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Old 10-27-2009, 06:19 PM
 
6 posts, read 16,176 times
Reputation: 10

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My family is considering moving to the Salem area next year. My husband and I both work in restaurants (I also have a business degree). We have 2 young children, one of whom will start kindergarden next fall.

My first question is how are the schools in the Salem area? Second, I know that the job market in Oregon is not great, but I have seen in several publications that the hospitality sector in Oregon is still doing ok, does anyone have a feel for whether this is true? Does hospitality in Oregon pay well compared to other industries?

Also, we are very outdoorsy, and as we live in Montana now I know that the climate in Oregon will be a big improvement for us, so what are some of the recreational opportunities? Do people get outdoors all year long?

I will greatly appreciate any advice I can get!
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Old 10-27-2009, 09:05 PM
 
Location: PNW
682 posts, read 2,423,631 times
Reputation: 654
Quote:
Originally Posted by chefswife View Post
Also, we are very outdoorsy, and as we live in Montana now I know that the climate in Oregon will be a big improvement for us, so what are some of the recreational opportunities? Do people get outdoors all year long?
I have to say the mild temperatures are my favorite part about Oregon. I moved here from Idaho, and I don't really miss the snow, wind, heat, or frigid temperatures, but I do miss the sun on occasion.

People are outdoors all year long, mostly because of the mild temperatures, with or without rain. There are a lot of recreational opportunities in and around the Portland Metro area. Here are some ideas, but this is just a starting point:

Hiking & Camping
Oregon
Oregon State Parks and Recreation: Visiting State Parks - Find A Park
Washington Park, Portland, Oregon | Home
The Website of Portland Trails
Columbia River Gorge NSA - Welcome!
http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/
Portland Japanese Garden
Pittock Mansion

Skiing & Surfing
Timberline Lodge
Mt. Hood Skibowl - Home
Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association | windsurfing, windsurf, site access, Oregon, Washington
Oregon Surf Spots - North Coast (http://www.oregonsurf.com/html/surfspots_north.html - broken link)

Hunting & Fishing
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Sports
Adult Flag Football League Portland, Oregon
Adult Basketball League: Portland, Oregon
THPRD: Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District - connecting people, parks & nature in Beaverton, Oregon
On-Line Registration : Activities
Oaks Amusement Park and Skating Rink

Oregon Coast & Gaming
Oregon Coast Visitors Association
Oregon Coast - Travel Oregon
Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport
Chinook Winds Casino - Lincoln City Oregon
Oregon Casino Resort, Hotel, Lodging, Oregon Coast Events | Spirit Mountain

Wine
Welcome to the Willamette Valley
Oregon Wine Board | Tour Oregon Wine Country, Buy Wines Directly
Oregon Wine, Wineries and Wine Country Travel - A comprehensive tour planning guide

Markets & Produce
Portland Farmers Market
http://www.pickyourown.org/ORporteast.htm

Arts & Entertainment
Oregon Museum of Science & Industry
Pioneer Courthouse Square - Portland, Oregon
Portland Art Museum
Portland Center for the Performing Arts - Official Website
Rose Quarter
pgepark.com: Home
Oregon Zoo | Portland, Oregon
Aladdin Theater - 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland, OR 97202
Crystal Ballroom Homepage brought to you by McMenamins (http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=2&category=Location%20Homepage - broken link)
Multnomah County Library
Washington County Cooperative Library Services

Fair & Expo
Oregon State Fair 2009 | - It's BIG!!
Welcome to the Washington County Faircomplex in Hillsboro Oregon!
Clark County Fair
https://www.expocenter.org/index.htm
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Old 10-28-2009, 01:29 PM
 
6 posts, read 16,176 times
Reputation: 10
Wow! That is a ton of information, thank you! I will keep busy checking on all of those.

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Old 11-01-2009, 04:28 AM
 
Location: Everywhere
234 posts, read 718,950 times
Reputation: 108
Wow. I am so sorry!!! Salem = armpit of Oregon
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Old 11-01-2009, 09:57 AM
 
Location: Dayton, OH/Portland, OR
398 posts, read 1,318,369 times
Reputation: 210
Quote:
Originally Posted by ak.nessa View Post
Wow. I am so sorry!!! Salem = armpit of Oregon
malachai23 wonders to herself how many times aknessa has actually been in Salem, OR, besides driving through on the freeway...

ANYhow..... I spent a number of years growing up in an around Salem and I am still in Salem every 3 months or so to visit friends and family (who by the way really like living there). OP, Salem is a nice little town. It can be a little rough around the edges in spots, but it also has some very nice neighborhoods as well.

It has a lovely downtown with many independent shops & restaurants, and great old architecture. They have even started building new modern looking condos downtown with neat lines and lots of glass. A few of the old warehouses have been rennovated into loft space. Salem has a nice riverfront area. It has many historic neighborhoods including one in South Salem with some amazing old turn of the century mansions.

Salem has some issues, sure - like traffic is one of them. It, like Portland to the north, also has a high number of homeless and group-home types. Those poor souls are always the least of my worries. Rather, I wish they would get the traffic situation under control! That would boost Salem's ratings in my book.

Salem is no Portland - it's a mere fraction of the size. It's wedged in between two pretty "hip" cities - Portland and Eugene - which will probably make it eternally overshadowed and dissed on. It will probably never have the "hipness" factor of Portland and Eugene, but it's a nice town in its own right and plenty of people enjoy living there.

Good luck with your move!!
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Old 12-07-2009, 03:07 PM
 
32 posts, read 157,736 times
Reputation: 25
Good to know malachai23. Sacramento CA (which is where I currently reside) gets the same bad rep when actually it is quite a nice place to live.

I should visit Salem to check it out!
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Old 12-07-2009, 05:09 PM
 
Location: oregon
899 posts, read 2,943,145 times
Reputation: 678
eyless
we landed in salem over 6 years ago from Fairfield-Suisun Ca in a motorhome not really looking to get off the road but found a house here in Salem and love it...
One of the things we look forward too is all the yummy furits and vegies in the spring and summer..you can over dose on them..the sweet corn and cherries are to die for as are the peaches..
The weather is easy to deal with too because anywhere you live your going to have a few days that if you don't have to go out and your not going too..
The whole valley is just a neat place to live..
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Old 12-07-2009, 05:35 PM
 
32 posts, read 157,736 times
Reputation: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamh View Post
eyless
he weather is easy to deal with too because anywhere you live your going to have a few days that if you don't have to go out and your not going too..
.
This is very true. Every place has its less than good weather!
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