Where in Oregon would you rather live?

[Dr. MB]

I have a feeling a lot of people will pick Portland so do your first and second (and last) choice please.

Portland: The quirkiest major city in America, home of hipsters, the Blazers, antifa, and gentrification. I don't think this one needs too much explanation. Most of the city is your typical urban environment. The downtown is on the west side of the river but besides that the west side is your richer area and it's full of hills compared to the flat eastside. If you like urban environments this is your only choice.

Portland Suburbs: Want the big-metro feel with slightly lighter traffic and more space? There are plenty of places to pick from. Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tualatin, Tigard, Lake No Negro Lake Oswego, Clackamas, Oregon City. There's a lot of variation. Some have plenty of character but some are generic and soulless. Washington County's become a tech hub with Intel and Tektronix and Nike is also headquartered there.

Eugene: The only city which could arguably be described as more liberal than Portland. Home to the University of Oregon, it's been a hippie hotspot for over 50 years. Think a more toned-down, laid back Portland. But definitely with the college culture and a slightly different feel.

Willamette Valley: The vast expanse between Portland and Eugene. Salem's here, same with McMinnville, Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon, Woodburn, Newberg, Dallas. Politically it's fairly mixed. Most of the cities lean Dem (some much more than others) but the rural areas all vote Republican. It's the only place in the state where you'll get a feel like it could be in middle America cause of the 100 miles of farmland.

Coast: No major cities but tons of small towns. It's very scenic. If you're into surfing or thinking sunny beach you're not really gonna get that here though. The water's always freezing. Main downside is if an earthquake hits you're screwed.

Southern Oregon: Oregon's version of Appalachia. Rugged and mountainous with a lot of logging industry. Well that mixed with the very hippie Ashland and more than a few weed farms. It's a pretty area. Conservative for the most part.

Central Oregon: Home to Bend and the last Blockbuster in America. Perfect if you like the outdoors. It's right by some of the tallest mountains in the state plus lots of hiking destinations and scenery.

Eastern Oregon: If you wanna be left alone, move here. Bonus points if you're a Republican. Lots of ranches, desert, small towns, and rugged wilderness. There are a lot of unique parts though.

Politically (in case you're BRTD) Portland, Eugene, and the Portland suburbs are solidly Democratic. Willamette Valley, Central Oregon, and the coast are swingy and southern Oregon (outside of Ashland) and eastern Oregon are Republican.

And for the purposes of the poll I'm gonna count Springfield+the surrounding area with Eugene and Columbia County with the coast. I could add more regions but it's never gonna be perfect.

[S019]

1. Portland Sububs
2. Portland
3. The Cascades/Eastern Oregon

[Dr. MB]

1. Portland Sububs
2. Portland
3. The Cascades/Eastern Oregon

What suburb specifically?

[S019]

1. Portland Sububs
2. Portland
3. The Cascades/Eastern Oregon

What suburb specifically?

Lake Oswego probably

[Former President tack50]

As with any place in this kind of poll, my biggest priority by far priority is jobs so the order goes Portland>Portland burbs for 1st and 2nd and Eastern Oregon for last.

If I wanted a job in Oregon I'd have to live in "Antifa central" but that's a small price to pay for salvation

[TDAS04]

1. Eugene
2. Portland
Last. Eastern Oregon

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I gotta get out there again.

[Mr. Smith]

1. Coast

2. Central

3. Eastern


Portland Metro is probably in the middle of 2 and 3.

[Torie]

Bend probably. Another option is Ashland.

[OSR stands with Israel]

I’ll just rank all of them

1. Portland Suburbs
2. Portland
3. Central Oregon(particularly Bend )
4. Willamette Valley
5. Eugene (If I was still in college this would be much higher )
6. Oregon Coast(if not for risk of earthquake this would be much higher)
7. Southern Oregon
8. Eastern Oregon



I’d only live in the first 3 though with the only realistic  exception is if I at some point I decide to go to UO for grad school

[OSR stands with Israel]

As with any place in this kind of poll, my biggest priority by far priority is jobs so the order goes Portland>Portland burbs for 1st and 2nd and Eastern Oregon for last.

