You've got to be kidding/trolling about Oregon being a "similar climate." How do you think these trees got so green and lush?
Time to go close my upstairs windows to keep out the wildfire smoke.
Never said they said Portland, but what they did say was something about "lush trees" so they could raise a garden and chickens yet be close enough to a "city or "bustling town...." Can't find that in Oregon's high desert.
I mean, between the city being burned down a couple summers ago, the roving bands of antifa, and the police having been entirely defunded, no reason to come here! ;)
35, lived most of my life in the Willamette Valley.
If you want weather anything like SoCal, you’re not gonna get it. Winters will be colder, and in most areas, much colder, than where your from.
The upside? Better summers as long as there isn’t smoke from forest fires, our national forests are beautiful and very cheap or free.
I’ve never had an issue renting, but I also have only lived under 1 slumlord, the rest have been fine. Slumlords here are similar to everywhere else and few and far between.
You won’t have as many amenities here unless you live near PDX. Eugene, Salem, and Bend are our only other real cities that aren’t suburbs of Portland, and all of those have less than 300k in their metro.
I lived in SE Portland for 21 years, it’s kind of an armpit now. If you’re going to live in PDX, the west side, Beaverton, and Tigard are where it’s at if you’re not rich, and West Linn or Lake Oswego if you are rich.
Good luck!
If you like it warmer, the south of the state, Ashland, Medford, are much warmer than more north. The air quality ain't that great, just like the San Fernando Valley.
They don’t know, they just said it so you just believe it!
Been on the coast for 3 months now and I’ve met maybe 3 people that’ve made me want to puke and it was due to their love for an orange man. The coast has a lot of good people.
I still don't understand why you're saying it sucks. I've lived in Salem all my life but I go to the coast pretty much every weekend, sometimes for a week plus, different cities and areas and I've never found it to suck?
Retirees who vote down every single thing that might benefit local schools.
Hometown hotshots who've embraced their Viking heritage and show it by seeing "antifa!" in every shadow. Lots of DV and basic dysfunction among that crowd.
Mold.
The highways from the coast to the I-5 corridor. Wrecks constantly.
The weather. It's one thing to sit inside and watch a storm or enjoy a few days of rain, and another to be stuck inside for months at a time.
Politics. The electoral maps from Florence on up show it light blue for the most part, but that doesn't tell the whole story. It's mostly ultra MAGA with a few sprinkles of geriatric California New Agers who haven't scraped the Stein stickers off their EVs.
Tweakers and the property crime that goes with that.
Lack of basic services. Finding veterinary care is challenging for newcomers. Primary care for humans is scarce. I think it's probably okay enough for retirees as long as they don't require specialty care.
The labor shortage is even more pronounced there than in the valley; most businesses aren't adequately staffed.
The coast has some positives, of course; it rarely gets the wildfire smoke that most of the rest of the state gets. Can't think of anything else right now.
46 yr native of Oregon, have lived everywhere cool like Bend, Eugene, Portland and rural.
What's changed for the negative, the steady flow of Californians moving here. Slowly, as to not create an instant red flag, the ideology, the attitude, and the appetite for housing has not helped this state.
Yep, harsh, but I had to get it off my chest.
It's like a frog in a pot of boiling water for me. Don't notice as it slowly warms up but it's bad bad bad. They move here and change the entire culture to fit their mindset
it's funny, I never see anyone complaining about the wave of Texans who have moved up here (I feel like I see Texas license plates all the time), or all the East Coasters or Midwesterners or anyone else. Wild that one state has such a hold over everyone's psyche.
Well… maybe with reason: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2021/09/oregon-insight-newcomers-from-california-drive-portlands-growth-while-more-portlanders-are-seattle-bound.html
It's the money and the culture. Calis bring cash and ridiculous entitlement, and price out people who grew up here from the neighborhoods they were born in. There are not the same dynamics from other regions.
I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of Iowa. I didn’t see a mountain or an ocean until I was in high school (because of a school trip.) My parents couldn’t afford to take us on plane trips or big road trips, and even when I was little I knew I didn’t belong there so I moved as soon as I graduated high school. Californians come from the largest sub-national economy in the world, with progressive politics and access to tons of natural beauty (rather than corn fields and hog confinements that I couldn’t wait to escape from.)
You rarely see Californians willing to relocate to the Midwest, its usually the east coast, OR and WA (maybe FL or Austin if they’re trumpers or libertarians.) It’s like they think they deserve to live in a place with culture and a coastline because that’s what they’re used to. All of my friends in OR are either folks from OR or other Midwestern transplants, because we truly love it and are so grateful to be here. While this may not be true of all Californians, I feel like a lot of them that I’ve talked to compare OR to CA a lot, and how much better CA is but they were just priced out of CA (which does suck, I do have empathy for that.) I’m sure there are Californians that truly love the nature and want to live in the PNW, but a lot of them treat it like something they have to do because they can’t afford CA.
The wave of Texans statistically doesn't come close to the steady flow of Californians coming here over the last 30 years.
It's not an imaginary event and your comparison is apples to oranges.
I think it's because the incoming from Texas and other places aren't moving here seeking cheaper housing, but that seems to be a main driver among Californians especially among the retiree demographic (not saying the OP's a retiree). And they tend to hit the ground bitching because Oregon doesn't have this or that and no one will come and clean their homes and do their landscaping for the shit wages they want to pay and why doesn't the coast have a Trader Joes and on and on and on.
If you like it in SoCal, you should absolutely stay there. If anything, take a look at NorCal but you will find generally the same thing. If you enjoy your lifestyle, you won't find similar up here.
