My wife & I are so sick and tired of living in Southern California...or California,for that matter. We plan on selling our home and moving to a small-to-medium sized "college town.

The first city on my list is Eugene, OR. I'd like to hear from locals about what it's like living there.

Thanks!

We lived there for four years (1989-1993), having relocated from Philadelphia (I telecommuted), and then spent a lot of time driving back there to hang out after moving to Vancouver, WA (we live in Europe now). We loved Eugene (still do; one of the first phrases our parakeet learned to say was "going to Eugene!"). Had a great vibe, completely different from the urban East Coast and we loved how easy it was to bike and walk everywhere or to drive to the mountains or the coast. Plenty of interesting restaurants, quirky shops, etc.
But the housing bit is tricky. Rentals are very tight (normal with a university town) and there have been some increasing crime problems in the uni area (according to our friends who still live there). Different neighborhood has distinct personalities (and price ranges!), so despite the tight rental market, it's not a bad idea to rent first if you can. One of the nicer rental communities is Boulders on the River. Although it's outside the immediate Eugene area, you can bike across the pedestrian bridge and then through the park to get "downtown" very quickly.
Winters in Eugene can be very foggy, especially if you live on the city "floor"; the surrounding hills aren't so bad. The airport often has fog problems in winter, too. Summers can be surprisingly hot, but also glorious.

What are you sick and tired of in California? In many respects, the border between California and Oregon has blurred.

Someplace close to home and heart! I always said I wanted to live in Eugene but am happy in Corvallis too.

To me Eugene has 2 personalities. The University is very liberal and hippie-ish feeling. I always feel like I could get some marijuana with no trouble there (though not unsafe). While the rest of the community is like any midsize city. It has been growing in the past few years, but seems to have managed it fairly well. There is a nice theater that gets some broadway shows. The University of course offers talks and sports as well. There are two large malls and a third close by in Springfield, and some fun food stores like Oasis and Trader Joes. I think Eugene offers a good collection of restaurants, chain and individual. As mentioned already it has great bike trails all over town and I think a pretty good bus system.

Location is also great. It is an hour to the coast and an hour to the mountains and skiing. It is very green with the river providing lots of park spaces. The summers can get warm but not necessarily humid, mid 80s are high temps usually. It does rain but that is the beauty of Oregon.

Corvallis is another college town about an hour north of Eugene. It is much smaller than Eugene and has a different feel. The University is conservative and the community is more liberal. The community is best described as a bunch of old hippies with families. It feels very kid-oriented, and full of people who care about the community. It certainly does not have a mall or very many chain restaurants and feels like a small town but that is what this community values. The location is good as well - just expect to drive if you want an Olive Garden or Gap.

The only other college town is Portland and there is lots on here about it. I know you didn't ask, I just wanted to give you some other things to think about.

So let us know if you make the move!

Agree with other posters great info on Eugene. It has grown and is growning very fast. If you want a smaller town you might check into Ashland in Southern Oregon. It is smaller than Eugene but has the same quirky vibe.

Expect to drive if you want to go to Olive Garden or Gap?

LOL Ted...actually Olive Garden isnt that easy to escape...a 10 minute drive to Medford and you can have all the Old Navy and Outback Steakhouse you want.

Thanks for all the excellent replies. Looking for more...the more, the merrier!

For Beachbum: I'm a SoCal native...and it's not the same SoCal anymore: Waaay too crowded, astronomical housing prices (try $425K median price here in San Diego!!!) and generally too big for its shoes nowadays.

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My wife, 2yr old daughter & I went to Portland last month. It is indeed a beautiful city. But in many ways it still felt "big."

I've always fantasized about living in a small-college town (Eugene,Austin TX, Madison WI, Lincoln NE, Columbia MO.)

But because of family, I feel compelled to stay on the West Coast. San Luis Obispo is a beautiful town here in Cali...but like the rest of the state, it's still too damn expensive to live in.

While driving back home, we fell in love with Eugene...the city has 4 TV stations (I work behind the scenes--news videographer/editor. I'm also a Certified Legal Video Specialist)...so Eugene is now at the top of the list. I've already started contacting TV stations about employment...so wish me luck! I know the pay will be considerably lower...but I'll be selling a home here in SD and splititng profits w/siblings, so I'll have a nice chunk of change for housing.

A few years ago, my husband interviewed for a position in Eugene.
His prospective boss said he'd been there a year and, when winter came, his wife started bugging him to leave because of the rain. She found it very depressing. Maybe she was overly sensitive - maybe she needed more sun.
For me, the weather would be part of any consideration regarding changing locations.
Have you thought about San Luis Obispo (fits your criteria without a lot of rain)?

I don't know what the question about the Olive Garden and Gap was, but to clarify. I said in Corvallis you would have to drive to get to one, the closest are either Eugene or Salem at least a 45 minute one-way trip.

While I admit I am used to the rain, I think it is the gray drizzly days that are more depressing than the rain.

I had no idea Eugene had that many TV stations! Good luck. The pay may be lower but so is everything else in proportion.

While my husband and I were in SD this spring I picked up a brochure on houses for sale and was amazed how expensive they were! Eugene, Portland and Corvallis are the most expensive housing markets and they don't even compare!

Actually...my wife HATES the sunshine. She loves the overcast/rain/fog type of weather (we met & acutally lived in San Francisco for a while.) Me, as long as I have hi-speed internet/ESPN/my big-screen TV, and a city with ethnic restaurants--I can live anywhere!

SLO is still too expensive compared to Eugene and other similar-sized cities. I love SLO, actually...and did the number-crunching...and nothing would work for us.