Looking for Retirement Heaven? I've found it!!

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky Wildcat, Do share with us about your visit. It would be nice to see if you think Oregon is a place for retirement. Spanky

Hi Spanky. I am not an expert on Oregon. However, my son lived there for years (Eugene) and my brother lived about 50 miles away
at the same time. They both loved it. I wouldn't be surprised if my son moved back some day. I have only visited and so have no
strong impressions or expressions.

JG

[unclemick]

I love sewage! Route it to a special area of my swamp after blasting it in a special holding tank with chlorine(pool tablets). 15' swamp cane and 6' cat-tails compared to half those heights in the untreated area.

Of course my degree was in chemistry. Sewage and DRIP stocks -* some of the fun things to putz with in ER.

Different strokes for different folks!

Heh, heh, heh, heh - no kayak yet though.

[Brat]

I like it too, just not in the Sound.*

I am one of three Commissioners of the local sewer district.* We pride ourselves in a potable outflow, an efficient and low cost service.* Yes, we say we are full of ... with pride!

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclemick2 Of course my degree was in chemistry. Sewage and DRIP stocks - some of the fun things to putz with in ER.

Beats Ted's reported efforts to remove condoms and chewing gum from sewage and recycle them.

Not sure I liked that idea.

[Zipper]

We have a couple of more wilful polluters up here.

Montreal has a population of 3 million and dumps untreated sewage directly into the St. Lawrence. No wonder the Belugas downstream are a toxic hazard. :P

And Halifax continues to be a dump, in spite of decades of promises to clean things up.

[windsurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zipper We have a couple of more wilful polluters up here. Montreal has a population of 3 million and dumps untreated sewage directly into the St. Lawrence. No wonder the Belugas downstream are a toxic hazard. :P And Halifax continues to be a dump, in spite of decades of promises to clean things up.

I would mock this third world approach to effluent but here in our very progressive midwestern metro area, most of the sanitary sewers are tied in with the storm sewers and so any heavy rainfall entraps the gunk headed for the treatment plant and diverts it directly to our local rivers RAW (sewage, that is).* Billions for Iraq while our infrastructure is/turns to crapola.

[unclemick]

Go outside to visit the neighbors for a while and come back to this? Apparently "turds" have legs - discussion wise that is -heh, heh.

Slidell, La uses the Fritchie swamp and Arcadia, Ca makes use of Mother Nature also - the trick is to manage the flow. New Orleans - I believe will divert in heavy rain also and commit - no, no's - sewage wise.

Septic systems like ungerground graves have a water table problem in south La.

[JB]

Oregon is one of my favorite states. This is to add to what's already been said.

The views are spectacular. From many places in Portland you have views of Mt. Saint Helen, and Mount Hood. Portland is about 1/2 way between the ocean and the mountains. It's about an hour drive to get to either.

The Oregon coast is magnificent. Many beaches are near empty and are surrounded my tall bluffs. Bring warm clothes, it can be cool, even in summer. The water is cold. You need a 3/2 steamer to get in.

Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge are nice, but I wouldn't want to winter there. I've passed through several times in the winter, it's wet, windy, cold, and miserable. Makes portland and seattle seem nice.

The skiing is good arount Mt. Hood, and even better at Mt Bachelor in Bend. They usually get a lot of snow, aren't very crowded.

I haven't spent much time east of Bend.

If you want to see much of Oregon is will take longer than a week, or even too. I'd plan on a month in the summer. It takes a very long time to drive around the state, especially if you plan to drive RT 101 on the coast.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zipper We have a couple of more wilful polluters up here. Montreal has a population of 3 million and dumps untreated sewage directly into the St. Lawrence. No wonder the Belugas downstream are a toxic hazard. :P And Halifax continues to be a dump, in spite of decades of promises to clean things up.

Hi Zipper! That does not surprise me. A little surprised you'd
admit it.

JG

[Brat]

The hidden cost of retirement heaven:

Ah yes, dealing with that one reality of life.. effluent.* It is both an economic and environmental issue.