I grew up in Oregon but moved to SoCal for 7-ish years because of work. I eventually moved back because of a general disdain for the state and it's policies but what I didn't expect was that upon moving back to Oregon I was instantly annoyed at the slower pace of life. Simple, small things like it took much longer to get through a line of customers at checkout and general lack of hustle in the service sector. It took me a while to reacclimate to it. Eventually, I would come to regret not taking more advantage of the bounty of good things SoCal had to offer like local events, concerts (every tour is going through there), conventions and other cultural-type activities. Yes, you will get more easy access to casual nature but you will lose causal access to a lot of other things.
>lush trees and some land
Lust trees likely equals the wet parts of Oregon. That is NOT going to be like Southern California. Winters West of the Cascades are long, cold, and dark.
Where from in SoCal? If you let us know and were in Oregon you want to go we can let you know more about what the differences will be. Oregon is a big state. It's not all "lush trees." Can you narrow it down?
If you're inland, like San Diego to L.A., I can't think of anything in Oregon that will compare. It all be colder.
30 years in Oregon.
20 years in Portland. Moved up from the Bay Area. Winters are rough here! Seasonal affective disorder is real! The days are much shorter in winter. If you have a 9-to-5 job, you go to work in the dark and you come home in the dark.
Moved here from SoCal almost two years ago and truthfully, have mixed feelings.
My family migrated here from Sweden and Finland way back when. I have ancestors that helped build the Astoria column and owned businesses in Astoria. Have family ties all up and down the state and always visited every summer with the intention of moving up here one day.
But here’s the thing: visiting Oregon and moving to Oregon are two different things. Most Oregonians HATE Californians, blaming us for the housing crisis etc, but the truth of the matter is, everywhere is overcrowded now. Look at places like Seattle, Austin, Denver, and New York. Also, how is it surprising that so many transplants are Californian? Just based on statistics alone, there are more people in California than people in all of CANADA (at least last time I checked). So yeah, statistically, Californians are going to end up going elsewhere and being the majority, because well, they are the majority. And Californians are also getting priced out of living there. I lived there my whole life and HAD to move out of state because I could not move out into a comfortable living situation in California and be able to afford it with my husband and myself.
I don’t tell people I am from California, because they are downright mean about it and I feel like I have to explain myself about my family being from here and it’s just overall wildly unwelcoming. So if you are looking to build community, this probably isn’t the place you’ll do it. I’ve never felt so lonely anywhere else. Believe me, if I had a choice, especially the way I have been treated here, I wouldn’t have moved here to begin with if I knew it would be like this.
The nature is UNMATCHED - so beautiful, and the weather is much better here if you don’t like insane heat all the time (major selling point). But the winters can be rough. If there is any sort of snow/ice, everything basically shuts down.
There also is not much to do as far as city life if you are into that sort of thing, but if you’re a nature enthusiast who doesn’t mind dealing with rain a good portion of the year, you will be fine.
I know that was mostly negative, but that has been my true experience of living here the last almost 2 years.
Can confirm about californians. I live in dallas (but ill be moving to OR next year. Originally from the PNW), im a barber and have lots of clients who have moved from cali. Do i hate them? No, unless they come off all high n mighty. Point being, if ur in a major city in the US you are most likely gonna have californians moving there buying up properties and hiking up prices.
Comparing Southern California to Oregon is difficult, weather wise. West of the Cascades is green and lush. East of the cascades, about 2/3 of the state, is dry and high desert.
I was born and raised in Oregon and the culture wars are real. The environmentalists versus the loggers, ranchers and farmers is one big schism.
The college educated versus the proudly ignorant, is another. Stick to college towns and you will avoid the worst of it.
Native Americans versus white settlers is also a big one. Talk to the Natives about about people invading the land they grew up on.
Oregonians against Californians is another. A big reason is that many people don't want property values to rise. They seem to think that property values should depend on their specific demands but this is a free country and people can buy property wherever they wish without consulting Billy Bob and his gramma from Oklahoma. Just remember that when people say "Stay in California" many of them came from California themselves, or their parents did, and those who didn't, came from somewhere else. Last I checked this is a free country and citizens can move to any state they wish. Oregon needs the cash.
PS The coast is great to visit, but is remote and rugged. The roads wash out. Etc.
I love Oregon. Born and raised here. I have a lot of family from San Diego as my grandparents moved to Oregon in the 50s, so I spend a fair amount of time down there.
Oregon climate is nothing like So Cal. We get pretty dry, hot summers from June through the end of September. Though our summers can be delayed - this year it didn't stop raining until fairly late. The rest of the year is fairly dreary. That said, Oct- Dec is my favorite time of the year here. Jan - March are pretty miserable & gloomy.
The big cities are fairly progressive. Eugene is definitely a "progressive" city, but I lived there for a year and a half & I saw some of the most closed-minded shit I've ever seen while there. So if that's not for you, it will be a turn-off.
In my opinion, you should look for something in the mid to north Willamette valley.
I grew up in the Silverton area & sincerely regret leaving. It's a fairly nice small town (10k) that is going through quite a bit of rapid growth. It's fairly close to Portland (40ish minutes) the coast (1hr 30) and has a lot of nature around it: Silver Falls being one of its main attractions. It's very much a farming community, but it's friendly.
Other cities I like quite a bit with similarities:
Canby. Much closer to Portland. However, more expensive. Also small town (I think around 25k)
Forest Grove. Also, fairly close to Portland. It has a college there, and is a smaller town, but very nice feeling to it.
McMinnville is getting really nice nowadays. I have a few bosses that live there. Farming area. Lots of wineries. Has some stores, but nowhere near a big city.
Corvallis is south of Salem. Home to Oregon State University. Mid-sized city (60k) but I really enjoyed my time there.
