Where to live in Oregon? If any... (Portland, Eugene: universities, living)

[kyliec23]

I live in Missoula, MT right now with my fiance and three (big) dogs. We're both in our mid twenties and have been in Missoula for several years and have decided it isn't for us. I've always loved the ocean and would like to live a little closer. It's not a huge deal that the west coast has a cold ocean but I would prefer more sunny days and not overcast all the time. Here are some things we're interested in:
-Summers and winters that are not brutal
-Dog friendly community with parks, good shelters
-I'd like to live near an animal rescue/refuge/rehab as that's the line of work we're aiming towards
-not an outrageously high cost of living
-probably will want to live on the outskirts of a moderately big city
-liberal community
-will need a college nearby maybe

Any suggestions/pros/cons would be appreciated. Even if it's "Oregon is not for you!"

[Steve Pickering]

I am not sure Oregon would be what you are looking for.

We did just have the driest summer on record, but it is not normal. Gray is kind of Normal for much of western Oregon and a constant on the coast.

I think some of what you want is here, but starting with your job, I would not expect much.

[Silverfall]

Oregon is overcast. If that is important to you, then I don't think it is what you are looking for. Otherwise the other criteria are doable.

You do realize that to make winters not brutal you need cloud cover to trap heat and keep it warmer, right?

[PNW-type-gal]

By "moderately big city" do you mean roughly the size of Missoula? According to Wiki, the Missoula area is around 110,000 people. That sharply limits Oregon locations and completely cuts the coast out. I *think* the largest city on the coast is Coos Bay, and that is around 15,000 (around 60k in the entire county).

There are several places in the Willamette Valley (Portland, Salem, Eugene) that are that large - and they all have large universities in town or nearby. Otherwise the only areas even close would be Medford (Southern Oregon) and Bend (Central Oregon). Medford is close to Southern Oregon University and has a large community college system. Bend has a large community college and OSU plans an expansion there.

In general, Medford (very hot summers, cool rainy winters) and Bend (high desert, snow in winter, mild summers) will have more sun than other parts of Oregon.

[kapetrich]

I'd agree with PNW-type-gal. Medford/Bend seems like they'd be closest to your weather desires and size all while having closer proximity to the ocean.

I'll speak to Bend since I live here: Missoula and Bend are compared a decent bit by people....more to do with proximity to every outdoor pursuit than anything else. Weather is semi-similar, although Missoula is colder in the winter. Bend isn't a college town like Missoula is (not to minimize your town to juuuust a college town, but UM has a huge impact), but, like PNW said, it has a very large community college (COCC), 14k, and an OSU Cascades campus that serves 2,000 students, both graduate and undergraduate, which is in the process of expanding to 5,000 students.

Specific to your questions:

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-Summers and winters that are not brutal

Summers in Bend are similar-ish to Missoula. Winters are warmer in Bend with less snow, but still plenty in the mountains.

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-Dog friendly community with parks, good shelters

Bend was just named Dogtown USA by some magazine: Bend is deemed DogTown USA in Dog Fancy’s annual listing | OregonLive.com

We have more dog parks than most places have people parks. If anything, the towns love for dogs is a bit over board....and this is coming from a dog owner, myself.

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-I'd like to live near an animal rescue/refuge/rehab as that's the line of work we're aiming towards

We have em'....do some research I'm sure many will pop up. We even have a Gorilla refuge which is borderline comical.

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-not an outrageously high cost of living

Depends what you're used to. I'd imagine it is somewhat comparable to Missoula given Missoula's bigger with a larger University. Bend is more expensive than your average 75k town since it is a 'desirable' place to live, though.

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-liberal community

I'd say Bend is pretty damn liberal within the city. Deschutes County leans red, but Bend itself leans blue. Oregon in general is very live and let live so even the ultra conservative are fairly tame 'round here, imho.

I'm VERY liberal socially and most everyone I know is, too. The people who aren't are very considerate and hardly ever make it a topic of discussion in my experience.

Originally Posted by kyliec23

-will need a college nearby maybe

COCC with 14,000 students and OSU Cascades with 2,000 undergrad and postgrad. Expansion on Cascades is in the works: OSU Planning Full 4-Year Facility At Bend Location

[kyliec23]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

You do realize that to make winters not brutal you need cloud cover to trap heat and keep it warmer, right?

I'm okay with that. I know winter doesn't mean sunny blue skies but I was wondering if there's a decent amount of sunshine in spring/summer/early fall.

[kyliec23]

Thank you guys so much for the replies! It's been extremely helpful. I've done some research on Eugene and I'm wondering what you guys think about that area? From what I've found online it seems to have everything I'm looking for??

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by kyliec23

Thank you guys so much for the replies! It's been extremely helpful. I've done some research on Eugene and I'm wondering what you guys think about that area? From what I've found online it seems to have everything I'm looking for??

Eugene's a great college town. It meets all your criteria but the "...I would prefer more sunny days and not overcast all the time." Mid-fall, winter and spring can be pretty difficult if you prefer sunny over rain/overcast. Summers are gorgeous, as they are in the entire PNW.

Just depends how important this particular criteria is to you.

Good luck with your search

[Larry Caldwell]

You aren't going to find any place in Oregon that's nicer than Missoula.

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

You aren't going to find any place in Oregon that's nicer than Missoula.

I'd beg to differ, but we all have different priorities. Depends what you're looking for....no?