Need Oregon relocation advice

[philsRHman]

My job is likely going full time remote, so I see no reason to stay on the price NJ-NY suburbs. My wife is happy to put Oregon on our short list. She prefers coastal blue states with “weird, artsy type moms like her.” My list is basically near-12 month golf season, access to good golf locally, and I’m obviously try to get within driving distance of Bandon for the kind of spur of the moment trips you guys talk about. 
 

My non-golf research (there are a lot of lists of best cities for remote work) shows Bend as a big hotspot. Yet much of the real estate seems quite pricey, north of even NJ. and very vacation home foxused. Ive also heard Portland as the kind of city my wife would love but also seems more expensive than expected. Part of the idea of moving is selling our home in this red hot market, but not if it means a huge price at the opposite end (we would be looking for 5 bedrooms since my mother lives with us, and need room to workspaces, so a decent sized house and yard for kids to play). But both Hunts are very superficial.
 

Any suggestions to get me started, especially on the golf? I’d be happy with a nice rotation of public golf, especially since my work day will end around 3, leaving time for lots of evening rounds. But would also look private, but only if I could keep under 10k/year (preferably closer to 5K).

 

thanks for any pointers. 

[spud3]

Lots to cover...

 

Golf:  There is 12-month golf in Western Oregon (east/west as defined by the Cascade mountains), but you have to be willing to play in the rain; otherwise, it's more like 7-8 months.   Bend's season is more like 6, with a definite snowy winter (great if you are a skier as well as golfer). The Portland area has the best rota of public courses you can play year round.  Eugene has a dearth of good public courses, but arguably the better overall living environment, depending on how big of a city you want to live in.  It's about 2.5 hours drive from Bandon (PDX is 5 hrs).  Very good private club options in PDX, a few in your price range.  Eugene has the Eugene CC (out of your range) and Shadow Hills (probably within your range).

 

Real estate:

Any of the cities in Oregon are going to have some sticker shock.  Even Medford has ballooned in housing prices.  If you are good with living in the 'burbs, some of the cities around Portland (Wilsonville, Tigard, Oregon City, etc.) can have lower prices.  That big of a house, you're better off looking outside the central city.

 

Red/Blue state:

Oregon is a complex state, politically.  For each of the major urban Blue cities, you don't have to go very far out of town to get into Deep Red zones.  The entire east side of the state is heavily Red, with the exception of Bend, and that's only been due to the influx of out of staters the past decade or so.  If you want to see where you might want to locate by that factor, look at the voting record of the counties (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Oregon).

 

All that said, living in Oregon is great.  I grew up in Southern Oregon, lived a long time in Eugene and going on 30 years in Portland.  Happy to PM if you want more specifics.

 

Fun facts:  No sales tax in Oregon, but we can't pump our own gas...

[mallrat]

I 2nd Oregon, we love it here. I moved to Portland in 2001 and have no desire to move. Spud touched on a few things and hopefully I can add. 
 

Golf...

Public golf in PDX is above average I’d say but there are some good private clubs too. One issue is where you have to live for some of the clubs, I.e., Columbia Edgewater is a good course with a great practice area but you are most likely living in Portland to North Portland and that brings in Multnomah County taxes (more on that later). Pumpkin Ridge is another nice club but it is realistically a 20 -30 minute drive from anywhere. Now we can golf 12 months a year but good weather is 6 months. We get 4 months of shoulder season golf; can be drizzle or wet or rain or cold and 2 months of I just need to get out golf. 
 

Living/Houses...

If you are willing to get out a bit you can find some amazing property. Depending on your kids age and what you want to spend there are a ton of options. Like if you are willing to look at say Newberg/Canby you can get property and the house. Those neighborhoods lean red but not like southern red more purple. When you hear about what is going on downtown that effects such a small portion of the area. Or even out to Hillsboro you can find some amazing deals. Now not sure why but the West Coast is expensive for real estate. 
 