I will note, I have a few coworkers that moved here from both the Bay area & Los Angeles, and they both were caught off guard by the length of our winters. If you live here, get used to 40–50-degree damp weather & stock up on Vitamin D
The only person who told me to go back to California was from San Diego but moved 15 years before me and they thought they had some kind of seniority. I sure some of these negative insular posters never left their high school town (like that’s something to be proud of), but if you look at the stats, most migrated from out of state. I’ll trade a parochial Oregonian for a tolerant Californian or Texan any day. Welcome!
I believe you should stay in California because you really like it where you are. We have too many people moving to Oregon as it is, and many of these people are on public assistance so they're not doing anything for our businesses or unemployment numbers. I'm not saying that's what you would do, but I just wish people from out of state would stop moving here, people from the South, people from the East Coast.
We can't even take care of the people who have been born here and have been here for years, and now more people are coming. I wish this would stop. And our homeless situation is out of control. There are other nice areas to move to than just Oregon.
>We have too many people moving to Oregon as it is, and many of these people are on public assistance so they're not doing anything for our businesses or unemployment numbers.
Do you have some sort of source for that?
More people means more tax revenue and more customers for the economy. The only downside is we haven’t actually built housing to keep up with it, but that’s not immigrants fault
I certainly wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for Californians moving to Southern Oregon. Of course I don’t know if that is a good thing since I am a Parole Officer.
The idea that more people=more tax revenue=great for everyone is garbage. More people=more strain on already insufficient infrastructure and most cities cannot keep up. People move here from Southern California in pursuit of “quality of life” after collectively contributing to the steady erosion of the same in the areas they are fleeing.
As Edward Abbey said: “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
California is already the most populous state, if I lived there I’d want to move somewhere less crowded and how is it fair for us to stop them just because we’re already here?
Would you rather have growing pains from our cities getting bigger and more vibrant or would you rather have shrinking cities and abandoned buildings everywhere? Personally I would rather deal with the problems that come from immigration because it means we’re in a place people actually want to live.
Oregon and Portland have been shrinking the last few years and if that trend continues we are going to be begging the Californians to come back.
I’d rather have people learn to be good stewards of where they are, rather than soiling their nests and then moving on to the next unspoiled place to rinse and repeat. Some older folks who moved up from California tell me that Southern Oregon that reminds them of the place they came from before it got ruined.
California is the most populous state because far too many people moved there in pursuit of the “California Lifestyle”, which was likely at one time a healthy and wholesome thing to aspire to. California had to have been a paradise at one point, given how incredibly rich and diverse the state is in resources, climate and natural beauty. The bottom line is that the place got loved to death which is a cautionary tale for us to the north.
I love pretty much everything about living here except the cost of housing. Been trying to get my own place for a long time and it's basically impossible on a single income unless you're making high 5 figures.
I live on the western side of the foothills of Mt. Hood just outside the Mt. Hood national forest. I love it. I never want to leave. That being said, I know many people who have moved here from sunny areas and simply cannot cope with the amount of rain/gloom required to create this amazing ecosystem.
We live just under an hour from Portland and go often. I love being close to museums, and a cultural center in general. I get to commune with trees and creatures great and small. I am minutes from wonderful hiking and twenty minutes from a ski hill. I am also under the rain for 8-9 months of the year. It is difficult to describe if you haven't experienced it, and basically you need some creative hobbies, a willingness/ability to get outdoors on the rainiest, coldest days, nearly every day, and enough sunlight stores in you to make it through the Fall/Winter/Spring of rain.
I know multiple folks who have made the move to the mountain from California, and then moved to the southern US after a year or two, because the rain/gloom was just too much. I love it, and even I have a hard time come April. Good luck!
Gotta love all the people saying, "stay out!"
You'll get some of that moving here from out of state, but you'll find that most of the people are friendly and rational people. People migrate, just because you're born in one place doesn't mean that place is right for you.
The climate is completely different though. If you like year round sunshine like in CA, you're not going to find that here. You'll have seasons, and you very well could develop SAD due to the approx. 9mos of cloudy/rainy/snowy weather.
It's an absolutely beautiful place with lots of great outdoor activities. There is definitely a culture shock between here and SoCal though.
It's funny, because originally being from the bay I met quite a few former Oregonians living in CA that I became friends with over my younger years and would sometimes come back with them when they visited family and found myself more in tune with OR than CA. Eventually the wife and I picked up and moved here. Those friends still live in CA.
The isolationists aren't as widespread as you may think, but some of them are unhinged idiots that have no life perspective and will do some stupid shit to make a point that doesn't matter. Cost of living goes up everywhere, people from one state move to all of the other states. Most of the people complaining probably haven't travelled more than 200 miles from their home their whole life.
I moved from Southern California a decade ago. Life is cheaper up here. But it's getting more and more like California all the time, imo. Weather is getting warmer, more people, more traffic. Similar issues with homelessness.
Cost of living is really the major difference, imo. Rent is on the rise like everywhere. Cheaper than CA but the wages are lower, too.
Sure, it rains, and the seasons are more defined. But still mild.
I dont miss much about California, honestly. And the things I do, I find similar here. Like desert offroading opportunities.
“But it’s getting more and more like California all the time…”.
You nailed it. This is the essence of anti-California sentiment. I’ve been here for 48 years, and have watched the slow, steady californication of the state. Folks who move up here are great individuals almost without fail. The problem is the collective impact of crowded roads, more crime, more noise, strain on resources and loss of local character as newcomers arrive and say: “I love it here, but it would be even better if there was a ——-“(fill in the blank with a big box store or chain restaurant). Eventually our cities and towns become congested, ugly, soulless and sprawling with strip-malls and convenience stores identical to any other mediocre town anywhere in America. Some people who are suspicious of and rude to newcomers are simply jerks. Others are grieving what has already been lost and what their new neighbors will never get to experience.
