goodbye california, hello oregon!

[knucklehead 61]

anyone else moved or planning to move from cal to oregon? we already have a place up there rented out until we leave cal never to return. just seems like a nice place to live. laid back, friendly people & they all speak english!

 

[Dawg52]

You retired?

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

anyone else moved or planning to move from cal to oregon? we already have a place up there rented out until we leave cal never to return. just seems like a nice place to live. laid back, friendly people & they all speak english!

Yup everyone's friendly and laid back here. Just keep in mind our tourism slogan from the 80's "Oregon: A nice place to visit, but please don't stay."

 

[knucklehead 61]

You retired?

not yet, but getting closer. hope to in 3 years at 45. sell our 2 san jose, ca homes & head to cottage grove, or.

 

[Rambler]

We love cali, but the nonsense is beginning to be too much to take. Too much pork, too many giveaways, too many bleeding heart politicians who would be more than happy to take away from those that have worked hard and saved and give to those who barely work and squander what they have. We haven't spent a lot of time in Oregon though. Kind of like some of the smaller cities in Utah but could not stomach Salt Lake or Provo/Orem. We like Logan and St George...but Logan is too cold in winter and St George is too hot in summer. Only places I have been in Oregon are too rainy.

R

 

[calmloki]

Cottage Grove, Oregon (OR) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, move, moving, houses news, sex offenders

Nice town - my Mom used to have a Victorian there. Pretty soggy and kinda loggerish. Don't count on Oregon being sensible - our governor is proposing that GPS units be mounted on cars - it seems that Oregon isn't collecting enough gas tax, maybe because fewer are going to work, maybe because there are too many gas sipping Prius and such. So he's thinking it would be a good idea to tax by miles traveled - that'll teach those T-Al & Nords types! Nobody has any problem with tracking units on their cars, right? OK, next year RFID chips for everybody!

Looks like maybe our Hispanic population is decreasing - hard to believe, but City-data is showing about 1/3 Hispanic for our town, and I'd have sworn it was more like 60% recently.

 

[CuppaJoe]

SO's sister moved to Bend many years ago, for job reasons, never to return to S.F. except for family occasions.

A neighbor in my apt. building just bought a house in Bend. We're taking bets on whether she will also keep her city digs. I'm betting, yes.

Don't worry, I have no such plans but the only trip I'm thinking about is the train ride through the Cascades to see (but not play in) all that pristine snow.

 

[rocketdog]

anyone else moved or planning to move from cal to oregon?

Yes, I moved up to OR back in 1981. It has sure grown a tremendous amount since I moved here--lots more people everywhere. But, there are still wild places where you can get away, and the land-use planning laws mean you don't have to travel far from town to reach the woods.
I moved from Davis, CA to Portland. I found the lack of sunshine to be the worst thing about OR.
Now, the summers in western OR are glorious! Temps in the 70s-80s, occasionally 90s--and lots of sunny skies. Plus no humidity!
But the rest of the year, expect lots and lots of cloudy days--often with a light misting rain falling---day after day after day after day--sometimes for weeks on end...
After 28 years here, I'm crazy enough to love this weather now! But it was difficult at first, especially coming from sunny CA.

 

[audreyh1]

One of our very favorite states. Amazing geographical diversity. Really friendly people. Awesome food and wine.

Audrey

 

[ziggy29]

My parents retired to Oregon from California in 1993. Every time we visit it rains, but my mom swears that they do have some nice days up there. I just wish I could bring some of the rain home with me.

 

[unclemick]

Day after day after day after day of grey misting rain and 40 to 50 degrees IS the good weather.

Was born and raised outside of Portland on the Washington side of the river til the tender age of 26.

Some people just don't understand 'perfect weather' when they see it.

My goodness.

heh heh heh - going to maybe 60 here north of Kansas City with that there bright glinty sunshine. One of the neighbors gave me a Brisket to smoke today on the patio. .

 

[haha]

We love cali, but the nonsense is beginning to be too much to take. Too much pork, too many giveaways, too many bleeding heart politicians who would be more than happy to take away from those that have worked hard and saved and give to those who barely work and squander what they have. We haven't spent a lot of time in Oregon though. Kind of like some of the smaller cities in Utah but could not stomach Salt Lake or Provo/Orem. We like Logan and St George...but Logan is too cold in winter and St George is too hot in summer. Only places I have been in Oregon are too rainy.

R

I really do not like Oregon. Same stinky weather or worse than Washington, plus state tax and even more sanctimonious people than Seattle's. (definitely not including Oregonians on this board!)

Good trout fishing out in the desert though.

Ha

 

[Urchina]

I did the reverse 8 years ago (raised in OR, moved to CA after I got married).

Cottage Grove is a quiet little town. Nice folks. Well out of the Salem-Portland metro area and close enough to Eugene for shopping.

Have fun. Don't forget your Gore-Tex.

 

[billman]

Cuppa,

My parent just bought a house right by Bend, in Sisters. I went up there for XMAS and really enjoyed it, didn't think I would, but it was really a chill place. I am in love with the Organic Beer from Deschutes Brewery. Definitely way different then California especially central Oregon. Seeing snow was great, living in Dubai and all.

