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My fiance and I have lived in Bend for almost a year now and we absolutely love it here!
The weather is great, the people nice, and the outdoor activities are endless.
There's two big problems for me though.
1. Reckless driving/congested traffic/car accidents are so common here.
2. Housing is SO expensive! I cannot afford a home that costs $500k - $1M, unfortunately. I may be cornered into settling for something less than what I want if we stay.
So I guess I'm just curious about Salem!
1. I've been looking online and it seems like you can get a really big, beautiful home there for under $400k, which is amazing! But how true is that?
2. I know the weather is extremely different. Lots of rainy days and grey skies. Just how much sun do you guys get there? Are you able to enjoy outdoor activities or hangout in your backyard with friends around a fire?
3. What is the traffic like? Safe? Terrifying? Does it take 30 minutes to an hour just to get to work or anywhere else in town?
4. The crime rate in Salem seems terrible. Do you feel safe living there? What are some safe areas around Salem? I heard to stick to the West side or to try Dallas, OR. Do you feel safe raising a family there? My fiance and I want to start a family soon and I am very concerned about this.
Anyways..
Thanks for taking the time to read and answer any of my many questions!
1. I've been looking online and it seems like you can get a really big, beautiful home there for under $400k, which is amazing! But how true is that?
Define a big beautiful home? We are cheaper than Bend for sure, but I wouldn't say you can get a big beautiful house for under $400k here but that depends on what your definition of big is. West Salem will have more offerings than south because of the bridge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaityBug
2. I know the weather is extremely different. Lots of rainy days and grey skies. Just how much sun do you guys get there? Are you able to enjoy outdoor activities or hangout in your backyard with friends around a fire?
We get sun here. We don't get the cold and snow of Bend. Yes, you can enjoy outdoor activities but if you don't like rain and prefer dry heat, it wouldn't be the right climate for you. Just like you have a winter coat for Bend, you have a raincoat here and you go out in the rain. Bend has closer outdoor options than we do and more mountain biking, for example so it depends on what you like to do. We also have a lot of covered patios/decks for entertaining year-round. I love visiting Bend and I have friends that live there, but the hot dry heat kills me so I could never live there. I love the Salem weather personally as it is cooler and we get more sun than Portland.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaityBug
3. What is the traffic like? Safe? Terrifying? Does it take 30 minutes to an hour just to get to work or anywhere else in town?
We have rush hour traffic here. The only bad part of town with traffic is west Salem because of the bridge. There is only one bridge across the river in Salem so it gets congested during rush hour. I can go from far in south Salem to Keizer in about 25 minutes. Most of the time you are 10-15 minutes from where you want to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaityBug
4. The crime rate in Salem seems terrible. Do you feel safe living there? What are some safe areas around Salem? I heard to stick to the West side or to try Dallas, OR. Do you feel safe raising a family there? My fiance and I want to start a family soon and I am very concerned about this.
I feel very safe in Salem and am out and about all over town with no issues, but I'm not uncomfortable around poor people. Some people are. Bend is a very white and wealthy city. Salem is much more middle class and diverse. West and South generally have lower crime rates. Dallas is very different than Bend or Salem. Small town living is just a different beast. If I was going to live in a small town around Salem, I would live in Silverton or Independence. Silverton has better schools than Independence for now but Independence is an up and coming city. Lots of good things happening there.
Salem has had a spike in crime starting in 2016 which is when the housing market took off here. Our crime and homelessness both started increasing at that time, which makes sense when there is no affordable housing for people. Housing here is so expensive compared to wages and we are a very middle-class community. So yes, crime is a problem here right now. Most of it is petty crime, so I don't feel unsafe walking around like someone is going to assault me, but if you leave something in your car, it might get stolen. Lots of opportunistic crime, porch pirates, car theft, etc.
We have had an increase in shootings here as well that are domestic violence-related. Last year and this year have had several which is unusual for the city. I just think there are significant economic pressures on our working and middle-class families here with our spiking home prices and increased rents and it is causing domestic violence to go up.
So my son is a sophomore in college and my daughter is a senior at Sprague. I liked raising my kids here. I like the slow pace of the city, had access to amenities, nature is close by and I was happy with the south Salem schools. I still feel that way, but the city has some issues to deal with right now because of growth, increased housing prices causing homelessness and domestic violence, and of course Covid.
Bend and Salem are very different culturally. Bend is very affluent and more akin to Lake Oswego or West Linn in that regard. Salem is more affordable, but that is because we are more middle class. We have people go back and forth between Salem and Bend. Retirees head out there all the time for the sun and then sometimes they come back because they tire of the snow.
My fiance and I have lived in Bend for almost a year now and we absolutely love it here!
The weather is great, the people nice, and the outdoor activities are endless.
There's two big problems for me though.
1. Reckless driving/congested traffic/car accidents are so common here.
2. Housing is SO expensive! I cannot afford a home that costs $500k - $1M, unfortunately. I may be cornered into settling for something less than what I want if we stay.
So I guess I'm just curious about Salem!
1. I've been looking online and it seems like you can get a really big, beautiful home there for under $400k, which is amazing! But how true is that?
