Gay in Southern Oregon?

July 22, 2016 7:44 PM

My wife and I suddenly MIGHT have a little bit of equity (we bought in 2006 in the bay area, just before the crash in 2008) and we're thinking about getting out of Oakland. Here's what we want:

We want to be close enough to Oakland to get home in less than a day's drive, preferably 5-6 hours away. We want a single-family dwelling. We want to be in a walkable small town with cafes and restaurants and an extant downtown where people are nice and won't gay-bash us or treat us like we're going to hell. We're looking for a mortgage of about $200k, which puts us in places like Grants Pass, Medford, or Klamath Falls (Ashland and Corvallis and Portland are out). I hear totally different things about this area of southern Oregon -- that it's quite liberal or oh-god-don't-even-slow-down-there. Are the gays there? Any thoughts appreciated!

posted by yarnagogo to Home & Garden (24 answers total)

I met a couple that cashed out their place in the bay area and moved to Grant's Pass. They were shell-shocked at how extra conservative and gun-loving their neighbors were. Whatever they did was one way, and they felt stuck among people they wcould not have chosen as neighbors. So, maybe not Grant's Pass.
posted by djinn dandy at 8:19 PM on July 22, 2016

That part of Oregon is not terribly liberal; Portland/Corvallis/Eugene is your sweet spot. As you've noted, housing is expensive. Klamath Falls is going through some hard times economically and you won't find the cafes and walkability you're seeking there. What do you and your wife do for work? Do you need to find jobs where you end up? I live in Corvallis and I think it might be exactly what you want. You might not be able to buy the nicest house, but there are no bad neighborhoods. MeMail me if you want more information about Corvallis.
posted by Knowyournuts at 8:40 PM on July 22, 2016

Yeah, I can't say southern Oregon is really going to fit your bill. That area hasn't been doing great economically and it's pretty conservative in the guns and Trump sense.
posted by Automocar at 8:41 PM on July 22, 2016

I would start by looking at the places in Northern California that have community colleges.
posted by aniola at 9:20 PM on July 22, 2016

Once you get about 20 miles south of Eugene, the rest of Oregon becomes very red very fast. Ashland is a college town, but don't be fooled, it's not even remotely liberal.
posted by pdb at 9:27 PM on July 22, 2016

What about Guerneville, CA?
posted by jrobin276 at 9:38 PM on July 22, 2016

Yeah, there are some liberal/secular pockets down there, but the communities on a whole are very conservative (and sometimes very religious). Out of all of the places you list, Medford is...oh god. It's not a great place. I've seen some crazy straight up, un-subtle racism there, towards people of color.

If you're planning a move like, that, I really suggest hanging out in those places for a couple weeks (in neighborhoods you'd realistically being living in).
posted by furnace.heart at 10:01 PM on July 22, 2016

Scott Lively got famous as the comms director for the Oregon Citizens Alliance, the super-anti-gay group founded by Lon Mabon in Medford. They were most active in the 90s, but it doesn't sound like Medford's changed a lot.
posted by rtha at 10:10 PM on July 22, 2016

It might be helpful to give some background about why you are trying to move.

Most people I know who are leaving Oakland right now are leaving because they can't find or afford housing here, but you clearly already have housing. It seems hard to come up with areas that will be better than Oakland and are solidly in your price range--is there some specific quality that your current living arrangement does not have that you're really wanting? Or are you just trying to save money?
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:19 PM on July 22, 2016

Good question - I recently left a well-paid job to be a full-time writer (I'd been doing that job and the writing gig ten years) and then of course, just after we took that gamble, my wife got laid off (tech industry). She can work remotely from anywhere, but she'd have to get another great job here for the both of us to make enough to stay afloat, whereas she could work less/freelance if we didn't have a $3100/month mortgage payment. We have no other debt, own our crappy old cars, and we live pretty low on the hog.

Thanks for these answers! Keep 'em coming if you have more insight!
posted by yarnagogo at 10:28 PM on July 22, 2016

Knowyournuts, Great info! Thanks! What do you think about Salem?
posted by yarnagogo at 10:50 PM on July 22, 2016

If you want to be closer, what about Yuba City or Sacramento?
posted by Bella Donna at 10:53 PM on July 22, 2016

I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but take another look at Portland and especially if your wife might be able to get a great tech job here. Housing is competitive, but likely less than your mortgage in Oakland. And flights from PDX to the Bay Area are short, frequent, and often reasonably priced. Again, that's if your wife got a job here, and I think the tech industry here is actively recruiting.

However, that you're saying you want to be able to get "home" to Oakland makes me think you're not really interested in leaving, not really.

