What's wrong with Salem? (Portland, Eugene: crime rate, lawyers, homes)

[NCDavid]

I've seen a number of posts here getting down on Salem, and they confuse me. I've visited Salem a number of times and am thinking of relocating there. It seems like a vital mid-size city with some good restaurants,, nice parks, active downtown with a very nice shopping mall, lots of trees, Amtrak station and a bus system. There's a Costco, Nordstom, plenty of shopping. Traffic isn't bad,, nothing like Seattle or Portland.
I was told the north end is not a good place to live, but I saw very nice neighborhoods in the south end. I've looked at McMinnville (too small and isolated), Eugene (too dirty), and Corvallis (kind of small-town) and none seem as nice as Salem.
So, two questions: Aside from the lack of night life (I'm retired, so I don't care) what's wrong with Salem?
Second, home prices seem to be more reasonable in Salem than the other cities. Any idea why?

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by NCDavid

So, two questions: Aside from the lack of night life (I'm retired, so I don't care) what's wrong with Salem?
Second, home prices seem to be more reasonable in Salem than the other cities. Any idea why?

Really nothing wrong with Salem. It's just not some people's cup o' tea. And I would imagine home prices are more reasonable for just that reason--there's not as much demand.

Maybe Silverfall will chime in with some of her wisdom.

[Jumauslo]

Salem seems to be compared to Portland a lot. Right now Portland is the it place to be. Salem is a smaller, slow paced city with a lot of families. Some might call it boring, but its safe, the climate is very pleasant, and its close to the coast. We really like it here, having moved from northern California.

I agree that the northeastern part of town is not nice. Unfortunately that is the part of town most visible to people stopping along I-5. We didn't have a good impression of Salem either, based upon that, but liked the South and West parts of town and really thought the downtown was nice.

[Silverfall]

My two cents worth...

Salem is a nice mid-sized city. People who don't like it often complain about the lack of nightlife (very true), nothing to do (not true), lack of jobs (partially true that we don't have tech jobs), and crime (we are high for petty thefts like car break-ins). So what you think of it depends on what you like. People also freak out about the fact that we have the state prisons here. You need to know that it is Oregon law that criminals, once they are ready for release, have to be released back to their county. That way Salem doesn't get them all released here. So don't listen to people that say they all get released here. Not true. Salem actually has a lower crime rate than Eugene (for the past few years anyway).

Salem has a lack of trees compared to other Oregon cities, but compared to many other places we have lots. There has been some controversial tree chopping that has happened here, the most recent the chopping of trees by the US Bank which is an historical building downtown.

I disagree that Northeast Salem isn't nice. Lancaster is a hideous abomination of a street and a planning disaster, BUT between Ward and Kale in NE is a really nice neighborhood called Jan Ree. Homes are well maintained out there and it looks nice. It is one of the more diverse neighborhoods in Salem so best to make your own decision on that so that you aren't listening to someone's racial bias.

Home prices are more reasonable because we have a ton of state workers (about 16,000 or so), the university is small and private, and we don't have tech. Corvallis has OSU, HP, and a host of small tech companies. These are higher paying jobs that can drive up home prices. Salem has a lot of middle class people living here, as such, home prices have to be affordable for the demographic.

Salem has quite a few good restaurants. In fairness, most of our good food has come in the last 5-6 years so if you are listening to someone's opinion that hasn't stepped foot in the city for 15 years, it will be seriously tainted. Riverfront Park didn't exist 15 years ago.

We have the Bite and Brew Festival, World Beat, the Peace Festival (very small), the State Fair, the Art Fair, the Festival of Lights was cancelled due to budget cuts, not sure when it will be back. We have a Wed and Sat farmer's market downtown, plus several farm stands around the city. We have the River Rock concert series at Riverfront Park. The Elsinore has old movies, and Salem Cinema has indie movies and hosts the Movie Festival every year.

Plenty of volunteer opportunities. We have a good local artist community. Willamette brings in speakers and the symphony. We have local microbrew and some exceptional local vineyards which all have tasting events. If you like to go to charity events there is the Uncorked Event for Liberty House, Chefs for Kids, The Clay Ball, on and on.

A lot of retirees like Salem because it is a slow paced city. A lot of young people don't for the same reason.

[mamh]

Hi
I live in northeast Salem and we love it..We are more Keizer than Salem as our
zip is a Keizer zip..There is always plenty going on..
You all forgot one of our favorite summer things is the SF Giants farm club that plays
at Keizer station..They are a short season A league and such fun to go see..Plus if the
games gets boring you can count trains ( I do) and watch people get tickets on I-5..
Salem is what you make it, if you want to make it home and look for things to do
you will find them and if not you'll be miserable..
Come join us you'll like it.