If I wanted a job in Oregon I'd have to live in "Antifa central" but that's a small price to pay for salvation

Depending on what industry you’re working in , Portland Burbs may very well be the better place to get a job than the city

[OBD]

1. Portland Suburbs - home
2. Willamette Valley - ngl exurban life could slap and I'm not for the city life tbh
3. Portland - I don't like city life but this is probably superior to the other options
4. Eugene - I don't really want to live too far from a city so this works. 2 hours to Portland hurts though.
5. Central Oregon - mountain life could be fun
6. Coast - would be higher without the distance to population centers and the tsunami risk
T7. Southern Oregon - ew
T7. Eastern Oregon - ew 

[muon2]

OR is one of my least visited states. I've had an overnight in Portland followed by a drive up the Columbia to Umatilla (2015), and then a stop in Ontario during a long visit to ID (2017). I was scheduled for two lengthy visits last year: a few May days in Eagle Crest north of Bend and a Sep conference in Portland followed by a few days in the Willamette valley. Alas, both were scrubbed by the pandemic. So I'm quite at a loss to intelligently answer the question.

[Del Tachi]

Easy vote for Eugene

[Kuumo]

Oregon is one of the states I'm more knowledgeable on since I live right next door. I've been to most of these regions, so I'll rank all of them.

1. Portland - one of my favorite cities in the country
2. Eugene - only been there briefly, but it seemed like a good college town
3. Portland suburbs - seemed fine when I visited, but they are still suburbs
4. Central Oregon (Bend) - conveniently close to Newberry National Monument and other mountainous areas
5. Southern Oregon (Ashland) - I liked the town of Ashland when I visited for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
6. Willamette Valley (Salem) - I'm not super familiar with this area but when driving though it, the cities seemed less interesting than Portland and Eugene and the rural areas less scenic than Central, Southern, and Eastern Oregon
7. Coast (Astoria) - I've never really been to the Oregon Coast outside of Astoria, and it seemed a bit too small and rainy for me but at least is relatively close to Portland
8. Eastern Oregon (Baker City) - I like visiting, particularly the area around Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, but it's a bit too isolated for me to live in

[Frodo]

For anyone in the know, how good is the BRT network in Eugene?

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I spent 17 years of my life in the Willamette Valley and I could keep that up. Portland isn't really my favorite city and the coast/central/eastern/southern Oregon are just too remote.

Obviously, I would never consider living in a suburb.

6. Willamette Valley (Salem) - the rural areas less scenic than Central, Southern, and Eastern Oregon

I gotta *strongly* disagree on that one. It's just that I-5 slashes through an atypically boring stretch of farm fields.

For anyone in the know, how good is the BRT network in Eugene?

It's okay, but most places you'd want to go are better accessed by foot or bike. It's more useful for people going from Springfield to Eugene rather than getting around the city of Eugene itself.

[Kuumo]

6. Willamette Valley (Salem) - the rural areas less scenic than Central, Southern, and Eastern Oregon

I gotta *strongly* disagree on that one. It's just that I-5 slashes through an atypically boring stretch of farm fields.

I'll take your word for it. I can't really think of any major ugly parts of Oregon, so I probably just haven't seen the parts of the Willamette Valley that aren't monotonous farmland.

[SAAuthCapitalist]

Anywhere but Portland.

[Badger]

I have a feeling a lot of people will pick Portland so do your first and second (and last) choice please.

Portland: The quirkiest major city in America, home of hipsters, the Blazers, antifa, and gentrification. I don't think this one needs too much explanation. Most of the city is your typical urban environment. The downtown is on the west side of the river but besides that the west side is your richer area and it's full of hills compared to the flat eastside. If you like urban environments this is your only choice.

Portland Suburbs: Want the big-metro feel with slightly lighter traffic and more space? There are plenty of places to pick from. Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tualatin, Tigard, Lake No Negro Lake Oswego, Clackamas, Oregon City. There's a lot of variation. Some have plenty of character but some are generic and soulless. Washington County's become a tech hub with Intel and Tektronix and Nike is also headquartered there.

Eugene: The only city which could arguably be described as more liberal than Portland. Home to the University of Oregon, it's been a hippie hotspot for over 50 years. Think a more toned-down, laid back Portland. But definitely with the college culture and a slightly different feel.

