Oregon is calling - Page 2

[claireelise]

I love Portland's progressive culture, but occasionally it is cloudy and rainy for 3 months STRAIGHT. Summers are PERFECTION but winters are long and gray, and the moist air means the cold feels colder (while in Bend it's dry so doesn't feel cold even at 50 degrees--in the sun). Actually I love the moss and ferns of "the wet side" so maybe you will too but many people come to Bend form Portland, at least for a weekend getaway to find some sunshine (we have 300 days of sunshine a year; even when it thunderstorms or snows, the sun often comes out later in the day). Portland has lots of neighborhoods, a wonderful thriving downtown, good diversity, and very progressive culture (lots of vegan, gay, resale shops (like Powell's Bookstore) etc etc). Unfortunately being on the main N/S corridor there is also meth and other drug problems and the mild temperatures mean plenty of homeless. Just so you know. Portland also has a GREAT ZOO, Children's Museum, MAX (subway), and botanical gardens. <3

The countryside IS pretty close, depending on which side of town you live (getting THROUGH town is the difficulty). The Oregon Coast (note Oregonians do NOT call it the "beach" because it's usually cold and windy) is close, and the Columbia River Gorge offers great and very close getaways. Oregon has many hot springs, waterfalls, and hikes. (See Breitenbush Hot Springs resort). Go to REI to look at guidebooks; Scott Cook is one good author; William Sullivan is excellent also. The Wilamette Valley, south, has lots of orchards (Harry & David started down by Ashland). Check out Ashland, also---smaller town feel but still progressive. But VERY "white" while P-town (Portland) has more ethnic diversity--Asian, African American, Latino, mostly. 

[philomom]

Originally Posted by claireelise 

I love Portland's progressive culture, but occasionally it is cloudy and rainy for 3 months STRAIGHT.

Be honest... it rains here from Halloween up till July 4th. Really. That's what keeps things so lush and green.

[lightinmyhands]

ok, about the rain..... I do love the gray drizzliness of the pacific northwest (when visiting) but I wonder how I could stand up to it long term.  I am inclined to serious mood issues without enough sun (funny that I find sunshine to be one of the least enjoyable weather conditions).  For instance, when we were in MO, the winter months often proved kind of challenging but some full spectrum lighting seemed to help.  What is it like to live with?  Do those rainy months seem unbearably long, even for those who love the rain?  

[philomom]

There are some folks that can't hack the rain. They move away or they stay inside and complain a lot. The trick is to have good rain gear and hike, walk and live life anyway. Most of the winter is rainy and 50 degrees. The only time I get upset is when its rainy and cold.... like nearing freezing. It doesn't do that much here but I can't stand the wet cold.. it is bone chilling. If you have SAD issues .... I'd stay away.

From July 4th to Halloween the weather is a perfect room temp ... 70's, sometimes 80's and hotter is very rare and sunny... no rain at all. The winds bring us desert air instead of seashore air in the summer. We have to water our gardens all summer long.

[zjande]

We've lived in Oregon, just outside Portland for 5 years now. I am one who can't hack the rain. :( It's not even the rain or the cold that bothers me, it's the darkness. It is just DARK & gloomy & gray for months & months at a time. Honestly, several weeks can go by with no bright sun whatsoever. Only dark, grey. I can't stand it. But some people can! My own husband & MIL say they barely notice! lol I have no idea how they can do that. :P I have to fight tears when I think of being here for one more rainy season ("rainy season" = about half the year). But we just decided we are moving to Idaho. Many more cloudfree days, even in the dead of winter when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground. I can hack that.

[BabyBuddhaBelly]

WOW, small world!!! I'm actually a native to Sarasota, and lived there for 21 years before moving here to the PNW about 3 1/2 years ago. (Eastside of Seattle, currently) My husband also was from Florida, and is a computer engineer. We heavily debated moving to Portland, but the IT jobs/opportunities weren't as strong in Portland (and honestly, I'm just not city person, I could never cut it), and the next best area looked to be around Beaverton. My hubby lived in Seattle from age 12 until 22, and after learning about the area more, as well as the job selection - we ended up moving to the Eastside in Redmond, WA. He is an Engineer with Microsoft currently, and consistently has headhunters from Amazon knocking on the door. I don't know if our area has ever appealed to you, but I am honestly thrilled with it here. I love Oregon as well, and we visit frequently as it's just a short 3-4 hour drive away depending on where we are heading. The job market and stability has kept us here, and if the hiking/outdoors scene appeals to you, there is lots of it here always within a short drive. Driving to the grocery store is a scenic drive in itself, and I honestly can't see myself ever leaving. There is a very crunchy parenting scene here on the Eastside, which I have to say is a total relief compared to Sarasota.

