Ok ladies (or fellas :) )....need some info on Lowell, OR & surrounding area!

[Live2Ride]

So DH and I have been discussing a job move...there are various places that we are looking at (he is in the energy field) and one opening was near Lowell, OR or Springfield, OR area...

 

Weather during the year?

 

Homeschool laws?

 

Housing costs?

 

Cost of living?

 

We would want a property with land that is mostly cleared, an atleast 3 bedroom home and a good barn.

 

Are there lots of outdoor places to ride horses? (important to me, lol)

 

Thanks!

[Live2Ride]

Anyone? :D

[myfunnybunch]

Weather during the year?

 

Rainy. Sunny and warm mid-summer through early fall. No tornados or hurricanes. Snow is rare.

 

Homeschool laws?

 

Send a one-time letter of intent to homeschool to the homeschool liason at the county Education Service District. Standardized test given by a state-approved testers on the same schedule as public school students: 3rd, 5th, 8th...10th?...grades. Lots of homeschool groups and support and activities in Springfield and Eugene. Not sure about Lowell specifically, but I do know some people travel into Eugene-Springfield from surrounding rural areas/small towns for homeschool activities.

 

Housing costs?

 

Seems high to me, compared to some parts of the country, but it depends on where you're moving from.

 

Cost of living?

 

I think Lowell and Springfield are about the same. Compared to most of the US, I think it's average in this area. Maybe slightly lower than the US as a whole, but that's based on when I looked a few years ago, so I'm not sure how accurate that is.

 

We would want a property with land that is mostly cleared, an atleast 3 bedroom home and a good barn.

 

You can find properties like this just outside Springfield or all around Lowell. :) You might also look into Dexter-Pleasant Hill-Fall Creek, as those are rural(ish) communities that fall around Springfield and Lowell.

 

 

Are there lots of outdoor places to ride horses? (important to me, lol) Yes. :)

[Anne in CA]

I would visit the area before you move there and see if you like the "feel" of the area. I personally do not care for it and I am a born and bred Oregonian. I think it is too rainy. I would HATE to clean up after horses in the constant drizzle. I also like the fun, quirky Portland liberal culture, but I think that area is more "weird" than "quirky". However, no offense to anyone who lives there, Go Ducks and all that, I personally would not like to live there all the time. I guess I have acclimated to Portland.

[Live2Ride]

I'm coming from the south, born and raised in GA and FL, living in Louisiana for the last 10 yrs. Baton Rouge area... I would definitely plan to visit if this became more of a possibility, but it's not the same as living there year round, :)

[Ali in OR]

I would think the weather transition might be a challenge. It's not like it's a constant downpour of rain, but it's generally misty or periodic light rain most days from November-June. The last few springs have been particularly cold and wet. I can handle cold, dark, and rainy right now because that's the way winter is supposed to be. But cold and wet all March, all April, into May, and much of June just gets old! June has been mostly in the 60's the last three years--we don't put away long sleeves and long pants until July usually.

 

July-September is fantastic--usually completely dry, usually temps in the 70s and 80s. Everyone is outdoors all of the time.

 

It's beautiful and green here, people lead healthy lifestyles, home schooling is easy, did I mention berries grow really well here? If you don't mind cool damp weather, it's a great place to live.

[Live2Ride]

We have a lot of rain here but it can get really hot and dry.

[Ali in OR]

We don't have any drought problems (at least in recent years) and have lots of grass/hay for horses!

[Live2Ride]

I think I'd have problems with that much cold...I have feet and hands like ice in our little mild winters... I'd hate to see what it would be like there, lol.

[Shamzanne]

My parents live in Fall Creek, just up the road from Lowell. I live in Eugene.

 

I second the homeschool information given above with the addition that there is a good variety of homeschool groups in Eugene and Springfield, ranging from conservative Christian to dogmatic unschoolers. We also have access to some great charter schools in Oregon that provide funds and oversight by teachers without extensive requirements.

 

I consider the cost of housing to be very inexpensive in outlying communities like Lowell and Fall Creek, and quite reasonable in town compared to similar cities on either coast. Definitely not cheap by midwest standards. My friends just sold a beautiful, updated, three bedroom home on 15 acres and with outbuildings in the $150,000 range near Creswell. The cost of living again will seem insanely cheap if you come from a big city or southern California, but might be more expensive than living in the midwest.

 

I would think it would be easy to find a property like the one you're looking for. You might look into Fall Creek, Dexter, Pleasant Hill, Walterville, the McKenzie River area, Creswell, Cottage Grove, or Marcola as well. To be honest, as much as I love this area Lowell is the last place I would choose to live around here. It seems dusty and sad and is considered to have terrible schools. It is only 15 minutes from town, though, if that is a draw for you. There are tons of places to ride your horses. Elijah Bristow State Park is nearby and has extensive trails.

 

And - Eugene is a little weird but it is a lovely place to live. To me, it is the best of all worlds. I live downtown and can walk to the library, several parks, a renowned performing arts center, the farmers' market, and tons of great restaurants. But I can drive for 10 minutes in just about any direction and be in complete countryside. In an hour we can be at the coast or high in the Cascades. I don't ever want to live anywhere else.

