Living without a car: Portland? Salem? Corvallis? (Eugene, Springfield: sex offender, house)

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by rainwalking

I work online from home, so Internet access is all I need for my "commute."

One thing to consider in Corvallis--you may be stuck with cable internet if you are in certain neighborhoods. When I lived there, DSL really wasn't a choice because of the age of the phone lines in my neighborhood (mid-60s era). You could get DSL but the speeds were really s--l--o--w. When you don't have a choice of internet providers the one you're stuck with can really take advantage of you financially.

[philwithbeard]

I'm not bad mouthing Corvallis, which is a nice place to live and all, but I would think a mid-way between an urban city and small town would be more like Oregon City or Wilsonville. But just so you know, there are more Internet workers stay-at-home types in the West Hills of Portland with whom you could bond with as fellow cyberspace co-workers, or as fellow slaves-to-the-keyboard, or Chained-to-the-Cyber-Oars-of-Indentured-Servitude.

But Corvallis is still nice. A bit too college town-ish for my taste, but YMMV.

Phil

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

I'm not bad mouthing Corvallis, which is a nice place to live and all, but I would think a mid-way between an urban city and small town would be more like Oregon City or Wilsonville. But just so you know, there are more Internet workers stay-at-home types in the West Hills of Portland with whom you could bond with as fellow cyberspace co-workers, or as fellow slaves-to-the-keyboard, or Chained-to-the-Cyber-Oars-of-Indentured-Servitude.

But Corvallis is still nice. A bit too college town-ish for my taste, but YMMV.

Phil

I lived in the West Hills and loved it out there. OP, you need to understand that Portland while big, really doesn't feel that way, I don't think. Coming from Chicago 20 years ago, I found Portland to be quite a "casual" city. The Pearl has hustle and bustle but there are many other neighborhoods that you might like that aren't quite so busy.

[rainwalking]

JasonF, Smiled, and jjpop, thanks for the info on Corvallis weather, Internet service, etc. All good to know.

Philwithbeard, a midway place is what I was thinking about Salem. I imagined it as "Portland lite" or "Portland with less excitement" (and everything else). But if it's really not that shady or car-free-friendly, then I'm not so sure it's for me. I'm still keeping it on my radar, though. I'll look up Oregon City and Wilsonville too.

Silverfall and Minervah, thanks for the Portland info. A big place that doesn't feel so big and has distinct neighborhoods could be doable. I grew up in a suburb and attended college in LA before moving away to the sticks. What I disliked most, besides the crowds and weather, was city driving. If I could be car-free in a walkable neighborhood with its own "smallish town" feel, it might work.

OK, time to start planning the trip. I'm thinking next February or March. Would that be a good time to experience real Portland weather? Will all the trees be bare? Hmm, maybe I'll wait for spring . . .

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by rainwalking

I grew up in a suburb and attended college in LA before moving away to the sticks. What I disliked most, besides the crowds and weather, was city driving. If I could be car-free in a walkable neighborhood with its own "smallish town" feel, it might work.

I also attended college in the LA area and agree with you about the city driving. The big difference between Portland and LA is that you pretty much need to get on a freeway to get anywhere in LA. In Portland, freeways aren't nearly as ubiquitous, and (speaking for myself) much of the time I avoid the freeway to get to where I want to go. Also much LA is simply not walk- or bike-friendly, and while I complain about the lack of sidewalks in and around Portland (exception: Downtown and most of SE), it's still worlds better than LA where motorists simply don't acknowledge that pedestrians exist.

[Zombiestare]

Well there are a few of us cyberspace co-workers in Corvallis. I haven't had a problem with the internet yet, but I'm used to the Comcast monopoly.

We should all go have lunch at Nearly Normals. Half off their Nearly Nasty Burritos! Woot!*

*I like to celebrate working from home by randomly leaving my keyboard and wandering around Corvallis.

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

I'm not bad mouthing Corvallis, which is a nice place to live and all, but I would think a mid-way between an urban city and small town would be more like Oregon City or Wilsonville. But just so you know, there are more Internet workers stay-at-home types in the West Hills of Portland with whom you could bond with as fellow cyberspace co-workers, or as fellow slaves-to-the-keyboard, or Chained-to-the-Cyber-Oars-of-Indentured-Servitude.

But Corvallis is still nice. A bit too college town-ish for my taste, but YMMV.

Phil

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by rainwalking

JasonF, Smiled, and jjpop, thanks for the info on Corvallis weather, Internet service, etc. All good to know.

Philwithbeard, a midway place is what I was thinking about Salem. I imagined it as "Portland lite" or "Portland with less excitement" (and everything else). But if it's really not that shady or car-free-friendly, then I'm not so sure it's for me. I'm still keeping it on my radar, though. I'll look up Oregon City and Wilsonville too.

Silverfall and Minervah, thanks for the Portland info. A big place that doesn't feel so big and has distinct neighborhoods could be doable. I grew up in a suburb and attended college in LA before moving away to the sticks. What I disliked most, besides the crowds and weather, was city driving. If I could be car-free in a walkable neighborhood with its own "smallish town" feel, it might work.

OK, time to start planning the trip. I'm thinking next February or March. Would that be a good time to experience real Portland weather? Will all the trees be bare? Hmm, maybe I'll wait for spring . . .

Salem has shady neighborhoods and Capital Park is quite shady as is Grant. Salem is just a bit more sprawled than Corvallis since we are twice the size, and we don't have the public transportation system that Portland has since it is obviously larger.

When you visit Salem, check out Word of Mouth Bistro on 17th and State for their creme brulee french toast, yum. You can easily walk downtown from there. Downtown places to eat Venti's, Wild Pear, La Capitale, Da Vinci's, Andaluz are all yummy places to eat. Head into Clockworks (Stumptown Coffee) and Coffee House Cafe (their own organic roast). They are cool coffee houses.

If you come in March you'll catch the start of the cherry blossoms on the Capitol Mall here and they are stunning, but I think it is more important to get a feel for the rain and make sure you can handle that.

[rainwalking]

All those eateries sound great as long as they offer vegetarian options.

Will it be raining in February and March? Or is the rain year-round? I'm not wild about walking/biking in a downpour, but I can handle light rain and drizzle anytime.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by rainwalking

All those eateries sound great as long as they offer vegetarian options.

Will it be raining in February and March? Or is the rain year-round? I'm not wild about walking/biking in a downpour, but I can handle light rain and drizzle anytime.

Oh yes. You should prepare for rain in February and March--it's highly likely. There's a slight chance you may hit that weird week that we sometimes get in late winter/spring when it's sunny and 60.

The rain isn't year-round. From early July through September there's very little rain. Many years no rain at all. September was odd this year though--we got a pretty good soaking--but October has been spectacular.

[Rob Allen]

The rain is not quite year-round, just from October thru June. So yes, it will be raining in February and March.