Moving to Oregon

[SUUEEET]

My wife and I are considering a move to Oregon next year and are planning to visit this spring. Looking for ideas on good places to settle down. I am a teacher and she is a nurse, so a school and a hospital are needed close. Don't know the different climates, land, cities, etc. so any info would help.

 

[TOY350]

You will want to stop by our area for sure, hospital jobs are plentiful but teaching may be hard to get on with. Smaller cities here, if you prefer more metro areas then Eugene on up to Portland may suite you better. A little more rain the further North you go but we get our fair share down here. If winter sports are your desire than move inland a bit and check out Bend. There's my $0.02 for ya

 

[retrofive]

Lots of great areas. Like Garett said Southern Oregon has some beautiful areas. I did really enjoy living in Portland and Bend as well.

 

[Ebag333]

Definately check out the Rogue Valley area. The and I just had a couple friend move away from here back to Arizona (to be closer to family). He was a grade school teacher, she was a nurse (surgery IIRC).

Rogue Valley Medical Center is one of the better hospitals on the west coast, and certainly the best one in the Southern Oregon/Nor Cali area.
Home - Asante

Teaching is a bit harder around here. There's been some major cut backs in the school district (like many other places), so I don't know how much hiring they are doing.
Medford School District 549C - HOME

There are also several private schools around here, if that's your thing:
GRACE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
http://www.cascadechristianhigh.org/
St. Mary's School | Welcome!

That's just for the Medford area. There's also the Providence hospital in Medford, and a hospital in Grants Pass (also Asante) and Ashland (seperate from Asante or Providence). There are other school districts for Grants Pass, Ashland, and a bunch of little ones around the area.

Don't know what type of nurse she is, but there are a ton of medical establishments around here. The Rogue Valley is a big retirement spot, and has been for years, so the medical industry has been growing like crazy for years (and still is, despite the recession).


As G said, Medford isn't super metro. We're a decent sized town, but relatively small. The nice thing about this area is you can live out in the woods, and still be only 30 mins away from town.

IMHO, the Rogue Valley has the best weather of all of Oregon. We have 4 distinct seasons, but nothing that is extreme. Couple weeks to a month of really hot (100* weather), couple months of really cold weather, nice weather the rest of the year.

On the eastern side of Oregon (Bend and east) you tend to get quite warm in the summer, and quite cold in the winter. (It is high desert, after all.)

On the western side of the mountains, the Eugene area gets the most rainfall of any city on the entire west coast (volume wise, not per day). It also has the highest pollen count, which is a bummer for anyone who has allergies.

The Portland area is very beautiful. They tend to be a bit cooler and rainier than Medford, though not as much rain as Eugene.

The coast is pretty mild year round, the locals break out shorts and bikini's as soon as the weather hits the low 70's, and start complaining about the heat if it breaks 80*. They don't tend to get as cold in the winter as the rest of the state, but they get some spectacular winter storms. Oregon beaches tend to be cold and rocky.


Maybe you could provide some more interests/etc? Is there anything that you are looking for activity/sports/etc wise?

 

[Fly Rod]

My wife and I are considering a move to Oregon next year and are planning to visit this spring. Looking for ideas on good places to settle down. I am a teacher and she is a nurse, so a school and a hospital are needed close. Don't know the different climates, land, cities, etc. so any info would help.

Alot of jobs for nurses around here. Teaching will be more difficult but not impossible.

This area is fantastic if you want to get out of city living. If the big city nights are to your liking better to look at Portland and Seattle. If the outdoors is your gig, this is the place to be. Within 30 minutes of my door step I can hunt, fish, ski, mtb, whitewater boat, sail and on and on...

Life is good!

 

[tblume]

what they said... and,

Eugene is a collage town, as is Corvallis, both about 100-130 miles north of Grants Pass and Medford, both about 100 miles south of Portland, both in the grass seed capitol of the WORLD, so allergens are quite bad during the season if you are susceptible, however, the coast is an hour away, as are the mountains; most of western OR is like that

if you are coming from Dallas and would miss the city Portland is your only real option, Eugene is the second largest metro area in the state I think, and it's pretty puny. Could be Bend though, but not as collegiate a vibe if that matters to you.

