Don't dismiss Port Townsend for its weather wanderer. I was surprised to see that they only have about 20" of precipitation/year. I think that's because they're in the rain shadow of the Olympics.

Yes, it's true that Port Townsend and Sequim are in the rain shadow and many folks are figuring that out. It isn't all rain in the Pacific NW, you know (but don't tell anyone that

When you look around Port Townsend, be careful about locations. PT does have pretty good weather (Sequim's is better but PT is a nicer town). Port Ludlow is good too, but Brinnon and Hadlock, although nearby, are much greyer (real estate is cheaper in those two communities than in PT or PL).
www.windermere.com and www.johnlscott.com are good sources for checking out the real estate inventory in OR and WA. www.ptleader.com is a good site for learning about community issues in the PT area. Especially the opinion/letters section.

Hi Wanderer,

I picked up on this message a bit late, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in just in case you're still reviewing responses.

I have lived in Corvallis for the past 2 years, worked here for the past 10 years, and lived here 5 years prior to that while attending Oregon State University. My husband and I made a very foolish decision to build our first home in Lebanon (about 20 miles east of Corvallis) and regretted it the entire 7 years we were there - we really missed living in Corvallis even though we still worked there.

We absolutley love living in Corvallis because it has such a great community atmosphere. Our population is around 55,000 so it sounds larger than what you're perhaps looking for. However, I always wonder if that 55,000 includes the student population at Oregon State University because it never seems "crowded" in this city - it's pretty spread out area-wise.

Corvallis' infrastructure is very good and you'll find a lot of support from the community for things such as libraries (we have a stellar public library for such a small community), fire/police departments, etc. We have a few very popular festivals throughout the year including the Corvallis Fall Festival, Da Vinci Days, and the Red/White/Blues festival. There always seem to be various activities occurring either sponsored by the university and/or the city. I would say that the general population is middle of the road in terms of political views, although I think we're starting to get a more liberal atmosphere, which I personally appreciate.

There are three primary employers in Corvallis: the University, Hewlett-Packard, and Good Samaritan Hospital. We have a lot of small high-tech companies throughout the cities that are becoming pretty successful.

As far as a downtown area....I love our downtown especially since they recently remodeled the whole waterfront and there are nice walking paths, fountains, benches, restaurants, and shops. For such a small town I've been really impressed with the variety of quality of restaurants available.

I live in West Corvallis and we just drove to the coast this past weekend (Newport) and it took us 50 minutes from garage to Hiway 101 (the hiway that runs along the Oregon/California coastline). This is one of the reasons we have chosen to stay in Corvallis because of it's proximity to the coast (even though our favorite beach is further north).

We are 3 hours from Sunriver (about 2 hours 45 minutes from Bend), which are both close to Mt. Bachelor for skiing. Hoodoo is about 2 hours away and lot of folks go there for a quick day ski or even night skiing. We are also about 2.5 hours from Mt. Hood where there is also good skiing (relatively speaking).

Corvallis is ~40 minutes to Eugene (south) and Salem (north), ~1.5 hours from downtown Portland, and even closer to some of the shopping available at Washington Square (is this considered Tigard?) and the new Bridgeport Village in Tualatin. Overall, I feel the location of Corvallis is very good if you want a small community feel, but want to be close enough to the "big city" so that you can easily do daytrips, which we do often.

Most others have told you about the weather in Oregon, which is right on (lots of gray days, but absolutely beautiful summers). Corvallis tends to have milder winters (less rain and less snow when we actually get snow, which is rare) than the Portland area and we tend to be hotter during the summer by a few degrees than the Portland area as well – although nothing that is very significant. We definitely have all four seasons – fall being a particular favorite of mine in the Corvallis area since the trees are beautiful.