We live in Sherwood which is 15-20 minutes from downtown but I honestly don’t think you could find a better town to raise a family in, in Oregon a lot of people call it Mayberry if you get the reference. I work at a course and it’s a 15 minute drive on back roads. Now most of the places I talk about are in Washington or Clackamas Counties which are very blue but not far left blue and Clackamas has a lot of farming and might be purple. 
 

One huge positive is not just the distance to Bandon but Bend. We just lived in Bend for a year and the cost of living is higher there than in Portland. You are a 3-3 1/2 hr drive away. Bend does not have good public golf and even most of the private’s are average at best. But take a nice 3/4 day weekend up to Sunriver, there are things for the wife and kids to do all day and you can get out and golf and then go join them at the pool. 
 

Something to look at that our friends are currently doing, they are relocating g here from San Francisco as their jobs just went virtual. They are doing an AirBnB in 3 neighborhoods for 2 weeks each to see what they think. 
 

most Oregonians love it here and are very loyal to their state. In Portland you can’t beat 1.5 hrs to the beach or skiing. Please send me a PM I’d be happy to discuss more or give you a realtor recommendation to see what is out there. 

[beckjg135]

Explain the gas pumping....that caught me off guard when i was there, the gas person and i were standing awkwardly at each other and no one said anything, i then asked if they needed something and he said to pump the gas....then i mentioned i wasnt from there but he probably knew that lol.....then do you tip?...also, the highway speeds were much lower than where im from but people seemed to cruise much faster without an issue,....

[oneunderbogey]

Funny he's coming from NJ the other state where you can't pump your own gas. 

[philsRHman]

2 hours ago, oneunderbogey said:

Funny he's coming from NJ the other state where you can't pump your own gas. 

Ha, I was just about to post that. 
 

Really appreciate the feedback. It sounds like we would be Portland vs Bend folks. From a stereotypical cultural standpoint, I have to imagine my wife would enjoy Portland. But I’m not sure if living 20 minutes into the suburbs she’d even get that feel, but it’s hard to say. 
 

Curious what EUgene is like, because college towns always seem to have a pretty good energy. Of course we are in our mid 40s so I can’t imagine we would benefit much from that vibe. 
 

On my one Bandon visit, the tiny bit of Portland I saw out by the airport seemed super mainstream suburbs to me. I’d imagine the flavor would be dictated by the neighborhood or suburb we would land in. While Mayberry sounds amazing, I think quirky bookstores/libraries would attract the type of people she’d like to be friends with. She is also very into finding something walkable, like a town with a downtown/Main Street kind of vibe. 

[spud3]

Eugene is typical mid-sized college town, and the closer you are to the University, the more the college vibe.  That ethos persists through the city, though, and you are never far from anything there.  It is a great place to raise a family.  Same for Corvallis, which is also a college town, but smaller and closer to rural areas.  OSU is a land-grant college, and thus focused more on agriculture and engineering, while U of O is the classic liberal arts college.  We won't get into the sports rivalry, since I'm a Duck alum and that would likely get biased real quick.

 

Having lived in the Tigard area for a couple years, I can say that your notion about a PDX suburb feeling removed from the bigger city is spot on.  Getting from the western 'burbs to the downtown area is a PITA, so we rarely went there.  Burbs are Burbs.  You'll be better served looking at somewhere on the East side (east/west defined by the Willamette River) or close-in Westside (Multnomah Village, Hillsdale, Burlingame).  There are lots of cool neighborhoods that are walkable and have the kind of vibe I think you're after.  They are not cheap.  But not many places in Oregon are that have the kind of amenities I think you're looking for.  As mallrat stated, if you are looking for a quiet town with a gentler vibe, you can score a couple acres and a decent house for what you'll pay for a medium-sized house in the city.  The closer you are to Portland, the bluer it will be.

