Good place to live? Here's what I'm looking for. (Portland: low crime, mortgage)

[showson1]

Hi all,
I currenly live in San Diego, CA and love it, but I'm a little nervous to raise my 4 year hold here because of the drug use and gang activity.

Plus it's very expensive and crowded, although my wife and I make decent money we'd like to have a mortgage that allowed for a little more freedom.

I've been doing research of places to look at for possibly moving and Boise, ID (and surrounding area) is on our list, but I'm having a REALLY hard time figuring out what would and wouldn't be good places to look at.

Here is what we're looking for in hopes someone could help with areas in Oregon:
1) Safe - Low crime / gang activity
2) Great schools
3) Affordable houses that would allow for a yard my son could run around in.
4) As mild winters as possible - I grew up with "real" winters and don't mind snow and cold weather, just not a lot of it.
5) Tech industry, If possible
6) Slower paced lifestyle - I'm done with the stressful commutes and road rage (from other drivers).

We were looking closely at Bend, but the more I looked the more I saw that it may not be ideal anymore since it grew too fast.
I was looking at the Medford / Ashland / Grants Pass area, but not crazy about it being built around the freeway and not sure about school systems.

Everything I find is conflicting information, so I could really use the advice of people that live in Oregon currently.

If anyone has first hand experience moving there from San Diego that'd be even better!

Oh, and before I get the Anti-Californian post (as I've seen to often in this forum) I'd be moving from CA because I want to leave CA.
Plus I'm from New Jersey anyway, so I'd much more likely be buying a slice of pizza than a trendy coffee.

Thanks all!

[davefr]

Will you need outside work or are you independent?

If the former then you need to line up a job first and be very flexible about location. Oregon has a huge unemployment problem and the communities you mention have very little in the way of high tech. How long can you go without a job and is part time/minimum wage an option?

Southern Oregon has crime and drugs just like every other community. Housing has become more reasonable, schools vary and the climate is pretty decent.

You need to block out some time and simply explore for yourself.

[Silverfall]

What's affordable because affordable and great schools don't typically go together...

[Smiled]

If your career is important, I would say, move to Seattle or the Bay Area. Portland has SOME tech but the manufacturing part appears to be slowly declining. Software is growing slowly, but, for example, Tek's been bought out by Danaher, and much of its manufacturing is going to China.

[showson1]

Originally Posted by davefr

You need to block out some time and simply explore for yourself.

Yeah, unfortunately without a clear idea of what areas to look at visiting places isn't going to be much help.
I'd be able to tell which ones are horrible, but you can't really tell how good or bad a place is just by spending a few days there.

I'm trying to collect data so I can make a game plan of what areas to focus on.

Originally Posted by smiled

If your career is important, I would say, move to Seattle or the Bay Area

I had looked at those areas, but the Bay Area is just too congested, so I wouldn't be gaining anything over San Diego.
As crappy as the weather in Seattle is, I think I'd end up jumping off a bridge or something.

---

I think my problem is that for every 10 good things I see about areas in Oregon, or other places too, I find 10 bad things.. so it's very frustrating trying to find useful info..

[davefr]

Originally Posted by showson1

I'm trying to collect data so I can make a game plan of what areas to focus on.

If you want to be employed, it would be areas where you have a chance of getting a job.

I'll say it again. You need to line up job offers first and then you can pick and choose among them.

If you think you can move to any of the cities you descibe and get a decent job in high tech. then you're living in Fantasy Land.

Local employers don't even consider out of state resumes unless you have a very unique skill or you have an inside track through extensive networking.

If your existing employer is based in other locations then pursue that avenue first.

[showson1]

Originally Posted by davefr

If you want to be employed, it would be areas where you have a chance of getting a job.

I'll say it again. You need to line up job offers first and then you can pick and choose among them.

Of course I need to line up jobs before considering moving, but I need to know what areas to send resumes and do job searching.

There's no point in trying to find employment in an area that would not be good for my family.

The first thing I need to do is get options of places to live and then I can start looking for jobs in those areas.

Thanks.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by showson1

Of course I need to line up jobs before considering moving, but I need to know what areas to send resumes and do job searching.

You'd don't limit where you do job searching in this horrible economy. You cast a wide net. (ie everything/everywhere because that's exactly what your job seeking competitors are doing)

There's no point in trying to find employment in an area that would not be good for my family.

The best for your family is where you can provide for their needs. (ie food, clothing, shelter, safety, education, etc)

Or start your own business and then you can pick and choose. (ex: Remote consulting????)

If you can afford to retire then that's another option.

The first thing I need to do is get options of places to live and then I can start looking for jobs in those areas.

Where there's potential demand for your skills. Start with a list of all potential employers across the US that employ people with similar skills. Once you have that list you can the networking and maybe narrow it down.

[showson1]

davef,
I think you misunderstand my situation, so allow me to restate it.

I'm collecting data on potential places to live, I'm not looking to find something immediately to move right away.

I would agree with your statements if I was in the situation that I had to move or I was about to lose my job / unemployed and finding a job was an immediate concern, none of these are the case.

My move will not be for at least two more years, I have no interest in rushing into a move and I am not in a position where it's a priority to find another job.

What is a priority is finding places that are good to live, for my family (based on the criteria at the beginning of the post) that I can find employment in.
Once I have several areas that I'd be comfortable raising my son, I will target those for jobs and go with the areas I can find employment in.
I'm collecting this data now so I have ample time to find an appropriate location.

In my situation there's absolutely no point in "casting a wide net" to areas I might not, otherwise, be interested in living or raising my son. That would just be a waste of my time and the time of the hiring individuals / companies.

It'd be incredible irresponsible of me, in my situation, to move to an area just because I found a job without considering the impact on my wife and son.

[jjpop]

Portland area is your best bet as this is where you'll find the most employment opportunities, combined with good schools (in certain areas). This includes Hillsboro and Beaverton to the west, Vancouver, WA to the north, and Wilsonville to the south.

You might also consider Salem, Corvallis/Albany, and Eugene. Each city has a limited tech sector (VERY limited compared to where you're coming from) but each also has nice areas with good schools and the slower pace of life.

And a word of warning: If you find Seattle weather to be a bummer, you may not be overjoyed by Western Oregon weather as it is very similar. Good luck!