Interview in Salem - Help w/ Tour of the Area Please (Portland: appointed, for sale)

[CMor2Day]

I have a job interview in Salem at the end of this week. We'll be driving in from the Spokane area and would like to get as much out of visiting it to see if Salem is a good fit for us.

- looking for a couple neighborhoods to drive through. Choices with homes available for rent and for sale in the (max) $150k price range or $1200/month rent. Or areas to stay away from?

-working near I-5 & Kuebler and prefer a 30 min or less commute.

- Neighborhoods with an active library is important - we spend a lot of time there!

-Public transportation would be nice (one car family) if we live in Salem.

-We'd be just as interested in a small town outside of Salem (and willing to commute up to an hour) if we could get/rent a couple acres to have a horse for our price. And the schools fed to a high school that has more than, say 50 kids/grade (a city of about 3,000 would be the smallest I think).

- any specific school suggestions? schools for K-Junior High(we have a four year old and a 5th grader)

-we'd like an area where soccer is accepted. Where we currently live football is so strong there's not even an opportunity for kids to play soccer after 7th grade (for fear the football team will suffer!).

-music, ice skating and horseback riding are our other favorite activities. Specifically, we'll be looking for lessons for our children. Any suggestions for these facilities we could visit?

-highlights of Salem for families? Would you say the downtown is kid friendly?

-zoo - museums - other places we could be members of?

-some of the highlights of the natural beauty of the area?

Thank you! I'll be plundering the site for info too.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

I have a job interview in Salem at the end of this week. We'll be driving in from the Spokane area and would like to get as much out of visiting it to see if Salem is a good fit for us.

- looking for a couple neighborhoods to drive through. Choices with homes available for rent and for sale in the (max) $150k price range or $1200/month rent. Or areas to stay away from?

$150 or less is tough in Salem. For house buying, I'd say Skyline Village in south Salem would get you 1-2 options, but most of your options for neighborhoods will be in East Salem. For renting, you would have a lot more options as you can rent pretty much anywhere for $1200 a month.

Oregon has urban growth boundaries which you will see when you get out here. It makes our acreage and homes more expensive, but it preserves farmland and nature.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

Neighborhoods with an active library is important - we spend a lot of time there!

The library is downtown Salem. They have a west branch but not sure how much it is open due to budget cuts.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

Public transportation would be nice (one car family) if we live in Salem.

Public transportation is ok, but not great in Salem.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

We'd be just as interested in a small town outside of Salem (and willing to commute up to an hour) if we could get/rent a couple acres to have a horse for our price. And the schools fed to a high school that has more than, say 50 kids/grade (a city of about 3,000 would be the smallest I think).

The only towns that would work with that criteria would be Stayton and Dallas, but I don't see you getting to rent two acres for $1200 a month. You can't buy a house with it.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

any specific school suggestions? schools for K-Junior High(we have a four year old and a 5th grader)

You will be more limited by what you can afford. Generally schools in south and west Salem are considered the better schools as well as Clear Lake area in Keizer.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

we'd like an area where soccer is accepted. Where we currently live football is so strong there's not even an opportunity for kids to play soccer after 7th grade (for fear the football team will suffer!).

Cascade Football Club and Keizer Soccer are popular. They both start at peewee levels.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

music, ice skating and horseback riding are our other favorite activities. Specifically, we'll be looking for lessons for our children. Any suggestions for these facilities we could visit?

This is Oregon. You won't get a lot of ice skating out here. You would have to go up to Portland to the Clackamas town center for ice skating lessons. Salem-Keizer schools have a really good music program, but you can get private lessons with Willamette Music Company, Uptown Music, or KAMA (Keizer Academy of Music and Arts). There are also Willamette students that offer private lessons and plenty of vocal coaches, etc in the community.

I know there are some places down south Salem that offer horse back riding, but I am not aware of their names.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

highlights of Salem for families? Would you say the downtown is kid friendly?

Not sure what a kid friendly downtown is, but I think so. Lots of restaurants, Create a Memory is downtown, the Riverfront Park with the splash pad and Carousel. Kids can also run through the fountain at the Capitol Mall. AC Gilbert house is also downtown.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

zoo - museums - other places we could be members of?

Salem is a city of 150,000 people. The Zoo is up in Portland as are the Children's Museum and OMSI. Salem has the AC Gilbert House. Evergreen Aviation Museum is close by in McMinneville. Dallas has an Aquatic Center and the Kroc Center has a nice small water park for kids.

Originally Posted by CMor2Day

some of the highlights of the natural beauty of the area?

In the area the best swimming hole for kids is at North Fork Park. Detroit Lake is about 35-40 minutes away and is great for tubing, jet skis, etc. You can also fish there. Silverfalls State Park has a great swimming hole too and easy hiking. Minto Brown Park in Salem has several miles of trails for bike riding or hiking. The coast is about 1-1.5 hours away depending on where you start in Salem. The Santiam river is cold and great on really hot days. Good for kayaking and rafting.

I think you will have some sticker shock at the cost of living in Oregon.

[Steve Pickering]

The Dallas area has several current listings for 3br 2ba with acreage for $150,00.

[LindaBoBinda]

Silverfall - what does this mean?


"I think you will have some sticker shock at the cost of living in Oregon" .[/quote]

That the cost of living will be higher or lower than expectations?

I love the info here

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by LindaBoBinda

Silverfall - what does this mean?


"I think you will have some sticker shock at the cost of living in Oregon" .

That the cost of living will be higher or lower than expectations?

I love the info here[/quote]

Well when someone says they want to buy a house for less than $150,000 and ask about schools, it generally means they are used to a much lower cost of living than they will find in Oregon. $150k in Salem won't get you into what most locals would consider the better schools.

[golden_goose_egg]

I have school-age children, elementary and high school, and I agree with Silverfall on schools. Salem is very segregated by class/income, and the schools reflect that. You certainly will want to rent before committing to a particular area. Expect $1K+/month + utils/misc. for a decent house.

You will also find public transportation to be a huge disappointment. Bus routes generally run from 6-6:30 AM until 9:30-10 PM, with no service on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. In fact, there is no route serving the immediate area around Kuebler and I-5. Salem is very car-centric. We made it here as a family of five with only one car, but I did a lot of cycling, and we were within a mile of shopping. If you are not on a bus route or are opposed to cycling in cold/wet weather, plan on a second car. Keep in mind that if you choose to live in West Salem or points farther west, Dallas, for example, that there is only one bridge crossing and it can get congested during commuting hours.

If you are expecting similar urban amenities to Spokane, you will be disappointed.

Honestly, I don't think it is wise to move to this area on the basis of an employment opportunity. The job market here is not strong, and has not been in the five years I have lived here.

[Steve Pickering]

It depends on what you do. The Government employment is mostly stable right now.