquarium programs, the cities and towns. Seattle seem to wet and big for me but is an option due to short flights for my husband and the aquarium. Thank you to all who have some personal input much appreciated!!! J

[davefr]

Originally Posted by Jessie28

What is the drive like from Eugene or Portland to the coastal towns? He would most likely need to be driving early morns 5-8am and evenings 6-9pm. How bad is the fog, rain, and winters?

From Nov - March expect all of the above AND freezing rain, black ice, heavy snow, mud slides, windstorms, traffic accidents, road closures, etc. The state does a pretty good job attempting to keep the highways open and de-iced but there's only so much they can do.

It's not too frequent but every winter there's some combination of the above over the various coastal mtn. range passes.

At 3 roundtrips/month he will likely be impacted at some point. He will need to have a vehicle prepared for winter driving. (4WD, studs, chains, etc). He'll also need the skills to drive in adverse conditions and the sense to know when to stay put. Tripcheck.com will help him decide when to stay put.

When conditions are bad getting to PDX can also be pure hell.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by Jessie28

Seattle seem to wet and big for me but is an option due to short flights for my husband and the aquarium.

Juneau, Newport and Eureka are all wetter than Seattle.


Your husband flies with an aquarium?

[Minervah]

That is a lot of information. I would suggest checking out all the individual city forums you are interested in. You are describing a whole lot of territory. If you have more specific questions, it will be easier to answer them. But just a couple of ideas. Regarding the arts, each of those cities has a good share. Seattle has great theater etc. Portland good but not as much choice. Seattle has a great aquarium. Oregon has an aquarium in Newport. Driving from Portland to a coastal town would take a couple of hours maybe less depending upon where you live. Pretty much the same for Eugene. Your husband would not want to do that during the winter months.

I don't know anything about Juneau but Portland and Seattle have their good points and bad. You really have to check them out and get an idea of how they would suit you by visiting those places regardless of any information you may obtain from the Internet.

[Hawk J]

Howdy Jessie28...


Lustrums ago we lived up David avenue in New Monterey, CA. It was close to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row & beaches. Not very far from Monterey Airport.

Y'all might like that area. It might work for your needs. You ought to check into it. Get some info on;
www.google.com


Best of Luck to You...

[Metlakatla]

Your husband is doing rotational work then...I've done it and flown to Oregon on my time off. Flying in and out of the Eugene airport is highly preferable to PDX; I'd suggest that if you decide on Oregon that you look into that.

Also...Juneau and Newport aren't terribly different from each other. In your position I would lean heavily towards Juneau.

[Jessie28]

Thank you all so much!!
< Davefr, very helpfull we're trying to get away from bad winter driving so this is much appreciated info.
<Steve, lol, the aquarium is for the kids the short flight is for my husband. I'll look more into Seattle. Everthing I read just talked about how wet it was. Thanks.
Minervah, I know.. lots of info but the more I researched the more ?'s I had.
HawkJ, thanks i'll have to check out Monterey i've heard the aquarium is awesome.
Metlakatla, you know I was leaning toward Eugene. What is it about Juneau that you would recommend? Does it snow there at the coast or only higher up? It looks beautiful!!
Once again thank you all!!

[Metlakatla]

Metlakatla, you know I was leaning toward Eugene. What is it about Juneau that you would recommend? Does it snow there at the coast or only higher up? It looks beautiful!!

Just that I know that the travel days can be the worst part of rotation work. Your husband will have more time to spend with family if you live closer to where he's working. It will also be a lot less hassle.

Southeast Alaska can get snow but it's rarely significant. I've spend winters there where it got no snow to speak of at all. Juneau always seems to get some, though.

The commutes you discuss in your OP could involve black ice during the winter, especially in the morning.

If you so decide on Oregon, Eugene is great. The airport is a good one and very hassle free compared with PDX. It isn't very big and the lines are almost always very short. I fly from Eugene in a small jet to Seattle and then get on the Alaska Airlines jet to points farther north. Much better than trying to deal with PDX or Sea-Tac. Those places are okay to fly out of once or twice a year but when you're doing so on a regular basis, it can wreck your last nerve.