 

Finally - the rain. I agree with the previous poster about the amount of rain, but I don't want you to think that it is freezing here all winter. We usually get one or two light snows per year that don't last for more than a day, and it is rare for the temperature to drop below 30 at night. It is usually very mild. The lack of sunlight in winter is difficult on many people. However! the summer here cannot be beat. This year was absolutely beautiful from mid June until mid October. The hiking, camping, boating, rafting, climbing, etc. and the natural beauty of Oregon is unmatched.

 

I almost forgot - there's a huge LDS community here, including some of my best friends! If you have any other questions please ask!

[Reesegirl]

_{I also live within a hour of Eugene and wanted to chime in about summers....we do not have the horrible humidity that you find in the south....summers are just so wonderful here. Yes, it rains quite a bit in the winter but it seems that there are breaks in the weather most days.}

[Live2Ride]

My parents live in Fall Creek, just up the road from Lowell. I live in Eugene.

 

I second the homeschool information given above with the addition that there is a good variety of homeschool groups in Eugene and Springfield, ranging from conservative Christian to dogmatic unschoolers. We also have access to some great charter schools in Oregon that provide funds and oversight by teachers without extensive requirements.

 

I consider the cost of housing to be very inexpensive in outlying communities like Lowell and Fall Creek, and quite reasonable in town compared to similar cities on either coast. Definitely not cheap by midwest standards. My friends just sold a beautiful, updated, three bedroom home on 15 acres and with outbuildings in the $150,000 range near Creswell. The cost of living again will seem insanely cheap if you come from a big city or southern California, but might be more expensive than living in the midwest.

 

I would think it would be easy to find a property like the one you're looking for. You might look into Fall Creek, Dexter, Pleasant Hill, Walterville, the McKenzie River area, Creswell, Cottage Grove, or Marcola as well. To be honest, as much as I love this area Lowell is the last place I would choose to live around here. It seems dusty and sad and is considered to have terrible schools. It is only 15 minutes from town, though, if that is a draw for you. There are tons of places to ride your horses. Elijah Bristow State Park is nearby and has extensive trails.

 

And - Eugene is a little weird but it is a lovely place to live. To me, it is the best of all worlds. I live downtown and can walk to the library, several parks, a renowned performing arts center, the farmers' market, and tons of great restaurants. But I can drive for 10 minutes in just about any direction and be in complete countryside. In an hour we can be at the coast or high in the Cascades. I don't ever want to live anywhere else.

 

Finally - the rain. I agree with the previous poster about the amount of rain, but I don't want you to think that it is freezing here all winter. We usually get one or two light snows per year that don't last for more than a day, and it is rare for the temperature to drop below 30 at night. It is usually very mild. The lack of sunlight in winter is difficult on many people. However! the summer here cannot be beat. This year was absolutely beautiful from mid June until mid October. The hiking, camping, boating, rafting, climbing, etc. and the natural beauty of Oregon is unmatched.

 

I almost forgot - there's a huge LDS community here, including some of my best friends! If you have any other questions please ask!

 

 

THat is awesome and thank you for mentioning the LDS aspect! RIght now our building is 1.5 miles away from home, lol. Thats hard to want to leave!

 

Our place recently appraised at 150,000, 1400 sq ft house and 5 acres fully fence and one outbuilding. 3 years ago though, it was over 210,000 :glare: . We have some higher taxes here. I think it might work out to be somewhat similar.

 

I don't mind the rain really, but I can't stand when it rains SO much that it's constantly muddy. From December to March it can be a muddy mess and I'm talkin lots of mud in the fields...high water tables, very low elevations, and flat land make for little runoff to occur.

 

We may put in the application and see if it pans out. I will say that I love it here for the most part, but it can get downright hot from June to September. No one wants to really spend time outdoors then, lol.

 

I love the south. I love the people being so friendly, the beaches nearby (though for us its 3 hours instead of 1 lol). I LOVE the food here! And I can cook some amazing things since living here and learning from my cajun friends. We don't have family here so that is not an issue for us. We already have to drive to see any of them (OH, GA, KY or FL).

 

We do have a good friend from Washington and shes says all the time that she loves both (OR and WA) and would move back in a heartbeat (she's from the Seattle area)....that says alot because she likes it here too. She's very outdoorsy and loves all the parks and recreations available.

 

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it.

[LostSurprise]

Dh's aunt lives out by Leaburg, and I love the area. Its gorgeous, easy homeschooling, and an interesting mix of hippy/original settlers/rich folks from CA. From what I gather land prices can be higher than some parts of the country, in part because of the 'rich folks from CA.' (Dh's aunt married into an original settler family, so I hear it from that point of view. I know they couldn't afford the land they live on at current prices, but its also river-front.)

 

I'd love to live there.

[Maeintx]

We're from OR and living in Houston area. We'd move back in a heartbeat too,... the gray winters can be long but the summers... no cmparison! It is so hot and humid here that we do nothing in July-Spetmember. That is prime outdoor time in Oregon!

[myfunnybunch]

I don't mind the rain really, but I can't stand when it rains SO much that it's constantly muddy. From December to March it can be a muddy mess and I'm talkin lots of mud in the fields...high water tables, very low elevations, and flat land make for little runoff to occur.

 

We may put in the application and see if it pans out. I will say that I love it here for the most part, but it can get downright hot from June to September. No one wants to really spend time outdoors then, lol.

 

 

:D Weeellllll....the real difference between Oregon and where you are now might be that it's lovely here in the summer. Our family is out-of-doors from May-September. But it can get pretty muddy in the fields during the rainy season, especially if you've got horses.

 

Cat