In rural and some suburban areas residences have septic systems.* They work well as long as their by-products do not enter waterways enriched.* When that happens water is robbed of oxygen (such as is happening in Hood Canal), contaminates sea life, or* exposes land creatures to pathogens.* As communities with septic systems develop water run-off loads concentrate making land less effective in handling the combination of storm water and septic fluids, and septic systems fail.

In cities a similar process is underway.* A combined sewer and storm water system worked with a moderate density.* Storm water, in fact, may have flushed the pipes of sediment.* With increased density, storm water is not dissipated over days or weeks- it is concentrated.* Sewer treatment is overwhelmed by the volume and by-passes treatment.* Now cities must construct separate storm water and sewer systems…. Not an inexpensive project.* Add to that the probability that the original pipes are disintegrating and the systems are handling industrial effluent, we have a significant environmental issue and cost.

How does this impact our decision about where to live in retirement?* First accept the fact that this problem must be addressed in our lifetimes and the users will pay for it.* You could choose to live in a rural area where the risk of development is low; the trade-off is higher transportation costs.* If you are considering a suburban or urban community this risk is worthy of evaluation.* In my own city we have septic, village, and district systems and a city policy that the user of a resource pays the freight.* The village system is old and user fees are rapidly increasing to address the cost of the system.* Septic systems in several neighborhoods are failing because of increased density.* The district system (where I live) is state-of-the-art, no increases in user fees are anticipated.

Almost all cities have a capital facilities plan that includes all community entities (schools, public safety, parks, water, sewer, etc) even if they are separate political entities.* Ask to see it.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We have the delightful septic problem here in californias central valley where building is allowed to proceed unchecked.

In my area, the county gleefully issued 10-15k building permits to construct homes with septic systems until the density caused the wells to become overloaded with nitrates. Fortunately one of the local cities bought up the wellwater utility for pennies on the dollar and then let us know that if we voted to allow them to incorporate us and start taking our property taxes, that for the low, low price of $4000 a unit we could have city water brought to us. Oh and by the way, since CA law requires that the nitrate level be below a certain amount, that if we said no, they'd just shut the water off.

So what exactly was the county doing with all that money they collected for building permits if making sure they werent overbuilding septic system based properties?

[Brat]

I'll do you one better- out of district home owners with failing septic systems petitioned the city to allow them to use our plant.* We agreed if it didn't increase density (cause re-zoning) because failing systems are a health hazzard.* During hearings on this issue some third parties argued that the city shouldn't cooperate because the water from septic systems recharges the aquifer!!*

Our property tax statement has a storm water management fee itemized.* After a home (and sleeping family) was washed into the Sound we looked around wondered where the $ went, so asked in a city counsel meeting for an explination.* It turned out that the $ were going into general funds.* After they established a separate account and had to account for their expenditures there were significant improvements.*

I really think our city employees and officials do what they think is right at the time, but it is important that they spend the $ collected (whether it be building fees or taxes) on what they say the money is for -* not do what is expediant that fiscal year.

In business and our personal financial lives, it is the unexpected financial hits that give grief.* A retiree has lots of options.* Take time to read these little known public documents before purchasing a home.

[charlie]

s**t happens!


Cheers,

Charlie

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Indeed :P

[windsurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRGALT2U Hi Zipper!* That does not surprise me.* A little surprised you'd admit it. JG

JG, what does your political philosophy accomodate as to interventions such as governmental management of, uh, effluent?* I admire the liberterian approach but also like the idea of laws re what somebody can put into our collectively shared food and water supply. Thanks.

[laurence]

JG is not really a libertarian, he just plays one on T.V.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by windsurf JG, what does your political philosophy accomodate as to interventions such as governmental management of, uh, effluent?* I admire the liberterian approach but also like the idea of laws re what somebody can put into our collectively shared food and water supply. Thanks.

