Anyone know anything about Salem, Oregon?

[Katzateer]

We are looking for somewhere to retire, and that area seems to be of interest to my daughters and husband. They have talked about Washington and I like California. We also have a relative planning to retire in up state Caliornia, so they would be close. That's one part of the country I know nothing about but it sounds like it might work for us.

The only thing I don't like is the rainy weather but I will take the rain any day over the snow and cold. I am not sure Florida is where I want to end up. I want the ocean close by, Amtrak for day trips and as little snow and ice as possible.

[drhama]

I live about 100 miles south of Salem on I5.
I love it here.
It's about an hour to the beach and a beautiful ride.
The weather has changed in the past few years but still, no matter how bad it is here, it's better than much of the rest of the country. The farther south you go, the warmer it gets. High desert to the east.
A wide variety of outdoor recreation activities in the state.
Employment opportunities are varied. Relatively stable economy.
If you do a lot of air travel, you are better off closer to Portland. Flight options are few from the local airports.
Do some web searches. There is lots of info out there.
Hope that helps.

[Fangorn]

I live in Portland (more or less). We're 35 miles North of Salem, and I've been here 30 years now.

Salem is the State Capitol, and is not a large city. The primary industry is "government". Personally, I do not like Salem as a city. There are SO many nicer places to live within a 50mi radius than Salem itself. It kind of depends on how much city or country you're looking for.

From a location standpoint, Salem is in the heart of the Willamette valley (which for you history buffs, getting there was the entire point of the Oregon Trail) and is still primarily an agricultural area. Virtually every crop grown in the US, with the exception of citrus, can be grown in the Willamette Valley. The Willamette Valley lies between the Coast Range and the Cascades. The Pacific Ocean is approx. 60 miles to the West and the mountains of the Cascades are about the same distance to the East. The High Desert of Central Oregon (that would be around Bend, OR) is another hour on the eastern side of the Cascades. Portland is 35 miles North if you want city.

Weather is generally mild, but like anywhere, there are times when things get extreme. Snow is normal, but not common. In Portland we'll get maybe 2-3 snow events a year. Salem is about the same or less. Sometimes those events are a day or two in duration, sometimes just an hour or less. Now if you really want snow, you just have to go up into the mountains. In fact, most years you can ski on Mt. Hood in August. Sleet and ice are more likely than snow, but also are usually short events.

Rain is a whole other discussion. It does rain. A lot. Or rather, it seems like it rains a lot. We moved here from Ft. Worth, Texas. Annual rainfall in Portland is basically the same as the annual rainfall in Ft. Worth (the year we moved, Ft. Worth was actually ahead of Portland). BUT - and this is a big BUT - in Texas, it'll rain 2 inches in an hour or so, and then you're done for 3 weeks. In Oregon (well West of the Cascades anyway) that 2 inches of rain takes 2-3 weeks to fall. Meaning, there are times (typically November thru April) where it's grey, wet, soggy and depressing for days, possibly weeks at a time.

Winters can be cold at times. We got down to +9 this year, but that's about a once every 25 year event. We're starting our normal warming up cycle now - highs in the upper 40s, lows in the mid 30s.

On the flip side - summer and fall is stunningly wonderful. When summer finally starts (which is typically after July 4) we'll typically see highs in the mid 80s. We will normally hit 100 once or twice. We have never had more that 9 days in one year of 100+ degree weather, and there have never been more than 5 days in a row of 100+ degrees. The 90s are almost as rate.

Salem, and the Valley - being further south - will be slightly warmer in the summer but not by much. Again, if you want hot, head over to Central Oregon again you'll get hot and dry.

Speaking of dry, humidity is rarely something we even notice. It's highly unusual to have muggy days. In the summer the temperature ranges can be pretty extreme. Even on the hottest days, it will almost always cool off (as in a 40 degree swing) at night.

If you like the outdoors, this is the place. Pretty much anything you want to do is only an hour or two away.

As for other places in the Northwest - anything north of Portland (that means Washington) is going to be colder and have more rain and snow. Seattle has significantly more rain, snow and grey than Portland does. East of the Cascades the temperature swings are much, much more extreme - 110 in the summer, 0 in the winter. But the sun is almost alway out.

Regarding your folks in Northern California... depending on your definition of "Northern California" that could be as little as 5 hours away or 12 hours. My in-laws lived in Crescent City, CA (on the coast, 20 miles south of the Oregon border). It's a 6 hour trip from the south end of the Portland - 8 if it's snowing in the mountains and I have to go down the coast. So be aware that distances can be greater than they appear ;).

Sorry this is long. Didn't mean to ramble. Hope it is helpful.

Steve

[Katzateer]

Thanks to both of you for the information!:thumbsup:

Sounds like an area we would like. Thatis one part of the country we haven't lived in and it sounds like it might be a good choice for us. I don't like the gray, wet weather but the rest of the year sounds good. Every location has it's challenges.

Can't believe how far LA is by train but the ride sounds incredible down the coast and the train tickets are a LOT cheaper than the charges I pay going to cities on the east coast!

I used to do a lot of backpacking when I was younger and the possibilities with all the different types of outdoor activities sound like fun.

[drhama]

The other poster had some great info.
Seriously, I love it here. So many different types of climate and scenery.
We did the train down to Disneyland years ago in the winter. OMG. The snow on the trees was so beautiful. The best part was we weren't out in it. The trip takes a really long time. Eugene to LA is like 24 hrs.
Good luck with your decision.

[Fangorn]

Despite the name of the Amtrak route from Seattle to LA - The Coast Starlight - very little of the trip is actually along the coast. It is a beautiful trip though, through some really lovely areas (and a lot of not so pretty terrain as well). It is indeed a very long trip. We did the Portland to LA trip once with a couple of small kids. 26 hours. Not the most pleasant of trips.

Amtrak on the west coast barely exists in comparison to what's available on the east coast, so don't expect much when it comes to long distance rail.

Dealing with the grey winters is the main issue most newcomers have. But if it gets to be too much, just drive a couple of hours over the Cascades and you can catch the sun in Central Oregon.

Another very Oregonian thing to do is head TO the coast when a storm is coming in, rent a condo with an ocean view, crank up the fireplace and enjoy the storm while you read a good book.

Steve