Why has Oregon (thank God) not become as crowded as California? (Redwood: credit, home)

[Fiddlehead]

Great posts Larry and Deezus!

I had not considered the effect of large military bases, but you are right, they are tremendously important. My sister lives in San Diego, and that place is all about the military. Vis a vis Morse, that is an interesting quote, suggesting that the things we are ranting about over on the "third world" thread have a long history.

I think you are right about the "Bonanza" mentality ruling the history of California. From the Mulholland/Owens River boondoggle to the siphoning off of the Trinity River for the Central Valley Project, to the real estate bubble, it does seem like a "lets make few million and the consequences be damned" model has been at work. And it shows. California should be a gorgeous state, yet there is something barfy about much of it. Texas and Florida are heading down the same tracks, I believe. Kind of nice as some level to be in a less go go state, where some of the good sense of the pioneers still rings through. From Astoria to Baker City, it seems like most older towns in Oregon are pretty nice.

[durf]

Are you kiddin'? Lots of migration from Cali, Texas and New York to Oregon. Enough already! People have been packing the state since 1980, and I'm fed up! Oregon, especially Portland and the central coast, are magnet for Californians and the southerners as well as eastcoasters. Haven't you guys heard that Oregon is the favorite destination spot in the U.S. for people wanting to move? That's why Oregon is expensive like California. People been moving up to Oregon and jacking up the prices there. You might as well call Oregon and Washington California. Now, they're the same. It's totally ruined. If you wanted to experience real Oregon, you need a time machine and go back to 1978 when it was reeeeeaaally Oregon, not California with its lousy attitude.

[Fiddlehead]

Hi Durf,

I hear you. However, the fact remains. We have 4 million, California has 40 million, and it is only about 1.5 times the size! So, we are nowhere in the same league as California for crowding. Although it might seem like endless Californians are moving to Oregon, we remain blessedly uncrowded in comparison.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Neither Oregon nor California is crowded on a statewide basis. Both have areas of high-density population nestled within many millions of square miles of resource land and wilderness areas. It's the relative size and frequency of those high-density areas that makes the difference. In fact, the over-5000-ppsm population centers (red zones on the map) tell most of the story. Since transportation facilities are concentrated in these same areas, the perception of crowding is easily reinforced when driving around the state by car. California has three major areas where that density of population occurs over wide areas: coastal southern California, the San Francisco Bay area and the Central Valley. There are climate, industry and historical reasons why.
Oregon has much smaller spreads of really high density population in the Willamette Valley. When the Willamette Valley is factored out, the population of Oregon is very, very small.

[trixie09]

on a side note, I find the Eastside of Seattle to be far more pretentious and phony than any place I lived in California. Just sayin'

[sammy332]

How come not many people live in SE Oregon?

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by sammy332

How come not many people live in SE Oregon?

Have you been to SE Oregon? Very remote, high elevation, cold,hot, and much of it owned by the federal government. A wonderful place to get some solitude and savor expansive scenery. Just not a big economic mecca.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by sammy332

How come not many people live in SE Oregon?

Because not that many people are hot and heavy for large salt pans, a lot of wind, blistering summers, nasty winters and a near-total lack of other people. I always wondered how come it didn't become a big Indian reservation, since it meets the usual criteria: it has little value and not many resources, it's punishing and miserable to live in, it lacks services, and no one wants it.

[jjpop]

I've read that the most remote place in the lower 48, from the standpoint of access to roads, shopping, and services, is SE Oregon.

[iPwn]

Originally Posted by jjpop

I've read that the most remote place in the lower 48, from the standpoint of access to roads, shopping, and services, is SE Oregon.

Driving thru Brothers, that doesn't surprise me one bit.