So….how do you all feel about Oregon??

[Art …]

as someone who lives in mildly arid climate, most of the Northwest is a big No for me. I only visit Washington in July and August, and I have family there.
To me Washington and Oregon are roughly the same weather wise (I know you who live there will correct me on this).

The one place in Oregon I might consider, and actually did consider once, is …

Bend , Oregon
a great place for a variety of outdoor experience.
fairly dry, since it sits in some kind of rain shadow.
fairly cosmopolitan for a small town (by my standards).
its almost like not living in Oregon while living in Oregon.

[Dean F.]

Let's see… flaming pinko outdoorswoman?

Yes, Oregon is for you. Do not doubt it.

I'm originally from Pittburgh, but have lived all over the country (and the world). I did my 5-year residency in Tacoma, and we did rotations at Legacy in Portland. And, of course, I got around the state on my excursions, too.

Speaking as an outsider, if you want a city with a small town feel Portland is it. Very liberal. VERY bike-friendly, I mean like no other place I've ever seen, and EVERYONE walks around in their hiking clothes all day. Great food. The complaining about the weather re:rain is just a scheme to keep the Californians away. It rarely pours- more like a pleasant light rain. And even them it is scenic as hell. It is overcast a lot. But the three months in summer are sublime.

Portland is sort of like a smaller, cleaner, and more outdoorsy Seattle (if you can imagine that). All sorts of epic outdoor locales are very close. I climbed Mt Adams, via the decidedly nontechnical South Spur. Hood scares me- I'll not climb that. You can be sea kayaking one day (though granted Puget Sound is better for that), and hiking in the mountains the next. Then skiing the next. Or even all in the same day…

I've never been to Eugene. The coast towns like Cannon Beach are pleasant but I'm not sure about the job market for PTs. They're much more hippie-enclave-ish, if that's what you're looking for. Lots of tie-dye and vegan-organic-whatever. (Portland has more of a groovy-goatee-outdoors vibe as opposed to blatantly hippie, if that makes any sense to you. Lots of peircings and plugs, and of course the brew-pubs.)

I currently live in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs is NOT for you. For instance it's the home-base of Focus on the Family, and it definitely shows. It's sort of the token "red as hell" metro area in this state. Even Pueblo has the hispanic vote, but not so much Colorado Springs. Denver- and particularly Boulder- is much more blue. Boulder might give most of the People's Republic of the University of California a run in the "who's bluest" competition. Golden (practically across the street) is also the northern(eastern?) terminus of the Colorado Trail. Fort Collins I understand is pretty blue, to. One nice thing about Colorado- 325 sunny days a year. My wife loves it here because of that. But you have to deal with a semi-arid climate.

But unlike Portland, Boulder is PART OF DENVER. In other words, it's not it's own thing. This can be nice in that you have a large city in which to find good food, shows, healthcare jobs, etc. But it's a CITY, no doubt, even if I-70 can have you in the middle of nowhere in nothing flat. Portland is more like a particularly large small-town. You can hike IN Portland. I loved Portland- can you tell?

[Kenneth Jacobs]

Jennifer

I have to agree with most of the people here that Portland is probably the place. I live here just outside Chicago in the NE burbs (Des Plaines). I've been to Portland many times as my sister and brother-in-law live out there. I honestly cannot say enough good things about Portland. Admittedly I tend to get very lucky with the weather when I'm out there, but I'd love the place wet or dry. Lots of places to explore and hike. I've hiked the Columbia River Gorge, been out to Smuggler Cove on the coast, bounced all around Portland eating and drinking and exploring. Great community, organics everywhere, quality food (and OH THE FOOD TRUCKS!!). Some day soon I'll pack up and move out there. May go out and have a few talks with the people at Nike this spring. Time will tell… If you are capable, I say pick up and move out there! I don't think you'd regret it one bit!

Would love to meet up and/or hike with you some time before you make a move decision. Don't know many outdoorsy people around Chicago and most of them can never find the time to get out.

