Moving to Oregon from CA

Jon_G

Jon_G

WKR
Joined
Jan 25, 2023
How's life in Oregon compared to Cali? Tell me about your experiences. Don't be afraid to tell me about your entire experience!
 
If I were you I'd look into Montana! I live in rural Oregon and would leave if I could afford to. One though, we get city people move into this town I live in, population about 40. They want to leave the city but bring the dam city with them, hate it when they come into town. If your wanting to leave California, leave it, don't take it with you! Been pretty normal for people from California to come here and be willing to pay much more for a home than they are worth. They compare the price to same thing in California and up the bid! If your gonna leave California, leave it! Oregon get's more like California all the time. The entire state is run by Portland, Salem and Springfield/Eugene. Those people seem to think those of us in central and eastern Oregon just take care of the land for them to come play in whenever they want. Ya, if I could afford to leave I would.
 
I do admit I was expecting more positive responses haha. I wouldn't be opposed to moving to Montana or Washington instead. My family and I like forests and colder weather.

CA is just trash and too expensive. Of course there are nicer cities than where I live but you couldn't even dream of owning a house for under 1.5 million in a decent city. And even then, the decent cities around here aren't safe.
 
Jon_G said:
I do admit I was expecting more positive responses haha. I wouldn't be opposed to moving to Montana or Washington instead. My family and I like forests and colder weather.

CA is just trash and too expensive. Of course there are nicer cities than where I live but you couldn't even dream of owning a house for under 1.5 million in a decent city. And even then, the decent cities around here aren't safe.
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Oh boy, drop Washington too. Truth be known even Montana started downhill years ago, was stationed there at a small radar base in Lakeside. Wealthy people from all over the country came in and bought up land around Flathead Lake and built house on it so they could spend a couple weeks in private every year. They hired sitters to watch the place year round. Went back up about ten or so years ago. Took my mom up to see my sister in Kalispell. When I was there Kalispell was a near little country city, today it is over run with hippy types. Went to Polebridge that trip and went from a quiet little place where you could get a slice of rat cheese to an over run tourist trap without rat cheese, really disappointing trip. I'd still go back though, just to a far different spot. Used to be a lot of nice little places in that state!
 
Jon_G said:
I do admit I was expecting more positive responses haha. I wouldn't be opposed to moving to Montana or Washington instead. My family and I like forests and colder weather.

CA is just trash and too expensive. Of course there are nicer cities than where I live but you couldn't even dream of owning a house for under 1.5 million in a decent city. And even then, the decent cities around here aren't safe.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with most of Oregon. People look for reasons to complain, most don't even know what they're complaining about let alone actually experienced any of it. I talk to thousands of people driving rideshare and 999/1000 want the same things in life you do.
Western OR is a bit wet for me, Burns is too small, Bend is where I've been for almost 68 years. I've been hunting all over the west and haven't found many places I'd rather be.
 
Oregon has a lot to offer. If you have other options I believe there are a lot better states to hold a resident hunting license. Personally I’d like to leave as soon as my kids are graduated. It’s an upgrade from cali but I don’t know how long that will last. Portland and Eugene politics pollute the rest of the state. There are a lot of great people especially in more rural towns.
 
wapitibob said:
Nothing wrong with most of Oregon. People look for reasons to complain, most don't even know what they're complaining about let alone actually experienced any of it. I talk to thousands of people driving rideshare and 999/1000 want the same things in life you do.
Western OR is a bit wet for me, Burns is too small, Bend is where I've been for almost 68 years. I've been hunting all over the west and haven't found many places I'd rather be.
Click to expand...
Two places I really hate going in Oregon are Bend and Portland, I don't go to Portland at all anymore. Only reason I go to Salem is I have family there otherwise it would be out also. Haven't been to Springfield/Eugene in years and don't miss it! Went to my brother's in Salem on time and sitting at a red light I watched more cars go by than I've seen in several years here in Antelope! Traffic is a pain in Bend also but used to have to go to Bend for the VA clinic and Sportsmans is in Bend. I don't do well at all around to many people and lots of traffic.
There are people that actually enjoy living in big city's, I'm not one of them. Was in Salem till 1950 and step dad moved us to New York, what a bummer! Anyway we'd got to East Lake back then and never had to go through any part of Bend to get there, didn't even know Bend was there Back then! Even less than bend is Sister's, what a tourist trap! Sorry, just don't like a lot of people and traffic around. Went into Sportsman's a couple weeks ago and they are re-doing the bypass. Darn near got lost going home! And all those round about's are for the birds. Last trip to VA clinic that last round about got me and took me about a half hour to get where I was going, got lost!
Thebigbaby said:
*shitfecta
Click to expand...
Ya know, in all fairness California, Oregon and Washington are all beautiful states. The problem with these three is the governments! If things were different, I could find a place in each I could easily live. But then I know places in New York state I could too but those places come under control of the liberal New York politicians. get rid of the politics and I could find a place in darn near every state in the country I could live except the hot southern states. I hate starting to sweat for no other reason than I took a deep breath. I remember taking a shower at a truck stop in Flordia years ago. Dripping sweat all over. Took the shower and tried to dry off but couldn't keep up with the sweat.
 
Moved from Los Angeles to Oregon/Washington in 1992. Housing was a bargain once crossed the southern Oregon border. We bought a home in a very nice neighborhood with 20% down and our mortgage was less than our rent was in Cali for 1000 square foot in an 8-plex without a garage. Back then, commutes into Portland from any direction were at about 50mph DURING rush hour. That nirvana is in the rear view mirror. Too little housing inventory added for the amount of job growth and population expansion.

