Sars,
Lake Oswego and West Linn are right next to each other. The Stafford area, just outside of Lake Oswego and West Linn is more open country (last time I checked). I've always loved that area -- great properties out that way. Also heading down towards Wilsonville, big country lots. mms, I know the area has grown, but isn't that area still quite open?

Gemstone--Yes, Stafford is beautiful. Lots of open space, but definitely at a price. Wilsonville is growing rapidly. I am not a fan of Wilsonville though. My husband refers to it as the worlds largest strip mall. I don't think it is that bad, but still not my cup of tea.

Thanks, mms, no I don't mean the town of Wilsonville, I meant the Stafford area and just south. If I were to move back to Oregon, the Stafford is where I'd want to be most, I think.

Gemstone--Yes, that area is very nice. I take those backroads quite a bit and love driving thru them. There are some fantastic homes in there. A friend just filmed a commercial in a home there about a month ago.

Ag3046, Of course we are researching and planning on visiting several times before we make our choice. We have already been to Oregon and I have family that lives in the Portland area. Your comment made me laugh. We want to get more of a feel.

Kailee, it depends on if you want a big city or a small city. As you may already know, the Portland/Vancouver metro area is growing tremendously. It's cheaper, and maybe closer to nature, to live out in the suburbs (Hillsboro, Beaverton, Gresham). If access to downtown is a concern, there are some condo developments on the MAX line (the light rail), or you can use the park and ride spots.

If you want a smaller town, McMinnville might fit the bill. It's a college town, in the winery region, and it's a easy drive to Portland, if you just want to drive in for the day.

I live in Beaverton, and quite enjoy the suburban mix of city/country that the town provides. But we are getting more crowded, and if traffic bothers you, choose a smaller town, or be very close to mass transit ("Trimet") here in Portland.

Thanks for all the advice…I am going to have to look into some of the suburbs of Portland. We both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and watched our small towns get swallowed by urban sprawl and strip malls (Literally) My parents’ neighborhood had the first five houses get torn down to make room for a strip mall. I guess that would be one of fears of moving to the suburbs of Portland. Now we live an hour and a half from Chicago and land is rapidly getting turned into neighborhoods.

Portland is completely different than Chicago (safe public transportation, more green space, about a forth of the population). I have never lived in a city bigger than 24,000 so it would be a big change to move to Portland. I think it would be exciting. How are the public schools in Portland?

Are there any trails in Corvallis? If we moved to Corvallis would we have to go to Salem or Albany for shopping or entertainment. I have heard mixed things about both of these towns (gangs,drugs,smelly. . ). I don’t know if there is any truth or not.

I have been to Cannon Beach and love it of course. How are the beaches closer to Corvallis or Eugene? How safe is Eugene? How long would it take to get from Portland to Eugene?

Thank-you for reading all my random thoughts this process is exciting, scary, and overwhelming!!

I grew up in Salem and still like it. The south and west sides are the best. Great place for families, IMO.

I went to college in Corvallis, so lived there for 4 years. Loved it! We have friends that are raising their families there and are very pleased. We go back for ball games, and really enjoy the town.

I have family in Albany. I have never cared for it, but I have to say that it is definitely improving. The people who live there love it, and they do have good schools. It definitely doesn't smell near as bad as it used to. So I think my opinion is a bit outdated, lol!

I can't help with Eugene. My experience there is pretty limited, so hopefully sunbum will see this and help you since she is a local.

Eugene would suit you just fine, too. It's about two hours from Eugene to Portland on the freeway. It can be done in a day trip.

Growth in the Portland area is controlled by the urban growth boundary, and we have less sprawl than some other metropolitan areas in the country. (You might google this subject to learn the details.) That said, some folks are unhappy about the density we see here. Even in the suburbs, and especially within the Portland city limits, you see condos and townhouses sprouting up, sometimes just on a strip of land that used to be something else.

Any town in the Willamette Valley will be about 60 to 90 minutes from the beach. Keep in mind that the beaches here are rather cold and windy. You don't see people sunbathing much. People will walk the sand in shoes and hoodies.

There are a couple of small towns up on the Columbia Gorge that are quite suited to the outdoors-minded. That's an easy drive to Portland.

If you're interested in one of the Portland suburbs, visit the Trimet site http://www.trimet.org for
info on mass transit. Being on the MAX, or a frequent bus line, might be a deciding factor in choosing a home. The MAX line will be extended to Clackamas in 2009, and maybe Milwaukie in a few years.

Living in Vancouver, Washington might be an option for you. There is no state income tax there, so some people live on the Washington side of the Columbia River, and drive/commute into Portland for work, fun, and shopping. Keep in mind that both bridges over the Columbia are quite busy these days, and we're talking about replacing the I-5 bridge because of the heavy traffic.

"Traffic" is relative. Portland's traffic is much better than most of the bigger cities, but worse than a small one. And if that is a concern, I would rule Vancouver out. With all traffic having to funnel over only two bridges, you can be sure of back-ups.

In the Portland area - I'd avoid Vancouver or the Beaverton area if I didn't like traffic. Suburbs in other directions don't have as bad of traffic.

Just a quick vote for Ashland. Lovely. Portland is a first class city. Without children I'd skip Lake Oswego/West Linn.

The 2 fastest growing areas of the state are the Bend-Redmond area and the Rogue Valley-Ashland to Grants Pass.
Both areas have sunnier weather than the Willamette Valley, lots of outdoor opportunities, including skiing/snowboarding, and lots of restaurants to boot.
Rogue Valley is much lower (700ft-2000 ft)
than Bend and we have milder winters.

Paulina. Undiscovered gem.

Bend is my favorite with great restaurants, hiking, biking, skiing and great fishing. Portland's great too with the exception of traffic although it has improved over the years. The major plus for Portland is that it is a connector for all the PNW Highways and the Airport has more flights than Redmond/Bend. Running in Portland wold be more diverse while Bend excels in all outdoor activites. Bend is not cheap!

Def go out there first, narrow down the cities you might like to live in then visit. There are no good food choices in Oregon in terms of restaurants. Love the farmers market tho

There's no good restaurants in the entire state of Oregon?

suze--LOL, I was thinking the same thing;)

I happen to have read other posts from this person... who is really really homesick and wants badly to move back to Chicago, or at least a city like Seattle. There's nothing that Oregon can do good enough for her. I don't think it's fair to be saying things like the crack about restaurants as if it is a fact. It's misleading and simply not true.

>>There are no good food choices in Oregon in terms of restaurants. Love the farmers market tho...<<

HUH? Wasn't Portland just highlighted in a New York Times article as one of the best dining spots in the nation???

I've seen all the sights, so planning my meals is the main preparation I do when heading to Portland!

Corvallis is getting a pretty good food scene as well.