Move to Oregon?

[jdstout]

Hey all,
I'm thinking on moving to either Oregon, Utah, or Washington next year and wanted some input on the best places in Oregon where I can find the following:

• a good job (I'm in market research/marketing)
• be in a city at least 50,000+
• be very close to outdoor recreation
• must be a 'gun-friendly' town
• have good hunting close by
• close to a river or lake

What's everyone got?
I'll post this in the Utah and Washington thread too, but I'm interested in hearing some options for Oregon here.

Thanks!

 

[Tim McCoy]

If you can find something in the Bend area, you'd be happy. Otherwise in OR, you are looking at Portland (live in the suburbs for gun friendly), places like Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, Gresham, Happy Valley, ... I live in the Portland burbs. PDX is nuts, burbs are sane. Then consider Salem, Medford, Albany and Corvallis, and possibly Eugene. Not sure how gun friendly Eugene is.

 

[jdstout]

I've heard about Bend being pretty nice. But I think you're right about outside PDX, that'll probably provide me the good mix my girlfriend and I are looking for where I can have my outdoor life and she can be a short commute to her shopping and what not. How's Forest Grove?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I've heard about Bend being pretty nice. But I think you're right about outside PDX, that'll probably provide me the good mix my girlfriend and I are looking for where I can have my outdoor life and she can be a short commute to her shopping and what not. How's Forest Grove?

Thanks for the feedback.

FG is a small quiet college town. 40-50 min or so west of PDX, close to the coast for fishing multiple rivers and the ocean. Hunting is OK for waterfowl and Roosevelt elk, blacktail deer and black bear. West OR is the wet side, east (Bend) and south (Medford) are drier. You will have big game hunting about anywhere in OR, lots of public and accessible private timber land. If you want to fish for salmon/steelhead, west is best, if you fly fish for trout, Bend or Medford.

 

[Travisitguy]

If you have to commute into work from FG, Hillsboro or Beaverton to downtown Portland traffic can be stupid backed up. some of the worst traffic in my opinion is on the west side of Portland. I live in Oregon city and find it a good happy medium with various methods to reaching downtown yet I feel far enough away to be disconnected from the madness.

I lived in Bend for 9yrs, if you can find good solid employment that makes $45K+ a year you should survive. The outdoor opportunities are endless there though and much easier to escape from people then you are in the Portland area. Fall and spring are very short months if at all in Bend so figure winter lasting 7months at least at times.

I grew up in Medford/Grants Pass area. Great outdoor opportunities as well, gets considerably hotter here in the summer, you will see all 4 seasons in the Rogue Valley. Some of the best fishing in the state is here on that river. Plenty of lakes to camp etc.. Medford is a growing city and the cost of living is far less than Portland or Bend. Grants Pass is trying to become a good community and if you don't mind a 35-45min drive to Medford for work it can be a good place to raise a family.

Best of luck in your decision, bummer about Utah is if you like to partake in adult beverages it can be difficult to come by in areas.

 

[Iron Mike]

Bend area is number 1 in my book for outdoor activities of all types. Although we really dont need more folks here
Well let me change that - We dont need anymore liberal folks here!

 

[Hitch]

I dont know where you're from JD but seriously consider the weather when planning where you would like to settle in Oregon. Bend and Eugene have incredibly different weather, as do all points east or west of the Cascade summit.

 

[Tim McCoy]

And don't forget we have no sales tax, but do have an income tax. The worst part is you can't legally pump your own gas, unless on a Rez that allows that. Outside of that and the uber liberal super progressive wacked out keep Portland weird politics, not a bad place to be for an outdoorsman.

Forgot to add, have lived in both OR and WA and would be happy to share my thoughts about the two. PM me if you'd like to visit.

 

[tttoadman]

The best thing for us would be for you to live in Portland and not vote like a crazy hippie. Maybe it could swing the tide a little. I live on the edge of the cascades between Portland and Salem. Great place to live. Pretty centrally located to big city, beach, desert east, Mt hood......