Housing in Corvallis is all over the place. I would say the average home price (for a 3BR/2BA) is about $2000-$250K for about an ~1,800-2,000 square foot home depending on lot size, views, etc. You mentioned the average home price in your area for a 3BR/2BA is $500K – in Corvallis you can get a lot of house for $500K. There are quite a few new housing communities in Corvallis, but a lot of established neighborhoods as well. Here is the url for realtor.com in the Willamette Valley area of Oregon – just select Corvallis and go from there to see what is currently being offered. http://www.realtor.com/willamette/nb...sp?poe=realtor

If you get an opportunity to visit I would suggest early fall, late spring or summer to see the “best” of Corvallis. However, if you want to see what these “gray” days are really all about then you may want to visit December-March. This last year we had a fantastic winter, hardly any rain and lots of sun, but that was atypical and we actually missed the rain.

Goodluck in your planning and feel free to ask additional questions about the Corvallis area and I’d be happy to chime in.

Cheers,
Tracey

Ashland *can* be quite hot in the summer. Having spent most of my life in northern Willamette Valley, I do favor our cooler climate, but wanderer may find the overcast skies off-putting. McMinnville? I hadn't thought of that (despite the fact that I attended college there many moons ago.) Heck, it's practically a suburb of Portland these days. Yamhill County has become a bedroom community for Portland. Newberg might be an idea, too. Both towns are close to Portland's medical facilities, skiing on Mt. Hood, and large shopping malls (yes, Washington Square is in Tigard, but easily accessible to anyone living in McMinnville.) Mac is an hour from downtown Portland.

Hi From Corvallis--

Oh my, Tracey,(thronphoenic) what a good, indepth job, you did; describing Corvallis. I must say, I agree with your every desription.

Wanderer-- we have lived in Corvallis for 30 years, raised our son here. When he grew up and then graduated from college, all he talked about was wanting to leave. But, guess what, as an adult he came back and is raising his family here.

We have had a Home Inspection business in corvallis for the last 21 years; therefore, we talk to people daily who are relocating her from literally all over the world. I'm a very curious person, so I ask them why they chose Corvallis. Many people are either retired; independantly wealthy or have businesses they can operate anywhere.
Everyone I ask say they spent months in research; their criteria was: Corvallis has a large Regional Hospital. Close to large city; Portland & major airport (1 & 1/2 hours). Close to the mountains/recreation (3 hours). Close to the most beautiful beach (1 hour). Active University (OSU). Active art community. Vital downtown; with fantastic community involvement. I can go on & on, but I think Tracey, hit the most important points. All I saying, is, that many, many people who could chose to live anywhere in the world (literally), have choosen to make Corvallis, Oregon, their home. Check it Out. Sandy in Oregon

Thanks everyone for all the info!

Looking forward to visiting Corvallis, Ashland and McMinnville.

Can anyone define "hot" when they say Ashland gets hot in the Summer? Is that 100 degrees with no humidity, or 85 and humid? Ideally, we'd like no higher than mid-80s and no humidity, although a short stretch of hot certainly wouldn't bother us.

I rarely remember it being humid in Ashland, unless a thunderstorm was rolling through. More often it was 100 and low humidity. I remember sitting in the Elizabethan theatre one July night at about 9 p.m. and it was still nearly 100 ...

Wanderer,
I live in Ashland and 100 degree days are rare. Maybe 3-5 a year. A few summers we haven't had any. 90 degree days are common, maybe 30 a year. It is rarely humid. We are about 5-8 degrees cooler than Medford on the average and people read Medford temperatures and think Ashland has the same. We are 500 feet higher and that makes a difference. It almost always cools off at nights.
I think you will find your major objection to Ashland is that it is not near a major city. If that's a must, choose somewhere else. In reading the California thread you posted, it sounds like you prefer Sonoma in any case.

Since you mention specifically retirements and that you are a financial planner, I'm sure you will carefully compare cost of living, taxes, property, differences between California, Oregon, Washington. Personally I like each of these 3 states but Corvallis (for example) would be much more affordable than Sonoma, no doubt.

Not being near a major city isn't a deal-breaker. We are only 30 miles from Boston now, but rarely go in.

It's hard to say what we will like. Sonoma, CA is high on our list right now only because we've visited it twice and like what it has to offer.

That being said, we've yet to visit OR or WA (our other two possibilities), and we may fall in love with Ashland or Port Townsend, or decide the trade-off of cost vs. better weather isn't worth it.