[Steve Pickering]

Salem is a great place to live. I don't understand why Portland would be the goto place unless you are young and like the street life. It's a city. Nothing more, albeit greener than most. Salem is plenty treed also. A nice place to live. If you had kids in school maybe different. There are wannabe Gang issues in the schools. Check Dallas out also. It's only fifteen minutes from Salem.

[NCDavid]

Thank you for the responses thus far. Very helpful. I have identified a shortcoming of these posts in general, however. They don't identify the background of the persons responding. It would make a big difference to know if advice was coming from a 19-year-old who likes night-clubbing, or a 30-year-old liberal atheist Democrat who likes fly fishing and camping, or a 70-year-old Tea Party Republican who enjoys watching TV evangelists all day long.
That said, I'm encouraged about life in Salem by your responses. Thanks again.

[Larry Caldwell]

I'm retired, and would not consider living in Salem because it's boring. The employment base is state workers, who are not known for originality. Willamette University's main claim to fame is its law school, and lawyers are not known for originality. It's a nice, conservative, sleepy bedroom city. McMinnville has more cultural events and community involvement than Salem.

A good example of what is wrong with Salem is the Oregon State Fair. They have a big site in the middle of town, so what did they do? They paved the whole thing and turned it over to commercial vendors who pay big rent. Their attendance figures are down. All over the state there are examples of local food and craft fairs that draw big crowds into pleasant environments while really involving local people in a celebration of community. Not the Oregon State Fair. It's a bureaucratic nirvana that just draws kids because of the concerts and carnival.

There is a decent theater group halfway to Dallas called the Pentacle Theater. It was built about 50 years ago, and puts on some good shows. Salem refurbished the downtown Elsinore Theater for stage shows about 25 years ago, but there is no real performance center like the Hult in Eugene or the Schnitz in Portland.

[Steve Pickering]

I am retired. Have been since 2000. At 66 I find a lot to do in Salem and the Salem area. I live just outside town in the community of Dallas fifteen minutes away. Salem is a little known federal food price test site, and that keeps food prices level. One of the great things about Salem is the State Fair. Traffic is easy to navigate except for maybe Lancaster or River Road through Keiser, and Commercial. If people would learn other routes home at rush hour, the shopping districts would not be so overwhelmed, but creatures of habit don't change. There are several venues with good performances in Salem. The good thing is with all the government jobs the employment base is pretty stable. There is something for everyone. World championship Bridge comes to mind. Sightseeing abounds, The Oregon Gardens, Lots of restaurants in all flavors and price range. Plenty of bars, and music venues around town. Short distance to the coast. The Cascades are practically a foothill to Salem with hunting fishing, camping, biking, and hiking everywhere. There is rock hounding and Gold Prospecting in all directions. There is a pro baseball team playing short season. Chess and bowling are well represented. A low cost first run drive in is close by and another within an hour.There are several theaters with top shows. And the bestfireworks show in the state is at Independence just across the river. You alsohave a ton of river recreation all along the city’s west side, and parks areeverywhere. The list goes on, but you get the picture. If you get bored in Salem it may be you, not Salem.

Join me for some World Series of Poker Qualification. Doesn't cost you anything and it is fun. www.goallinoregon.com. There is also several world class rodeos near by and in Salem. And the Motorcycle riding in all directions is great. Plenty of churches too

[JGC97]

Originally Posted by NCDavid

Thank you for the responses thus far. Very helpful. I have identified a shortcoming of these posts in general, however. They don't identify the background of the persons responding. It would make a big difference to know if advice was coming from a 19-year-old who likes night-clubbing, or a 30-year-old liberal atheist Democrat who likes fly fishing and camping, or a 70-year-old Tea Party Republican who enjoys watching TV evangelists all day long.
That said, I'm encouraged about life in Salem by your responses. Thanks again.

True, the opinions of those responding here haven't divulged their age but, then again, neither have you. If you are 19 years old, then I could understand you wanting to be in the midst of a city. You'd want more activity and nightlife. Not to say that older individuals don't want that either but it all comes down to what you're looking for. Again, without knowing your age, it's difficult to make suggestions but seeing that you do like a city with more to do at night, you should choose a place with a larger population. Salem and Portland would be good since they both offer activities, education, and nightclubs for young people. Wish you the best in your search.