Comparing Salem with Olympia, WA (Portland, Eugene: sales, apartments, to rent)

[Alinka]

Many years in a MSA of almost one million in the desert SW and I am ready for a major change. Actually I have been ready for quite some time but challenges such as illnesses and deaths in the family have prevented me from moving.

My hope in Oregon was centered on the coast but has turned toward Salem. In Washington I liked Issaquah a lot but don't think the proximity to Seattle is what I really want. So, for that state I am interested in Olympia.

I'm familiar enough with the weather to know the PNW is what I want, especially since I have reverse seasonal depression. The COL seems close enough for each area. Salem has the edge for being close to the coast and Olympia for the area lakes.

So, what is each area like in terms of congeniality, attitudes toward animal welfare, availability of holistic/alternative medical care? Walkability? Not that I am going to be walking everywhere, but it would be nice to not have to get in the car and often spend 40 minutes to get 10 miles- for pretty much anything.

Coming from a state where almost everything is taxed, no sales tax in Oregon and no income tax in Washington pretty much evens out. The suggestion to live in Vancouver and shop in Oregon has no appeal since I don't want to be that close to Portland.

So, anyone here familiar enough with both areas to post some comparisons?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Alinka

........ attitudes toward animal welfare, availability of holistic/alternative medical care? Walkability?......

How pleased you are with animal welfare depends upon how rabid a humaniac you are. There are lots of farms with livestock and there are dairy farms and the farms use standard agricultural practices. People eat meat, eggs, dairy. There is actually a law in Oregon that you can not move into a farming area and start filing complaints to try to drive the farms out.

Dogs are generally well liked and there are rescues and the human society is generally well supported. You won't be popular if you are one of those people who demands that everyone take care of their animals to your own high and unrealistic standards.

For holistic and alternative lifestyle issues, I suggest that you move to Eugene instead of Salem. Eugene has a sort-of- functioning public transportation system, better than most places in Oregon have with the exception of Portland.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Alinka

So, what is each area like in terms of congeniality, attitudes toward animal welfare, availability of holistic/alternative medical care? Walkability? Not that I am going to be walking everywhere, but it would be nice to not have to get in the car and often spend 40 minutes to get 10 miles- for pretty much anything.

I've only visited Olympia so I can't really compare them in terms of congeniality long term.

People in Salem are very friendly. I've had more than one client comment on it who moved here from other areas.

The animal rescues/humane societies are no kill shelters with the exception of ill animals or ones that are too aggressive. There is a huge pet culture here, and they bring up dogs from CA all the time that are in kill shelters to get adopted up here. I can say there isn't a lot of tolerance for poorly trained dogs though. No one wants to listen to your barking dog all day, and Salem has a 10-minute maximum time in our city codes. If your dog barks for more than 10 minutes any time of the day, the police can be called and they will give you a ticket for a city ordinance violation. Dogs bark at each other, but you are expected to deal with it.

Oregon has a huge hunting culture here so if that bothers you, probably not the right state to be in. They are going to put down a pack fo wolves that have been attacking livestock out in eastern Oregon.

They do take very seriously here animal neglect and horses, cats, dogs have been removed from homeowners due to negligence. We do have tethering/chain restriction laws here as well.

Salem is very compact as we have urban growth boundaries in Oregon. I live far south and it would take me 20-25 minutes to get to northern Keizer. Most things are 5-10 minutes away. If you want to take a bus, Salem doesn't have a good public transportation system which is a huge sore spot in the community. The walkable neighborhoods are mostly around the downtown core and off of Commerical and Liberty.

We have a lot of acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, etc here. I don't think there is a lack of providers of those services in our area. That isn't really considered alternative here though. That is normal, mainstream healthcare here and some of the doctors have integrated clinics with a traditional MD, naturopath, acupuncturist, etc within their clinic. Chakra or something like that would be considered more alternative and out there on the medical front. Not sure how you are defining alternative medicine.

[annoyingcherry]

I also considered Olympia, but didn't ever visit there. I would say that the downtown part of Salem is definitely walkable. I think some more grocery stores downtown would help, but there are some new upscale condos and apartments so hopefully that will create more demand. There is a fairly nice shopping mall in the center of town, with Nordstrom, JC Penny's and Kohls. Many smaller stores and very few vacant stores. Just people shopping, didn't observe any roving thugs. Re medical, I hope others will comment some more. The hospital looks good from the outside, but haven't been there yet. I took Amtrak down from Portland when I moved and the woman next to me said she'd had a medical procedure done in Portland, so apparently that is an option for specialized treatment. Smooth ride on the train, but Amtrak requires patience as you may know. The walk from the cute Amtrak station to downtown Salem isn't bad at all, but I definitely would not recommend walking in the immediate vicinity of the Portland Amtrak station (Union Station).

[Alinka]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

We have a lot of acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, etc here. I don't think there is a lack of providers of those services in our area. That isn't really considered alternative here though. That is normal, mainstream healthcare here and some of the doctors have integrated clinics with a traditional MD, naturopath, acupuncturist, etc within their clinic. Chakra or something like that would be considered more alternative and out there on the medical front. Not sure how you are defining alternative medicine.

Thank you Silverfall. It's probably just a difference in how medical services are structured. Where I am located alternative/integrated/holistic providers generally practice in fairly small groups or individually. They use these terms to describe acupuncture, massage therapy, ayurvedic approaches, yoga, etc.

I would like to contribute personally and financially to animal rescue causes and wondered about their presence locally.

Originally Posted by annoyingcherry

but there are some new upscale condos and apartments so hopefully that will create more demand.
I took Amtrak down from Portland when I moved and the woman next to me said she'd had a medical procedure done in Portland, so apparently that is an option for specialized treatment. Smooth ride on the train, but Amtrak requires patience as you may know. The walk from the cute Amtrak station to downtown Salem isn't bad at all, but I definitely would not recommend walking in the immediate vicinity of the Portland Amtrak station (Union Station).

I would be interested in condo living in Salem but have some apprehensions. These include the percentage of owners to renters, the quality of soundproofing, and whether my three cats would rule me out. I would want to purchase and not rent. Did you choose a condo in Salem? There is one that appeals to me, ? Street Condos. I lost track of the name of the street and whenever I looked I saw no listings for it- maybe Church St?

My current plan is to fly to SEATAC then Amtrak to Olympia, then on to Salem, and then fly back from PDX.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Alinka

Did you choose a condo in Salem? There is one that appeals to me, ? Street Condos. I lost track of the name of the street and whenever I looked I saw no listings for it- maybe Church St?

Yes, 295 Church St. They were developed by Cascadia and are really nice inside. Good floor plans for the most part.