I really appreciate everyone's input here. It has helped us trememdously, and we look forward to visiting OR soon!

We are thinking of making a trip out to OR to visit Ashland, Corvallis and McMinnis.

We would be trading our timeshare, and choices are:

Depoe Bay
Newport
Rockaway Beach
Gleneden Beach
Seaside

Looks like Newport might be the most "central" to what we want to see?

Where would be fly in and out of?

If we stay in Newport, is driving to Ashland and back doable?

Two other location we can choose are Bend and Klamath Falls.

I really can't recommend staying in any of those locations as a way to visit Ashland, Corvallis and McMinnville. Are you assuming you can do daytrips from one of those locations?

I realize you are trying to use your timeshare, however, staying in Oregon is not very expensive and I am sure you can find reasonably priced hotels in each location.

Asuming you have about a week, I would suggest flying into Medford, renting a car and driving to Ashland (about 20 minutes) staying in Ashland for 2 nights, driving to Corvallis (about 3 hours) staying 2 nights, then driving to McMinnville (not sure, but probably about 3 hours or less), and staying there two nights. Than maybe the last night in Portland, to see our states big city - you will really enjoy it. Fly out of Portland. I suppose it will cost more to pick up car in one place and drop it off in another, but you don't want to backtrack.

Particularly, if you are visiting to consider moving to one of these locations, I suggest you actually stay in those locations. That is the only way to really get a feel for them.

The most centrally located are probably either Newport or maybe Bend (Bend being my personal favorite - heck if you stayed there, you might add it to your list of places to live!) However, I think driving from each of these for daytrips would just be too much.

Good luck, and enjoy our beautiful state!

Your description of where you live sounds like Ashland, (sometimes called SF's northernmost suburb) minus the snow, add some palm trees.
Bend is neat, but gets too much Snow. The coast can be pretty brutal in the winter. You need to google up the rogue valley and check out the Ashland Chamber Site: http://www.ashlandchamber.com...
Plenty of Culture courtesy of The University and Shakespeare, excellent medical care cuz of lots of retirees, easy access to skiing and the Ocean.
We're protected in the winter from most storms because we're surrounded by mountains.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=67111

Funny, isn't it? Here we are living in Seattle and contemplating the same sorts of questions, and on our list of places to look at through the eyes of "retirement" (I hate that word - "post-work?" "work-optional?") eyes is Portsmouth NH! Oh well...

Couple of factors. First, Ashland is, strictly IMO, an attractive town (some would use the British expression "twee") hampered by its location. Close enough to SF, and popular enough, to get put on people's lists of places they'd like to retire, but they visit like mad before, hence prices are high, tourist congestion from May-October very high, and where do you escape to for an urban fix? Medford? Portland is 4 hours if you drive like hell, SF 5. Between is valley scenery and right wing talk radio. (BTW that part of Oregon is called "Little Dixie" and there's a reason...)

Ashland is built largely on a hillside overlooking the southern end of the Rogue Valley. On the valley floor, and because heat rises, up the sides, it can be scorchingly hot - 100+ is quite common. It tends to be a dry heat, but it's quite unrelenting, and the breezes that occasionally make it through the coast mountains to the Willamette Valley don't in that part of Oregon.

Ashland is one of those places where one needs to spend some considerable time visiting (not as a theater-goer but as a prospective resident) to see if it's a good fit. We thought for years about it and decided that, for us, it wasn't.

Speaking as a one-time Beaver, I think Corvallis is a much nicer town than it was when I was there, but it is very much a college town, 2 hours from Portland but 1 from Eugene (which is big enough to offer its own cultural features). Not a bad place, but it's definitely western Oregon weather, i.e., rainy, grey, all that. But lots of trees and okay excursion destinations.

McMinnville also is appealing, closer to Portland, but the same weather.

A couple of other choices that, if you're doing the grand tour, might make it to your list...

Hood River, on the Columbia east of Portland. Very attractive town, close enough to Portland for excursions, amazing scenery. It has more weather variance than the valley (can get snow, wind, but also more warm days).