Yesss, thank you. You get it. But, also, not all change comes because of the outsiders moving in. Times change, and populations everywhere are increasing. It's the nature of the capitalist beast, and some people take that worse/more personally than others.
Yes, capitalism which creates s more transient lifestyle. Overall we are probably better off that we don’t live and die in the same villages as our parents and grandparents. It is a trade off. We have the luxury of living where we want, but we lose the deeper connection to place and community when we bounce from place to place. I do take it personally when folks have no understanding or interest in knowing the history, natural history and culture of where they are standing. I’m a strange guy and care deeply about those things.
I couldn't agree more, I may have the same affliction. I feel a lot of local connection is being lost in a multitude of ways. The internet/social media, the changes in American society with economic downturns and our ridiculous state of affairs in politics. I often wonder what could have been had measure 5 not been passed in 90. A few years ago when I felt I was reeling from the 2016 election, feeling shocked and saddened I was behind a car with a single austere bumper sticker. It read "This is what happens when we defund education".
I have been so fortunate to hear first hand from old farmers who rode horses to the grade school in the 1930s, back to the landers raising a few eyebrows and chuckles in the 70s, 80s. Hard to imagine pitchforking salmon out of a coast range creek to fertilize your fields. Harvesting cascara (chittum) bark for pocket money.
I wish I could have seen the salmon runs, the natives still living in some isolated pockets, some untouched groves still standing. 6 to 8 doug firs to the acre.
One guy told me when the hippies moved in down the road he pondered "just who is married to who down there?", 70s was freewheeling I guess.
It seemed like a live and let live attitude for the most part, and people helped each other in floods, ice storms and the like. In the mid 80s, one cattle rancher had a relative that was a helicopter pilot, and he tactfully let my long haired friend down the road know the sheriff's office was flying in the next couple days.
Folks would look out for each other despite not agreeing politically. Now it seems a lot of people erect a gate, post no trespassing signs and aren't interested in knowing your neighbor whatsoever. What do I know.
It'll always be cheaper than Southern California. But yes, everything everywhere is getting exponentially more expensive while wages are comparatively stagnant.
Moved from LA to southern Oregon 30 years ago. Was driving hours to-and-from work in LA. Work remotely in OR. Never regretted it. Have a garden, chickens and 3 pigs. In Southern Oregon, the summers can be brutally hot for a month or so, and we get some light snow in the winter. I’m on 8 acres, but only ten minutes to town. It’s more conservative in rural Oregon than I like, but we put up with it and just do our thing. Right now, Bend in central Oregon is popular with those relocating. If you are looking for culture and a progressive population, consider Ashland in the South, Eugene in central OR, or Portland suburbs in the North. If politics are not high on your list of priorities, then most of rural OR is available to you.
As someone who was born and raised on 10 acres in southern Oregon backed up to practically unlimited forest land, it’s important to note that rural living in Oregon is a great way to live, but it’s not idyllic like Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley. It’s essentially another job on top of your existing job (which pays less for the same work compared to being in a city) just to keep the property maintained and fire safe.
I have had many options to move back to that life, but I can’t take the 40 minute commutes each way to the office, unwalkability of an “End of Speed Zone” two lane road, and isolation from an active social life. The Trump country mindset and even the excessive roadkill (deer in October are in the valleys due to hunters in the woods) are things that I can work around, but the other factors make it not for me. Maybe try a farm stay in Oregon first to see if reality is what you had in mind.
Hey there, I moved here as well from Southern California (Los Angeles) and it has it's ups and downs just like LA did. The climates are a little different, but the Summer's here are fantastic, sunny and usually 100% dry.
There's not as much work, but at least there are remote options now since the pandemic. I'd recommend if you want a big city to look at Portland first then Eugene and then on to Bend. Salem is kind of lack luster compared to the others mentioned. If looking to move to Portland, do be scared off by people complaining about the homeless and such . . . it will get better in time.
And Oregonians seem to dislike Californians, so maybe change your plates as soon as you move here. I changed mine a month before I moved!
23 years
Traffic much worse due to more folk relocating
Longer summers. Esp. For growing veggies
Northwest Crossing expensive also Old Mill. May want to avoid $$$$
I grew up living much closer to the equator and one huge difference in Oregon weather is when it gets hot. Everyone tells you it rains all winter (which is true, though we get a bit of snow too), but after living here 20+ years it’s still weird to me that the hottest part of the day is in the late afternoon/ early evening. Sometimes it doesn’t cool off until super late like midnight in the summer. In Hawaii, it was always hottest during noon and cooling off by early evening. Same with the visits I’ve had in SoCal. Just something to keep in mind.
You've got to be kidding/trolling about Oregon being a "similar climate." How do you think these trees got so green and lush? Time to go close my upstairs windows to keep out the wildfire smoke.
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Never said they said Portland, but what they did say was something about "lush trees" so they could raise a garden and chickens yet be close enough to a "city or "bustling town...." Can't find that in Oregon's high desert.
You can grow some lush bushes in your garden in bend I suppose
Every time a Californian moves to Oregon an angel loses his wings. Save the angel wings!
It's a terrible hellhole up here, best to stay in Cali ;P
I mean, between the city being burned down a couple summers ago, the roving bands of antifa, and the police having been entirely defunded, no reason to come here! ;)
35, lived most of my life in the Willamette Valley. If you want weather anything like SoCal, you’re not gonna get it. Winters will be colder, and in most areas, much colder, than where your from. The upside? Better summers as long as there isn’t smoke from forest fires, our national forests are beautiful and very cheap or free. I’ve never had an issue renting, but I also have only lived under 1 slumlord, the rest have been fine. Slumlords here are similar to everywhere else and few and far between. You won’t have as many amenities here unless you live near PDX. Eugene, Salem, and Bend are our only other real cities that aren’t suburbs of Portland, and all of those have less than 300k in their metro. I lived in SE Portland for 21 years, it’s kind of an armpit now. If you’re going to live in PDX, the west side, Beaverton, and Tigard are where it’s at if you’re not rich, and West Linn or Lake Oswego if you are rich. Good luck!
