We are thinking about moving to Corvallis, Oregon in about a year. We have a 14 year old son who will be entering highschool at that time. How are the schools there? Are there many things for teens to do in Corvallis or the surrounding areas? How's the weather there? What about job opportunities? Any other suggestions for great places to live in Oregon are greatly appreciated.

I can't comment on the schools as I don't live there, but Corvallis is a beautiful college town with big old trees and houses. It is about an hour to Portland. It can be pretty hot in the summer 90's to low 100's for a few days at a time. It is only about 30 minutes? maybe to Salem, the state capital. Should be jobs available with a decent commute.

Well, I *love* Corvallis myself... both my retired parents and sister & husband live there (by choice, we did not grow up in Oregon).

The town has a great sense of community with lots of farmers markets, local producers, good music scene, active churches and social-helping type volunteer groups.

It has a natural beautiful and the economy is reasonably stable.

Sorry can't speak to schools or teen activities since I have no idea about those things.

I do live here and have chosen to make it our home. I love the small town feel. I did not grow up here so I can't say what teenagers would need for things to do. There is abundant hiking and biking within minutes or even in town. Corvallis boasts miles of bike trails and encourages biking with many marked bike lanes. Skiing is about 2 hours away, the beach 1 hour. Portland is over an hour away - I allow 2 hours to get downtown Portland in moderate traffic. Salem is 50 minutes away. My husband commutes to the south side of Salem. I would say that it is an easy commute but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if you don't have to.

We only have a 3 yr old so I don't know about the schools first hand but I do know they are among the better in the area.

Our favorite things include the farmers markets (Wed and Sat) and lots of parks, and university events.

The feel/personality of Corvallis is old hippie. It feels like hippies moved here to raise their families. The population is generally well educated with the big employers HP, CH2MHill, and Oregon State. Many in the community are dedicated to supporting the local economy (no Wal-Mart here). On the other side Corvallis tends to think of itself as better than others.... stuck up. Good with the bad.

Ask more questions if you want and I'll check back.

Sara

Where are you living now?
My former editor lives in Corvallis and loves it. It is a beautiful setting. He has two teen-agers and overall is pleased with their schools.
The only caveat about moving to "small city" Oregon from outside the Pacific Northwest is that so-called Native Oregonians (NO) can sometimes be a pill to outsiders.
This particular editor used to strike me as a snob, until I realized he was a NO. It explained a lot. A lot of them aren't aware of it. When we first moved to Eugene, we found the friendliest people had moved there from California (they would lower their voices and glance around furtively before confessing to being ex-Californicators).
If you are coming from the upper Midwest or New England, you'll find the winters pleasant mild, if a bit grey and wet, and the summers are just flat out glorious. But it can get surprisingly hot, don't buy the myth that Oregon is always cool and rainy.

My husband and I moved to Corvallis a year ago and it has proven to be a GREAT move.

While we don't have kids (yet), we do look forward to raising a family here. The town is very familiy-friendly and extremely safe. Our friends and neighbors with school-aged kids keep telling me that we picked a great place to raise a family. OSU provides a lot of programs and opportunities for fun, there are a number of annual festivals such as DaVinci Days, Fall Festival, Rhapsody in the Vineyards, Christmas Eve, etc. Bike trails make it possible to go just about anywhere without a car and the downtown area has a nice riverfront park with a recent emergence of new, sophisticated restaurants.

What are your son's interests? If he likes outdoor activities, there's the Willamette River for kayak or rowing activities, bike paths galore and plenty of hiking trails. If you need a taste of the city you can take the train to Portland (departs from Albany-10-15 min away).

The weather hasn't bothered us at all. As a matter of fact, it's among the most moderate climates around. Keep in mind that you're in the NW so summer days last until about 9pm and winter days are much shorter.

Job opportunities are pretty slim. Although it would help to know what field you're in.

So my questios to you are
1- what are your son's interests?
2- where do you live now? (I can help make weather comparissons)
3- what type of work are you looking for (opportunities may exist in certain fields)

Good luck with your decision. I don't think you would regret a move to Corvallis- it's a real gem!

Perhaps it doesn't factor into your thoughts about moving to a small town, but I find places like Corvallis, or Eugene, or Roseburg, or Medford or Ashland to be unsatisfactory because it is at least 2 hours (or more) to a large airport.

Eugene Airport is approx 45 minutes from Corvallis and services a number of major carriers

http://www.ifly.com/mahlon-sweet-field-airport

PDX isn't too difficult to get to either. The HUT provides shuttle service or you could travel via AMTRAK and take the red line to PDX.

I just moved here from Westwood in LA and unless I was traveling at an odd hour, traffic on the 405 to LAX would require about 45 minutes travel time. Remember that traffic out here is nothing compared to a major metropolitan area.

But then again, different strokes for different folks- right?

The comment about the native Oregonians being unfriendly reminds me of a time in the early 70's when many Californians were moving there--or that's what the Oregonians thought anyway.

I bought a big poster than said "Oregonium per Origonii." That's my best spelling, by the way. The translation was "Oregon for Oregonians."

They also had a bumper sticker campaign, jokingly trying to discourage people from settling there. One said something like "Seven people in Oregon fell off bicycles last year and drowned." Another said, "In Oregon, you don't tan, you rust."

I really like Oregon, but I live in beautiful Washington, so I'm not tempted to settle there. I have spent several month-long stays at a language school outside Portland and have driven through the state too many times to mention. I've always enjoyed it.

My favorite Oregon bumper sticker from the 70's was "Welcome to Oregon, now go home!"

I would move to Corvallis for a month during the summer or at least spend some time there checking out the schools, job opportunities, activiites for kids.

I would be concerned about moving without having a job already lined up.

I would also suggest Portland as it is larger with more opportunities, but still has a small town feel and lots of outdoor stuff to do all year round.

The OP has not been back since posting this in May. She very likely won't see your new posts . . . . .