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I've been considering relocating mainly because I love the outdoors activities that are offered there. Awesome weather. Beautiful land. Fit/healthy lifestyle is abundant/common. In general the overall culture seems to be superior to where I'm at. Furthermore I do believe I'd get a pay raise if I moved because my profession seems to have a higher rate there as opposed to where I'm at. I'm more of a city guy but want the ability to be in nature relatively quickly. Thinking Eugene or Bend at the moment. Not familiar with the coastal areas. Any recommendations? How is the state going to appeal to a southerner from a relatively conservative state? (Law wise).
In general I'm just wanting to move somewhere I can hike, Mountainbike, snowboard, Kayak, Fish, hunt, and maybe do a bit of camping & rock climbing. I don't really have any commitments or ties so I figure why the hell not. What says the hive?
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I've been in Bend my whole life. It was a small town 50 years ago. Now it is pushing 100,000 people, and the strains of rapid growth are evident. Housing is tight. Traffic sucks and assholes abound, especially on summer weekends.
People equate Bend to an island. it is about 3+ hours to get to any other "city" which is probably a good thing.
It is beautiful for sure. But politics wise, Oregon is heading the way of California. The east side of the state is still generally conservative (except for Bend, which is sliding left very quickly) but the westside's population makes the eastside irrelevant in terms of elections.
As an example, a year ago, we had pretty decent firearms laws. We now have a form of UBC which is a pain in the ass. Our D-governor and both houses (majority D) are hell bent on making firearms ownership more challenging for law-abiding citizens. They will pass magazine bans next spring, and probably other crap too. I would not be surprised to see some kind of SAFE act here. I am sure it will be proposed. I am not a defeatist, just a realist.
Having said that, if you can make a living in Bend, you'll find all of the outdoors stuff easy to access. I can leave work and get on a trail and Mt. Bike for a couple of hours, or hit the river for a paddle, and still be home for a late dinner with my family.
No comment on Eugene. My folks live at the coast. If you like rain, you'll love it there.
ETA - Also, what the guy above me said...