Lucky for me, I was born and raised in Ohio, lived in the California Bay area, moved to Oregon, spent a few years in Maui and landed back in Oregon for grandkids. My daughter and I are pretty close so things have really worked out well for us living together in close quarters. Although this condo, at 1,250 sq ft 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is a bit bigger than where I was raised ... with 5 siblings. While I'd love to have a house with a mother-in-law suite, separate rooms for the boys and a big yard, with pandemic prices we are stuck here for a while.
We live about a 90 minute drive from the Pacific Ocean. Unlike land-locked Ohio. We are about 90 minutes from a 10,000 ft mountain where the Olympic Ski team practices all year. In another direction there is the high desert country which is awesome to simply enjoy nature.
Oregon has more noticeable changes in seasons. California just has one. Perfect but everything is SO expensive. First husband and I finally bought a house in the suburbs of the Bay Area ... and it was an hour and a half commute for me (each way). Too many people and too much traffic.
Ohio has high humidity and Columbus has become too populated (over 900M) while Portland which is expanding way too fast has 740M.
Oregon is a very liberal state. Which is good in so many ways! Recycling began in 1983. Single use plastic bags were banned in 2020. We started refundable bottles and cans in 1971. Half of our electricity is from renewable sources. We are rated in the Top Ten Green Cities in the United States.
Oregon was one of the first states to mandate masks. And to close many indoor venues (bars, movies, restaurants). We are still required to wear masks indoors in public spaces. The Governor has now "asked" us to use N95 masks.
Rain you say? Yes, we get 43" of rain and Columbus gets 39". Where I lived in Maui? 15".
But this is what keeps Oregon green and full of nature! We have one National Park, eleven national forests, 361 State Parks and a national grassland. We are lucky to have so many pristine and wild spaces to explore. One State Park (650 acres) is about five blocks from home.
Life is just about as good as you make, no matter where you live.
Never been to Oregon and it sounds like a great place to live. Having lived in so many places you're in a good position to appreciate it's uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteMichigan was doing good on the recycling and using cloth bags at the grocery store but the pandemic rules set that all back. Stores just didn't want those cloth bags bringing in germs and would touch their packing area.
Our checkers don't touch bags we bring in ... we have to pack. Or use their bags for ten cents each. I usually do self checkout so I can put things in bags in accordance to which cabinet they go in (or fridge or freezer)
DeleteOregon is my "heart" state, and my ashes will be spread there when I pass. I lived there from 1971 to 1988, and again from 2005 to 2008. My daughter was born in a house we rented on 4th street in Lake Oswego, and we bought our first house in Lake Grove. We still like to wander through the area when we are near Portland, stopping at the Giant if we have time. It's really grown since we lived there, and our first house, a modest ranch house, was torn down so someone could build a much bigger, fancier house, which is what is happening to most of the area's modest homes. We live in one of the reddest states in the west, and if I could take my friends and family back to Oregon with me, I'd move in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! Where are you NOW? If it's been ten years since you last visited, you would be awestruck. LO does such a great job with parks, median strips, public art. It seems like we are the ONLY state that requires masks indoors. I'm always shocked on Facebook by the big gatherings and no masks. Our numbers are going down so I may stop isolating at the end of February!
ReplyDeleteOur daughter attended Linfield College in McMinnville in the late 90s so we were in and out of Portland for those four years. Then back a couple of times for weddings of her friends. A couple of years ago we packed up a van with her family and us and did a road trip from California to Portland, staying at a rented house while there. Went out to McMinnville for a day to visit my son-in-law's family who has lived there all this time. We didn't know that when our daughter was in college because she hadn't met her husband until she came back to work in California. It's a small world! Yes, I would probably be happy to live in Oregon if I ever have to leave California.
ReplyDeleteLinfield is such a great college although not highly publicized! Yes, what a small world! I hope you come back to visit. I bet McMinnville has changed a lot also.
DeleteI've had Friends who lived in Oregon and compared to everywhere else they lived {Cali, AZ, Florida} they had only the best things to say about it and their photos looked gorgeous from around there. They also liked it was a very Liberal and Progressive State that went Green early and took things like the Pandemic seriously. Since they now live in Florida, with DeathSantis at the helm, they Love their Home but aren't as enamored with how the State is run so poorly. The Grandson just moved back with us from Washington State, he Loved it there but said it was crazy expensive so they just couldn't afford to remain and so he and Partner asked if they could move back here with us and settle back in a place more affordable. We're making it work with a multigenerational situation too, many benefits to it actually, tho' it can be a houseful, huh? *LOL*
ReplyDeleteA houseful for YOU, for sure!! Hope you have some written ground rules for the grownups who are moving back ... don't HAVE to enforce them but IF you would ever need them to leave, protect yourself!!
DeleteI think I'd be too hot in Arizona. I need to go back and read your blogs from the beginning ...