2. I know the weather is extremely different. Lots of rainy days and grey skies. Just how much sun do you guys get there? Are you able to enjoy outdoor activities or hangout in your backyard with friends around a fire?
3. What is the traffic like? Safe? Terrifying? Does it take 30 minutes to an hour just to get to work or anywhere else in town?
4. The crime rate in Salem seems terrible. Do you feel safe living there? What are some safe areas around Salem? I heard to stick to the West side or to try Dallas, OR. Do you feel safe raising a family there? My fiance and I want to start a family soon and I am very concerned about this.
Anyways..
Thanks for taking the time to read and answer any of my many questions!
We have our share of crazy drivers, usually depends on the time of day. Personally I think there are way too many wannabe racers speeding around town. Worse than any other place I've lived.
Real estate is getting more and more expensive. While it may be cheaper here than Bend, I don't believe it's worth the trade off when it comes to quality of life.
We get plenty of sun in the summer months, it's usually dry almost the whole season. Winter it is wet and gloomy, but we do have a decent amount of dry days.
As far as crime, I cannot say that I feel unsafe. But that is very much dependent on the person. I'm a big guy and I am not easily scared. Though I am very much aware we have a lot of crime. You also might want to consider the fact that we have multiple prisons here.
South Salem and West Salem are generally safer than N/NE Salem. Dallas is nicer and quieter in my opinion.
Those things said, I wouldn't trade living in Bend for Salem in a million years (Been there a few times and love it). I am selling and moving out of Salem next spring, and I can't wait to leave.
Define a big beautiful home? We are cheaper than Bend for sure, but I wouldn't say you can get a big beautiful house for under $400k here but that depends on what your definition of big is. West Salem will have more offerings than south because of the bridge.
We get sun here. We don't get the cold and snow of Bend. Yes, you can enjoy outdoor activities but if you don't like rain and prefer dry heat, it wouldn't be the right climate for you. Just like you have a winter coat for Bend, you have a raincoat here and you go out in the rain. Bend has closer outdoor options than we do and more mountain biking, for example so it depends on what you like to do. We also have a lot of covered patios/decks for entertaining year-round. I love visiting Bend and I have friends that live there, but the hot dry heat kills me so I could never live there. I love the Salem weather personally as it is cooler and we get more sun than Portland.
We have rush hour traffic here. The only bad part of town with traffic is west Salem because of the bridge. There is only one bridge across the river in Salem so it gets congested during rush hour. I can go from far in south Salem to Keizer in about 25 minutes. Most of the time you are 10-15 minutes from where you want to go.
I feel very safe in Salem and am out and about all over town with no issues, but I'm not uncomfortable around poor people. Some people are. Bend is a very white and wealthy city. Salem is much more middle class and diverse. West and South generally have lower crime rates. Dallas is very different than Bend or Salem. Small town living is just a different beast. If I was going to live in a small town around Salem, I would live in Silverton or Independence. Silverton has better schools than Independence for now but Independence is an up and coming city. Lots of good things happening there.
Salem has had a spike in crime starting in 2016 which is when the housing market took off here. Our crime and homelessness both started increasing at that time, which makes sense when there is no affordable housing for people. Housing here is so expensive compared to wages and we are a very middle-class community. So yes, crime is a problem here right now. Most of it is petty crime, so I don't feel unsafe walking around like someone is going to assault me, but if you leave something in your car, it might get stolen. Lots of opportunistic crime, porch pirates, car theft, etc.
We have had an increase in shootings here as well that are domestic violence-related. Last year and this year have had several which is unusual for the city. I just think there are significant economic pressures on our working and middle-class families here with our spiking home prices and increased rents and it is causing domestic violence to go up.
So my son is a sophomore in college and my daughter is a senior at Sprague. I liked raising my kids here. I like the slow pace of the city, had access to amenities, nature is close by and I was happy with the south Salem schools. I still feel that way, but the city has some issues to deal with right now because of growth, increased housing prices causing homelessness and domestic violence, and of course Covid.
Bend and Salem are very different culturally. Bend is very affluent and more akin to Lake Oswego or West Linn in that regard. Salem is more affordable, but that is because we are more middle class. We have people go back and forth between Salem and Bend. Retirees head out there all the time for the sun and then sometimes they come back because they tire of the snow.
Wow! Thank you so much for your very detailed reply. It's extremely helpful!
I've been looking at real estate online for Salem and it looks like there are a lot of 4-5 bedroom, multi-story homes for sale around $400k and even under. I was shocked, here that would cost anywhere from $500k up to $700k!
The weather there isn't really my cup of tea if I'm being totally honest. I don't mind rain but I love sunshine. My sister's live in Portland though, and my best friend and her family in Salem, so it would make our lives a little bit easier being that much closer to them. As well as being closer to the coast!
I didn't know that about the bridge. I'll have to look into that and some more areas, like Silverton.
The high crime rate worries me but I also grew up in a town with a lot of homeless, drug users, and a high crime rate as well. So It's not new to me. However, like you said, Bend is a very wealthy, white community. It hardly has any crime or homeless here. There is only ONE road that has tents and RV's lined up on it and that's it. They're currently trying to fix that though because now that It's winter, the homeless are literally freezing to death out there. We've had one death so far.
