Author Topic: Moving to Oregon  (Read 3965 times)

melluvia

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Moving to Oregon
« on: July 07, 2015, 09:35:17 AM »
Hello Mustachians! I'm looking into moving to Oregon next year and am specifically looking at the following cities: Central Point, Grants Pass, Coos Bay, and Eugene. I'm looking at these cities specifically because they all have Waldorf charter schools which is important to me. Does anyone live near any of these places and could you give me feedback on your Mustachian experience there? Job market isn't too big of an issue as I work from home. I'm looking at cost of living and bikeability mostly. Thank you for your input!

ambimammular

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2015, 10:07:45 PM »
Ah, Eugene! We were there for 5 years when DH was in grad school on one of the worst graduate student stipends in the US, so we have intimate experience with living a mustachian lifestyle there.

-It's hard to believe that a more bikeable city exists. Equal, perhaps, but not more. There are bike lanes everywhere, and the hippie culture that infuses the city has helped ensure that drivers are aware and accommodating, and that bike parking is always easy. But have a really good lock (not just a U-lock with the circular key: DH's bike was stolen in our first week, even with the U-lock. The cops told him that bands of thieves in vans travel from Seattle to SoCal stealing bikes along the way, and Eugene is a hot spot).

-The mountain biking is particularly good.

-Housing can be pricey, but you can find that out easily enough online.

-There are plenty of options for bulk foods (thanks again, hippies!), and one natural grocery store, Sundance, has a shelf with distressed 1/2 price produce. We would often wander down there and pick up whatever was on that shelf for dinner.

-Go to any park or even the side of the road to pick gallons of wonderful, free blackberries. We even got a bunch of apples from a state park one year and turned them into pie (although we'd make applesauce today).

-There is a ton of free entertainment. Beyond the parks, you have a free summer Shakespeare in the Park series, where people eat dinner on the grass while they watch a play. Spencer's Butte, a short drive from town, is a free and popular day hike. Again, pack a lunch at eat it at the top. Hell, the people-watching downtown is a sport in itself.

We'd move back in a heartbeat. Best o' luck!


milesdividendmd

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2015, 01:15:14 AM »
No specific insight, but Oregon is the greatest!  Good luck!

melluvia

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2015, 05:58:27 AM »
Wow you make Eugene sound lovely (except for the bike stealing part!) Thank you so much for sharing. That will definitely be one we go visit before we move!

OttoVonBisquick

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2015, 02:01:42 PM »
Not sure if this is relevant, but Oregon just made community college free. Or, at least, they will soon, assuming all goes to plan:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-33425-oregon_will_become_second_state_to_offer_free_community_college.html

I know that I, being young with no strong attachment to any one place and a job that allows remote work, might consider moving there and getting another degree sometime later on. Or not, who knows.

Bumbling Bee

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2015, 02:15:25 PM »
Both Eugene and Coos Bay are really lovely. I believe the cost of living is lower in Coos Bay than Eugene. Eugene's got great biking, as ambimammular says, and it's a university town, so there's a lot of cool cultural and artistic things happening all the time. IMHO, the Oregon Coast can hold its own against any and all comers (you have no idea how disappointed I was the first time I went to the Jersey Shore), and Coos Bay has some of the most beautiful beaches in Oregon.

I'm really excited for you!

jbfishing

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2015, 02:27:09 PM »
I've lived in Oregon for 30 plus years, lived in Eugene, and spent time in the other cities you mentioned.  Eugene will have the highest cost of living, the others should be fairly affordable.  As mentioned, Eugene is great for biking.  Central Point is next to Medford which is quite bikeable.  Not sure about biking in Coos Bay or Grants Pass.  If weather is a consideration, it can be quite different between those cities.  Central Point and Grants Pass will be the hottest ( a few 100+ days) in the summer, with Eugene a little cooler.  Coos Bay is coastal and is windy and cool most of the year.  If politics matter, Eugene is the only blue city of those four. 

melluvia

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Re: Moving to Oregon
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2015, 09:09:21 AM »
Thanks for all the replies everyone. Now I'm dying to check out the Oregon coast! Looking at housing, Eugene does seem to be more pricey as well.