Possible move to Oregon

[Pinkranger 0]

Magandang araw!

My husband and I are contemplating on moving to OR from IL. He has done various research on how the seasons, working and living conditions are but I know that's barely scratching the surface. I want to know how it is living there and what things to expect should we decide to go and do it. W

Thanks in advance to those who will take the time to offer some inputs.

[NODINK 0]

Have you visit OR? Come out 1st and give it a try. I'm an Oregonian, 1 thing I can tell you is it rains a lot. Today, 10am and it looks like 6pm, but it will stop... soon

[Pinkranger 0]

Yeah, we will do that one day. Probably stay for like a week or so to see how things are.

[envy_me 18]

i noticed you're from IL? i was just wondering which part?

[lee&jeniebee 23]

Hello, well I am biased because most of my life I have lived in Oregon, but I have lived in Vermont and Georgia as well. I like to go camping and hunting and explore new places and Oregon is difficult to beat. We have mountain ski resorts for playing in the snow and beautiful ocean beaches and coastal areas to explore. My favorite part of Oregon is the vast desert of Eastern Oregon! You will find the cost of living a little higher here mainly due to the housing being more expensive than mid-west, however it's not crazy expensive like California and parts of Washington. Yes, it rains a lot in western Oregon in winter and spring, but it's easy to deal with compared to snow and Ice. Our Summer and Fall here in Oregon are tough to beat, warm days, but refreshing at night. When you visit here, check out the coastline, the Mt. Hood wilderness area and beautiful Bend in Central Oregon. Good Luck!!

Lee

[Pinkranger 0]

Hello, well I am biased because most of my life I have lived in Oregon, but I have lived in Vermont and Georgia as well. I like to go camping and hunting and explore new places and Oregon is difficult to beat. We have mountain ski resorts for playing in the snow and beautiful ocean beaches and coastal areas to explore. My favorite part of Oregon is the vast desert of Eastern Oregon! You will find the cost of living a little higher here mainly due to the housing being more expensive than mid-west, however it's not crazy expensive like California and parts of Washington. Yes, it rains a lot in western Oregon in winter and spring, but it's easy to deal with compared to snow and Ice. Our Summer and Fall here in Oregon are tough to beat, warm days, but refreshing at night. When you visit here, check out the coastline, the Mt. Hood wilderness area and beautiful Bend in Central Oregon. Good Luck!!

Lee

Thanks for you inputs, Lee.

Yeah, my husband mentioned that one has to be a nature lover to fully appreciate the beauty of Oregon, for which he is one having spent years in Ireland during his college years. I am fine with it (i mean, i have to be after living in the Philippines for my entire 35 years. LOL) but I am not too keen on the rainy aspect of it. The cost of living is one thing we considered too, hence the choice of OR over CA eventhough most of my cousins are in Bay Area.

Which area do you think is the most reasonable place for a start-up couple to be? A brief overview: we just got married last October and I am still in the middle of my AOS. Hopefully next year, we can seriously start looking into this. Fingers crossed!

[Pinay Wife 47]

Just heard in the news today that Oregonians are crossing the Columbia River by the thousands to move North to Washington State to become tax refugees. While Oregon does not have sales tax, they do have one of the highest state income tax. Washington have sales tax, but they do not have state income tax. When Washington residents buy big ticket items like appliances, they have the option of buying it in OR to avoid paying sales tax.

Cost of housing in WA is also less expensive than OR. Both WA and OR have mild winters and mild summers. And if you live in either states, you can have snow, desert, beach, forest, mountain, etc. within a 2-hour drive. And Canada is just across the border if you want a quick trip abroad.

Edited March 1, 2011 by Pinay Wife

[Chantel 0]

I live in Oregon in Salem area since I first got here in US and I totally love it here, not bad on snow like the other areas, like today after work, just rains and the other areas until Washington is 10 ft high of snow, I love the beach, shopping no sales tax, the Nature is totally enjoyable to me. Salem area you can find a decent apartment with 2 bedroom for $500 and up, houses with 2 bedrooms, decent and fully furnish at $130K some even cheaper....there's BUS for public transportation and Amtrak train station here in Salem that goes from state to state, work is pretty much competitive since the recession but if you have profession its easier to find one...plus no roaches here like the other States I visited as far as I know of

[Pinkranger 0]

Just heard in the news today that Oregonians are crossing the Columbia River by the thousands to move North to Washington State to become tax refugees. While Oregon does not have sales tax, they do have one of the highest state income tax. Washington have sales tax, but they do not have state income tax. When Washington residents buy big ticket items like appliances, they have the option of buying it in OR to avoid paying sales tax.

Cost of housing in WA is also less expensive than OR. Both WA and OR have mild winters and mild summers. And if you live in either states, you can have snow, desert, beach, forest, mountain, etc. within a 2-hour drive. And Canada is just across the border if you want a quick trip abroad.

Thanks for the helpful info, Pinay Wife. Yeah, high income taxes really hit you where where it hurts the most and that's one important thing that I have to pass on to my husband. His rants everytime he peeks into his pay stubs are unbelievable as it is now.

[Pinkranger 0]

I live in Oregon in Salem area since I first got here in US and I totally love it here, not bad on snow like the other areas, like today after work, just rains and the other areas until Washington is 10 ft high of snow, I love the beach, shopping no sales tax, the Nature is totally enjoyable to me. Salem area you can find a decent apartment with 2 bedroom for $500 and up, houses with 2 bedrooms, decent and fully furnish at $130K some even cheaper....there's BUS for public transportation and Amtrak train station here in Salem that goes from state to state, work is pretty much competitive since the recession but if you have profession its easier to find one...plus no roaches here like the other States I visited as far as I know of

Thanks for the inputs too, Chantel. The public transpo (the convenience of it, you'll never know), housing figures and the working environment really came in handy. Salamat!

[Tahoma 2,291]

I love Oregon. They make some great microbrews.

[Chantel 0]

I love Oregon. They make some great microbrews.

that's hubby's favorite to go for a beer and burger YUMMM, but til now couldn't teach my self to drink beer though

[YodaPagoda 0]

I'd like to repeat all the wonderful things people have said about Oregon, but I'd only move here if you had a sure-thing job lined up, or had a good retirement income. I read an article that Portland Oregon is one of the best cities to retire to, and on Facebook I joked that the job situation is so bad, there are no jobs to tempt you back into the workforce!

I'm escaping Oregon for the Philippines myself (my wife and I have a business starting up), hope there are some jobs here when I come back in a year or so.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

I am very picky, would step right in front of a bus if I had to live in Illinois, but Oregon is among the best US states to live in for many reasons. If you took away the rain, I would be living there now.

[Tahoma 2,291]

I love Portland's temperate climate...not too hot in the summer...and not too cold in the winter.

Hey OP...Portland doesn't get that much rain compared to Chicago...check it out.

It rains and drizzles a lot during the winter, but the gorgeous summers make up for it.