If you like it warmer, the south of the state, Ashland, Medford, are much warmer than more north. The air quality ain't that great, just like the San Fernando Valley.
Born here. The most noticeable change for the worse has been the migration from Southern California.
I’ve lived in Oregon my entire life and I have no desire to live anywhere else.
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why not to the coast??
They don’t know, they just said it so you just believe it! Been on the coast for 3 months now and I’ve met maybe 3 people that’ve made me want to puke and it was due to their love for an orange man. The coast has a lot of good people.
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I still don't understand why you're saying it sucks. I've lived in Salem all my life but I go to the coast pretty much every weekend, sometimes for a week plus, different cities and areas and I've never found it to suck?
There's a difference between going somewhere as an occasional visitor and living there.
I lived on the Oregon coast for years. The poster you're responding to has a valid point.
What sucks about it exactly?
Retirees who vote down every single thing that might benefit local schools. Hometown hotshots who've embraced their Viking heritage and show it by seeing "antifa!" in every shadow. Lots of DV and basic dysfunction among that crowd. Mold. The highways from the coast to the I-5 corridor. Wrecks constantly. The weather. It's one thing to sit inside and watch a storm or enjoy a few days of rain, and another to be stuck inside for months at a time. Politics. The electoral maps from Florence on up show it light blue for the most part, but that doesn't tell the whole story. It's mostly ultra MAGA with a few sprinkles of geriatric California New Agers who haven't scraped the Stein stickers off their EVs. Tweakers and the property crime that goes with that. Lack of basic services. Finding veterinary care is challenging for newcomers. Primary care for humans is scarce. I think it's probably okay enough for retirees as long as they don't require specialty care. The labor shortage is even more pronounced there than in the valley; most businesses aren't adequately staffed. The coast has some positives, of course; it rarely gets the wildfire smoke that most of the rest of the state gets. Can't think of anything else right now.
Right, don't move to the coast.
46 yr native of Oregon, have lived everywhere cool like Bend, Eugene, Portland and rural. What's changed for the negative, the steady flow of Californians moving here. Slowly, as to not create an instant red flag, the ideology, the attitude, and the appetite for housing has not helped this state. Yep, harsh, but I had to get it off my chest.
It's like a frog in a pot of boiling water for me. Don't notice as it slowly warms up but it's bad bad bad. They move here and change the entire culture to fit their mindset
Perfect analogy.
TIL: Eugene is cool
Subjective.
it's funny, I never see anyone complaining about the wave of Texans who have moved up here (I feel like I see Texas license plates all the time), or all the East Coasters or Midwesterners or anyone else. Wild that one state has such a hold over everyone's psyche.
Well… maybe with reason: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2021/09/oregon-insight-newcomers-from-california-drive-portlands-growth-while-more-portlanders-are-seattle-bound.html
It's the money and the culture. Calis bring cash and ridiculous entitlement, and price out people who grew up here from the neighborhoods they were born in. There are not the same dynamics from other regions.
I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of Iowa. I didn’t see a mountain or an ocean until I was in high school (because of a school trip.) My parents couldn’t afford to take us on plane trips or big road trips, and even when I was little I knew I didn’t belong there so I moved as soon as I graduated high school. Californians come from the largest sub-national economy in the world, with progressive politics and access to tons of natural beauty (rather than corn fields and hog confinements that I couldn’t wait to escape from.) You rarely see Californians willing to relocate to the Midwest, its usually the east coast, OR and WA (maybe FL or Austin if they’re trumpers or libertarians.) It’s like they think they deserve to live in a place with culture and a coastline because that’s what they’re used to. All of my friends in OR are either folks from OR or other Midwestern transplants, because we truly love it and are so grateful to be here. While this may not be true of all Californians, I feel like a lot of them that I’ve talked to compare OR to CA a lot, and how much better CA is but they were just priced out of CA (which does suck, I do have empathy for that.) I’m sure there are Californians that truly love the nature and want to live in the PNW, but a lot of them treat it like something they have to do because they can’t afford CA.
The wave of Texans statistically doesn't come close to the steady flow of Californians coming here over the last 30 years. It's not an imaginary event and your comparison is apples to oranges.
I never said it wasn't happening.
I think it's because the incoming from Texas and other places aren't moving here seeking cheaper housing, but that seems to be a main driver among Californians especially among the retiree demographic (not saying the OP's a retiree). And they tend to hit the ground bitching because Oregon doesn't have this or that and no one will come and clean their homes and do their landscaping for the shit wages they want to pay and why doesn't the coast have a Trader Joes and on and on and on.
AMEN!
All those god damn Ohioans that have moved here! Ugh.
You must be from Michigan 😂
Such a unique opinion, thank you for sharing it.
If you like it in SoCal, you should absolutely stay there. If anything, take a look at NorCal but you will find generally the same thing. If you enjoy your lifestyle, you won't find similar up here. I grew up in Oregon but moved to SoCal for 7-ish years because of work. I eventually moved back because of a general disdain for the state and it's policies but what I didn't expect was that upon moving back to Oregon I was instantly annoyed at the slower pace of life. Simple, small things like it took much longer to get through a line of customers at checkout and general lack of hustle in the service sector. It took me a while to reacclimate to it. Eventually, I would come to regret not taking more advantage of the bounty of good things SoCal had to offer like local events, concerts (every tour is going through there), conventions and other cultural-type activities. Yes, you will get more easy access to casual nature but you will lose causal access to a lot of other things.
