Cheap Places to Live in Oregon (Portland, Bend: 2013, city hall, renting)

[JonMystic]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I didn't know there were guys in their early thirties in Bend who were not snowboarder and drunks, sounds like you were adding to the "diversity."

Also, you are assuming being closer to civilization is a good thing. The more I see, the better I like La Grande, better yet Halfway...

Just feeling snarky. Where ya headed mystic?

Well , I thought I could contribute my unique character traits. Yes, I do enjoy a good cup of cappucino, some good conversation and reading french poetry. Well, I don't speak french, but, heck it sounds like fun to me. I guess my interests don't coincide well. None of my neighbors came to greet me or say hello, as a matter of fact I live in this crowded neighborhood in Bend and yet it seems like a ghost town. There is hardly a soul walking around. Bend = Lonely, EMpty Town. I will go to WHole Foods and be like the only guy in there many times.

Bend is beautiful for scenery and for reclusive retirees, but for those who like a social life with the more intellectual type outside of drunken nights at the bar listening to reggae or grungy new age hip metal music, Bend just ain't for you.

Originally Posted by bluebird39

Pendleton is quite affordable, and there's a state psychiatric hospital there too.

Yeah, well you sure will need the psychiatric hospital after living in that town for a few years. If not for being bored to insanity, then for all the heavy doses of agent orange you will ingest from cross-contamination with the crop dusters they use on their farms out there. Them good ol boys in the east side don't care about any safety regulations.

If you enjoying looking at endless fields of lentils, potatoes and wheat excites you and if milking cows and raising chickens is more entertaining than having a garden and you don't care about the proximity of musical or cultural entertainment, then Eastern Oregon is great. But, why not save yourself some money and just move to Wyoming, Nebraska or some place that is like even cheaper and has the same scenery. I also hear people in Great Plains are friendlier than in Oregon, more of a Christian vs the Libertarian vibe.. Perhaps worth considering.

BTW.. I love trees , so no Eastern Oregon for me.. No Thanks.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by JonMystic

Well , I thought I could contribute my unique character traits. Yes, I do enjoy a good cup of cappucino, some good conversation and reading french poetry. Well, I don't speak french, but, heck it sounds like fun to me. I guess my interests don't coincide well. None of my neighbors came to greet me or say hello, as a matter of fact I live in this crowded neighborhood in Bend and yet it seems like a ghost town. There is hardly a soul walking around. Bend = Lonely, EMpty Town. I will go to WHole Foods and be like the only guy in there many times.

Bend is beautiful for scenery and for reclusive retirees, but for those who like a social life with the more intellectual type outside of drunken nights at the bar listening to reggae or grungy new age hip metal music, Bend just ain't for you.




Yeah, well you sure will need the psychiatric hospital after living in that town for a few years. If not for being bored to insanity, then for all the heavy doses of agent orange you will ingest from cross-contamination with the crop dusters they use on their farms out there. Them good ol boys in the east side don't care about any safety regulations.

If you enjoying looking at endless fields of lentils, potatoes and wheat excites you and if milking cows and raising chickens is more entertaining than having a garden and you don't care about the proximity of musical or cultural entertainment, then Eastern Oregon is great. But, why not save yourself some money and just move to Wyoming, Nebraska or some place that is like even cheaper and has the same scenery. I also hear people in Great Plains are friendlier than in Oregon, more of a Christian vs the Libertarian vibe.. Perhaps worth considering.

BTW.. I love trees , so no Eastern Oregon for me.. No Thanks.

Hey Mystic,

To be honest, this post reeks of snobbery. Now Bend is a ski bum town in general, so like SoCal is not a place where folks typically hang around in cafes doing poetry slams. But there are plenty of very smart and sophisticated people there. Probably just takes the right way to find them.

Capping on Pendleton and E. Oregon like that is just not cool. I have lived in small towns of the West and in big cities of the US and Europe and never had a hard time finding coffee and good conversation. Interesting, sophisticated people are everywhere. And even some of the cowboys of NE Oregon are damn impressive. I suspect your elite attitude is one of the variables in your unhappiness. Your dismission of that beautiful part of the world show exceptional ignorance. Parts of NE Oregon are among the most beautiful in America.

I think people want to be helpful here, but not to have areas they love trashed by the ignorant.

Where are you from that you can judge other places with such authority and condescension?

[Waterlily]

I'm just stoping in to this thread I started back 2 and a half years ago. Oh my how things have changed in that amount of time.Who would have thought that Bend, and Redmond would have some good deals on real estate? It seems like that's one place to go for a deal now.