As far as the PNW weather, I will be completely honest and admit that the first winter I was completely and utterly miserable. (Wasn't sure if that was 21 years of sun speaking, or what) The first full summer however had me sold, and my the second winter was tolerable. This past winter as been abnormally long and run over into Spring, but I ENJOYED this winter, and find myself longing for the rain when the sun is going strong and hot for a few days at a time. Very odd, but even with my history of being a native to Florida - I'm just not a beach person and find tremendous peace being surrounded by green and mountains. I hope your family finds it's calling here in the PNW. Truly one of the best decision's I have ever made. 

[lightinmyhands]

BabyBuddha.... I have been to Washington state (seattle was actually my first every trip out of the midwest) and find it to be just as beautiful as Oregon.  Though some legislation I've seen come up has been a bit unnerving, such as the bill that purposed making vaccination exemptions only available from medical doctors.  I understand that Bill Gates with his home in Seattle probably has much to do with some of the stranger pieces of legislation (those that don't seem to fit the 'feel' of the area), but he's got a lot of money and a lot of pull and I don't know that I want to live where he spends his lobbying dollars.  However, that being said, I don't think I can live in Portland and that does look to be the only real possibility for DH to find work in Oregon.  Though I hear it's the best big city as far as big cities are concerned, originally I'm from Missouri and I am not a big city kind of girl at all.  I like to hike and camp and spend time amongst the trees, not crowded into a little rate cage.  Sarasota is really a wonderful city for Florida, there's tons of neat little shops and it kind of has a bit of a "west coast" feel to it here in the East....however, I find sunshine bright and obtrusive and while the beach would be a nice place to visit once a year it certainly isn't something I've got any regular interest in and all of the social activities here seem to revolve around the beach so I'm actually starting to get worried that I may never meet friends because I'd rather be alone the whole time we're here than spend much time out in the sand and saltwater hoping to meet someone to hang out with.  DH and I have been talking recently and it looks like i might be stuck here for some time and possibly have to let go of my dream of getting to the PNW.  He has a job that he absolutely loves with one of the top CPA companies and there is just much potential both for the company and for his own advancement within the company.  And when I say absolutely loves his job, I mean it could only be more perfect if it were located anywhere else but florida!  He's got a decent salary with good benefits, flex time, video games and giant bean bags and air hockey tables and skee ball and a 2 story slide all in his office building.....the work he's doing is the work he's waited his whole professional life for and I'd be the asshole girl if I made him leave because I dislike sunshine and the ocean.  (though he does keep his eyes peeled on craigslist in the PNW and would definitely jump at the chance to move if he found something as awesome there).  Can I ask you a question about survival in the area???? are there any like minded (crunchy) groups of mamas that aren't... well... (how to put this?) seeming to wear "crunchy" and "green" like a fashion accessory?  

[philomom]

Originally Posted by lightinmyhands 

Can I ask you a question about survival in the area???? are there any like minded (crunchy) groups of mamas that aren't... well... (how to put this?) seeming to wear "crunchy" and "green" like a fashion accessory?  

Lake Oswego is un-crunchy. The moms there look like soccer moms from all over the country.. blond, slim, and driving big black SUV's. Sorry, Lake O... but you do own that.

The outer burbs tend to be more mainstream as well. I've been down to Wilsonville and it's big box USA... hardly Oregon at all..... you could pick it up and re-place it in any state and it would fit just fine.

But you can fake some it, you know. Drive an old car, shop secondhand and don't have anything too showy in the house. Just be sure and put your recycling out or we'll call the green police on you for a good talking to. Just kidding.

[claireelise]

http://www.viamagazine.com/road-trips/top-five-mountain-towns

Yet another vote for Bend and Ashland!

I suggest you click around on visitbend.com just for a fee. our newspaper is the bend bulletin (but you may not access everything free) and The Source Weekly (tsweekly.com) is our entertainment paper.

Wanna buy our house? :-)

[NW2SE]

We recently relocated to Asheville, NC from Bend, OR. I loved Bend. I miss Bend. My best friends are in Bend. I can't wait to get back and see them in September. But I have to tell you, one of the main reasons I couldn't hack it there was the weather. Is it gloomy and misty like areas West of the Cascades? Nope. But the tourism board does a damn good job at making it out to be a sunny paradise that it is not. It's sunnier, yes. The days are short in winter and winter is looooong. The final straw for me was the year the first snow was October 2nd, the last was mid-June and the last frost was the middle of July. I'm telling you this because I read that you are affected by the weather. I can empathize. I soooo wish I wasn't, because we would probably still be there. Did I mention how much I love the community?  :)  You also can't grow much...even with a greenhouse (which was very important to us) and the economy isn't the best. At one point, I was the Educational Programming & Events Manager for the now defunct Working Wonders Children's Museum and continued on in a different direction to work as a doula. My partner bartended at McMenamin's. Obviously not two super high paying positions and yet every time my partner would deposit tips at the bank, the teller would lament that he was working 4 jobs and not making nearly as much. If you are already wealthy, retired or have a job that works no matter where you relocate, then you might not have any issues, but moving there and hoping to find something in the local economy to support a family might not work out as easily. My partner also teaches/tutors Spanish. After having lived in larger cities like Seattle and DC, there is shockingly little diversity in Bend...another thing that was important to us in raising our daughter. Don't want to come off as a downer, just giving you one person's reality with living there...but again, I miss it and really enjoyed the community. Best of luck to you, mama!