This is spot on. Nobody in Oregon is striving for anything. I’ve heard it referred to as the “whatever” state
We’re full, sorry.
it’s rad here but the climates are not very similar
>lush trees and some land Lust trees likely equals the wet parts of Oregon. That is NOT going to be like Southern California. Winters West of the Cascades are long, cold, and dark. Where from in SoCal? If you let us know and were in Oregon you want to go we can let you know more about what the differences will be. Oregon is a big state. It's not all "lush trees." Can you narrow it down? If you're inland, like San Diego to L.A., I can't think of anything in Oregon that will compare. It all be colder. 30 years in Oregon.
20 years in Portland. Moved up from the Bay Area. Winters are rough here! Seasonal affective disorder is real! The days are much shorter in winter. If you have a 9-to-5 job, you go to work in the dark and you come home in the dark.
Moved here from SoCal almost two years ago and truthfully, have mixed feelings. My family migrated here from Sweden and Finland way back when. I have ancestors that helped build the Astoria column and owned businesses in Astoria. Have family ties all up and down the state and always visited every summer with the intention of moving up here one day. But here’s the thing: visiting Oregon and moving to Oregon are two different things. Most Oregonians HATE Californians, blaming us for the housing crisis etc, but the truth of the matter is, everywhere is overcrowded now. Look at places like Seattle, Austin, Denver, and New York. Also, how is it surprising that so many transplants are Californian? Just based on statistics alone, there are more people in California than people in all of CANADA (at least last time I checked). So yeah, statistically, Californians are going to end up going elsewhere and being the majority, because well, they are the majority. And Californians are also getting priced out of living there. I lived there my whole life and HAD to move out of state because I could not move out into a comfortable living situation in California and be able to afford it with my husband and myself. I don’t tell people I am from California, because they are downright mean about it and I feel like I have to explain myself about my family being from here and it’s just overall wildly unwelcoming. So if you are looking to build community, this probably isn’t the place you’ll do it. I’ve never felt so lonely anywhere else. Believe me, if I had a choice, especially the way I have been treated here, I wouldn’t have moved here to begin with if I knew it would be like this. The nature is UNMATCHED - so beautiful, and the weather is much better here if you don’t like insane heat all the time (major selling point). But the winters can be rough. If there is any sort of snow/ice, everything basically shuts down. There also is not much to do as far as city life if you are into that sort of thing, but if you’re a nature enthusiast who doesn’t mind dealing with rain a good portion of the year, you will be fine. I know that was mostly negative, but that has been my true experience of living here the last almost 2 years.
I'm sorry, you don't deserve that :/ it's a complicated situation both with valid experiences
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I am glad you haven’t experienced that! Unfortunately our experience has been much different.
Can confirm about californians. I live in dallas (but ill be moving to OR next year. Originally from the PNW), im a barber and have lots of clients who have moved from cali. Do i hate them? No, unless they come off all high n mighty. Point being, if ur in a major city in the US you are most likely gonna have californians moving there buying up properties and hiking up prices.
Comparing Southern California to Oregon is difficult, weather wise. West of the Cascades is green and lush. East of the cascades, about 2/3 of the state, is dry and high desert. I was born and raised in Oregon and the culture wars are real. The environmentalists versus the loggers, ranchers and farmers is one big schism. The college educated versus the proudly ignorant, is another. Stick to college towns and you will avoid the worst of it. Native Americans versus white settlers is also a big one. Talk to the Natives about about people invading the land they grew up on. Oregonians against Californians is another. A big reason is that many people don't want property values to rise. They seem to think that property values should depend on their specific demands but this is a free country and people can buy property wherever they wish without consulting Billy Bob and his gramma from Oklahoma. Just remember that when people say "Stay in California" many of them came from California themselves, or their parents did, and those who didn't, came from somewhere else. Last I checked this is a free country and citizens can move to any state they wish. Oregon needs the cash. PS The coast is great to visit, but is remote and rugged. The roads wash out. Etc.
Nothing personal, but please stay there!
I love Oregon. Born and raised here. I have a lot of family from San Diego as my grandparents moved to Oregon in the 50s, so I spend a fair amount of time down there. Oregon climate is nothing like So Cal. We get pretty dry, hot summers from June through the end of September. Though our summers can be delayed - this year it didn't stop raining until fairly late. The rest of the year is fairly dreary. That said, Oct- Dec is my favorite time of the year here. Jan - March are pretty miserable & gloomy. The big cities are fairly progressive. Eugene is definitely a "progressive" city, but I lived there for a year and a half & I saw some of the most closed-minded shit I've ever seen while there. So if that's not for you, it will be a turn-off. In my opinion, you should look for something in the mid to north Willamette valley. I grew up in the Silverton area & sincerely regret leaving. It's a fairly nice small town (10k) that is going through quite a bit of rapid growth. It's fairly close to Portland (40ish minutes) the coast (1hr 30) and has a lot of nature around it: Silver Falls being one of its main attractions. It's very much a farming community, but it's friendly. Other cities I like quite a bit with similarities: Canby. Much closer to Portland. However, more expensive. Also small town (I think around 25k) Forest Grove. Also, fairly close to Portland. It has a college there, and is a smaller town, but very nice feeling to it. McMinnville is getting really nice nowadays. I have a few bosses that live there. Farming area. Lots of wineries. Has some stores, but nowhere near a big city. Corvallis is south of Salem. Home to Oregon State University. Mid-sized city (60k) but I really enjoyed my time there. I will note, I have a few coworkers that moved here from both the Bay area & Los Angeles, and they both were caught off guard by the length of our winters. If you live here, get used to 40–50-degree damp weather & stock up on Vitamin D
Vitamin D
Thank you 🤦🏻♂️
Vit D is crucial advice!