 

Bend, to me, having grown up in Oregon and watching it transform from a sleepy little logging town into a mini-Aspen-wannabe, has far fewer of the amenities of Portland, costs as much or more, and struggles with its identity.  I love heading over for a long weekend a couple times a year (usually to one of the great resorts, like Sunriver, Black Butte, etc.), but I value greenery more than brownery, and it's pretty brown there most of the year.  You have quicker access to great skiing and hiking, but the weather extremes are far greater (at both ends) than the west side of the Cascades.

 

And yes, pay no attention to the reports on some media sites that the entire city is on fire with protests.  That was pretty much restricted to two square blocks downtown during the summer, and has basically subsided into next to nothing.

[spud3]

9 hours ago, beckjg135 said:

Explain the gas pumping....that caught me off guard when i was there, the gas person and i were standing awkwardly at each other and no one said anything, i then asked if they needed something and he said to pump the gas....then i mentioned i wasnt from there but he probably knew that lol.....then do you tip?...also, the highway speeds were much lower than where im from but people seemed to cruise much faster without an issue,....

It's been a state law for a long long time.  No one really knows why, but several attempts to get it repealed have failed, so we just live with it.  No one tips the attendants.  If you did, you'd get a stranger look than trying to pump your own gas. 

 

We suffer from the opposite situation that you described when we drive up to Washington and stop for gas.  We sit in the car for a few minutes, waiting for an attendant to come out, until we realize that we're no longer in Oregon and no one is coming to pump our gas.  The folks inside probably see the car with the Oregon plates drive up and take bets on how long it will take for us to realize where we are and get out and pump our own gas.

 

And no one drives 55 here...

[soregongolfer]

23 minutes ago, spud3 said:

It's been a state law for a long long time.  No one really knows why, but several attempts to get it repealed have failed, so we just live with it.  No one tips the attendants.  If you did, you'd get a stranger look than trying to pump your own gas. 

 

We suffer from the opposite situation that you described when we drive up to Washington and stop for gas.  We sit in the car for a few minutes, waiting for an attendant to come out, until we realize that we're no longer in Oregon and no one is coming to pump our gas.  The folks inside probably see the car with the Oregon plates drive up and take bets on how long it will take for us to realize where we are and get out and pump our own gas.

 

And no one drives 55 here...

That happened to me in California once.  I sat in my car for a minute or so looking at the attendent inside the store.  He kept looking at me, too, and that's when I realized it was self serve.  I walked into the store to prepay, pointed at myself and said, "dumb Oregonian."  He laughed and said it happened all of the time.

 

Housing all over this state is expensive.  Probably due to Californians moving here to retire for decades now.  You're going to have to grin and bear it if you want to live in the progressive parts of the state which is actually fairly small area-wise.  The coast itself learns to the right as does the eastern and southern parts of the state.  Portland, Bend and the college towns are  your wife's best bet. 

 

One small, and very liberal city not yet mentioned is Ashland in southern Oregon.  They have the Shakespeare Festival and a lot of hippie-ish shops along with Lithia park where you'll find a lot going on.  I'll bet she would like it there though it's pretty small with a population around 15K.  Housing is very expensive there and housing in the area has skyrocketed after many homes in the area burned down in a freak wind occurence/arson.  For golf, you'd need to travel to Medford which is 12 miles away.  The Rogue Valley CC has 27 holes and is pretty nice.  Otherwise, you're going to want to play either Eagle Point Golf Course or Centennial Golf Club.  Both are nice.  Bandon is probably 2 or maybe 2.5 hours away I'd guess.

Edited November 28, 2020 by soregongolfer

[Fairway14]

21 hours ago, philsRHman said:

My job is likely going full time remote, so I see no reason to stay on the price NJ-NY suburbs. My wife is happy to put Oregon on our short list. She prefers coastal blue states with “weird, artsy type moms like her.” My list is basically near-12 month golf season, access to good golf locally, and I’m obviously try to get within driving distance of Bandon for the kind of spur of the moment trips you guys talk about. 
 

