Living in Lebanon oregon (Corvallis, Albany: real estate, rentals, houses)

[pattyabeyta]

Hello all!
My husband recently got a job in Albany and we are looking to relocate from a small rural town in Arizona. We are looking up rentals for right now until we get established. I seen a few in Lebanon and am wondering what it’s like living there? How is the commute to Albany? I have 2 kids (daughter 10 & son 2) so am also wondering how the schools are? Any advice on the area would be much appreciated!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Lebanon is a rural town. There is good shopping. Lebanon has a large service area so shopping is better than you'd expect for the population size. It feels like a logging town, although the logging industry is pretty much dead.



A bit lower income. Real estate is fairly reasonable in price and there are some really cute houses in town.


There is no night life, but the location is great for boating, fishing, mountain hiking. There are some really nice campgrounds close. I think there is a shortage of restaurants beyond the inexpensive family style ones and drive-throughs.



I don't like commuting, so personally, I prefer to be closer to work.


I have no ideas what the schools are like. Summer temperatures can occasionally be higher than on the other side of I-5.

[texasdiver]

I'm not sure what you would gain by moving to Lebanon over Albany if you work in Albany. There are nice neighborhoods and decent schools on the side of Albany closest to Corvallis.

[Silverfall]

So Lebanon is not one of those charming small towns. There isn't much of downtown and what is there isn't great so if you are wanting quaint shops, restaurants and such, that isn't Lebanon. Most of the restaurants will be fast food type of places and they do have a Starbucks and Dutch Bros there as well. That said, everything you need daily you can get there. They have a Walmart Supercenter there as well as a Safeway.

As OWS said, it has good access to nature. Gills Landing has boat access into the Santiam if that is your thing. Cheadle Park is also really nice. They also have a really great plan for city trails.

So, in my opinion, Lebanon is kind of an average city. It isn't bad, but it isn't great. It doesn't have a lot of charm, great schools, etc, but it is an improving city, in my opinion.

The high school still has issues but the elementary schools have improved and I've heard good things about the charter school there. I personally would choose North Albany schools over Lebanon schools, but if you want a smaller town then Lebanon could work.

It's about a 30-minute drive to Albany.