Considering a move to Salem (lawyers, property tax, law)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

This! I would not live in Salem. It's more conservative, and it's a tiny town, with nothing to do, very little entertainment or restaurants, or anything. There's also a pulp mill outside of town that fouls the air, and makes it difficult to breathe, at times.

You can live outside Portland, for more affordable housing, and commute in. Lots of people do. There is commuter transit. Portland has museums, Powell's Bookstore , concert venues, several colleges for public lectures or classes, and the usual city amenities.

???

Where's the pulp mill? I must have missed it during all the years I lived in Salem. Salem must have also shrunk considerably since I moved away 10 years ago.

I think you may be talking about Albany and not Salem. I think the mill in Albany might be closed now.

Anyway, there's a Smart Bus as well as Amtrak. There's also various ridesharing options.

Wilsonville Transit, OR - Official Website | Official Website

Yeah, the link says "Wilsonville," but it goes to Salem, too. It's not a commute that I'd personally do, but it works for some.

There are plenty of restaurants and "things to do" in Salem.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by bler144

You do presumably know Salem is 3x the size of Corvallis?

It may not offer amenities to your liking, and is not a university town, but it has no shortage of services/restaurants/etc.

Yes, it is. Willamette University has a pretty strong presence in Salem.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

This! I would not live in Salem. It's more conservative, and it's a tiny town, with nothing to do, very little entertainment or restaurants, or anything. There's also a pulp mill outside of town that fouls the air, and makes it difficult to breathe, at times.

You can live outside Portland, for more affordable housing, and commute in. Lots of people do. There is commuter transit. Portland has museums, Powell's Bookstore , concert venues, several colleges for public lectures or classes, and the usual city amenities.

No. The pulp mill was outside of Millersburg which is outside of Albany. There is no pulp mill outside of Salem. You might be thinking of the old mushroom factory that was here 20 years ago.

Salem is 150,000 people. There are ample good restaurants and things to do here. It sounds like you haven't been here for a couple of decades?

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Yes, it is. Willamette University has a pretty strong presence in Salem.

Willamette has some impact on downtown (and of course there's Corban, etc.), but that doesn't make Salem a "college town." The college is puny as a fraction of the city and doesn't really weigh that much on the economy or civic life, drastically different than OSU's role in the civic/economic picture of Corvallis.

The predominant higher ed institution that matters in Salem is really Chemeketa, imo.

[Metlakatla]

When I lived in Salem, I found that Willamette University contributed significantly to my quality of life. That's where I listened to the Oregon Symphony, attended art exhibits and lectures by well-known writers, and simply enjoyed walking through the grounds.

It matters. No one said it was like OSU. It has a presence in Salem proper that Chemeketa could never have, by the way, even though I'm sure Chemeketa serves more of the local population.

My point was that Willamette offers plenty of quality cultural opportunities associated with college environments for people in the community.

But what do I know. I was only born there.

http://www.willamette.edu/about/loca.../resource.html

https://willamette.edu/about/locatio...ity/index.html

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

My point was that Willamette offers plenty of quality cultural opportunities associated with college environments for people in the community.

But what do I know. I was only born there.

About: Our Location: Community Partnership: Supporting Details: Cultural Opportunities | Willamette University

https://willamette.edu/about/locatio...ity/index.html

I'm not denying any of that, but that's not usually how "college/university town" is defined.

College town - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Metlakatla]

Excuse me for not checking with the all-knowing, ever correct Wikipedia before I made a post. I guess I tend to overlook it as a source because it isn't considered legitimate by the AP.


I tend to think of a university town as one that contains a university, and the subject was cultural activities. I appreciate the fact that Willamette offers them without plastering the entire city with their team colors and a cartoon mascot. One of the reasons I moved away from Eugene was because I got tired of seeing that insipid cartoon duck everywhere.

Again, my point was that there are cultural activities available in Salem despite the little post about it being a tiny little town with some sort of paper mill making it impossible to breath, which is a lie.

[Silverfall]

I would not call Chemeketa the more important higher ed institution here.

No, Salem doesn't have the youth vibe that goes along with a large university, but Willamette University is really dedicated to the arts and has the OSAS series which is like 6-8 concerts a year. The Oregon Symphony comes down every year at Christmas time. Then they have their own student choir and recitals as well.

They have a fairly well thought of theater department so they have performances there every month. They have interesting lectures too. Hallie Ford has nice art exhibits that come through. Hallie Ford is the third largest art museum in Oregon which isn't too bad for a city of 150,000 and a university of 2,000 students. I go there often to see the new exhibits with my little artist.

They also have good summer camps and programs for kids. So, yes, I agree it isn't a college town. I define that as a university with a city around it as opposed to a city with a university in it. I disagree that Chemeketa adds more to the cultural landscape than Willamette though.

[bler144]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

They also have good summer camps and programs for kids. So, yes, I agree it isn't a college town. I define that as a university with a city around it as opposed to a city with a university in it. I disagree that Chemeketa adds more to the cultural landscape than Willamette though.

Minor clarification, but my emphasis on Chemeketa in terms of its importance to the city wasn't purely cultural offerings, but the net impact of culture/civics/local employment/tax base.

Or looking at it another way, if one institution were to close its doors tomorrow, which would have the wider impact?

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by bler144

Minor clarification, but my emphasis on Chemeketa in terms of its importance to the city wasn't purely cultural offerings, but the net impact of culture/civics/local employment/tax base.

Or looking at it another way, if one institution were to close its doors tomorrow, which would have the wider impact?

I'm going with Willamette. Willamette has 200 full-time professors and Chemeketa has 223. I think you underestimate how much those professors make compared to Chemeketa faculty. I have clients that work at both institutions. Chemeketa has a bunch of part-time faculty, but they have other jobs and just one class or so over there. I know some of them over there as well. They work other jobs so if Chemeketa closed, it would have negative impact, but not like they are going bankrupt or anything.

Chemeketa has more staff since they have loads of people that take classes over there. I think over 30,000 people take at least one class there every year.

I swear half the attorneys in town went to Willamette, then stayed here. Who adds more to the tax base, an attorney, or someone with a two year degree from Chemeketa? I get where you are coming from, but when you are talking tax base, culture, and civics, Willamette is the winner. When you are talking local employment, Chemeketa employs more people. Chemeketa isn't annexed into the City of Salem, by the way, so they don't contribute to city taxes. They are legally outside city limits.