I am looking for a small town in Oregon to retire

[Lebam in LA]

Last edited Tue Oct 11, 2016, 06:28 PM - Edit history (1)

I have family in Oregon and Washington and planning on retiring in the next year. They are all in cities.

I want out of the city and am looking for small rural towns (progressive). I just want to raise a few chickens and tend garden - - Any suggestions

Edit to add:
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I can't wait to get up there and out of the city. I really miss nature.



OREGONIANS ARE AMAZING! Thank you all for the information and offers of meeting up with me. Cannot wait to visit in April.

[Ilsa]

1. What about college towns?

Are they too big? They usually have a lot to offer.

[Lebam in LA]

4. As long as it is in a rural area. College towns are great

My biggest concern is cost. Once I retire its going to be pretty tight financially. Where did you have in mind?

[Ilsa]

7. No place in mind...

I was thinking about the seasonal or intellectual events, usually not too expensive, that college towns make available. I wish you lots of luck. Retirement scares me.

[LWolf]

47. There are rural places

on the outskirts of the college towns; really, outside of every city, Portland included.

I'm thinking of the area west of Eugene, home of UofO; Veneta and Elmira. And, of course, west of Eugene/Springfield, there's Walterville and Leaburg and Vida along the beautiful McKenzie River.

Really, you can find these little towns, and plenty of open space, on the outskirts of any Oregon city. If you want liberal, stay west of the Cascades, and remember that, often, the more rural you get, the less liberal you get, relatively speaking.

[RKP5637]

2. I don't have any suggestions, but that certainly sounds like a relaxing life style. Hope

you can do it! Sounds great!!!

[Lebam in LA]

31. Me too

Thanks

[radical noodle]

3. I have friends in Yachats

They love it there. One is an artist and lives there with her husband. The other is a doctor who lives there with her partner.

[Lebam in LA]

8. I'm planning on a road trip in spring

Just plan to drive around until I see something I like. Yachats, never heard of it but thanks for the suggestion. Will add it to my "check out" list

[radical noodle]

9. It's near the coast

I've never been there, but maybe it will give you a great place to think about. Good luck.

[Shrike47]

25. Yachats is right on the coast, very small (does have a grocery), beautiful.

Housing is expensive by local standards - $300,000 and up depending on the house, of course.

[doxyluv13]

5. Check out Ashland

A sweet little town it the beautiful Rogue River valley that's home to the Oregon Shakespeare festival. Great restaurants, many amenities that usually are characteristic of cities. It's inland so the summers are hot, but that also means real estate prices are much lower than on the coast.

[Binkie The Clown]

10. Grants Pass and Jacksonville are nice too.

I lived in Grants Pass 30 some years ago. Now I'm in "the big city" of Eugene. It's pretty nice too.

There are also a lot of nice small towns near here like Coburg and Junction City.

In fact, It's hard to find a place in Oregon that isn't beautiful, friendly, and progressive.

[GeorgeGist]

6. My ex-BIL loves Newport. He's an unreconstructed hippie.

[Lebam in LA]

21. I'd like to be a hippie again

[central scrutinizer]

11. Maybe Corvallis area

I live in Eugene and the metro area is 200,000 people so that may be too big. Most places south of here or on the east side of the Cascades are pretty conservative.

[Lebam in LA]

14. MUST STAY OUT OF CONSERTATIVE AREAS

All of my Oregon/Washington family are die hard Trumps supporters, in or nead Medford. I may not even tell them I am planing on being in the same state. Thanks for the heads ups!

[FightingIrish]

12. I called Medford home for 71 years. Now I live in La Conner, Wa

If you want a progressive town in Oregon, nearby Ashland is a good choice. Jacksonville is smaller and becoming more progressive. Most incorporated towns might be a problem if you want to raise chickens. Living outside the city limits would give you that option.

After the unexpected loss of my wife of forty years, I reconnected with an old friend I had met and dated 42 years ago. I retired in January and we were married last May. After much discussion, we settled on her home in Washington. We both love boats and found the perfect one for us which we're using to explore the paradise of the San Juan Islands. This part of Washington is a biking and boating Mecca and Washington is every bit as blue as Oregon.

[Lebam in LA]

27. Congratulations on your new life.

It sounds like you have found your paradise. Can't wait to find mine

[WheelWalker]

13. I recommend Oakland which is where I live...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland,_Oregon

2 miles off Interstate 5, 45 minutes south of Eugene. I've maintained a home here since 1961

EDIT to add...

45 minutes to mountain snow
45 minutes to ocean beaches

[Lebam in LA]

15. Definately will check it out

Thank you

[left-of-center2012]

16. Brookings, Oregon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings,_Oregon

http://www.city-data.com/city/Brookings-Oregon.html

https://brookingsharborchamber.com/living-in-brookings/

[WheelWalker]

18. Brookings is beautiful, and the winter weather is grand...

Lots of fog in the summer when the heat inland sucks it in off the ocean. Also, it's a long way to anywhere from there. Prepare for The Big One if you locate in Brookings.

