Any Oregon/Washington Members?
 

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How About Southern Oregon?
 

We live in Ashland, which is off I-5 and about 20 miles north of the California border in the Rogue Valley. The valley has the Cascades on one side and the Siskiyous on the other. Ashland is a small (20,000) town and home to the Oregon Shakespeare festival, so lots of culture, restaurants, wineries, micro-breweries, etc. The metro area is around 200,000, with nearby Medford home to the big box stores.

The Rogue Valley is at 1,000' to 2,500' feet with nearby peaks to 7,500' (local ski area is Mt. Ashland). The nearby Applegate Valley is home to vineyards, marijuana and hemp grows and paragliding. We are about 2 1/2 hours from the coast through the redwoods.

Lots of outdoor stuff to do. I manage a web site for a hiking group, Ashland Hiking Group. Rafting and fishing on the Rogue, Umpqua and Klamath rivers. Mountain biking is also popular, with lots of single track.

Don't know about local job opportunities. Ashland is mainly a retiree destination. Weather is warm, dry (low RH) summers and winters above freezing.

I was raised in the PNW. These are just my opinions...

Longview. Puts you across the water from Portland. Could be doable.

Newport? Meh.

Florence? Meh.

Astoria? I'd be all in. Portland 100 miles away... Seaside... Cannon Beach... Tillamook... forest right next door... fishing... and lots of windies. Definitely paragliding on the coast.

If you like forests (Read: Green), and cooler weather, you'll love it.

Can't speak much for Washington side, but you could check out McMinnville or Forest Grove if you want to be closer to the coast. If you prefer Mt Hood area, you could check out Sandy or maybe Mollala. All semi small towns about the size of Longview just not quite as industrial based. All are about the same distance from Portland if that's what you are aiming for.

Hillsboro is a nice area. Close to Portland, but you can choose suburbia/shopping or more rural in this town. Canon Beach, Manzanita, etc. all easily accessible and stunningly beautiful.


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Congratulations!

My impression of Longview itself isn't that great, but the surrounding area is really nice. Fairly close to Portland, and not that far to Seattle. Another three hours north is Vancouver, BC which is a fantastic city.

If you are in KC, you'll love all the great roads that the PNW has available. Both Oregon and Washington are very interesting as far as the diversity of scenery. Dry (almost desert) in the east, and very green and mountainous in the west, with tons of great driving roads. British Columbia also has incredible scenery and roads as well.

Congrats on the big move! You will love it man.

I don't have the experience of living in Longview, but just a short distance west is Longbeach, WA , the worlds longest beach. The best oysters you'll ever have fresh at Oysterville Farm, and just a little south of Long Beach is Cape Disappointment state park. Been Camping there every summer for years. If you like to go crabbing, West Port is open all year long.

Last but not least, Mountain Biking Trails all around you! Tons of hiking trails too. If you have any questions about where things are, just ask and I'll try my best to help ya out.

Cheers,
Randy

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Just spent a week on the Umpqua river in OR. Had a great time hiking, kayaking, and seeing the sights. I love the PNW in summer but winter means months of grey and drizzle west of the Cascades. That would wear on this SoCal boy. We looked hard at a business opportunity in Longview but turned it down for a variety of reasons.

I do love the driving roads and walking through the fern and redwood forests. Enjoy!

Yes, winter in the PNW. Cold. Dreary. Cloudy. Rainy. Drizzly. Splashy. Melancholy. Depressing. Dismal. Dispiriting. Mournful. Dejecting as **************** 10+ months of the year. I'd be more detailed but then I'd have to invoice someone $1 a word.

You don't want to detail the car because, 10 minutes later, it looks like ****************.

I only go back for funerals.

Have a nice day. ;)

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90%?? You should see all the bite marks on my tongue from the things I don't say. ;) 46% of the time I'm being facetious. 23% of my comments stem from eschewing FB.

Admittedly, Western Washington is beautiful. I was raised there. For the first time resident... and in that part of the state in which you'll reside... you'll enjoy it. Plenty of windies. You'll have a nice view of Mount. St. Helens. Witnessed her blow from 150 miles north.

Here's something positive for you: The state of Oregon enjoys a 0% sales tax. You'll be ~50 miles from Portland. Depending upon the purchase price of whatever, you could save some $$. We used to drive down from 98403 for the big ticket items.

Have a nice day. :D

Everyone says the winters are horrible in the PNW, because of the gray and drizzle. It's true, the days are short and gray, but if particlewave is used to Kansas, the winters will be very warm.

A typical winter day has a low of 38 degrees, and high of 43. Not that bad.

Then there are the summers. Not humid, and rarely over 90 degrees with very long days. Sunrise around 5:30 am, sunset just after 9 pm.

Sorry about that, Starter...

Definitely.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the cold and snow. I will miss them both, but I won’t miss seeing nothing around me but shopping centers and crop fields.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! If you like/love the cold and snow... you'll be in heaven! My wife likes the cold... I like the heat (~120 in 92262 Saturday). I wake up at 2A with the aircon running and 64 degrees in the house!!! I'm wearing sweaters and it's 100+ outside, lol.

Haven't been to Kansas, but second wife came from Minnesota. Visited a couple times and couldn't imagine living where the horizon has no definition. You'll love the hills and mountains. If you're into outdoor activities... again, you'll be in heaven.

Cheers, Pal! ;)

Kansas is great...if you like looking at crop fields. :D