Olympia WA - Note, BTW, that Oregon has no sales tax but high-ish state income tax, WA has no income tax but 8%+ sales taxes. Olympia is a very attractive town - state capital, so lots of life during the session. Very nice housing choices, including waterfront or close-to-waterfront houses on south Puget Sound that might be close to affordable to you. Tacoma's around half an hour away, Seattle an hour. Skiing at several excellent areas is around an hour; sailing on the sound. The outer Pacific coast is an hour, the Olympic Peninsula beaches and rainforest 2 hours. Pretty ideal spot.

Sorry if this confuses the issue further...

Hi again Wanderer,
I'm glad that there are people like Gardyloo who didn't choose Ashland to retire to. For many like me it is perfect. Contrary to Gardyloo, we have VERY few 100 degree days, less than five a year, although we do have quite a few days in the 90s. In fact, the only season I sometimes dislike is winter, where we have a number of days with lows in the low 20s and a few that are even lower. But no place is best for everyone. The fact that our little town of 20,000 has as much culture as most big cities, a number of high quality restaurants, great hiking and parks, a university, and a great retirement program is just what my wife and I wanted. We don't need big city fixes too often anymore.
But to answeer your specific questions. Of the places you mentioned Newport is the most centrally located. You would fly into Portland and then rent a car for the 2+ hour trip to Newport. It is about an hour from Corvallis and McMinnville. However, it is a four hour drive to Ashland. Therefore, the advice to stay a couple of days in Ashland before or after Newport makes sense. Klamath Falls is closer to Ashland, but is hardly central to the rest of your itinerary. Have a great trip.

Thanks everyone. Very helpful...

Gardyloo -

1) Portsmouth, NH is a beautiful seaport town - very much like Newburyport, MA where I live, only a little bigger - same period and ambience though. If not for the snow...

2) Please elaborate about Corvallis being "very much a college town". We've read in various retirement guides that college towns are more "vibrant", but wonder if they are also more rowdy and crime-ridden.

Again, thanks all for the insight.

Very interesting thread. We can't figure out where we would like to retire, either. There isn't anywhere obviously "perfect" in the northwest. Places are either too crowded, too overcast, or too isolated. This is hardly California, with its perfect weather. (But not as crowded, either - and as a result) You have to like the fog....

Ashland is really pretty and is the only place on your list with a California-type climate. Yet it is very far from a big city and relatively expensive to fly to. That might not be a problem, as there is so much "culture" in Ashland. You have to decide if it's okay by you to be 5 hours from SF and Portland.

If you go east of the Cascades, where the sun shines, you have snow in the winter and are quite a distance from city life. Bend is probably the biggest place east of the Cascades that people are retiring to, as already mentioned.

I think, if we stay in the NW, we'll wind up in either Portland or Seattle. The big cities here have nice neighborhoods in them and are quite liveable. I get tempted by the Oregon coast, but it is very isolated.

You will have to let us know what you think as you travel about.

therenaissanceman - I meant no offense regarding Ashland. I tried to emphasize that my views are personal (well, actually shared by my wife) and that others have a different take on things. I should have clarified that it gets over 100 in Medford pretty often; you're right that by the time one is up the slopes in Ashland it can be a few degrees cooler. I have been in Ashland on a number of occasions (on the flats or out by the freeway) where it was 100+ (or at least various thermometers said it was.) Also I've been there in the winter when it felt like -100, but of course it wasn't.

Wanderer, re "college towns," I guess what I mean is that yes, they're vibrant. I don't think Corvallis is especially negatively influenced by OSU, but it's the center of the economy, lots of the retail sector is geared to the needs of a university community, likewise housing. There probably is a higher density of artistic and cultural resources and events than one would find in comparably-sized towns without a major university. So not negative.

Corvallis and Eugene used to be somewhat competitive towns, based on the rivalry between OSU (Corvallis) and the U of O (Eugene.) Eugene is now much bigger and more diversified than Corvallis, so aside from college rivalry that particular contest is pretty much over. The vibe used to be that because OSU was the agricultural university (originally, Oregon Agricultural College) while the U of O was the arts and sciences university, that Eugene was the more sophisticated of the two. I don't think anyone (above the age of 19) still feels that way.