I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed raising your kids in Salem. My friend just bought a duplex there with her husband and she has a beautiful one year old daughter. I can't wait to start a family too, I just want to make sure that I have a good home in a city that we love first.
We have our share of crazy drivers, usually depends on the time of day. Personally I think there are way too many wannabe racers speeding around town. Worse than any other place I've lived.
Real estate is getting more and more expensive. While it may be cheaper here than Bend, I don't believe it's worth the trade off when it comes to quality of life.
We get plenty of sun in the summer months, it's usually dry almost the whole season. Winter it is wet and gloomy, but we do have a decent amount of dry days.
As far as crime, I cannot say that I feel unsafe. But that is very much dependent on the person. I'm a big guy and I am not easily scared. Though I am very much aware we have a lot of crime. You also might want to consider the fact that we have multiple prisons here.
South Salem and West Salem are generally safer than N/NE Salem. Dallas is nicer and quieter in my opinion.
Those things said, I wouldn't trade living in Bend for Salem in a million years (Been there a few times and love it). I am selling and moving out of Salem next spring, and I can't wait to leave.
Thank you for your reply! Glad to hear that you're a fan of Bend. It really is beautiful here, minus the snow and icy/dangerous roads.
I hate when people speed like that. Everyone is in such a rush now a days and it's so dangerous.
When you say it's dry there, do you mean it rains often but occasionally stops and you have some grey/dry days?
And congratulations! Where are you moving to?
I think Salem being cheaper overall, and having close friends and family there is sort of manipulating my decision. Although, Bend is SO beautiful, sunny, and the town hardly has any crime/homeless/drug problems. Not that it doesn't have any at all.. but it's something I could get use to. I have severe anxiety driving around town though, so It's hard to enjoy everything the town has to offer.
As far as crime, I cannot say that I feel unsafe. But that is very much dependent on the person. I'm a big guy and I am not easily scared. Though I am very much aware we have a lot of crime. You also might want to consider the fact that we have multiple prisons here.
The prisons aren't the reason for our crime rate. People always see prisons and think that prisoners get released into the city, but in Oregon, prisoners are released back into the county in which they were convicted. They do not get released back into Salem unless they were convicted here. Our crime rate was below Eugene's and on a downward trajectory until 2016.
The prisons aren't the reason for our crime rate. People always see prisons and think that prisoners get released into the city, but in Oregon, prisoners are released back into the county in which they were convicted. They do not get released back into Salem unless they were convicted here. Our crime rate was below Eugene's and on a downward trajectory until 2016.
For many the belief is, friends and relatives of prisoners, many of whom are criminals themselves, move to the communities with prisons so they can be closer to the imprisoned. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.
Thank you for your reply! Glad to hear that you're a fan of Bend. It really is beautiful here, minus the snow and icy/dangerous roads.
I hate when people speed like that. Everyone is in such a rush now a days and it's so dangerous.
When you say it's dry there, do you mean it rains often but occasionally stops and you have some grey/dry days?
And congratulations! Where are you moving to?
I think Salem being cheaper overall, and having close friends and family there is sort of manipulating my decision. Although, Bend is SO beautiful, sunny, and the town hardly has any crime/homeless/drug problems. Not that it doesn't have any at all.. but it's something I could get use to. I have severe anxiety driving around town though, so It's hard to enjoy everything the town has to offer.
We usually have some nice dry days throughout winter. It varies from year to year. It's still cold and grey, but nice enough to get outside.
We're moving back to Hillsboro, just west of Portland. I didn't realize how much I'd miss it until I left. It is definitely more expensive, but my family lives up there so it's an easy choice.
Bend was on my list for a long time, it's just too expensive and too far away from family to be an option. That said, if you do decide to come out this way West Salem or Dallas would both be better choices than Salem proper. Stayton wouldn't be a bad choice either. A bit more rural, yet still close to Salem.
Hopefully whatever you decide will be the right move for you. Good luck!
For many the belief is, friends and relatives of prisoners, many of whom are criminals themselves, move to the communities with prisons so they can be closer to the imprisoned. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.
I don't know that either.
I was curious and the average stay is 24.5 months. My guess is that might have been true in the past but not sure people would haul themselves all over the state to move back again for a two-year stint.
We usually have some nice dry days throughout winter. It varies from year to year. It's still cold and grey, but nice enough to get outside.
We're moving back to Hillsboro, just west of Portland. I didn't realize how much I'd miss it until I left. It is definitely more expensive, but my family lives up there so it's an easy choice.
Bend was on my list for a long time, it's just too expensive and too far away from family to be an option. That said, if you do decide to come out this way West Salem or Dallas would both be better choices than Salem proper. Stayton wouldn't be a bad choice either. A bit more rural, yet still close to Salem.
Hopefully whatever you decide will be the right move for you. Good luck!
Hey, thank you so much!
We're looking into those areas along with Silverton and Independence!
Good luck with your move as well.
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