Yes I like the trees in western Oregon, but there are places in eastern Oregon with trees. Hood River has trees,mountains near by,and a river. I haven't checked but I'd imagine that real estate is still kind of high there.

I've lived in the eastern part of the state. It has it's good points. It's not so crowded. Traffic is usually light. It's easy to find a home with a large lot. If you are looking for lots of culture then you'll need to go to a large city which in Oregon means western Oregon.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by Waterlily

I'm just stoping in to this thread I started back 2 and a half years ago. Oh my how things have changed in that amount of time.Who would have thought that Bend, and Redmond would have some good deals on real estate? It seems like that's one place to go for a deal now.

Yes I like the trees in western Oregon, but there are places in eastern Oregon with trees. Hood River has trees,mountains near by,and a river. I haven't checked but I'd imagine that real estate is still kind of high there.

I've lived in the eastern part of the state. It has it's good points. It's not so crowded. Traffic is usually light. It's easy to find a home with a large lot. If you are looking for lots of culture then you'll need to go to a large city which in Oregon means western Oregon.

Indeed, I was playing around with some 2008 data and it really was completely outdated. Some upscale markets have dropped only a bit and are still inflated, whereas the areas with massive speculative building have really crashed hard. Very hard to gage what is going on across the board. I don't blame buyers for sitting on the sidelines. I don't see prices blasting off anywhere, and some areas are still too darn high (Ashland for instance).

[lvladyk]

I wish you would do this for other cities. Your opinion seems unbiased and incredibly honest. I'm searching for a safe, cheap(er) place to live outside of California, which as of this morning may become 2 separate states soon...........You did a great job, wish there were even more information.
Thanks a bunch, Kelly Hannah

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by NomadicBear

Pretty much EVERY location in Oregon is getting cheaper by the day. Why? Because the housing bubble burst with a ferocity never before seen, and the job market is absolutely horrendous. I love Oregon, but I cannot imagine ever living there due to the historically weak economy. Sure, one can perhaps find a job prior to moving there, but what happens if you lose that job through no fault of your own? The chances of finding another are slim. It's for this reason I am surprised that people talk about purchasing houses almost immediately after they arrive, sometimes sooner than that.

The numbers of people who are now stuck with a house they cannot sell (see the above poster), are massive, and not just in Oregon. I'd suggest renting is the best option for most, unless money is of little consequence. Rents are falling, and will continue to. Haggle with the landlords to negotiate a good rate, no matter which city or town, then sign a one year lease. After the year is up, you can take the pulse of the rental market, and decide if you want to negotiate it down, or if you are happy with what you have and feel comfortable you are not overpaying. Wherever you are, or want to be, make sure that you are doing a good job in negotiating rental (or sales) prices of homes. Asking prices don't mean a thing.

Where do you get the information from that rents are falling????? They are rising, especially in Oregon. We would love to move back to Portland, but I don't think we can afford to rent a house for under 900 dollars a month.

[Nell Plotts]

If you don't need employment there are plenty of communities that are woods products dependent where housing prices have cratered. But, just because housing is inexpensive doesn't mean that living there is 'cheap'. Often medical treatment is a long way away, the local grocery is small and their offerings limited and relatively expensive. There may be only one gas station so little competition of price there.

The OP needs to figure out what they need in the way of commuity services and then look at housing prices.

[Random_Walk]

I'd have to pitch in for Garibaldi, Bay City, Netarts, and Tillamook, with perhaps a shout towards Hebo.

All of these places have long-term (as opposed to vacation) rentals at decent levels, and it's only 90 minutes into PDX (along Hwy 6).

If you don't mind stretching the drive to two hours, you can lump in Nehalem, Pacific City, and Beaver.

Water and power rates are comparable (and often better) than what PGE and such charge, and the lack of Comcast has forced me to discover that I can do a whole lot better (Dish @ $55/mo for 2x the channels, and CenturyLink for 1/2 of what Comcast charges but at better transfer speeds with little-to-no latency, etc.)


The downsides? Besides the drive into PDX, shopping anywhere will take at least a 20-30 minute drive into Tillamook (though Garibaldi does have The Food Basket, which is one of the best little grocers that I've ever shopped at). It is also harder at times to find specialized services (e.g. local movers, etc), and goods (certain appliances, etc).

Overall though, it is a lot easier on the bills so far, IMHO.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by Random_Walk

though Garibaldi does have The Food Basket, which is one of the best little grocers that I've ever shopped at).

If that is the store on the corner I agree. One day DH & I were in need of ice cream cones, their price and portion size I haven't seen since the 70s.

[Random_Walk]

That's the one, I believe. It's just before you turn north on the way out of town, on the bay side of the road.