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Really the only area I have felt any tinge of being unsafe is walking around the Burnside Bridge area of Portland during the week. There is a huge rescue mission on the west end of the bridge. It's not so much of an issue during the weekends that the Saturday Market runs (just around the corner from the mission). I have lived in the area for 10 years, and had been mugged before moving here but this is the only area that sets off my spidey sense. (I was mugged in downtown Salt Lake City 3 blocks from the Mormon temple at 2o'clock in the afternoon with all sorts people walking past and nobody would stop to help while I was pummeling the guy to get him off of me and screaming at the top of my lungs. I left after being there 3 years.)
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Originally Posted by CCCVDUR
I don't care about marijuana, however, it can be associated with meth.
A good recycling program can be associated with meth since stolen things such as copper cables, etc. show up stripped down and hauled to the recyclers for cash to support the habit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CCCVDUR
The problem is, the higher the education level, the more liberal, and the less safe.
I don't understand your logic here. How does more education || more liberal = less safe? 'Splain please!
There was a recent study that shows people who have a higher education and are more liberal also have IQs that are 6 to 11 points higher. Must be all that critical thinking...
(I was mugged in downtown Salt Lake City 3 blocks from the Mormon temple at 2o'clock in the afternoon with all sorts people walking past and nobody would stop to help while I was pummeling the guy to get him off of me and screaming at the top of my lungs. I left after being there 3 years.)
I don't understand your logic here. How does more education || more liberal = less safe? 'Splain please!
Geeeez, you COULD have left off the words MORMON TEMPLE and you would have still made the same point.
More education does mean more liberal, I don't know why more liberal would mean less safe. Do you think it does?
Ashland is very much like Durango, Colorado. Durango has perhaps more jaw dropping mountain scenery (both are equally stunning in the larger geographic picture though), and Ashland is perhaps a bit more progressive and innovative. They are both overpriced compared to local wages because both draw left-leaning wealthy, amenity-seeking urbanites from California and elsewhere. However, the Ashland unemployment is closer to 14% than 4%. As they said of Durango, when I lived there 20 years ago, the best way to earn a million in Ashland is to arrive with 2 million and not stay too long! Funny, that has been surprisingly true in recent years. Many Californians arrived with a few hundred k in equity spoils from the bubble, bought an overpriced home for $4-500k, then headed south a couple years later with a $150k haircut! After what they did to the market in the first place, not a little poetic justice....
Given all your posts on this topic, I would suggest Corvallis. It is progressive, but also much more straightlaced than Eugene or Ashland, and does not attract the hippy, transient freeloaders, who can sometimes be criminals as well as just annoying. Corvallis feels like a hybrid between a west coast, midwestern, and college town. The size is right (50k or so), and its' lower employment rate reflects the fact that the local enonomy is not so tied in to the real estate hype as Ashland/Medford or Bend. In Corvallis, they actually create things and have the competency to build companies. There are more smart, educated people per capita in Corvallis than anywhere in the state. Socially, with all the science/engineering nerds around, it is not near as happening nor as militantly ecovegan warrior as Eugene, but you can visit Eugene or Portland easily, and return home to a safe, very pleasant town. And they have a great vegetarian restaurant, if I recall correctly. I love Ashland, but I am one of the lucky few who has a solid job here. I imported it from Corvallis.
Hey! I strongly agree w/ you about Corvallis, having spent several months there about 14 years ago. However, the climate is horrible, much like Eugene, Portland, and Seattle. I prefer east of the mountains, southern Oregon or northern CA.
Durango is similar to Ashland, OR. However, Durango suffers from a severe resentment of newcomers and change, like many four corners college towns. I lived in Flagstaff and Santa Fe and found both very unfriendly, unwelcoming places for newbies. So the only small towns I would consider are those like Ashland, Sedona, and Boulder, where well over 50% of the residents are of the same demographic - transplants.
Californians are great people and I have no issues with them, but when they fail to respect the locals (as they do in Flagstaff and Durango), it's not worth it. Been there, done that. Life is too short for silly arguments over whether an earring in the right ear means someone is gay or not (just see the Durango threads right now to see what I mean).
Corvallis has a sense of community and everyone gets along. That's important, and they also have lower unemployment and local industry as you point out. Thanks for yr post.
Hey! I strongly agree w/ you about Corvallis, having spent several months there about 14 years ago. However, the climate is horrible, much like Eugene, Portland, and Seattle. I prefer east of the mountains, southern Oregon or northern CA.
Durango is similar to Ashland, OR. However, Durango suffers from a severe resentment of newcomers and change, like many four corners college towns. I lived in Flagstaff and Santa Fe and found both very unfriendly, unwelcoming places for newbies. So the only small towns I would consider are those like Ashland, Sedona, and Boulder, where well over 50% of the residents are of the same demographic - transplants.
Californians are great people and I have no issues with them, but when they fail to respect the locals (as they do in Flagstaff and Durango), it's not worth it. Been there, done that. Life is too short for silly arguments over whether an earring in the right ear means someone is gay or not (just see the Durango threads right now to see what I mean).
Corvallis has a sense of community and everyone gets along. That's important, and they also have lower unemployment and local industry as you point out. Thanks for yr post.
I agree about the Corvallis climate. I would not call it horrible, but I did not really care for it. I like Ashland MUCH better. But Corvallis is a more solid town. You know that.
You are also right about Ashland and its tolerance of outsiders. Since the takeover is nearly complete, there are no local Oregonians to be resentful. However, you have to like people from the Bay Area. That culture can be a bit self-satisfied, but they are engaged and community-oriented. Bend is similar, and it might be a bit more diverse (not ethnically) in the origins, values, and biographies of the natives (many Californians, but also many Portland and Seattle hipsters in search of sun, and some good old E. Oregon rednecks). Sedona is amazing. Can mere mortals still afford to live there? I thought it had "jumped the shark" decades ago.
