Trying to decide between Eugene and Portland as a new home. Any thoughts?

Question

I'm a 27 year old male radiography (x-ray) student graduating in June. I live in Wisconsin now and I'm looking to experince the NW. I love the outdoors! Hiking, mountain biking and golf are my favorites. I want a mix of outdoor activites along with cultural things to do. I would like to live in a reasonably priced area that is dog friendly. Good hospitals are a must! I saw that someone had mentioned a new income tax law. How does that effect people? Any input would be great. Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm not a Eugene fan. What's not college is very blue collar. It just didn't seem to hold enough to do for me.

Portland is fun. Very dog friendly, lots of gold courses, plenty of places to hike and bike, and lots of stuff to do. There's a symphony, a ballet, and they usually get the Broadway Tours coming through. It also has a good jazz community.

Oregon has income tax - I don't know that it's new. However, Multnomah County (where Portland is) also has a 1% special assessment. 1% right off the top goes directly to the county. But, as mentioned, there is no sales tax.

The sales tax point is kind of moot right now because Washington State has no income tax and gets refunds for state sales tax via a Federal Income tax 'refund'. While there is some traffic to get into Portland proper from Vancouver and its surrounding areas, you have the potential to save like 30% of your income and another several thousand dollars on the sales tax rebate if you live and work in Washington.

Near Portland, there are many major hospitals. On the Washington side, there is Southwest Washington Medical Center and just further north is Legacy Salmon Creek. The legacy hospital is brand new and SWMC just opened a new gorgeous wing.

Hope this helps! : )

Answer 2

Eugene To Portland

Answer 3

I was raised in Oregon and I lived in Eugene from 1997 to 2004 and have lived on the outskirts of Portland since that time.

As for Eugene I agree with everyone's responses so far. It is definitely a liberal city with access to the outdoors within an hours' drive. It has very limited options for entertainment, but Portland is only a 2 hour drive away. The downfall is it doesn't have an international airport and so fares are a bit higher if you like to travel and if you are someone who likes to attend cultural events you are limited.

Portland is defintely more cultural, definitely a lot more white collar and a multitude of hospitals to suit your degree. There are tons of events every weekend to attend and you have the coast to the west, Mount Hood to the east, Seattle 3 hours North and an internation airport with super cheap fares if you can take advantage of last minute deals that are offered.

The politics involved in the hospitals in Eugene can be a nightmare for employees, and although you can experience that anywhere you live, the Portland area certainly gives you a better selection and a top notch learning hospital (OHSU)

Answer 4

I think you might be looking more for Portland area than Eugene.
I would vouch for what others have commented previously that of course Eugene is smaller, so you will find less, so basically its a college town with lots of blue collar work which is fine for those it suits but I can almost guess you'd prefer either Portland or some place within the metro area that would suit you.
Depends on what you are looking for.
I live in the west side in Beaverton and there are nice areas over here too. By and large you'll find more dog friendly areas in Portland metro area and better, larger hospitals.

Answer 5

Okay, I am answering just to balance things out here!! I absolutely LOVE Eugene, and lived there for 25 years by choice.

First, it is NOT true that Eugene residents don't welcome outsiders or consider you to not belong if you haven't lived there awhile. Some of the smaller towns around Eugene are like that, though.

For a family, Eugene is definitely preferable over Portland. Also, in Eugene, a brand new hospital is being built, not sure of opening date, and a second one has been in the plans as well. Eugene has the best hospitals in the state next to Portland, and equal/better than those in Salem.

Eugene is laid back, not really like a city (whether that is good or bad depends on if you like city atmosphere), and has tons of opportunities for biking, hiking, jogging, and all other outdoor activities. There are many miles of bike paths and bike friendly streets and a lot of people who ride their bikes to work daily.

Eugene is also very artsy, is home of the original "saturday market" (Portland now has one, too, which granted, is larger), has an independent arts theater, several live stage theaters, and music of every genre.

http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene,_Oregon
http://www.planeteugene.com/
http://www.wunderground.com/US/OR/Eugene.html
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/09/10/home.php
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/


That being said ... it is very possible in your circumstance that you would prefer Portland. There will be more professional young adults, more night life, and more job opportunities. Portland is a wonderful city, it just takes longer to get to the places outdoors to do things.

In Eugene you can be to bikepaths and parks in five minutes from just about anywhere, to the country/rural areas and golf courses in 10 minutes, to the foothills in 20-30 minutes, numerous lakes, rivers, and recreational areas in 20-45 minutes, and the mountains or ocean beach in an hour. From Portland, many of these things will require longer commute time.

Answer 6

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RE:
Trying to decide between Eugene and Portland as a new home. Any thoughts?
I'm a 27 year old male radiography (x-ray) student graduating in June. I live in Wisconsin now and I'm looking to experince the NW. I love the outdoors! Hiking, mountain biking and golf are my favorites. I want a mix of outdoor activites along with cultural things to do. I would like...

Answer 7

I grew up in Eugene and lived in Portland for many years. Both cities have their pros and cons.

Portland: higher crime rates, larger transient population, more people and traffic, better public transportation, more "arts" (theaters, concerts, shows, museums, etc.), more scenic

Eugene: lower crime rates, good transport system, but not as good as Portland's, fewer people and traffic, fewer "arts" and not as scenic.

I don't really care for Eugene. The people there tend to make sure you know you don't really belong there until you've been there a few years. The city itself isn't very attractive, the asrchitecture isn't generally nice. The whole feel of the city isn't that good. If it wasn't for my family living there I wouldn't go back.

Portland, on the otherhand, depends more on what neighborhood you live in. The east side tends to be a bit grainier, but still great neighborhoods. It is the most multicultural city in Oregon (which is one of the least ethnically diverse states in the US) and offers the most opportunities for any sort of cultural experience. I lived downtown and loved it, I rarely ever made it out since everything I needed was there.

I would say go to Portland, the outdoors is just as close (Mt. Hood is one of the most dangerous mountains in the US killing more people than others) has a plethora of golf courses, is famed for it's varieties of restaurants and has actually been featured on the Food Network a few times. In the end you should make up your own mind, but I think you'd like Portland better.

P.S. the income tax law is interesting. Oregon is one of the few states without a sales tax so they make up for it with an income tax. Don't worry about it too much, it doesn't really affect people too much.

Answer 8

Well, read all of the answer above, it is good. Then, think about your politics. Both cities are very liberal, but Eugene more so. If you are into the hippy movement, smoking a lot of pot, and never left 1968, then Eugene is for you. Portland is more modern, but also a haven for every whack job, cause of the moment idiot. Yet, they do have some great micro breweries.

Answer 9

I recommend Portland, based on your career. When I volunteered at one of the hospitals, I saw that people would drive over 200 miles to get x-rays, ultrasounds, and the such from that hospital and we would try to schedule all their hospital appointments the same or next day so they wouldn't have to drive back or stay at a hotel for too long.
Portland is also a very nice city to live it.

Answer 10

You might consider Medford/Ashland area for your interests. It is a smaller community but world famous for its Shakespeare Festivals, and Pear Festivals in Medford. Very organic community, animal friendly, people friendly, as a single you would probably really like that part of Oregon. Mountainous, just north of Mt Shasta, weather is nice most of the year, not too hot, not too cold. We lived ther for over 5 years, have friends who moved from LA there and love it!!!