Salem vs Bend

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by karlsch

For many the belief is, friends and relatives of prisoners, many of whom are criminals themselves, move to the communities with prisons so they can be closer to the imprisoned. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.

This was my observation when I lived there. There were a couple of apartment buildings that were rumored to be pretty much full of spouses/families of inmates. There were families peppered throughout my neighborhood in some of the smaller rentals who were connected with inmates.

As far as the average prison stay being 24.5 months, that statistic is statewide, includes minimum security correctional institutions, club fed in Sheridan, and excludes those who are serving life sentences. I imagine the average stay at the State Pen is a little higher than that.

I moved from Salem in 2005, and I'm not sure I'd move back now. I used to really enjoy the downtown area, but it seems to have gone downhill significantly since my time. Salem is my hometown, and it's sad to see the decline.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

This was my observation when I lived there. There were a couple of apartment buildings that were rumored to be pretty much full of spouses/families of inmates. There were families peppered throughout my neighborhood in some of the smaller rentals who were connected with inmates.

As far as the average prison stay being 24.5 months, that statistic is statewide, includes minimum security correctional institutions, club fed in Sheridan, and excludes those who are serving life sentences. I imagine the average stay at the State Pen is a little higher than that.

I moved from Salem in 2005, and I'm not sure I'd move back now. I used to really enjoy the downtown area, but it seems to have gone downhill significantly since my time. Salem is my hometown, and it's sad to see the decline.

Well back before 2005, they were releasing criminals into the Salem community from all over the state so it would make sense that families would relocate here. I think it was right around that 2004-2005 range, where they changed the policies and criminals had to go back to their home county.

Back in 2005, the downtown wasn't stellar, from my perspective. I moved to Salem in 1999. It was around 2009 with the opening of La Capitale that really shifted the downtown/restaurant scene in my opinion. Then Amadeus, Wild Pear, and Rudy's all went downtown along with a lot of new restaurants. What is dying downtown is the mall but that is true all over the nation and not unique to Salem. They are hunks of buildings and I'm not sure what will be done with them. There will be an economic fall out from Covid for sure, but that will happen everywhere and isn't unique to Salem.

I do think you prefer that more small-town feel though? Salem definitely has growing pains and the issues we have feel more like larger city issues. I do agree that the small-town feel that Salem had isn't quite the same as it used to be. Families of criminals just aren't what is the cause of Salem's current woes. There is a direct correlation between the massive home price increases that started in 2015 and our crime rate/homeless increase.

[Metlakatla]

I wasn't referencing the retail and restaurant scene when I said the downtown area had declined.

I also didn't claim that families of criminals are the cause of Salem's current issues; just pointing out that it's a potential factor in some neighborhoods.