FWIW the climate from Roseburg south is great, terrain is much more mountainous, and the seasons are more distinct; fall happened today in Eugene, the remaining leaves will be knocked off by the rainy season that seems to have begun, we'll have some good fall days here and there till the winter week or two, and it will be spring for 5 months until 'summer' and that can last for 6-8 weeks?

more info on your situation and aspirations? I have some decent connections in Portland; grew up in the 'burbs there, most of my family and friends are there still.

 

[Fly Rod]

That's right, i forgot about the allergy issues. What was the Indian name for the Willamite valley? "valley of death" or something like that. I guess they were always sick up there.

 

[SUUEEET]

Perfect

Thanks guys. When we lived in Cali I went steelhead fishing on the Rogue River and it was awesome. Our activities include everything outdoors. I am a surfer by nature and have been drydocked for five years in Dallas. Of course cruisers also, though as a family camping vehicle, not necessarily a crawler. Not big hunters, but my wife loves to fish if I bait the hook. We want to grow most of our garden for food. We LOVE water and any man powered water recreation. We DO NOT love ice and snow. Mountain biking has been a hobby off and on...off right now.

 

[tblume]

just getting into surfing myself, here's a little link for ya.

OregonSurf.com - Serving Oregon's Surfing Community Since 1996. Guide to surfing in Oregon, Oregon surf shops, Oregon beach cams, forecast tools, message boards, surf spots, water quality advisories, and more

come spring time post here and there are sure to be plenty of tour guides, accommodations, destinations, etc... I may be able to stand on a board by then if you care for a paddle out.

 

[knoll0351]

Sounds like the Rogue Valley is your dream come true then

 

[Ebag333]

Sounds like the Rogue Valley is your dream come true then

x2

We want to grow most of our garden for food.

Dude. That's why God invented supermarkets!

Seriously though, have you ever had a garden? To grow "most" of your food you'd need a quite large garden, a lot of time, and the ability to stomach eating the same thing (or variations of the same thing) repeatedly.

I grew up with my mom having a garden that was at least 4x larger than anyone elses, and it didn't stay a garden for too many years before she let the weeds take over. It's a lot of work! (I still have nightmares about being pushed and having to go pull weeds.)

(Now having a small garden for a little variety and spice of life? That's cool. )

 

[knoll0351]

One of my friends has a 10' X 10' raised bed and grows enough veg for his family and still has quite a bit to give away every year. With a little effort you can esily grow your own veg in this area. Canning and other long term storage are a must however unless you decide to set up a green house and inside grow area.

 

[SUUEEET]

Clarity

x2



Dude. That's why God invented supermarkets!

Seriously though, have you ever had a garden? To grow "most" of your food you'd need a quite large garden, a lot of time, and the ability to stomach eating the same thing (or variations of the same thing) repeatedly.

I grew up with my mom having a garden that was at least 4x larger than anyone elses, and it didn't stay a garden for too many years before she let the weeds take over. It's a lot of work! (I still have nightmares about being pushed and having to go pull weeds.)

(Now having a small garden for a little variety and spice of life? That's cool. )

Yes I totally understand. We aren't looking to start a farm, just a few fruit trees, spices, and vegetables. Still like the supermarket and expecially farmer's markets for most of our food. Really like deer, just can't kill or clean one. Never tried squirrel or crow.

 

[Ebag333]

Never tried squirrel or crow.

Hey! This is Oregon, not Oklahoma!

 

[retrofive]

Mmm.... squirrel, one of the few you can hunt with over a 5rd mag. LOL.

 

[RredFJ40]

Yes I totally understand. We aren't looking to start a farm, just a few fruit trees, spices, and vegetables. Still like the supermarket and expecially farmer's markets for most of our food. Really like deer, just can't kill or clean one. Never tried squirrel or crow.

I know I'm ciming into this a little late, but if you want a decent garden you better learn to hate deer, they'll destroy just about every edible thing in a garden.