Well, I never proposed no government, just minimal. I think protecting the
"collectively shared food and water supply" is a legitimate function of
government. Promoting the general welfare, etc. etc. But, let me give a more personal example. Today, one of my (new) neighbors introduced himself
and informed me that the owners of a vacant (waterfront) lot next to him
were parking an RV there. He protested to the county and they
went against him by a 3 to 2 vote. Now, I wouldn't want a trailer parked
permanently next to me either. However, I generally believe that you should be free to do what you wish on your own land, unless you are actually harming
someone directly. Thus for me, this would be a hard call. I would like to
preserve my immediate neighborhood and would welcome any help in doing so,
but where do you draw the line? The next thing you know we will have
leash laws and doggie poo rules, and you know what I think of those

JG

[Spanky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB Oregon is one of my favorite states. This is to add to what's already been said. [/qoute] Yes, Oregon is definitely worth considering as a place for retirement because of its coast and mountains.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Point Roberts:

Close to Vancouver, but relatively isolated. Virtually no infrastructure. Said to be mostly Canadians’ vacation homes. Lots of trees. Reminds me strongly of a small town on the Oregon or Washington coasts, but very close to the big city. Inconvenient to cross the border for everything. Some kids live there and are bussed to the “mainland” through two border crossings each way. Fire protection is said to be virtually non-existent, since it comes from Whatcom County—two border crossings away. Nice little marina. Rich folks, moslty. I liked it anyway.

On retiring in Oregon.

Portland:

I grew up in Portland and my parents spent their last days in an excellent nursing home south of Portland. Not what I would call a low-cost area to live. State income tax and relatively high property taxes, I believe, but no sales taxes. Perhaps the best thing would be to live across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington (sales tax, but no income tax) and shop in Portland. There is also a large community of live-aboard boats and houseboats where the Columbia River meets the Willamette River that always looked interesting to me.

There is plenty to keep you busy. Portland has mountains, two rivers, beaucoup trees—and rain. Dynamite scenery--when you can see it through the clouds. Expect all outdoor activities to be conducted in the rain, in the cold. Winter days are dark. Can be depressing, especially for a teenager. When you are acclimatized, you can happily play golf in the dark in cold drizzling rain.

All of the arts are very strong there—in-door stuff, y’know. An urban planner friend once told me that Portland was the smallest city in the world and Seattle was the largest small town in the world. There are several universities in and around town. I found it a very stimulating place to grow up.

When you are tired of the rain in town, you can drive to the coast, where it also rains. Several good beaches.

There is good skiing in the Cascades east of town. Beyond the Cascades is Eastern Oregon, where it is high country, much more sun and a lot less rain—perhaps high-country desert. Much more attractive for an outdoors lifestyle. Bend is a neat little town.

It is possible to live in Portland without a car if you select your place carefully, but you will need one to fully enjoy the area. By the way, Portland has a big international airport close in, on the Columbia River.

The Portland area, which is the population center, is definitely left-coast, just so you know. However, the rest of the state is rural, agricultural and red-neck. An interesting balance. When I was growing up, Portland had two newspapers, but it has been a one-newspaper town for a long time now. Sort of like seeing with one eye.

Did I mention that it rains in Portland?

Ashland in south-west Oregon:

Drier, high-country desert, in the mountains. Sort of hot in the summer, sort of cold in the winter, but lots of sunny days and not much rain—basically, excellent weather. Skiing close by. Small town, local college, a retirement area with relatively expensive housing. Wine country is nearby. My sister and her extended family have retired there, which is interesting as Ashland is very liberal and they ain’t. Ashland is also home to the performing arts centered around the Ashland Shakespearean Festival. They are not interested in the Festival, but we drag them when we all visit in the summer. You still need a car, but the distances to good stuff are shorter.

My family reports that medical care in Ashland, specifically for the aged, is excellent.

Wish I could afford to retire there.

Ed

[unclemick]

Good summary

Born in Vacouver, WA and grew up in Kelso/Longview - go Scoties! U of W, Boeing, etc - was 26 years old before fully realizing that Idaho was not a surburb of Brooklyn, NY like my Dad used to tell me.

The SO thinks it's too much like PA - never wants to see snow again - likes New Orleans. Sold the old homestead (1957-1993) in Kelso and moved Mom down here.

August is a good time to visit.