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Ohh, I like Elkton!!! During the summer, we make the elementry playyard a meeting point w/family/friends if we're all going somewhere, so we can let thekids out to play on the playyard. Heck, I play on the cool merry-go-round! lol Ive never seen one like that, and i adore it. Beautiful little town,but man, your gas prices can be scary!
Tiffany
Wow, it's "nice" to see that the ol' CA vs OR debate still reigns supreme.
At age 10, I first arrived in Oregon in 1979, when my parents moved from L.A. to Philomath. Let's face it, you can't get much more "hick" than Philomath, but truly, that was absolutely the right place for me to grow up. For a shy, tomboy like me, I would have been lost in a metropolis like LA. In Philomath, everyone pretty much got along, from the kids who took forestry classes to those of us in AP English. I don't remember anyone being rude to us solely because we were from California.
I've been back in Southern Cal for 16 years now and rarely visit OR because my family no longer lives there. But if people ask, I still call myself an "Oregonian."
Like anything, you get out of it what you put into it.
Wow! I'm planning on moving to OR this month as my husband accepted a new job. We are so excited about leaving So. Cal and moving up to greener surroundings.
HOWEVER, after reading the posts here and hearing rumors about the people of OR not liking people from California I'm a bit worried that myself and my family won't be recieved or welcomed with open arms.
We are leaving cali due to housing prices which are out of control... we are tired of the color brown which is everywhere we look, people drive so fast it's insane here, and a bunch of other reasons too many to mention.
We are both native to cali and will always love the beaches and the sunshine but to be honest sunny days every day gets a little old. I'm looking forward to some rain and from what my husband says everything is clean and beautiful. I can't wait to see trees everywhere.
Please don't judge me because I'm from California... judge me for who I am... a fun loving, liberal, agnostic, stay at home mom, who can't wait to raise her kids in an area with out graffiti and tons of gang violence. A place where we can go hiking and see beautiful waterfalls, where my sons can climb trees and learn to appreciate nature.
Tell me... will we be welcome here or do we need to make up a story that we are actually born and raised in Portland?
You are going to fit in just perfectly. I'm a native Oregonian living in Escondido, CA and I can't wait to retire my wife and move back to my home state. Most Oregonian's are from California or related to someone in California, or have lived in California or some other state at some point in his or her lives. The facts are 309,000 people move to Oregon each year and another 300,000 move out of the state each year. Oregonians have bought into the myth that somehow Californian's are to blame for high real estate prices. They are right in one aspect and that is more Californian's are buying their real estate than from any other state. They want to blame us for making their real estate less affordable to Oregonians. If they were correct they would have to blame Californian's when prices fall, which they don't. RE prices are driven more by interest rates than any other single factor, which determines the size of the payment, which has to add up to less than 35% of gross income. Affordability over the last 5 years increased demand and drove up prices. Lastly, Oregonians who own the property are responsible by asking for a higher price for their homes. Californians are making Oregonians rich not the other way around. If a Californian does not buy a home, a builder is out of work. If an employee of a builder is out of a job he has no income. If the employee of the builder is out of work, he’ll cut back and on and on and on it goes. Every dime spent anywhere is someone else’s income. If I choose to save someone else has to withdraw from savings. I did not mean to get carried away on this but so many people have been complaining about Californians driving up the cost of Oregon real estate. Money spent in Oregon goes into another Oregonians pocket a fact that should never be forgotten.
Beings that, I love that Oregon phrase, better get used to saying again, I am a native Oregonian gives me the power to anoint you as Oregon’s newest Oregonian. If anyone ever says anything to you, just tell him or her you ARE an Oregonian. You won’t be telling a lie. You sound very nice, which will make you a friend of everyone you meet.
We just moved to Southern Oregon 2 months ago from Southern California. We are not native Californians though- I am Asian and my fiance is from the midwest originally.
Just like you, I was excited to move here but got really scared when I started reading posts here in this forum. I even told my fiance that we should have our license plates changed ASAP so people won't know where we came from. My heart was really heavy thinking that I was moving to a place where we wouldn't be welcome, and was scared to be judged because of where we came from. I don't have the California attitude and I don't like it either- I worked in the Hollywood area to get a taste of that everyday.
So far though, I have not met anyone who was not nice to me. All the people I've met are very friendly. I try not to mention where I came from and still am hesitant to say it when someone asks me, but again, so far, they don't seem to mind.
I guess it just depends on how you act and whether or not you flaunt it, or if you have the nasty California attitude that anywhere you go, Oregon or other state, will set you from the rest.
I still think that it's not nice that some people in the forum are just mad at Californians moving to ORegon. When I first started reading this forum, I was amazed at how many people want to move to Oregon- from all over the US! And yet, I don't recall them getting mad at someone from, say, New York, moving to Oregon.
Anyway, I wish you luck. And again, there are a lot of nice Oregonians out there. Just be nice yourself and I think it will just follow that other people will react to you by being kind as well.
The hard part for a Californian is to be as nice as an Oregonian. Smile, be friendly, and no one will know the difference. Stick your nose into the air and they'll think you are from California. Keep the nose level and be neighborly and you will fit in just fine. Don't give it another thought.