I wish you the best in your searches. Let me know if you have any questions about Portland…or about Colorado for that matter. I lived out in Winter Park/Frasier for 6 summers a number of years back.

KJ

[Eric N.]

I moved to Portland 18 years ago from the East coast, when I was single and in my 30s, and it was the best move I ever made. The scenery and endless hiking options were some of the main attractions, but the city itself was also key: small enough to be manageable, but big enough to be interesting. But, at the risk of stating the obvious, please don't move here unless you have a job lined up. Unemployment's high, and sometimes this city seems filled with young under-employed people who just came here for the vibe and are now trying to figure out how to make the rent.

[Elizabeth Tracy]

Chicago is a really vibrant place, fueled by a pretty amazing social history and ethnic diversity.

You might find some of that in Portland. Eugene: maybe. Ashland and Bend: definitely not.

I grew up in Bend, and can't stand the place. There is a groupthink there, the kind you find in places where people who grew up there have rarely ever left home. I did not meet an African American till age 16 or a Jewish person till age 18. The snowfree backpacking season is only 6-7 weeks long, and these days is often marred by oppressive forest-fire smoke that lasts for weeks (it's a very dry place).

Like some others here, I can't help thinking you should check out Washington State as well, somewhere in or near Seattle. Boulder and Fort Collins are two other interesting suggestions, and I'm sure there are a lot more we have collectively forgotten to mention.

Wherever you visit, I wonder if there is a way to find out about the daily life there, rather than the just outdoor-tourist bubble? Can you stay with people, see what their commute is like, ride some bikes around, ask people how they feel about their jobs, go check out the local grocery store, etc. etc. Consider a winter visit, to see how you like the rain, the snow, or driving on two-lane black-ice deathtraps.

In any case: Welcome to the land of the Fleece Uniform. :)

– Elizabeth

[Miguel Arboleda]

I lived in Eugene for 10 years. Went to college, both undergrad and grad, there. Of all the places in the world (and I have lived in a lot of places), Oregon was perhaps my favorite. As others have said here, Eugene itself is a college town and very liberal. Once you start getting out of the center, things do start getting more evenly distributed in terms of thinking. But I found Oregonians to be on the whole very tolerant and supremely easygoing.

The outdoors is what makes Oregon one of the best places to live. It's everywhere, and nice and big and quite unspoilt. The entire coastline is public domain, so very little development. And you get high mountains, a wild coastline, lots of big rivers, and a desert with great rock climbing. Also you have a population that loves being outdoors, so you'll meet lots of people with the same interests.

Eugene is good too – one thing is that it's sort of confined by mountains so there is sometimes a bit of air pollution. Washington is pretty similar. Lot's of outdoorsy people. Lot's of liberals like you mentioned.

I'm not sure where the idea that Eugene gets air pollution came from, but in the ten years I was there I never experienced that. The Coastal Range, the Coburg Hills, the Cascades, and Spencer's Butte do ring the city, but they are so far apart and the open length of the Willamette Valley is so flush with winds passing through that I'm not sure where the pollution would settle.

I've heard a lot about Portland, too (visited many times, but never lived there). If you'd prefer more of what a city can offer, I'd recommend Portland instead of Eugene. Eugene can seem really far away from the rest of the world sometimes.

As long as I've known unemployment has been high in Oregon. Many of my college mates who still live there all complain about the lack of work.

If I ever return to the States, my heart is set on settling in Oregon again. That's how much I loved it there.

[Jerry Adams]

My sister lived in Eugene, maybe 1974 to 1984, and said air pollution can be bad there sometimes. Not a big deal though. Like a few days or weeks per year, in the winter.

[Nelson Sherry]

I have to drive almost an hour to get to either the beach or the mountains. Because of all the farming and logging, there are paved roads everywhere that our taxes pay for, but hardly anyone drives on. I have to pedal my mountain bike outside the city, at least a fifteen minutes ride, to find good trails. And, everyone knows Oregon republicans aren't real republicans. Everything is green because it rains all winter. I've met more people that have moved here without a job than anyplace else I've ever lived. No wonder unemployment is so high. It pretty much sucks here. I recommend staying in Chicago. ;-)

[Miguel Arboleda]

That's a biggie, the rain. If you can't handle 9 months of unending drizzle, then anything west of the desert is pretty much out. Some people love the rain (like me), others it will drive batty!