My non-golf research (there are a lot of lists of best cities for remote work) shows Bend as a big hotspot. Yet much of the real estate seems quite pricey, north of even NJ. and very vacation home foxused. Ive also heard Portland as the kind of city my wife would love but also seems more expensive than expected. Part of the idea of moving is selling our home in this red hot market, but not if it means a huge price at the opposite end (we would be looking for 5 bedrooms since my mother lives with us, and need room to workspaces, so a decent sized house and yard for kids to play). But both Hunts are very superficial.
 

Any suggestions to get me started, especially on the golf? I’d be happy with a nice rotation of public golf, especially since my work day will end around 3, leaving time for lots of evening rounds. But would also look private, but only if I could keep under 10k/year (preferably closer to 5K).

 

thanks for any pointers. 

 

Oregon has too much rain and, or, or gets too cold for  "year round golf". 

If golf is your top priority consider Arizona or New Mexico.

[mallrat]

Almost 300 rounds at my course today beg to differ. 

[soregongolfer]

6 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Oregon has too much rain and, or, or gets too cold for  "year round golf". 

If golf is your top priority consider Arizona or New Mexico.

Flagstaff and Albuquerque are cold as well.  Oregon is a big state.  The southern part of the state gets much less rain and is warmer than the north.  The only drawback here is we get choked out in the summer due to wildfires.  

[philsRHman]

This early search has been eye opening. I am impressed with (or surprised by) just how much premium housing there is in various short list locations. Portland, Tulsa (Incentives to move there, hopes it could be the “next austin”), Dayton Ohio (friends and family there) all have far more multimillion dollar homes than I expected. I’m starting to think the house (And especially the yard) we own at the price we paid is looking better and better. 
 

the grass is always greener ... the fantasy that getting out of the NY metro area and find more house, more property, within reach of a small interesting downtown is apparently a pipe dream. I guess it’s two things. We could live in the heart of a city for a fraction of what Manhattan or Brooklyn would cost. But that would still be hard to fit our family plus my mother. Second is im sure we can find our house on a bigger plot, for a lot less, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near a city-ish setting, especially not along the coasts. 
 

This thread has been a great reality check, and a chance to reset our expectations and think about some aspects of quality of life beyond justvdollars and cents and in that way I think Oregon could still fit and be someplace we could live and enjoy. 
 

funny enough, my mother mentioned we almost moved to Portland when I was a kid, 40 years ago. I can’t even imagine how much change the city has seen in that time. 

[mallrat]

One thing about the suburbs here is they all have their own quaint downtowns. Our downtown in Sherwood is all older buildings think 40’s/50’s. There are a few bars/restaurants/coffee shops plus a library and some other stuff. It is a 10 - 15 minute walk from our house on a nature trail. Hillsboro and Tigard have similar downtowns. Tualatin is a little newer as is Wilsonville. Canby is an awesome blue collar community with easy access to the course I work at and Willamette Country Club. 

[DwightC]

We moved to Portland in 2000 and since then have basically split our time between there and New Mexico--currently retired in New Mexico.  Here are my thoughts.

On the year round golf point, most of the courses in Portland metro are sufficiently well drained that you can play year round but you will play in the rain a fair amount of the time, and there will be stretches when everything is pretty much shut down.   Some of the public courses are very good (two of them held U.S. Public Links championships back when that was a thing).  There are a fair number of very good daily play and private club courses--once you get past Waverley, Portland Golf Club and Lake Oswego none of the private clubs have much of a social component.  Columbia Edgewater deserves special mention because an astonishing percentage of its membership plays to a single digit handicap (or used to).

On Bend vs. Portland, well, we lived in Portland and retired to Santa Fe, NM, not Bend, OR.  "Aspen-wannable" is harsh, but not inaccurate.  My wife talks about going back to Portland and if grandkiddies make an appearance, I can see a suburban townhouse in our future (probably keep the place in Santa Fe).