I agree about the Corvallis climate. I would not call it horrible, but I did not really care for it. I like Ashland MUCH better. But Corvallis is a more solid town. You know that.
You are also right about Ashland and its tolerance of outsiders. Since the takeover is nearly complete, there are no local Oregonians to be resentful. However, you have to like people from the Bay Area. That culture can be a bit self-satisfied, but they are engaged and community-oriented. Bend is similar, and it might be a bit more diverse (not ethnically) in the origins, values, and biographies of the natives (many Californians, but also many Portland and Seattle hipsters in search of sun, and some good old E. Oregon rednecks). Sedona is amazing. Can mere mortals still afford to live there? I thought it had "jumped the shark" decades ago.
Thanks ...... I can't stand places where the good ol' boys are resentful of the newbies, so that's a plus for Ashland and Bend. You'll find that in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Durango, and Albuquerque that there are tensions. I have no issues w/ the Bay Area or Californians having spent 25 summers there visiting relatives. Sedona is not that expensive and rents are cheaper than Flagstaff.
I moved to Portland from Philadelphia 16 months ago and laugh when Portlanders talk about their scary neighborhoods. There are no bad neighborhoods in Portland, minor gang activity more of the copy cat variety, like I'm a thug so I should do thug things. Really, Portland is a great place, Oregon is awesome, put away your fears and make the move. Keep in mind we have a stiff recession going on here. Half the people from Portland are from somewhere else, it's a weird mix of conservative and liberal living right next door. Also, Bend is full of out-of-staters so no need to think there would be resentment there even though they wrecked the local economy with elevated housing prices. Southern Oregon has no tolerance for Californians, they will run them off the road. Just remember, it's your country too, move where you want and enjoy.
I moved to Portland from Philadelphia 16 months ago and laugh when Portlanders talk about their scary neighborhoods. There are no bad neighborhoods in Portland, minor gang activity more of the copy cat variety, like I'm a thug so I should do thug things. Really, Portland is a great place, Oregon is awesome, put away your fears and make the move. Keep in mind we have a stiff recession going on here. Half the people from Portland are from somewhere else, it's a weird mix of conservative and liberal living right next door. Also, Bend is full of out-of-staters so no need to think there would be resentment there even though they wrecked the local economy with elevated housing prices. Southern Oregon has no tolerance for Californians, they will run them off the road. Just remember, it's your country too, move where you want and enjoy.
There is NO Way I would live in Portland or Seattle unless someone gave me a job offer there or I was going to college there. It's expensive, and crime and drugs are high and increasing, just as it is in just about every major city. These economic times are separating those of us who still have some degree of moral and spiritual values from our childhood, and those who don't. These times are separating those of us who see a higher purpose and meaning to life, from those who don't. I am sorry to live in such times. There are systems of religious faith such as the LDS, Christians, and Buddhists, who still maintain a strong sense of community and belonging, and each individual has a sense of purpose.
As for southern Oregon, a high percentage of those in Ashland are actually from California. So are you referring to southern oregon in general? And, by what counties do you define as Southern Oregon?
I moved to Portland from Philadelphia 16 months ago and laugh when Portlanders talk about their scary neighborhoods. There are no bad neighborhoods in Portland, minor gang activity more of the copy cat variety, like I'm a thug so I should do thug things. Really, Portland is a great place, Oregon is awesome, put away your fears and make the move. Keep in mind we have a stiff recession going on here. Half the people from Portland are from somewhere else, it's a weird mix of conservative and liberal living right next door. Also, Bend is full of out-of-staters so no need to think there would be resentment there even though they wrecked the local economy with elevated housing prices. Southern Oregon has no tolerance for Californians, they will run them off the road. Just remember, it's your country too, move where you want and enjoy.
Couldn't agree more. The idea of 'crime' is completely relative.....
I too am from the East coast (Baltimore) and traveling around the NorthWest two months ago I couldn't believe the amazing sense of safety I felt. I mean, in Portland, even in the worst neighborhoods (believe me, I sought them out because I was dumfounded by the lack of 'ruff' and 'raw' areas) you have people stopping their cars for you to cross the street which should tell you something about their "crime" level.
From my stand point, Oregon is extremely safe all around, no matter the city, borough, block, etc. and this is a major reason I choose to move here.
Couldn't agree more. The idea of 'crime' is completely relative.....
I too am from the East coast (Baltimore) and traveling around the NorthWest two months ago I couldn't believe the amazing sense of safety I felt. I mean, in Portland, even in the worst neighborhoods (believe me, I sought them out because I was dumfounded by the lack of 'ruff' and 'raw' areas) you have people stopping their cars for you to cross the street which should tell you something about their "crime" level.
From my stand point, Oregon is extremely safe all around, no matter the city, borough, block, etc. and this is a major reason I choose to move here.
I think this should speak less to Portland and more to the condition of the rest of the country and what most Americans (apparently) deem acceptable as to crime. Personal safety should not be a privilege in a "developed" country.
But I am getting off topic because then we get into debates and talks of poverty, racial segregation, white privilege, white flight, rich elite, drugs, the dying middle class and cause of that, and the increasing income gap between rich and poor, etc.
At any rate, Portland really is a very safe city relative to the rest of the U.S. Property crime is above average, but things like carjackings, muggings, random drive-bys, and other such violent crimes are almost (if not) unheard of. It could pass in this department for a Canadian, European, Australian, or East Asian city. Almost. And the rest of the state is much, much safer, and actually does match up with the rest of the developed world in regards to safety.
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I don't understand your logic here. How does more education || more liberal = less safe? 'Splain please! 
