I've been living in the Eugene, OR area for seventeen years after living in Davis, CA for twenty years. I have another four years committed here (grandpa duty), but I think it's time to start looking around a bit for where I would like to live next.
To be honest, I would be out of here yesterday if I hadn't committed to my adopted daughter that I would stick around while she does D.O. school. I'll give the low-lights of the past couple of months and I think it will be clear why I've had quite enough of Eugene:
Wife menaced by homeless people on main bike path (we live next to it, so it's kind of unavoidable); wife and I assaulted by homeless people two blocks from our house; attempted bike-jacking of adult son on bike path by homeless person; attempted mugging of son downtown; attempted murder of son and me by homeless person with car (she first threatened to run us over because we live in a house, then proceeded to give it a go); menacing of wife and me at shopping center near bike path terminus; attempted bike-jacking of wife and I on bike path.
We could not get police responses to any of these when we called them in. Eugene has allowed violent homeless people to simply take over all of the bike paths by allowing illegal camping along the river and creek. In addition, the underpasses on the bike paths have become nearly impassable because they congregate there for protection from the sun or rain. It's no big surprise that Eugene has now lost 43% of its cyclists since 2009, with no let up in this trend in sight. The number of people walking is dropping like a stone as well. It's really becoming a dystopian story in Eugene if you don't live in the hills on the southside.
So, what do I want in my new locale? Obviously, I want a place that isn't filled with crime. (Eugene's murder rate is up nearly six-fold over the past four years.
) The things that I have really enjoyed about Eugene is that once I get out past the suburbs (maybe ten miles from town), the riding is pretty good. After twenty miles, it's simply fantastic. I have boatloads of logging roads and even paved forest service roads to ride for hours on end without any traffic at all. I'd love someplace that has that kind of riding. There is also a close-in loop of about 40 miles that's pretty nice. I prefer hills to flatlands. (Twenty years in Davis cured me of wanting to ride on flat roads.)
We have a bunch of natural food stores. It's great to have places to get quality produce and interesting foods. Not a deal-breaker if it's missing, but definitely a plus. I do need access to UPS or FedEx to ship packages out and decent postal service.
The most important thing is air quality. I've really had it with sooty air. All winter long we have morons burning, either in their yards or in fireplaces with the damper closed off (maximum smoke). Then in summer we are now forest fire smoke central. I really love rain these days just because it means I can ride without coughing up soot.
So, what say you people of the PNW? Where's a grand place to move to for someone who doesn't want to depend on a car for day-to-day things? Take your time, think about it and give me some places to check out. I've got nearly four years to make the call.