[Richard Scruggs]

Only rains once a year in Oregon – starts in October and stops in May.

The air stays clean and fresh, though, although not so clear with all the constant overcast clouds.

[Evan McCarthy]

I'd move to Oregon in a second, and in fact plan to as soon as my overseas work with the federal government comes to an end. I strategically married an Oregonian and every time we go back to visit her family and friends we have long, hard conversations about just quitting our jobs and coming back for good.

Tops on my list of preferred cities would be Hood River, but you can't go wrong with Portland or anywhere else. Eugene is definitely a college town, but a good one at that.

[Jeff Hollis]

Jen you have better options than the rainy west coast. I recently moved from Dallas to Fayetteville, Arkansas, the foothills of the Ozarks. It is the home of the University of Arkansas so not quite as backwater as you might think. I found a community about 30 minutes outside of town that is on the White River. The community is called Beav-O-Rama and is what I like to call an unplanned community. Just to say I live in a place called Beav-O-Rama is reason alone to move here. There are no cookie cutter houses and no huge estates. It is an eclectic mix of old hippies, red necks, retirees, and probably a meth head or two. Bella the horse often freely roams through the neighborhood on weekends and many dogs here have never seen a leash. I have easy access to trails for hiking or mountain biking as well rivers to kayak. And the cost of living is dirt cheap. Plus I am surrounded by lots of deer, coyotes, hawks and the like.

I am an outdoor sales rep and needed to live in my territory so Fayetteville seemed like the best option and is central for my travels. Yes Arkansas is fairly conservative but not as much so in the Fayetteville areas and with a few more imports like yourself, we can grow into a Vermont. The vote on medical marijuana was only narrowly defeated in the last election so it is only a matter of time. And the people here are some of the friendliest you will ever meet certainly way more so than the west coast. A couple more pluses is that you can hike year round as snow is not too frequent and you can still marry a family member if that is your thing. And contrary to popular belief not all the meth jobs have yet been shipped to Mexico so there is still a place for you if you happen to be a good cook or user. And teeth are optional.

A side comment on Colorado. I have backpacked there for many years but with the mountain pine beetle killing off all the lodge pole pines and whole mountains covered in dead tress I don’t go there much anymore. I read a report a couple of years ago that said within 5 years the state of Colorado will go dark as in dead brown trees covering most of the mountain region. Not sure if that is true but there is certainly a whole lot of ugly in some places, not to mention a big tinder box that will be burning for years to come. Very sad and man-made.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Kyle Meyer]

I've lived in downtown Portland the last ten years and love it. I lead about as hybrid a life as I can imagine possible in the US—travel most places by foot or bike (including work), live in a densely populated urban area, and can be on a trail in a wilderness area within the hour. On top of that, there is amazing beer and coffee, spectacular food, and like-minded people.

Check out the Northwest neighborhood (alphabet district). There's lots of single folks your age and plenty of opportunities to meet them at the litany of bars and restaurants. Unlike other areas, the northwest is much less hipster so your grid fleece will fit in well. : ) You'd also be within walking distance of Forest Park, the 17th largest city park in the contiguous US which has more than 80 miles of trail.

I make some new friends by inviting them backpacking. You get to know folks quick when you spend all night with them trapped under a tarp with a generous serving of bourbon.

Welcome!

[GD]

Check out Bend, Oregon. It's a gorgeous outdoorsy town surrounded by snow-capped mountains and I believe that the PCT passes right through (or at least very close to) it.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Mostly anyways…

Thanks SO much for all the input! As many of you may know – or realize – it is terribly difficult to uproot oneself and move across the country. I am lucky in my choice of profession in that jobs are plentiful, well-paying, and relatively easy to come by. But for those of you expressing concern about my economic health…no worries, I have no intention of going anywhere without a job in hand. I will still have a mortgage here in Chicago and I am much too old to be living on strangers' couches.