-Stacey

Stacey A. DiMuzio CD(DONA)
Bella Belly Doula Services
Birth, Postpartum, Hypno
Doula & Midwifery Assistant

Placenta Encapsulation
703.470.2727    828.484.1558
www.abellabelly.com

www.facebook.com/BellaBellyDoulaServices

[lightinmyhands]

NW2SE.... actually from all the reading i've done online, that is kind of the exact impression I got of Bend.  Though I bet it is beautiful, I am too affected by weather and want too badly to garden to be able to live there.  Not to mention my boyfriend is a computer programmer and there are just no jobs in Bend that can pay anything near what he  makes now and certainly not attain an equal level of job satisfaction.  Because of his work, it is looking like if we want to live in Oregon, Portland would probably be the spot....though most IT work is in Washington state for some reason and it would probably be wiser of us to relocate there.  I don't want to live in a big city so Portland is probably out for us and I don't know about Washington.  

[NW2SE]

Maybe some of the mountain towns in the SE could offer y'all some options? Shorter Winters, beautiful Falls and Springs. It can be fairly hot and humid, but nothing, in my opinion after having gone to school in St. Augustine, like Florida. There are some liberal and progressive pockets here (Asheville is probably the only place I'd willingly live in the East right now). We LOVE it here. The hiking, camping, exploring, etc. is on par with that of what we did in the PNW. The agriculture and ability to grow and eat locally is incredible. It's pretty granola here, though there is some deep south money and those happy to live in the mcmansion burbs.Not sure about the IT job market though...the economy is fairly depressed here as well. Just another thought for you. No matter where you go in the PNW, those short Winter days might get you if you're tied to the light and weather...they squashed me fairly well.

Microsoft is a little outside of Seattle in Redmond, and not far from the mountains and the pass, so not AS crowded. The Eastern part of Washington is similar to Bend in the sense that it is hot in the summer and pretty arid. There are wineries, apple and stone fruit orchards in Wenatchee, but they seem to be heavily irrigated, so I don't know how successful a home garden would be.

I hope that you find a great place for your family and wish you luck on your journeys!

Warmly,

-Stacey

Stacey A. DiMuzio CD(DONA)
Bella Belly Doula Services
Birth, Postpartum, Hypno
Doula & Midwifery Assistant

Placenta Encapsulation
703.470.2727    828.484.1558
www.abellabelly.com

www.facebook.com/BellaBellyDoulaServices

[sparklett]

Have you looked into Corvallis?

As far as the weather goes, I'm a southern California native who has been living in the Salem area for nearly a year now.  I actually L-O-V-E the weather here.  The worst month for me was March, when it was super gloomy and the end of the second rainiest season on record.  When I started to feel like I was climbing the walls, I hit the gym in full force and also booked a week-long vacation in a much drier climate.  That helped and I think it's going to be a new family tradition.  We just booked our first tropical vacation ever and specifically planned it for March so we could get away from the late winter rain.

The rain is what allows the northwest to be so amazingly beautiful.  I can't believe our typical summer days hover in the 80's!  During the rainy season, we follow the sun.  If the clouds are blowing east, then we drive out to the coast at the end of the storm so we can get the sun.  We live our lives just as we would if it wasn't raining, and we still have plenty of fun.

As for your original question, I tend to favor Eugene over Portland... for some reason it just really resonates with me. 

[sk8boarder15]

So... We visitied Portland and LOVED IT!!!! I mean we didn't want to go home. We rented a house near Alberta street, and it was amazing. If my dogs would have been with me I would have staid. One of the biggest things that I loved that I didn't even know about... NO BUGS!!!! I mean right now here in chi-town I have like 100 mosquito bites. The whole trip with NO BUG SPRAY, I got 1 bug bite. I loved the weather, apparently for summer it was very very rainy when we were there, but it was fine. The morning were cool and the afternoons warm. We drove to the coast and it was gloomy but beautiful. We looked at houses in the banks area. 