On the plus side the PDX airport is nice and gets you about anywhere non-stop west of the Mississippi River. Good fishing opportunity though the river runs are down from the 1990s. Hunting is not really managed for trophy hunting in OR or WA.

Portland is a hell hole when are within 2 miles of downtown though some pods of meth villages spring up all the way into the suburbs. Property crime is rampant as junkies need more super drug hits. No teeth in the catalytic converter resell game so supposedly repair shops place their orders with the middlemen between them and the meth heads with saws that then head to your driveway. I bought a Tesla as no catalytic converter to steal.

Politics are controlled by the metros in OR and WA just as CA so your vote will not make a difference no matter which candidate you support. Hint: The D wins all races for the past few decades for all statewide races including Federal races.

Sometimes you have to go where the job and money are so are fenced in as try to take care of yourself and family so some things give including quality of hunting.

I am retired in AZ now and may end up in CO in a few years. People say CO is changing which is true in part due to the influx of CA folks but in my opinion is okay with a lot of outdoor opportunities. The big drawback is the ballot measures that are not in line with what wildlife biologists think is the optimal policy.

I looked at WY and prefer it to MT. SE WY is a nice balance for affordability and access to good medical specialists and a great airport down south in Denver less that two hours drive.
 
TreeWalking said:
Moved from Los Angeles to Oregon/Washington in 1992. Housing was a bargain once crossed the southern Oregon border. We bought a home in a very nice neighborhood with 20% down and our mortgage was less than our rent was in Cali for 1000 square foot in an 8-plex without a garage. Back then, commutes into Portland from any direction were at about 50mph DURING rush hour. That nirvana is in the rear view mirror. Too little housing inventory added for the amount of job growth and population expansion.

On the plus side the PDX airport is nice and gets you about anywhere non-stop west of the Mississippi River. Good fishing opportunity though the river runs are down from the 1990s. Hunting is not really managed for trophy hunting in OR or WA.

Portland is a hell hole when are within 2 miles of downtown though some pods of meth villages spring up all the way into the suburbs. Property crime is rampant as junkies need more super drug hits. No teeth in the catalytic converter resell game so supposedly repair shops place their orders with the middlemen between them and the meth heads with saws that then head to your driveway. I bought a Tesla as no catalytic converter to steal.

Politics are controlled by the metros in OR and WA just as CA so your vote will not make a difference no matter which candidate you support. Hint: The D wins all races for the past few decades for all statewide races including Federal races.

Sometimes you have to go where the job and money are so are fenced in as try to take care of yourself and family so some things give including quality of hunting.

I am retired in AZ now and may end up in CO in a few years. People say CO is changing which is true in part due to the influx of CA folks but in my opinion is okay with a lot of outdoor opportunities. The big drawback is the ballot measures that are not in line with what wildlife biologists think is the optimal policy.

I looked at WY and prefer it to MT. SE WY is a nice balance for affordability and access to good medical specialists and a great airport down south in Denver less that two hours drive.
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Great answer thank you. The more research I do the more it seems like the busy areas of Oregon are not too much different from CA. What I do know is that the older I get, the less I want to live in a super busy place like it is here in the sf bay area. I've heard more than a few people say that life goes by too quickly here. It's too hectic. I want my kids to grow up in a different environment than the one I grew up in.
 
Dirtscoots said:
Oregon has a lot to offer. If you have other options I believe there are a lot better states to hold a resident hunting license. Personally I’d like to leave as soon as my kids are graduated. It’s an upgrade from cali but I don’t know how long that will last. Portland and Eugene politics pollute the rest of the state. There are a lot of great people especially in more rural towns.
Click to expand...
If you could choose any state where would you go?
 
Don Fischer said:
Oh boy, drop Washington too. Truth be known even Montana started downhill years ago, was stationed there at a small radar base in Lakeside. Wealthy people from all over the country came in and bought up land around Flathead Lake and built house on it so they could spend a couple weeks in private every year. They hired sitters to watch the place year round. Went back up about ten or so years ago. Took my mom up to see my sister in Kalispell. When I was there Kalispell was a near little country city, today it is over run with hippy types. Went to Polebridge that trip and went from a quiet little place where you could get a slice of rat cheese to an over run tourist trap without rat cheese, really disappointing trip. I'd still go back though, just to a far different spot. Used to be a lot of nice little places in that state!
Click to expand...
It seems like it's getting more and more difficult to find peace in nice places unless you go to a very rural area Hu? I have a friend that moved to Washington and every day he seems to be having the time of his life. Says he wouldn't go back to CA at all anymore.
 
Don Fischer said:
If I were you I'd look into Montana! I live in rural Oregon and would leave if I could afford to. One though, we get city people move into this town I live in, population about 40. They want to leave the city but bring the dam city with them, hate it when they come into town. If your wanting to leave California, leave it, don't take it with you! Been pretty normal for people from California to come here and be willing to pay much more for a home than they are worth. They compare the price to same thing in California and up the bid! If your gonna leave California, leave it! Oregon get's more like California all the time. The entire state is run by Portland, Salem and Springfield/Eugene. Those people seem to think those of us in central and eastern Oregon just take care of the land for them to come play in whenever they want. Ya, if I could afford to leave I would.
Click to expand...
Negative.
 
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