On the cost of real estate--I imagine Portland metro is at least as expensive as New Jersey, broadly speaking.  New York metro isn't that expensive, compared to the West Coast, when you get away from the City and a few select suburban zip codes.  There are very nice parts of New Jersey and other  NYC suburbs that are a bit cheaper than the West Hills of Portland or the 'good neighborhoods' on the Eastside (which in turn are cheaper than Brooklyn or Manhattan, of course).  It's just a fact of life, I'm afraid.

 

[philsRHman]

10 hours ago, mallrat said:

One thing about the suburbs here is they all have their own quaint downtowns. Our downtown in Sherwood is all older buildings think 40’s/50’s. There are a few bars/restaurants/coffee shops plus a library and some other stuff. It is a 10 - 15 minute walk from our house on a nature trail. Hillsboro and Tigard have similar downtowns. Tualatin is a little newer as is Wilsonville. Canby is an awesome blue collar community with easy access to the course I work at and Willamette Country Club. 

Now you’re talking! what’s funny is that we are weird in that we will always choose a house from the 50s-70s with some quirk and charm over new construction any day, so when you mention the old school downtown that sounds right up her alley. 
 

And when we have hunted around here in the past, I think we are actually beyond city life and probably more likely to find social life in that kind of suburban downtown. I mean, we are in our 40s, but if anyone’s lived in the Northeast, apparently it’s kind of culture shock from someone originally from the Midwest (which she is). I’ve been at events with her friends and we local friends of friends will just sit around breaking balls mercilessly, even the first time we meet. And these Ohio folks can’t believe we could talk to each other that way (and it’s how we are pleasant to each other). Yet it’s as natural as could be to us. And the women are as bad as us guys, so I can see how it’s not the most welcoming place to make friends lol. 

[CDM]

So not hijacking the thread as there is a lot of great info listed by locals to locations, etc.

 

My wife used to love the area as she was born/raised in Portland. and we went to tour schools for our daughter.   One full week (bit more) though is all it took and she said nope can not live here now.

 

Made me wonder about the "climate", yes political and what seems to be a signficant divide the people have towards each other and a lot situations very open about it.   Which I dont see really being dicussed.  

 

This is not an attack more a curiosity to me. I dont live out there and dont have to deal with it but wondering if locals who have been there for 20-30 years see it and if it effects your golfing.  IE: Paired with the wrong group personally 

 

As noted we went to review campus(s) for my daughter that she had interest in and she did apply to go to Oregon State.  Great school, amazing campus.  I "think" she did Oregon but not sure honestly as I don't think she really liked it. 

 

She is the reason I am asking. We have raised her to be middle of the road, to see all aspects, both sides before judging anything as if you dont know you then learn about it before making a statement out your arse.  Fear that will make it tough for her at the schools honestly.

 

I agree with all the comments, a beautiful state. Live in Colorado and grew up in Montana so something we / she relates to.  Plus you have Bandon 😃 

 

We mainly saw it in the more "populated" cites for the most part.  Though were surprised by some people in Newport......

 

The way my daugher figured it, its like saying "you look amazing today" and the response back would be "What you saying I like sh*t every other day"    LOL  

 

I told her its because of how much salt is in the air from the ocean  😃 

Edited January 28, 2021 by CDM

[PNWBBBogeyMaster8977]

Mmm.. politically i’m in the minority out here.. So I try and focus on golf talk when Im on the course, simple as that.  I’ve already lost a friendship within my neighborhood because of these discussions.. they just avoid me now.. oh well..  I’m part of a big family of police officers.. so its been a tough year for sure but like I said.. I try to just avoid the conversations nowadays..

 

But how is nobody talking about the Wine out here!!! I moved out here in 2015 when my wife relocated us for role at Nike.  I had no objections as I’m a wine maker, as a hobby.  I use to drive from Orange County to Santa Barbara or Paso Robles for grapes every year.. would make for a very long day.. now I buy grapes (pinot noir) after a short 5-20 min drive depending on vineyard location.  Hell ive also managed to plant 100+ pinot noir vines on our property too!  So if your into wine (drinker) or want to try a new wine making hobby or into outdoor gardens.. this is an incredible location for it.. BTW i’m a home owner in Tigard.  I love it out here.. Again except for the politics.. But i’m realizing its a no-win for really anybody these days no matter what side your on.. I will continue to put it all aside so that I can continue to enjoy the beauty of Oregon.. And yes the chaos is subsiding in Portland..  all you pretty much have to fear now is being pepper sprayed by the Portland Mayor Lol

[spud3]

The politics here are really no different than anywhere else in the country. 