We are planing on listing our house this winter and moving to a rental out there in the spring. Then waiting for our house here to sell while looking for a home out there to buy. Another huge draw for me was the skate scene. WOW. Skateboarding has taken a pretty good dive here in the midwest, with all the privit parks going out of business and the public parks falling apart. Out there every little town has a WOLRD CLASS skatepark. Also everyone is so NICE. Honestly it kinda bugged me... but its better than people being jerks like they are here! Another plus (not a big enough reason to move though) is how dog friendly they are! Resturants have patio areas and menus for dogs, every town has a dog park, everyone is nice to each others dogs. Its just soooo differant from here. 

[wombato]

Sparklett, that's how I feel - I moved here from the Phoenix area, and I think the weather is great!  When it does get trying in the spring, I do recommend going somewhere drier for a bit, though :)

Corvallis might be a good option.  That's where I'm trying to go now for some homeschool meet-ups, hoping to find some like-minded people.

[sparklett]

Originally Posted by sk8boarder15 

So... We visitied Portland and LOVED IT!!!! I mean we didn't want to go home. We rented a house near Alberta street, and it was amazing. If my dogs would have been with me I would have staid. One of the biggest things that I loved that I didn't even know about... NO BUGS!!!! I mean right now here in chi-town I have like 100 mosquito bites. The whole trip with NO BUG SPRAY, I got 1 bug bite. I loved the weather, apparently for summer it was very very rainy when we were there, but it was fine. The morning were cool and the afternoons warm. We drove to the coast and it was gloomy but beautiful. We looked at houses in the banks area. 

We are planing on listing our house this winter and moving to a rental out there in the spring. Then waiting for our house here to sell while looking for a home out there to buy. Another huge draw for me was the skate scene. WOW. Skateboarding has taken a pretty good dive here in the midwest, with all the privit parks going out of business and the public parks falling apart. Out there every little town has a WOLRD CLASS skatepark. Also everyone is so NICE. Honestly it kinda bugged me... but its better than people being jerks like they are here! Another plus (not a big enough reason to move though) is how dog friendly they are! Resturants have patio areas and menus for dogs, every town has a dog park, everyone is nice to each others dogs. Its just soooo differant from here. 

Awesome!  I'm so glad you liked it!  I know what you mean about the nice people- just one more thing to like about Oregon.  Have you watched Portlandia?  It's a hilarious parody of life in Portland...and sometimes hits really close to home.

[sk8boarder15]

We LOVE Portlandia!! Its too funny! 

[sk8boarder15]

I seriously wish we could move NOW! I don't want another winter here in IL! Hopefully no blizzard this year! 

[rhianna813]

Waving from Eugene :-)

I can echo many things the others have mentioned.... yes it rains from Oct to July, coffee addicts all around, coffee shops to match. Micro brews too. Eugene is the Mecca of alternative living but the unemployment levels are *faints*. Portland is better option if securing a job is vital. You will find some level of progress living in western Oregon and especially in the Willamette Valley. But the Valley also brings... yes I am going there... seasonal allergies that are hard to rival. This has been a deal breaker for a couple of people I've known LOL

Bend is a great option for those who need more sun and much drier conditions, especially if you love to ski. Ashland is beautiful. The coast is a great place to visit but hard to find steady work there and not sure about the cost of living. Most towns rely on tourism.

Portlandia is hella funny! I swear I know people who ARE the Women and Women First bookstore owners...

Rhianna

[sparklett]

Originally Posted by rhianna813 

Waving from Eugene :-)

I can echo many things the others have mentioned.... yes it rains from Oct to July, coffee addicts all around, coffee shops to match. Micro brews too. Eugene is the Mecca of alternative living but the unemployment levels are *faints*. Portland is better option if securing a job is vital. You will find some level of progress living in western Oregon and especially in the Willamette Valley. But the Valley also brings... yes I am going there... seasonal allergies that are hard to rival. This has been a deal breaker for a couple of people I've known LOL

Bend is a great option for those who need more sun and much drier conditions, especially if you love to ski. Ashland is beautiful. The coast is a great place to visit but hard to find steady work there and not sure about the cost of living. Most towns rely on tourism.

Portlandia is hella funny! I swear I know people who ARE the Women and Women First bookstore owners...

Rhianna

OMG the ALLERGIES!!!  Never, ever have I suffered such allergic torture as terrible what I experienced in June-July.  Turns out I'm severely allergic to cottonwood.  My eyes swelled shut (literally), I developed a yellow bubble on my eyeball, welts on my stomach, wheezing, endless sneezing.... it was terrible.  We ended up fleeing to the coast for two weeks so I could get some relief.  Next year I'm getting allergy shots just so I can function.  It was awful.  I'm hoping it was mostly due to being in a new environment and next year will be better.

As for Portlandia... my husband loves the episodes with the bicyclers.  I love the "Dream of the 90s" song.  Epic.