Areas of Salem to Avoid (Portland, Eugene: crime, lawyers, homes)

[christi1981]

I will be visiting Oregon in the first week of January and I looking for places that my fiancee and I will be able to live without hearing constant gunshots and loud speaker systems in cars. I will be graduating from CSUSB in June and will be loooking for a job in environmental health. I figured areas near salem and portland would be our best bet. I do not want to live in the main part of the city, but I do not want to commute more then 45 minutes either. Any and all help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Christi

[movieking]

I live in the SE section of Salem, probably the best area... avoid south near Lancaster Drive and North of dwontown area (unless you area meth dealer).

[Clara1082]

Here are my suggestions for you:

Independence/Monmouth Area
Wilsonville
South Salem
West Salem
Silverton

All very nice places to live. Like the person above me said. Steer clear of Lancaster.

Good Luck
Monica

[piperflyer]

HI Christie,

I'm guessing you graduated CSU SanBernardino? We were born & raised in S.B., so I know what you mean about the gunshots, etc. You forgot the part about police copters flying over all hours of the night! We moved 20 yrs. ago to the central coast of Calif., but we are hoping to soon begin building on our lot in Independence, which I noticed is one of the small towns mentioned to you by another post. Both Indep./Monmouth are kinda funky & small. Dallas is nice too, quaint downtown--I've been there a couple times with friends to a great Mexican food restaurant, also a nice quilt shop.

K

[DocOregon]

There are lots of nice neighborhoods in South Salem, but there are also many nice neighborhoods in north, NE and SE Salem, as well as Keizer. Which area you choose depends on what factors are most important to you, such as crime, schools, night life, transportation, rents/home prices, etc. Most available jobs in your area of expertise would probably be in Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene, and there are a lot of other nice communities within 45 minutes drive of those cities. For NW Oregon (Salem, Portland and surrounding communities), you can find information about crime and schools throughout 5 Oregon counties in the Moving Guides as well as on the Other Resources on the web.

[Bickie]

Is the area near Williamette U cool?

As for the Original poster, I have been to SB many times, and I haven't heard any loud booming sounds in cars or gunshots.
Good luck on your relocation!

[bobmulk]

The area near Willamette University is not that great--not the residential areas anyway. Ironically enough, the areas are quite poor and Willamette is a pricey, liberal private college. How's that for irony?!

[speedracer5]

The area around Willamette is really nice. Its full of older homes. However, they can be a little more on the expensive side. The only drawback with that area, is that alot of the older homes have been purchased by doctors, lawyers, and other businesses, so many of the nice homes aren't homes at all. Another potential drawback can be in one weekend in July when the annual Salem Art Fair happens. This is a big event, and the entire area around the park will be filled with cars. It may prove difficult to leave your home that weekend. However, its only one weekend out of the whole year, so it can't be that bad right?

In regard to areas to live around Salem that are quiet... I would try living in South Salem, Southeast Salem... essentially anywhere South of Bush Park. West Salem is nice too. The only drawback is that if you have to do anything else besides grocery shopping, you'll have to drive across the Marion Street Bridge to get into town. The Marion Street Bridge can be quite dangerous and annoying if you drive on it at the wrong time.

I wouldn't live anywhere near Lancaster, the fairgrounds, or Portland Road. Much of the NE Salem neighborhood can be considered dangerous. But I understand there are some nicer areas. I've never lived in North Salem, so I'm not sure. I live in South Salem.

If you don't want the hustle and bustle of the city (although Salem neither hustles nor bustles) I would try living in one of the smaller cities close by:
-Dallas, about 20 miles west of Salem
-Monmouth, about 15 miles west of Salem
-Stayton, about 20 miles east of Salem
-Silverton, its really cute and they're rapidly improving the town to make it more inviting for tourists.

There are some smaller cities close by, but in my opinion they're a bit trashy. Avoid Falls City (near Dallas); Avoid Albany (it smells); and Avoid Turner (its a bit trashy too).

Kayla

[oregon_mom]

i live near lancaster drive and have no problem here plus my apt are on coral ave maybe its all the illegals coming here that are missing this city up not the street

[GeekyGal]

I highly recommend Keizer, OR. I have lived here 6 years and for rush hour it is the easiest drive. Plus, we have a great new shopping mall called Keizer Station that is bringing our property values up. I was born here and would definitely agree that Lancaster Drive needs to be avoided.