By the way, to change those license plates will only cost you $55.
Hi, Dan. I take back part of what I said in my pevious post. I did encounter someone who wasn't very nice. Maybe she was having a bad day, I don't know. As far as I know I didn't do or say anything wrong. This was at the DMV about 2 weeks ago. I went up to the counter and told the lady I needed to register my car. She gave me the papers to fill up and told me to go to the next counter. I asked her if it was the same paper for out of state plates and she looked at me and asked me if I had the title of the car and I said yes. She then said, "well, you need a different form then!" and handed me another form and told me it was going to be $120-something or so. I couldn't do it because they needed a utility bill as a proof of local address ( I brought my car insurance with my local address but they didn't accept that).That was my second time to go there that day and just the thought of going back there the third time and having to deal with her another time just turned me off. Tried to do it again today but they were closed.
Probably the initial registration costs that much but the succeeding ones will be the $55 that you mentioned.
Sorry, my mistake. You have to re-title the car in addition to registration. Plus, you need an Oregon Drivers License.
I don't know what it is about government workers but they are an unfriendly lot nationwide. I don't know about Oregon but here in California, you can avoid the long lines and unfriendliness at the counter by using member services at your local AAA office. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and will have you out of there in no time. AAA also has the lowest auto insurance rates in Oregon so you might as well join. They include roadside service, which my wife has used twice. They will change your tire and promise to be there in 30 minutes. Me, change tires? Forget it. I’ll let AAA do it.
The hard part for a Californian is to be as nice as an Oregonian. Smile, be friendly, and no one will know the difference. Stick your nose into the air and they'll think you are from California. Keep the nose level and be neighborly and you will fit in just fine. Don't give it another thought.
LOL! That is so true. How funny you should say this as I was born and raised in the NW and have lived in LA for sometime now (specifically the snobby westside-I hear that it is anyway. In my experience Hollywood can be much worse.). Anywoo, I was wondering how I could move back now with my newfound ability to not give a sh-- about most people trying to manipulate and spew their narcissistic diarrhea all over others or just plain cruelty and meanness. Ignoring others and placing one's nose in the air is sadly an adaptive technique I think many acquire here.
But to move to the friendly Portland area, I think you have nailed it in your post. These adaptive cold-hearted, nose in the air survival techniques have to be placed aside. But if one hasn't always lived in California, it probably comes more naturally. I can't imagine growing up never exposed to kind hearted folks on a daily or regular basis.
But I do have a question regarding the feeling of entitlement that people have here in California-why the snobbery do you think? Why does the nose itself raise? Just curious. Thoughts?
LOL! That is so true. How funny you should say this as I was born and raised in the NW and have lived in LA for sometime now (specifically the snobby westside-I hear that it is anyway. In my experience Hollywood can be much worse.). Anywoo, I was wondering how I could move back now with my newfound ability to not give a sh-- about most people trying to manipulate and spew their narcissistic diarrhea all over others or just plain cruelty and meanness. Ignoring others and placing one's nose in the air is sadly an adaptive technique I think many acquire here.
But to move to the friendly Portland area, I think you have nailed it in your post. These adaptive cold-hearted, nose in the air survival techniques have to be placed aside. But if one hasn't always lived in California, it probably comes more naturally. I can't imagine growing up never exposed to kind hearted folks on a daily or regular basis.
But I do have a question regarding the feeling of entitlement that people have here in California-why the snobbery do you think? Why does the nose itself raise? Just curious. Thoughts?
Narcissm in the Westside & Hollywood? not in our lifetime!!!
Really, how often do they actually go anywhere outside of that area besides just driving past?
The prevailing "I'm better than you so I don't give a sheet about anyone else", "I'm so cultured and happening since I was seen @ certain place with a certain so & so." "I'm so environmentally progressive that I drive a hybrid" (never mind they really got it as a fad & the earlier fad and trade in for the hybrid was an SUV).
Naw, never gonna happen in the Westside or Hollywood!
Its not really the snobbish thats an issue with me. Snobs are everywhere, some areas might have more. I have no problems with that. There's just a large element of hate & clannish behavior against those with different values than them floating around here. I was walking around after brunch w/ my wife. A political group, very radical, was out passing out flyers & getting sigs for some petition (?). As I was passing by, he muttered some stuff & I responded " Sorry, I support the GOP" with a smirk. He went aback, frowned and in a serious manner, said "whats wrong with you?" I then smiled and slowly & clearly said "I'm fine with myself, whats wrong with you?" Thats one of the few times I actually bothered responding. Many times, more than half the time I'm out and about, some groups are out calling someone a baby killer, a nazi, etc. mostly directed @ conservatives & Republicans. I'm not making this a RED & BLUE issue nor pointing a finger @ dems @ all. Its simply a group of haters and there are many of them here. A sad case, so much hate in them they can't carry a decent conversation w/anyone outside their mindset.
Last edited by snb3; 11-11-2006 at 05:16 PM..
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Beautiful little town,but man, your gas prices can be scary! 
I'm scared!!!
