Salem Recreation? (Portland: rent, how much, motel)

[Oregon Dreams]

My husband and I are considering moving to Salem sometime next year because we can't stand CA anymore. We need clean air, shade trees, cooler temps, fewer fires, lower housing costs, and nicer people. From what we have read so far, Salem would be a good choice. What about movie theaters & gyms in the area? Are there major chain theaters with first-run movies? Are there any major chain fitness clubs like Planet Fitness or L.A. Fitness? Also, the outdoor activities we have read about seem great, but what is there to do when the snow falls?
Help, please!

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Oregon Dreams

My husband and I are considering moving to Salem sometime next year because we can't stand CA anymore. We need clean air, shade trees, cooler temps, fewer fires, lower housing costs, and nicer people. From what we have read so far, Salem would be a good choice. What about movie theaters & gyms in the area? Are there major chain theaters with first-run movies? Are there any major chain fitness clubs like Planet Fitness or L.A. Fitness? Also, the outdoor activities we have read about seem great, but what is there to do when the snow falls?
Help, please!

There are several Regal Cinemas in the area as well as a Cinnebarre. Second run comes to Northern Lights and the indie movie house is Salem Cinema.

The Courthouse Athletic Clubs dominate here because they are locally owned and nice. We also have a 24 hour Fitness and CrossFit which I think are national as well as many smaller studios. One of the big issues for Californians, outside of the rain/gray skies, is the expectation for large national chains because they are used to those. While we have some here, Oregon is very local, ma and pa driven, so we aren't going to have the large strip malls and stores that you have in CA. If you move to Portland, which has the population, you will get all of those places that you are familiar with.

Snow doesn't fall very often and when it does the city shuts down so you stay home. Snow falls in the mountains but you don't have to go to them if snow isn't your thing. Snowshoeing is fun though.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Gyms and movie theaters are recreation?

In winter, there is skiing, snow boarding, cross country skiing, snow mobiling, snow shoeing......

There isn't often snow in Salem so you out on your wet gear and go hiking and fishing and boating. When there is a really good storm, you drive to the coast, rent one of those motel rooms with an ocean view and a fireplace, and you storm watch, which happens to be a very popular activity.

Your neighbors will still be out biking and riding horses. The kids are still out playing soccer and using the swings at the park.

I confess, my family doesn't enjoy camping in the rain, but we do enjoy camping in the snow, so we camp in the winter, which also involves fishing and hiking

If you melt when you get wet you might reconsider. Rainy season is many months long. If you don't mind rain, you just buy a water proof coat and some good boots and get on with your regular activities.

[DKM]

Keep in mind the lower housing costs are linked to lower salaries. If you are retired, its a great option for Oregon.

[Oregon Dreams]

"Gyms and movie theaters are recreation?
Of course that's not all we like to do, in fact we are not originally from CA, but Seattle. We also like hiking, camping, and biking as well, but I remember how much I hated doing any of those in the rain. Looking for a fairly temperate climate. Mostly, we're hoping to find non-judgmental, kind, friendly people. Not retired yet either, so also need a good sized economy with jobs. But, not Portland. How does Salem compare to Seattle as far as weather?

[leastprime]

Seattle is cooler in the summer in the day but more humid. In the night Seattle is warmer.
In the Winter, like now, Seattle is warmer and drier. Salem is in a small cold spell with night temps at freezing and days highs of low 40s with a north wind from the Gorge, 60 miles north.
Snow is light 1-3 Times a year but will be wet and will freeze at dusk to a pure sheet of ice. Driving will be treacherous. In 2_3 days the ocean and southerly air will return temps to high 40s / low 50s and ice will be all gone. Loose gravel will be your major problem after a snow. Everything shuts down because of the ice. Stay home.
You can easily grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and in some areas melons.

[5gables]

There's no Whole Foods in Salem, which says a lot IMO. But you can get pretty much anything you really need. For recreation, seems like there are plenty of runners and bicyclists. I use a gym that was previously a Gold's Gym and the new owners didn't change much. There's a gym downtown that's in the lowest level of a parking garage. That gym is really tiny but has great reviews on google and yelp, which makes no sense to me except maybe people look for different things when choosing a gym.

The refreezing of roads during the winter is just as bad for pedestrians, but I have yaktrax ready this year. The main roads get plowed after snow but they don't use salt. On the plus side sometimes I see folks driving a cool classic car from the 70s, turns out it's just the car the family has had since the 70s. Have you seen two Datsun pickup trucks in the last year? I have.

Seattle is a major city, so can't really compare but according to USGS, Salem is yellow (for seismic hazards) with orange for Seattle-

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqua...ington-haz.php

[DKM]

If you hated doing those things in the rain, you will hate it in Salem as much as you hated it in Seattle. The fact is the weather between the 2 places is fairly similar, just that Salem summers are hotter and drier. Temperate is San Francisco, Salem is cold (to me). There is nothing really to do there, which is why when people there tell you what there is to do, its the same thing you can do anywhere. People run, ride bikes and drink beer at any city across America. You are 90 minutes from a lot of fun things to do, but its not exactly close by. I moved here from Oregon to be closer to outdoor activities and be able to enjoy them more than 4 months a year.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by 5gables

There's no Whole Foods in Salem, which says a lot IMO. But you can get pretty much anything you really need. For recreation, seems like there are plenty of runners and bicyclists. I use a gym that was previously a Gold's Gym and the new owners didn't change much. There's a gym downtown that's in the lowest level of a parking garage. That gym is really tiny but has great reviews on google and yelp, which makes no sense to me except maybe people look for different things when choosing a gym.

The refreezing of roads during the winter is just as bad for pedestrians, but I have yaktrax ready this year. The main roads get plowed after snow but they don't use salt. On the plus side sometimes I see folks driving a cool classic car from the 70s, turns out it's just the car the family has had since the 70s. Have you seen two Datsun pickup trucks in the last year? I have.

Seattle is a major city, so can't really compare but according to USGS, Salem is yellow (for seismic hazards) with orange for Seattle-

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqua...ington-haz.php

Why does not having a Whole Foods say a lot? Roth's has a lot of organic food/produce. Between Roth's, Trader Joes, and LifeSource I have never not been able to get what I need. Support a national chain or two local businesses? Seems like a no brainer to me.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Oregon Dreams

"Gyms and movie theaters are recreation?
Of course that's not all we like to do, in fact we are not originally from CA, but Seattle. We also like hiking, camping, and biking as well, but I remember how much I hated doing any of those in the rain. Looking for a fairly temperate climate. Mostly, we're hoping to find non-judgmental, kind, friendly people. Not retired yet either, so also need a good sized economy with jobs. But, not Portland. How does Salem compare to Seattle as far as weather?

Salem doesn't seem as gray to me compared to Seattle, but we get rain. If you don't like doing things in the rain, I don't see Salem being a huge improvement over Seattle in that regard. You would have to go into Northern California or Southern Oregon for a more temperate climate I think.