[Lebam in LA]

30. Didn't even think about the quake problem

Been in Los Angeles for most of the last 60 years so its just something we live with. Cascadia does scare me a bit more than San Andreas though

[Lebam in LA]

19. WOW, now that is beautiful

Will definately add to the list

[Lebam in LA]

17. Know anything about a place called Cottage Cove?

While purusing the google came across it. Looks like a cute little town but I know I have to watch out for those "red pockets"

[WheelWalker]

20. Cottage Grove...

15 minutes south of Eugene, 30 minutes north of Oakland. I-5 runs through Cottage Grove. Basically a suburb of Eugene.

[Lebam in LA]

22. Cove sounded better but looks like a nice place

Thanks. Expensive area?

[WheelWalker]

23. I would think not. Oregon is not an expensive place to live for the most part.

The coast (Brookings, Lincoln City, etc), the mountains (Bend, Sisters), the cities (Portland, Eugene) offer high end living. Most of rural Oregon still has pretty depressed property values and reasonable cost of living.

[BeanCounting]

43. Cottage Grove is not a red pocket anymore

I have lived just outside of city limits for 25 years and love this little town. I have watched it change to blue and become very progressive. We have the convenience of Eugene 22 miles and more covered bridges in actual use than anywhere in the state.

[Lebam in LA]

44. Definately on my list of places to explore

Thank you for the update.

[Backwoodsrider]

24. I live in rural Oregon

Looking at the people I noticed the smaller and more rural a community is the more conservative the folks might be especially in Eastern Oregon. Many small communities near the coast have a healthfood store with a largely liberal customer base so just get hooked up with the right folks. The coast also has some progressive folks around the dispensaries and coffee shops too. I am pretty liberal a former Earth Firster so don't discuss politics with a gramma wearing a Trump hat waiting in line at Fred Meyers I save that kind of talk until I know a person isn't going to be offended. You like nature you will love it here

[Lebam in LA]

46. I will add that to my tour route

Thanks for the info.

[gopiscrap]

26. Bend or Astoria

[OregonBlue]

29. I live in very rural, like 200 people in our entire valley, rural in north central.

It's is very reasonable price wise but it's about 52 GOP to 48 DEM. Most of East of the Mountains is like that. Obama won here the first time but Romney the second.

If you stay West you will pay more. The Coast is pretty expensive because it is really, really, beautiful. Ashland is great but flooded with wealthy Californians and the housing prices are sorta high.

There are lots of small towns near Eugene or Corvallis where you can still get some good deals on houses and since there are big colleges in those towns, they are pretty progressive. Eugene more than Corvallis, but Corvallis is really nice too.

The Rogue river area like someone suggested, is beautiful but there are some pockets or real rednecks down that way.

Go to the Oregon voter returns for the last 2 elections and look at which counties went blue and which red. That's a good place to start to narrow it down. Once you've chosen your counties, you can even do a breakdown by the towns.

Also remember, the coast is really rainy, the Willamette Valley very rainy, Eugene very rainy, North Central High and fairly dry with some snow in winter. Central and South Central very high and very dry and very cold in the winter. Far eastern Oregon is both really cold in the winter and Total Trump territory.

Hope that helps.

[Lebam in LA]

33. Thank you!!

Great info. Since I don't have any wealth Ashland might not be for me.
Your valley sound perfect

[OregonBlue]

42. Sent you an email with more info. Feel free to contact me.

[LuckyLib]

35. Thanks for the helpful information. We are thinking about retiring to Oregon as well

but fear red-neck outposts and had already heard to stay away from the east.

[Lebam in LA]

44. Oregon Road Trip in April?

How fun would that be

[CanonRay]

38. Florence

I moved here 3 years ago and love it. Very progressive, about 8000 people, becoming artsy as well. On the coast and on Siuslaw River, but also 10 lakes (kayaking, fishing) within 15 miles. We're 60 miles from Eugene (U of Oregon) for major shopping & airport. For a small town we have a half dozen excellent restaurants. You can get acreage within easy driving distance of town and a half mile inland you can grow most anything. NO SNOW except a dusting once a decade or so, hardly ever below freezing. Seriously, consider it. If you come out, look me up, I'll be happy to show you around.

[Lebam in LA]

41. That would be awesome. I will message you when I have firm plans

DU has such incredible people. Thank you

[CanonRay]

39. Florence 2

I forgot...housing is pretty reasonable if you are not right on the water or ocean view. On edit read some of the suggestions...we are 20 miles south of Yachats and less expensive. We do get rain in winter but not as much as Eugene...they come out here for Sun! Brookings is more isolated and more conservative. Check out pics on Google