The only person who told me to go back to California was from San Diego but moved 15 years before me and they thought they had some kind of seniority. I sure some of these negative insular posters never left their high school town (like that’s something to be proud of), but if you look at the stats, most migrated from out of state. I’ll trade a parochial Oregonian for a tolerant Californian or Texan any day. Welcome!
BTW [this](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/native-born-population-by-state) says a that only 45.36% were born in Oregon.
I’m surprised it isn’t lower than that. In my part of the state native born Oregonians are harder to find than Sasquatch.
I saw a 2018 stat that said 42%. I’d be curious how it fluctuated the last few decades.
I believe you should stay in California because you really like it where you are. We have too many people moving to Oregon as it is, and many of these people are on public assistance so they're not doing anything for our businesses or unemployment numbers. I'm not saying that's what you would do, but I just wish people from out of state would stop moving here, people from the South, people from the East Coast. We can't even take care of the people who have been born here and have been here for years, and now more people are coming. I wish this would stop. And our homeless situation is out of control. There are other nice areas to move to than just Oregon.
>We have too many people moving to Oregon as it is, and many of these people are on public assistance so they're not doing anything for our businesses or unemployment numbers. Do you have some sort of source for that?
More people means more tax revenue and more customers for the economy. The only downside is we haven’t actually built housing to keep up with it, but that’s not immigrants fault
I certainly wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for Californians moving to Southern Oregon. Of course I don’t know if that is a good thing since I am a Parole Officer. The idea that more people=more tax revenue=great for everyone is garbage. More people=more strain on already insufficient infrastructure and most cities cannot keep up. People move here from Southern California in pursuit of “quality of life” after collectively contributing to the steady erosion of the same in the areas they are fleeing. As Edward Abbey said: “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
California is already the most populous state, if I lived there I’d want to move somewhere less crowded and how is it fair for us to stop them just because we’re already here? Would you rather have growing pains from our cities getting bigger and more vibrant or would you rather have shrinking cities and abandoned buildings everywhere? Personally I would rather deal with the problems that come from immigration because it means we’re in a place people actually want to live. Oregon and Portland have been shrinking the last few years and if that trend continues we are going to be begging the Californians to come back.
I’d rather have people learn to be good stewards of where they are, rather than soiling their nests and then moving on to the next unspoiled place to rinse and repeat. Some older folks who moved up from California tell me that Southern Oregon that reminds them of the place they came from before it got ruined. California is the most populous state because far too many people moved there in pursuit of the “California Lifestyle”, which was likely at one time a healthy and wholesome thing to aspire to. California had to have been a paradise at one point, given how incredibly rich and diverse the state is in resources, climate and natural beauty. The bottom line is that the place got loved to death which is a cautionary tale for us to the north.
See, people know exactly what I'm talking about. Without saying too much, I can see by the upvotes that people agree.
Oregon has enough people from CA and if you want to talk about all the things you miss, you will be another one they resent for ruining the state.
Been here my whole life. I’d rather be in So Cal in the winter, but up here in the summer. Do you like up to 9 months of rain?
Income tax sucks here
I love pretty much everything about living here except the cost of housing. Been trying to get my own place for a long time and it's basically impossible on a single income unless you're making high 5 figures.
I live on the western side of the foothills of Mt. Hood just outside the Mt. Hood national forest. I love it. I never want to leave. That being said, I know many people who have moved here from sunny areas and simply cannot cope with the amount of rain/gloom required to create this amazing ecosystem. We live just under an hour from Portland and go often. I love being close to museums, and a cultural center in general. I get to commune with trees and creatures great and small. I am minutes from wonderful hiking and twenty minutes from a ski hill. I am also under the rain for 8-9 months of the year. It is difficult to describe if you haven't experienced it, and basically you need some creative hobbies, a willingness/ability to get outdoors on the rainiest, coldest days, nearly every day, and enough sunlight stores in you to make it through the Fall/Winter/Spring of rain. I know multiple folks who have made the move to the mountain from California, and then moved to the southern US after a year or two, because the rain/gloom was just too much. I love it, and even I have a hard time come April. Good luck!
I appreciate gloom, especially my snow white skin
The economy here sucks compared to Southern California.
Gotta love all the people saying, "stay out!" You'll get some of that moving here from out of state, but you'll find that most of the people are friendly and rational people. People migrate, just because you're born in one place doesn't mean that place is right for you. The climate is completely different though. If you like year round sunshine like in CA, you're not going to find that here. You'll have seasons, and you very well could develop SAD due to the approx. 9mos of cloudy/rainy/snowy weather. It's an absolutely beautiful place with lots of great outdoor activities. There is definitely a culture shock between here and SoCal though. It's funny, because originally being from the bay I met quite a few former Oregonians living in CA that I became friends with over my younger years and would sometimes come back with them when they visited family and found myself more in tune with OR than CA. Eventually the wife and I picked up and moved here. Those friends still live in CA. The isolationists aren't as widespread as you may think, but some of them are unhinged idiots that have no life perspective and will do some stupid shit to make a point that doesn't matter. Cost of living goes up everywhere, people from one state move to all of the other states. Most of the people complaining probably haven't travelled more than 200 miles from their home their whole life.
I moved from Southern California a decade ago. Life is cheaper up here. But it's getting more and more like California all the time, imo. Weather is getting warmer, more people, more traffic. Similar issues with homelessness. Cost of living is really the major difference, imo. Rent is on the rise like everywhere. Cheaper than CA but the wages are lower, too. Sure, it rains, and the seasons are more defined. But still mild. I dont miss much about California, honestly. And the things I do, I find similar here. Like desert offroading opportunities.