Billman

 

[Zoocat]

I certainly can understand leaving S. Calif. But I'm not sure why anyone would want to move from N. California to Oregon right now when housing prices are finally falling into an "affordable" range. Is the traffic north of SF really awful now? Is the living just too difficult? Why?

I'd love to live there again, so I hope you will forgive my confusion.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

In the Pacific Northwest, we have a name for the sunny day that follows two days of cold rain. We call it "Monday".

 

[knucklehead 61]

i am in san jose (the south bay area) & own 2 homes here (& 4 more in oregon) & plan to sell off the 2 san jose & 2 of the oregon homes before i head north with approx. 750k of equity from the sales. yes, traffic anywhere in the bay area sucks.

I certainly can understand leaving S. Calif. But I'm not sure why anyone would want to move from N. California to Oregon right now when housing prices are finally falling into an "affordable" range. Is the traffic north of SF really awful now? Is the living just too difficult? Why?

I'd love to live there again, so I hope you will forgive my confusion.

 

[CuppaJoe]

.... yes, traffic anywhere in the bay area sucks.

and there are critters everywhere.

 

[calmloki]

Yep - fun critters in Oregon too - this from the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, close enough to Cottage Grove: YouTube - Oregon Country Fair

 

[TromboneAl]

Is the traffic north of SF really awful now? Is the living just too difficult? Why?

Last I checked, the traffic monster extended as far north as Santa Rosa.

 

[mb]

We love cali, but the nonsense is beginning to be too much to take. Too much pork, too many giveaways, too many bleeding heart politicians who would be more than happy to take away from those that have worked hard and saved and give to those who barely work and squander what they have. We haven't spent a lot of time in Oregon though. Kind of like some of the smaller cities in Utah but could not stomach Salt Lake or Provo/Orem. We like Logan and St George...but Logan is too cold in winter and St George is too hot in summer. Only places I have been in Oregon are too rainy.

R

What about a house in Cedar City and a condo or something small in St George to get away from the 3-4 months of cold in Cedar? They are very close (~ 50 miles ?) but have very different climates and I think they are both still pretty cheap compared to CA.

 

[mb]

i am in san jose (the south bay area) & own 2 homes here (& 4 more in oregon) & plan to sell off the 2 san jose & 2 of the oregon homes before i head north with approx. 750k of equity from the sales. yes, traffic anywhere in the bay area sucks.

Agree with the comment on traffic but my thinking is that sort of stuff becomes less important in retirement. I'm also in the south bay but don't have to get on the freeway to get to work and can bike when I feel like it so it doesn't bother me much.

The other issue is of course housing prices. You can sell here, buy something similar almost anywhere else and have a lot of money left over.

But I do a lot of outdoor activities and you just can't buy this kind of year-round climate anywhere else. I'll probably stay put but may consider relocating somewhere else along the coast such as San Luis Obispo.

MB

 

[prubin]

My wife and I plan to leave the San Francisco bay area this spring after ~35 years. We are headed east -- Asheville, NC

We sold our house, in San Francisco, last year satisfying our goal of diversifying our net worth. We have been renting in Marin for the past 9 months. Marin has lots to offer, however, even in today's market housing prices are high and Marin is a little too suburban for my taste. We decided we don't want to be 'house poor'. We have visited Asheville multiple times. We spent considerable time with a realtor in November and confirmed that we could get a lot more house for a lot less money.

We will miss the great bay area weather. We will also have to shop for health insurance sooner than I had hoped. (I retired last March and was covered by Kaiser at work which provided 36 months of CAL-COBRA coverage.) I don't think we will miss the crowding, dysfunctional state government and high cost of living. We plan to live close to downtown Asheville which we expect to provide more of the urban life style we prefer.

 

[haha]

Agree with the comment on traffic but my thinking is that sort of stuff becomes less important in retirement. I'm also in the south bay but don't have to get on the freeway to get to work and can bike when I feel like it so it doesn't bother me much.
MB

If you were move to a more urban area, like San Francisco or Berkeley or Alameda or Piedmont couldn't you live so that you rarely have to go anywhere in your car?

When I lived in Berkeley I almost never got in my car unless I wanted to go to Mt. Tam or Stinson Beach or something.

Where I live now in urban Seattle, not only do I not have to drive much, but knowing my way around pretty well many of the city streets that do not lead to freeway on-ramps aren't crowded, even at rush hour.

Leaving Bay Area weather for almost anyplace else might not be pleasant.

Ha

 

[mb]

If you were move to a more urban area, like San Francisco or Berkeley or Alameda or Piedmont couldn't you live so that you rarely have to go anywhere in your car?

When I lived in Berkeley I almost never got in my car unless I wanted to go to Mt. Tam or Stinson Beach or something.

Where I live now in urban Seattle, not only do I not have to drive much, but knowing my way around pretty well many of the city streets that do not lead to freeway on-ramps aren't crowded, even at rush hour.

Leaving Bay Area weather for almost anyplace else might not be pleasant.

Ha

Yes, you are right.

I lived in Oakland very near the borders with both Berkeley and Piedmont for five years.

It is still my favorite of all the places that I have lived.