Willamette Valley: The vast expanse between Portland and Eugene. Salem's here, same with McMinnville, Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon, Woodburn, Newberg, Dallas. Politically it's fairly mixed. Most of the cities lean Dem (some much more than others) but the rural areas all vote Republican. It's the only place in the state where you'll get a feel like it could be in middle America cause of the 100 miles of farmland.

Coast: No major cities but tons of small towns. It's very scenic. If you're into surfing or thinking sunny beach you're not really gonna get that here though. The water's always freezing. Main downside is if an earthquake hits you're screwed.

Southern Oregon: Oregon's version of Appalachia. Rugged and mountainous with a lot of logging industry. Well that mixed with the very hippie Ashland and more than a few weed farms. It's a pretty area. Conservative for the most part.

Central Oregon: Home to Bend and the last Blockbuster in America. Perfect if you like the outdoors. It's right by some of the tallest mountains in the state plus lots of hiking destinations and scenery.

Eastern Oregon: If you wanna be left alone, move here. Bonus points if you're a Republican. Lots of ranches, desert, small towns, and rugged wilderness. There are a lot of unique parts though.

Politically (in case you're BRTD) Portland, Eugene, and the Portland suburbs are solidly Democratic. Willamette Valley, Central Oregon, and the coast are swingy and southern Oregon (outside of Ashland) and eastern Oregon are Republican.

And for the purposes of the poll I'm gonna count Springfield+the surrounding area with Eugene and Columbia County with the coast. I could add more regions but it's never gonna be perfect.

Exactly this and for the reasons stated, with the exception that I would prefer the coast over the Willamette Valley.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

1. Portland suburbs
2. Portland
3. Willamette Valley (Specifically Corvallis)
4. Eugene
5. Oregon Coast
6. Central Oregon
7. Southern Oregon
8. Eastern Oregon

Never been to Oregon, but am planning on temporarily staying here sometime next year in the hopes of getting a house soon after. I've mainly zeroed in on the Portland Metro but have been growing intrigued by Eugene & Corvallis lately. The Coast would be nice, even if it looks like an environmental nightmare in the making. I've no opinion of Central Oregon & Bend outside of the gorgeous scenary. I guess Southern Oregon & their weed farms edge out Eastern Oregon, but I haven't paid any attention to either.

[Kamala's side hoe]

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/revenue/article/422384

Something to keep in mind if you're torn between Portland proper and the 'burbs.

The Arts Education and Access Income Tax (Arts Tax) will fund Portland school teachers and art focused non-profit organizations in Portland.

Each Portland resident, age 18 and older, must file either:

1. Arts Tax Return
One or more people in the household earn income above the federal poverty level and have $1,000 or more income (tax due); OR

You have less than $1,000 of income (do not include income from social security) but live with a spouse or parent that has income above the federal poverty level (no tax due); OR

Your income is only from certain non-taxable sources (no tax due).

2. Request an Arts Tax Exemption

Your household is at or below the federal poverty level (all income, including social security, is counted to determine if you qualify) (no tax due)

If due, the Arts Tax is $35 per person.

[If my soul was made of stone]

My brother used to live in Ashland, and while I only got to visit once before he moved away, I quite liked it. The close proximity to skinhead country is somewhat worrying, but I'd take it over the density of metro Portland.

Eugene would probably still be my first pick (sane, anarchist, crunchy af).

[Canis]

1. Southern Oregon
My mom has a friend who lives in Ashland and its a really dope city and honestly a place id love to live in and possibly retire at the surrounding areas im not really that big a fan of but I did really dig the place
2. Eugene
Only stopped there for a bit I have a relative going to college there but it seems like a really nice place to live and
3. Portland Suburbs
Have a few friends who live there and I spent a week in the Portland suburbs and it was really dope I didn't really like going into portland though tbh it would be nice to be there for a little bit but living there is something I probably would not like.
4. Willamette Valley
5. Portland
6.  Oregon Coast (Really loved the climate their but tbh there doesn't seem like a lot to do there and the risk of what would happen with an earthquake doesn't make it too appealing to me)
7. Central Oregon
8. Eastern Oregon
Oregon's a dope state I love the climate there and it's definitely in my top 5 states to move to if/when I leave California though I do prefer North Western Washington to all of Oregon.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Probably Southern Oregon. Ideally it would be wherever Arcadia Bay would be located, but I don't like hurricanes.

Central and Western Oregon would follow. Just no big cities.