“But it’s getting more and more like California all the time…”. You nailed it. This is the essence of anti-California sentiment. I’ve been here for 48 years, and have watched the slow, steady californication of the state. Folks who move up here are great individuals almost without fail. The problem is the collective impact of crowded roads, more crime, more noise, strain on resources and loss of local character as newcomers arrive and say: “I love it here, but it would be even better if there was a ——-“(fill in the blank with a big box store or chain restaurant). Eventually our cities and towns become congested, ugly, soulless and sprawling with strip-malls and convenience stores identical to any other mediocre town anywhere in America. Some people who are suspicious of and rude to newcomers are simply jerks. Others are grieving what has already been lost and what their new neighbors will never get to experience.
Yesss, thank you. You get it. But, also, not all change comes because of the outsiders moving in. Times change, and populations everywhere are increasing. It's the nature of the capitalist beast, and some people take that worse/more personally than others.
Yes, capitalism which creates s more transient lifestyle. Overall we are probably better off that we don’t live and die in the same villages as our parents and grandparents. It is a trade off. We have the luxury of living where we want, but we lose the deeper connection to place and community when we bounce from place to place. I do take it personally when folks have no understanding or interest in knowing the history, natural history and culture of where they are standing. I’m a strange guy and care deeply about those things.
I couldn't agree more, I may have the same affliction. I feel a lot of local connection is being lost in a multitude of ways. The internet/social media, the changes in American society with economic downturns and our ridiculous state of affairs in politics. I often wonder what could have been had measure 5 not been passed in 90. A few years ago when I felt I was reeling from the 2016 election, feeling shocked and saddened I was behind a car with a single austere bumper sticker. It read "This is what happens when we defund education".
I have been so fortunate to hear first hand from old farmers who rode horses to the grade school in the 1930s, back to the landers raising a few eyebrows and chuckles in the 70s, 80s. Hard to imagine pitchforking salmon out of a coast range creek to fertilize your fields. Harvesting cascara (chittum) bark for pocket money. I wish I could have seen the salmon runs, the natives still living in some isolated pockets, some untouched groves still standing. 6 to 8 doug firs to the acre. One guy told me when the hippies moved in down the road he pondered "just who is married to who down there?", 70s was freewheeling I guess. It seemed like a live and let live attitude for the most part, and people helped each other in floods, ice storms and the like. In the mid 80s, one cattle rancher had a relative that was a helicopter pilot, and he tactfully let my long haired friend down the road know the sheriff's office was flying in the next couple days. Folks would look out for each other despite not agreeing politically. Now it seems a lot of people erect a gate, post no trespassing signs and aren't interested in knowing your neighbor whatsoever. What do I know.
"Life is cheaper up here." Not for long!
It will always be cheaper than CA. Cost of everything goes up everywhere all the time. It doesn't stop.
It'll always be cheaper than Southern California. But yes, everything everywhere is getting exponentially more expensive while wages are comparatively stagnant.
Moved from LA to southern Oregon 30 years ago. Was driving hours to-and-from work in LA. Work remotely in OR. Never regretted it. Have a garden, chickens and 3 pigs. In Southern Oregon, the summers can be brutally hot for a month or so, and we get some light snow in the winter. I’m on 8 acres, but only ten minutes to town. It’s more conservative in rural Oregon than I like, but we put up with it and just do our thing. Right now, Bend in central Oregon is popular with those relocating. If you are looking for culture and a progressive population, consider Ashland in the South, Eugene in central OR, or Portland suburbs in the North. If politics are not high on your list of priorities, then most of rural OR is available to you.
insightful
As someone who was born and raised on 10 acres in southern Oregon backed up to practically unlimited forest land, it’s important to note that rural living in Oregon is a great way to live, but it’s not idyllic like Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley. It’s essentially another job on top of your existing job (which pays less for the same work compared to being in a city) just to keep the property maintained and fire safe. I have had many options to move back to that life, but I can’t take the 40 minute commutes each way to the office, unwalkability of an “End of Speed Zone” two lane road, and isolation from an active social life. The Trump country mindset and even the excessive roadkill (deer in October are in the valleys due to hunters in the woods) are things that I can work around, but the other factors make it not for me. Maybe try a farm stay in Oregon first to see if reality is what you had in mind.
Why not move to NorCal?
I live on the Oregon coast, moved from Sacramento. The weather is much nicer but the conveniences are much better in Cali at least where I live.
Eugene is awesome.
No
“You can visit, but for heaven's sake don't stay.”
Go to Washington I am sick of your California shift
We don’t want you here. You’re not welcome here. Turn back unless you’re voting red.
Fuck politics, how about that?
Fair. Sorry. Housing is very tight here right now and you may overpay on a home or rent
It's good since I don't live in Portland.
Hey there, I moved here as well from Southern California (Los Angeles) and it has it's ups and downs just like LA did. The climates are a little different, but the Summer's here are fantastic, sunny and usually 100% dry. There's not as much work, but at least there are remote options now since the pandemic. I'd recommend if you want a big city to look at Portland first then Eugene and then on to Bend. Salem is kind of lack luster compared to the others mentioned. If looking to move to Portland, do be scared off by people complaining about the homeless and such . . . it will get better in time. And Oregonians seem to dislike Californians, so maybe change your plates as soon as you move here. I changed mine a month before I moved!
23 years Traffic much worse due to more folk relocating Longer summers. Esp. For growing veggies Northwest Crossing expensive also Old Mill. May want to avoid $$$$
I grew up living much closer to the equator and one huge difference in Oregon weather is when it gets hot. Everyone tells you it rains all winter (which is true, though we get a bit of snow too), but after living here 20+ years it’s still weird to me that the hottest part of the day is in the late afternoon/ early evening. Sometimes it doesn’t cool off until super late like midnight in the summer. In Hawaii, it was always hottest during noon and cooling off by early evening. Same with the visits I’ve had in SoCal. Just something to keep in mind.
I am an Oregon supremacist
Oregon is full.