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Contemplating a move to Portland, Bend, or Corvallis
Hi ladies---
My DH and I are ultimately moving wherever a job leads us, but in the meantime, we're in the research stages, and I just thought I'd see if you could give us some feedback on Portland, Bend, and Corvallis --- or anywhere else you love.
Pros? Cons? What you hate, what you love...that kind of a thing.
Specific questions I have are what traffic, churches, biking, and schools (public, private) are like. What's the community like (mom community, and community in general)? Farmers' Markets? Proximity to groceries, hospitals, etc? How are your allergies? (That's a big con for Austin IMO...)
I've lived in Texas all my life (currently in Austin) and I think I'd like getting away from the heat, but I worry about SAD and the rain, lol. I think I'd like the change in culture, though.
Anything helps add to the picture. We're planning on taking a long vacation in which we just see the places in person before we make any major decisions, but I'm definitely ready for a change.
Thank you so much!
Re: Contemplating a move to Portland, Bend, or Corvallis
Although I've never been to Austin, I'm told that Austin and PDX are eerily similar. I'm sure others will have plenty of insight but here's a quick run-down from me.
All of Oregon is struggling with unemployment so finding a job before moving is definitely a good idea.
Corvallis: Mid-Willamette Valley, mild climate (rarely super hot or super cold), college town (OSU is known, particularly, for engineering), progressive, close to the coast (1 hour), close to nature (although this is kind of true for the three places you've listed), I would imagine good schools. My nephew goes to the Montessori school there and my sister has nothing but rave reviews about it.
Bend: I think this is still the fastest growing town in Oregon. LOTS of people moving in here from out of state. It has historically been an interesting demographic of old farmers, conservative mindset, etc with the addition of a lot of wealth in the past 10-20 years. It's created a rather interesting dynamic with those that have lived there for decades (or generations) and the new guard moving in with their expensive homes, etc. The weather is often cold and snowy in the winter (but more blue skies) and hot in the summer. It's the high desert. My sister lived here for a good 10 years and often talked about how isolated she felt living on the other side of the Cascades. I've heard that their economy is really struggling (I would imagine a lot of that is an issue of growing so big, so fast).
Portland: Oregon's largest city, progressive, TONS of farmers' markets, great restaurants, lots of areas of town with their own personalities. I don't have kids so don't have much to comment on in the way of moms or schools but I can say that it seems in the last several years parents have been pulling their kids out of public schools like crazy due to budget issues and the quality of the education going downhill. I think you'll find that most of us on here live in Portland.
If allergies are a big concern, don't move to Corvallis. I grew up there and until I moved to Portland, had to be on Prednisone because my allergies (grass) were so bad. According to a friend, the Native Americans used to refer to the area as the "valley of sickness" because it's so bad.
If you're allergic to trees, Bend isn't good. Portland, IMO, is middle of the road but then after growing up in Corvallis, when sometimes my eyes would swell shut even while on Prednisone, I can still suffer quite a lot and call it middle of the road.
Corvallis - it's a nice town, good schools and very sheltered.
My parents now live in Sunriver (right outside Bend). Bend has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state right now. It's very conservative. It's also got a fairly high cost of living in comparison to Corvallis.
Portland - I live here and I like it. Liberal. Lots of things to do, etc.
Portland, obviously has more hospitals than Bend or Corvallis. Don't know how the Bend Hosp is but the Corvallis one used to be excellent (don't know how it is now that my dad is retired). I think in Bend, some of the doctors are really good and some less so. Probably the same as any town that size.
Traffic. The state didn't plan for the growth we've had (they planned, just underestimated). I don't know what traffic in Corvallis is like now but Bend is horrible and Portland isn't great and will most definitely get worse. DH used to be a volunteer citizen rep at Metro (they do traffic, etc) and the forecast is frightening for the Portland area.
Biking - It's good in all 3.
Churches - Probably depends on what church you go to. Again, Corvallis & Portland tend to be more liberal and Bend more conservative although I'm sure you can find both in all areas.
Schools - Corvallis schools are good. Most of the people there are employed by the university, the hospital or HP/CH2MHill (engineers). They value education and it shows. Portland has good and bad schools depending on the area. Both have private schools available. Bend has at least one private school (it used to be Sunriver Prep). Not sure how the public schools are.
Portland has great Farmer's Markets. I'm pretty sure Bend has one but it's not going to be as good as Portland's or Corvallis' options simply because the growing options there aren't as good as in the Valley. Bend is desert-like in the summer, snow in the winter. Not great for growing.
Proximity to groceries -- well, that depends on where you live in each city.
48 states in the nation get more precipitation than Oregon. It's not commonly known but it's true (or about true -- I picked up that fact when I worked at the Convention & Visitors' Bureau in Corvallis in '92). The reason Oregon has the rep for rain, and the problems with SAD, is because while other states get downpours, we get a constant mist, light rain, constantly grey for months. And yes, it can get to you. Even those of us who are natives require a vacation. That's why Alaska Airlines has a direct flight that is ALWAYS overbooked to Palm Springs in the winter.
Oregon is currently the 2nd highest state in the nation for unemployment. The average is about 12% but some areas, like Bend (15%) are higher.Here's the MovingToOregon blog: http://movingtooregonpdx.blogspot.com/
Wow, thank you both. I'm going to soak all that in! A move wouldn't occur sooner than next year, so we've got a while to do research, but this really does help immensely in these beginning stages.
The last time I was in Oregon, I was 12 and it was on a family road trip from California to Canada. I guess my memories of Oregon are very idyllic and I still have this idealized vision of it when I think of it. Plus, I'm getting tired of Texas, and if we're going to move, I'd like to move out of the South.
Thanks, again, very much!
Learning to start all over again... Blog
Don't worry-that's definately on my mind and I'm already trying to put an action plan in place even though it's a year away and researching where I'd like to work (yah, like it's that easy!)
I can't afford to move without one, so I'd like to get a job THEN move up there, even if it means I have to live in a hotel for a few weeks. My only concern is DH, since he's a teacher w/ no connections to the area...I imagine it would be a bit more difficult for him to find a teaching position, but I think he'll have a few more classes he has to finish for his credential when we move anyways.
Learning to start all over again... Blog
Excellent point. The mid-valley (Corvallis) is crazy with allergens. Portland, particularly east/north, gets wind off the gorge that keeps it to a minimum.