With few exceptions there seems to be a lot of love for Oregon…yes Washington would be great as well but unfortunately it's not the best for physical therapists…

And to the poster who complained about having to ride 15 mins on blacktop to get to a mountain bike trail I sincerely hope you are kidding…I have to drive 2 and a half hours just to see something green. And even then I am sitting in stop and go traffic, the trails are where the mob buries its bodies, and they generally are paved. The view from the generally gorgeous National Lakeshore has nuclear cooling towers on either end, and a string of steel mills churning out nastiness in between. I would LOVE to ride 15 minutes on asphalt to see some trees.

[Aaron]

Fort Collins is fairly affordable, as far as Colorado goes. My original plan was to move to the PNW after Colorado, and while that may still happen, I'm having a hard time leaving here.

I think the best thing to do would to jot down a list of possible places, visit, and see which one fits (in regard to lifestyle, career, etc).

[Miguel Arboleda]

And to the poster who complained about having to ride 15 mins on blacktop to get to a mountain bike trail I sincerely hope you are kidding…

Oregonians have a quirky habit of jokingly keeping outsiders away by making things sound awful… but the problem is it's hard to come with anything awful, so you have to pick the tiniest inconveniences and pile them up just to make the point stick. =^)

[Jerry Adams]

You mean like complaining about air pollution in Eugene?

[David K]

The snowfree backpacking season is only 6-7 weeks long, and these days is often marred by oppressive forest-fire smoke that lasts for weeks.

[Michael L]

Jerry.

Back in 2006 i think Eugene was top 25 in the nation for poor air quality by one measure. So it isn't just joking. Plus it is terrible for grass allergies apparently.

I think it's better. Burning the fields was a big contributor.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Plus it is terrible for grass allergies apparently.

That's true. Supposed to have something like 27 of the 29 known allergens. My brother, who has terrible allergies to grass allergens, nearly died when he came to visit. His whole face puffed up. We had to leave Eugene in emergency. I'd forgotten about that.

[David K]

Here is the reason for the grass allergy problems.

Oregon is the world’s major producer of cool-season forage and turf grass seed and a widely recognized center of expertise in seed production. Most of the acreage is located in the Willamette Valley, the “grass seed capital of the world.”

http://oregonstate.edu/valleyfieldcrops/grass-seed

Oregon had TeePee burners for wood waste for many years. Even in the early 80s you could see them burning like giant open bonfires. They contributed a lot to the pollution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_burner

In areas were there was fruit production fuel oil burners were used to ward off frost in the spring. After a night of use the smoke used to hang for days. They are no longer legal to use.

Plus everybody and their brother used wood to heat with. In the heyday of old growth logging there was plenty of waste wood to heat a lot of homes. Requiring certified wood stoves and the reduction in the availability of firewood has cut down considerably on the pollution from woodstoves.

[Tom Deal]

I have lived all over Oregon and I would have to say Bend was my favorite.Like most have said it rains alot on the coast.(There not called Oregon Ducks for nothing). It sounds Like you like city living and really that's all it is from Troutdale through Portland and down I-5 To Salem and Eugene.Mostly pavement and cars and people and every once in a while you will see a farm in the middle of it all.If you like seasons Spring winter fall summer you might consider further inland.Being a city person you must be used to the type of crime rates most cities have so I wont get into that.I can Vouch for Spokane Wa. its a decent little city with plenty to do. Coeur d'Alene Id (the city on the lake) is a growing city as well and both have seasons to enjoy and Lots of hiking and Biking..They have a paved biking trail thats almost 80mi long

[Harald Hope]

Jennifer Mitol, I lived in portland for a few years, and work has brought me back there once or twice a year since then, so I've seen it evolve. I'm ignoring all smaller northwest cities like Bend because in my opinion they would suck to live in, small towns, oppressive as heck, and just boring. If you move to portland and take some trips and find a small town like bend or eugene and find you like it, fine, but I'd never move there to start with, you'll almost certainly regret it, unless you want very little from your town. Portland is filled with people just like you, fleeing from various states in that region and wanting to live somewhere more progressive but not too urban.