 

You can get into a... hmm..."discussion"...  easily anywhere you go, if you're into that kind of thing.

 

The guys I play with are all like minded when it comes to that, so we can speak freely amongst ourselves.  But as a single, I explicitly avoid that subject when playing with someone I don't know.  It's consequently rarely affected my games (though I will admit to having to bite my tongue a couple times).

 

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by spud3

[philsRHman]

Good point, no matter where you go these days. My town was a 51-49 vote, the county over was 65-35 one way and county in the other direction was 65-35 the other way. Basically you can see the guys looking for a fight, or who think they're a real smart aleck from a mile away. The only uncomfortable round I had all year was last spring, early in the pandemic and from the moment I walked out of the pro shop with a mask on (as instructed) and introducing myself to my group, the guy started right up. "What'd you say? Huh? Couldn't hear you with the mask, can you take that off?" For 18 holes I heard him and his buddy talk about every conspiracy theory you could imagine. Their prerogative, but not an entertaining way to spend 4 hours with strangers. A few other times you could sense people tossing out a line or two just to test the waters to see where everyone in the group stood and to their credit, if it was mixed, it was dropped instantly. And once or twice, when we realized we were all of similar mindset, we had a nice chance to talk candidly, especially about nice it was to have golf as a safe escape.  You'd think that concept would be universal, but my experience was even something so mutually agreeable and in the context of the game we're playing, was just the kind of opening for dissent you'd need to take it off the rails. 

[kaschreiber]

I see this being a product of coastal, personally, more so than specific cities. West coast typically leans to one side of the aisle (sure there are exceptions, especially on the eastern sides of OR and WA), but to the points above, anyone anywhere can be an a** and say something stupid, on either side of the spectrum. I'm fairly aligned politically with the consensus of WA/OR, but have met plenty of people who see things differently that have lead to interesting conversations to understand their view point. Largely on how it's approached. I don't tell them they're wrong, but ask about their experiences and why they feel that way and usually walk away learning something new. Can't think of a time where someone has been openly antagonstic and if they are, that person can exist anywhere. I also don't see a marked difference between Seattle and Pdx. My other two cents... the situations are often waaaay overblown in national media relative to what's happening in person. Seattle CHAZ, Portland courthouse protests. Both were painted as cities on fire and sheer pandemonium- CHAZ was 6 square blocks and essentially a heightened music festival . Pdx protests relegated to a few blocks as well (not discounting some absurd stuff went down, again, I see that as a product of a major metro area and could happen anywhere). Sure, there were fringe elements outside of those areas, but you could be in the majority of Seattle or Pdx and have no idea anything was going on.

[CDM]

All good points. We live pretty much in a centrist location so most people don't really get into the topics or force a stance.  More so just go with the what is best for all.  So I think that was the surprise to my daughter was how "direct" people were out there.

 

Again though she did love it out there!

  

[spud3]

There's a bumper sticker around here:

 

"You're in Oregon.  Be nice."

[mallrat]

One thing is there are 3 or 4 counties here that are blue, the rest are red. But almost 2/3rds of the population resides in the blue counties. 
 

OSU is very middle of the road unlike Oregon which is basically a liberal arts school. OSU has the nickname lunch pail U. It is a blue collar school at its core. 

[CDM]

Thanks.  

 

Love the bumper sticker 😃

 

Since this is WRX and somehow, not sure how but on Monday/Tuesday I was able to book 2 of us for the end of June for 4 nights and all the rounds at Bandon...!!  Honestly I figured there was a 10% chance to pull it off.  

