Salem commute to Eugene and Hillsboro (Portland, Keizer: find a job, safe area, school)

[rosegardens]

Hello,
My husband and I are moving to Oregon this summer, and I've enjoyed reading through this forum for tips on the area. I am looking for advice on our commute situation. My husband will be working in Hillsboro and I will be going to school at the University of Oregon in Eugene. We were thinking that Salem was the perfect halfway point for both us. What parts of town would you recommend with the following considerations:
-Proximity to the I-5
-Safe area
-younger population (we are in our late 20s...so not looking for the party scene, but not the retirement scene either).

Thank you very much for your help, we appreciate it.

[Leisesturm]

Hi... it must be fate... I got to you first... have you searched for this thread topic? It does come up. Others will tell you you can do this. I am going to tell you you cannot. There is much more to a commute than the door to door time it takes. A daily drive from Salem to Hillsboro and back is not trivial. There are websites that can give you the stats on how commute time relates to happiness indices. It isn't good. The longer your commute, the higher your misery index and this has a corrosive effect on long term relationships. Whoever has landed the better job, live in that city or very near it. And why not in it since you were lucky enough to find a job before housing was located. The other spouse will then have to find a job in that city. It can be done.

H

[Silverfall]

South Salem to Eugene would be about 1.25-1.5 hours to campus depending on how fast you drive and traffic in Eugene. It is a fairly straight shot.

Keizer to Eugene would be a solid 1.5 hours.

Salem to Hillsboro would likely be a 1.5-2 hour commute each way unless your husband works off hours to avoid rush hour traffic. 26 into Hillsboro can be a bear. Personally I think it would be nuts. If you lived in Keizer in the ClearLake neighborhood it would cut down on the Hillsboro commute. If you lived in South Salem in the Foxhaven area, you could get on and off quickly as well but it would add time.

Neither of these areas are dominated by a younger population. We don't really have that here.

[Steve Pickering]

To the University from the south side of Salem will be about 1 1/2 hours or more each way. The same or worse to Hillsboro. From the north side add another half hour. It is not a simple drive across Salem several times a day like Morning, Noon, and Evening. You will need to be a couple of really tough individuals to try this without tossing in the towel after a few months. I think you have acquired a real dilemma. If this is a must do, you have got a lot on your plate to deal with. I am sorry to say I can’t give you much hope of success.

[Silverfall]

I was thinking about this a bit more. If you don't have classes everyday, and your husband works everyday, then you might want to try and live in Woodburn to shorten his commute and increase yours.

If you live in Clear Lake in Keizer (as close to clear Lake Road as possible), then it would shorten his commute time a bit and you could take the Amtrack down sometimes to Eugene and study on the way down and back. The train station is in downtown Salem. You could gain three hours of study time that way. As you get close to finals that might make some sense.

Is there a reason why you are choosing U of O over PSU, U of Portland, Lewis and Clark, Reed? I just envision two insanely tired people all the time.

[rosegardens]

Thank you all SO MUCH for this very helpful information. Knowing few people in the area and no one with this predicament, I had no idea where to turn. Your suggestions are very helpful.

I chose UO because it's a better school and program for what I am studying. Silverfall I think your suggestion about the Amtrak is a great one, I saw other folks looking into that on this forum too.

I will continue to do my research on the area, especially with those areas/neighborhoods suggested. I welcome more advice as well! It's very helpful!

Thanks again! =)

[Steve Pickering]

Just remember the Amtrak ride is at limited times, and is often cancelled. It is really set up to transport legislators to and from the Capital. The cost is about double driving yourself. It will cost between $17.00 and $22.00 each way and at this time the majority of trips is being done by "BUS". Plan on 1 1/2 hours from station to station, plus wait time and delays.

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder You're looking for EUG and SLM.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Just remember the Amtrak ride is at limited times, and is often cancelled. It is really set up to transport legislators to and from the Capital. The cost is about double driving yourself. It will cost between $17.00 and $22.00 each way and at this time the majority of trips is being done by "BUS". Plan on 1 1/2 hours from station to station, plus wait time and delays.

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder You're looking for EUG and SLM.

Yeah it isn't something she could do on a regular basis for sure, but I was thinking more of finals time when you need that extra time to study.

[Steve Pickering]

They used to offer a ride book, but I didn't see it this time.