What you're looking for -- liberal, small, and cheap -- is a really tough combination.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:55 PM on July 22, 2016

Also, what about Eureka? It's a sweet town and apparently there's some gay community.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:02 PM on July 22, 2016

$200k would get you something in Sacramento, especially if you're willing to live in a slightly funky area, like Oak Park, which really isn't that bad. Not small-town though. Reno, NV has a kind of a pleasant hipstery-yet-slightly rundown vibe these days.

If you want something more rural, there's Williams, CA? Eureka, CA might be doable, though slightly above your target. Colfax, CA? You could buy a mobile home in Arcata.

My mom lives in Salem, OR. And it has a nice downtown, and a couple fairly prominent colleges.
posted by Llamadogdad at 11:06 PM on July 22, 2016

I went to high school in Jacksonville, and lived in Medford for about seven years. I now live in the Bay Area.

Ashland would fit your needs well, as would Corvallis or Portland. But you've ruled them out.

But good lord, not Medford or Grants Pass or Klamath Falls. That would be terrible for you. And none of those places have cute/walkable areas. Mostly retirees, families with small children, and hard-core drug users.
posted by guster4lovers at 11:14 PM on July 22, 2016

Salem certainly has some nice neighborhoods and there is an alright downtown. It's not quaint, but in terms of restaurants, it's making some leaps forward. There are a lot of people there who really care about improving the community. There are plenty of hidden gems if you explore the city - parks, stuff for kids, local festivals. Salem has also got lots of strip malls and big box stores and is very working class (not that there's anything wrong with that), but you may have a harder time finding your niche. Since it's the capital, there are government jobs and also a small, private university (Willamette). These two factors mean it is actually reasonably progressive and I think you'd do fine there. You can fly out of either Portland or Eugene.
posted by Knowyournuts at 11:52 PM on July 22, 2016

The three you're eyeing are not too friendly. Echo suggestions for PDX, Eugene, Corvallis, maaaybe Ashland.

Or... coast? Anywhere between Newport and Astoria is only ~2 hours from Portland. You're still going to be contending with conservative locals, and the economy is depressed. But the tourist influx represses some of the outright indignation.
posted by fritillary at 12:39 AM on July 23, 2016

From doing a bike tour of the west coast 4 years ago, Klamath Falls stood out as a wouldn't-want-to-live-here kind of place.
posted by flippant at 1:07 AM on July 23, 2016

Eugene / Springfield / Corvallis gets my vote. An extra hour on the road to see family is probably worth it for a better lifestyle.

Salem? Yeah liberal but in that boring "state capitol so full of public sector employees" way. Not worth the extra hour's drive from Eugene.

Eugene/Springfield has tech jobs, obviously lots of remote tech jobs out of Portland too.

Come visit Oregon and make up your mind then!
posted by finding.perdita at 1:12 AM on July 23, 2016

I'd really recommend living in the area for at least a few months before you consider buying. Can you rent our your place while you rent? Or just make sure you're in the right time frame so you dthe on't have to pay taxes if you're usung your proceeds for a downpayment.
posted by Kalmya at 5:50 AM on July 23, 2016

Bend and/or Sisters are also options worth looking into.
posted by girlalex at 4:55 PM on July 23, 2016

Salem's the capital, so it's a bit sleepy and dominated by government employees.

I live in Corvallis, and theres some of everything. If you want suburban subdivisions with large homes and parking garages, live in the northwest corner with the senior faculty and administration. If you want to live downtown, there's a condo. Both of these options are 300k-400k. If you want cheaper, you either slum it with students near freight train lines, or with the university staff in former trailer parks south of the highway / by the river. The student slums are at least walkable to campus / downtown.

As far as liberals in Corvallis, there's a constant stream of proselytizers trying to convert folks and itinerant preachers damning liberal society to hell, but otherwise it's an okay place. I could bike to work every day if I were in better shape, or ride the bus if I woke up earlier. Sure, there's overbearing political statements in the local laws, like putting additions to the city up for a vote, banning plastic bags and large stores in an attempt to ward off Wal-Mart (which failed), and I'm told you need a permit to remove a tree from your property. But they can be useful at times, like telling China to fuck off.

One consideration: do you really want to drive for 8 hours? You can fly from Eugene to Oakland nonstop in an hour and a half. I see tickets for under $100, but I can't predict the future of airfare.
posted by pwnguin at 10:22 PM on July 24, 2016

Reno might work (though obvs not in Oregon), but if you want to live in the walkable part of Reno, at that budget you're looking at a condo, I think. Reno is pretty mixed politically. If you want to talk to some gay couples here, memail me and I can probably set up an introduction.

Also, memail me if you want to talk neighborhoods -- generally I'd suggest midtown as the walkable part. So, west of Virginia St, South of say 1st or 2nd, North of Plumb, East of Arlington (maybe as far as keystone)? Borders could be a bit fuzzy on that.
posted by freezer cake at 11:47 AM on August 2, 2016