[Pulledabill]

State generally leans one way while I lean the other. Most of my golf buddies lean the same way as me with the exception of one.  He leans the other way and we get along fine and play a ton of golf together. Its an agree to disagree thing. We talk sports, family, life experiences, and everything in between minus politics. 

In the last year, I have had 1 coworker and 2 friends bail  another state because of the states politics. Ive heard of plenty of others as well. 

 

I guess its what you make out of it and what you want. 

[soregongolfer]

When I went to Oregon State in the early 90's, it was middle of the road.  Then I went to Southern Oregon University for grad school and it was WAAAAAAY liberal.  Frankly, it was culture shock for a boy from Roseburg.  Living in Ashland showed me the other side, and I now lean left despite working in law enforcement.  

 

I am back in Roseburg and it is ruby red down here.  Besides yard signs and red hats, I don't really hear much from folks who back the other side.  Most of my golf buddies are Republicans, but they rarely talk politics in front of me unless it's law enforcement related.  When they do change the subject to something I disagree with, I'll pipe up and say, "Ahhh, don't get me started."  That shuts it down.  

[DwightC]

I am writing this as a guy who has been a Republican precinct committee chair within the last ten years in Multnomah County (Portland) Oregon.  Now, Portland is the heart of blue Oregon, and I love the place, and I said 'Republican' not 'Democrat'.  I will admit, I was a 'country club' Republican, not one of the whacko QAnon types, but this is a golf website, so surely country club status doesn't DQ me. 

 

Oregon really is a decent place, and I don't get why some of the main stream media--Forbes, WSJ, etc.--are painting it in such lurid colors.  Sells advertising, I guess.  But when I visited my son and his fiancee last fall, smoke from the fires was a bigger deal than rioting, civil unrest or insurrection.  Yeah, you can get some dramatic visuals (especially if you're willing to use stills from other places).  Yeah, there's always been a problem with homelessness, runaways, the whole My Private Idaho business, but those are social ills not political issues.

 

So, if you want to live in Oregon, it's a very nice place.  And the golf is good.  So is the bird shooting and the fly fishing.  As for the politics, just remember the one side doesn't have a monopoly on patriotism, and the other side doesn't have a monopoly on compassion, and you'll do just fine.  If you have trouble remembering that the other guy is just as decent as you are, regardless of his political beliefs, you may have some trouble.  But in the end that's more about you than Oregon.

[philsRHman]

35 minutes ago, DwightC said:

I am writing this as a guy who has been a Republican precinct committee chair within the last ten years in Multnomah County (Portland) Oregon.  Now, Portland is the heart of blue Oregon, and I love the place, and I said 'Republican' not 'Democrat'.  I will admit, I was a 'country club' Republican, not one of the whacko QAnon types, but this is a golf website, so surely country club status doesn't DQ me. 

 

Oregon really is a decent place, and I don't get why some of the main stream media--Forbes, WSJ, etc.--are painting it in such lurid colors.  Sells advertising, I guess.  But when I visited my son and his fiancee last fall, smoke from the fires was a bigger deal than rioting, civil unrest or insurrection.  Yeah, you can get some dramatic visuals (especially if you're willing to use stills from other places).  Yeah, there's always been a problem with homelessness, runaways, the whole My Private Idaho business, but those are social ills not political issues.

 

So, if you want to live in Oregon, it's a very nice place.  And the golf is good.  So is the bird shooting and the fly fishing.  As for the politics, just remember the one side doesn't have a monopoly on patriotism, and the other side doesn't have a monopoly on compassion, and you'll do just fine.  If you have trouble remembering that the other guy is just as decent as you are, regardless of his political beliefs, you may have some trouble.  But in the end that's more about you than Oregon.

There is a lot of wisdom packed in here. I think it’s something that makes a lot of sense regardless of where we all live. 
 

Also, I like how you describe yourself as a CC Republican, not a looney Q. I think we are cut very much from the same cloth.