Here's the points: portland is the BEST biking city in the USA. Bar none. Others now come there to study how they are developing their infrastructure. It gets better and better by the year, they are dedicating more and more resources to it, and portlanders are biking in higher real numbers than ever. This quality biking has led, of course, to a mushrooming of the biking scene, good bike shops, coops, messenger/delivery companies, etc, which leads to even better biking.

Portland has a true peak oil task force, and is actively engaged in aggressive rezoning to attempt to be one of the cities, one of the very few, I might add, that will not totally fall apart as oil supplies grow short and prices high. Many bpl probably have no idea what this means or why it's a critical component for any city that plans on existing in the future, but portland has a lot of people who understand that if you don't prepare for the future, you're going to be very sad when it comes. This alone puts it in a tiny list of american towns who are actually taking the steps required to move into the future with hopes of success.

Portland now allows local ag, like chickens, and it's part of a national movement to localize. It's also surrounded by rural area that is increasingly being farmed by young farmers who don't believe the lies of aggribusiness and want to create a more sustainable world.

Portland is removing parking places on street and replacing them with either rows of bike parking or small water collecting mini parks.

Portland isn't perfect, it's got some really bad suburban ring sprawl around it, and beaverton is about as bad as any other suburb in the world, but as long as you stick within the core of portland, you don't really need to deal with that part.

They are expanding their light rail, and actively embracing New Urbanism, which focuses on walkable/mass transit development, to increase urban density and decrease alienating car use.

From being a relative wasteland re food and eating out, they've gone to becoming somewhat of a foodie mecca, not probably as good as San francisco or NYC, but very good still.

It's still a small city, not a major urban area, but it's just big enough to not suffer from the problems of smaller towns/cities.

I could go on, but the positive list grows every year, and tempts me to move back almost every visit I make there.

One last thing, the cascades are not 90 minutes from portland, I was on the trail 30 minutes from portland, about, at multnomah falls, that trail led to pct eventually, which means, 30 minutes from portland, you can start walking and not stop for 1500 or so miles.

Also, totally ignore that talk about portland being wet or rainy, what it does there most days in winter is drizzle. We went day hiking all the time in the columbia gorge in winter, it's fine. Most true native portlanders can be detected because they don't usually wear rain gear. And virtually never umbrellas. A nice thick wool coat is usually all you need, or a nice water resistant fleece jacket. My normal bike trip there would involve me getting damp, a dampness that vanishes when you arrive to where you were going. Like anywhere, it also gets real rain, so I used fenders and had full rain gear for those days, which is really not a big deal either.

East Oregon is high desert, dry, and ranching country, it's not a very nice place to visit but it is worth it just to see it, but there's virtually no interaction between the more lush coastal strip and the eastern part, so that's not relevant to any decision you'd make re moving there. That's sort of like worrying about Fresno or Bakersfield not being ideal when you are contemplating moving to San Francisco.

Work in portland isn't great, but I assume you're a nurse or something else that makes it very easy to get work, so you don't have to worry about that downside.

While seattle is cool, in my opinion, biking it sucks, it's too dependent on some key freeway type bridges between its sections which leads to really bad traffic jams, and it also has a long strip of suburbs going North that is pretty dismal. In Portland you really never need to use your car, mine would often stay parked unmoved for weeks at a time, which is just how I like it.

Portland is not as urban as Seattle or San Francisco, but it's filled with refugees of states just like yours who came just for the same reason, in fact, it amazed me to no end how often I would meet people from states I'd never even seen before, like Alaska, Idaho, etc, and that's not an accident, portland is the middle ground between a large scale world city like seattle or san francisco and a way too small place like olympia or bend, and if you look at a map of that chunk of the country, you'll realize after a while that there are basically no towns like that, and that's why people flow there.

[Link .]

Jennifer, you might like to see this

[Author]

Posts