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Hi Everybody, the recent WFH trend has it that I can move where I can afford now that I don't have to be in the office.
Was looking up and down the Pacific Coast with various settings in Zillow and it on Salem.
Was wondering a few things, maybe folks know about?
Is Salem and surrounding considered part of Willamette, wine country and such?
As I zoom out I notice a lot of what look like farm plots. Is the area largely agricultural?
Does the area ever flood? I notice the Willamette River runs through. Any areas to avoid because of that?
Is the area consider to be part of the "rain belt" the way folks speak of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest in general?
All that said, budget is roughly $400K at max. $350K probably more realistic. No working partner, just me. I'm older. basically looking for a nice place to have a single family home and enjoy life a little on my off hours. Not looking for excitement, etc. Just as generally easy of a life as possible on a day-to-day basis.
Prefer to avoid anything that could be labeled "urban". And at the other extreme would prefer to avoid "industrial agriculture", feed lots, etc.
Of course would prefer the usual things folks worry about like high crime, etc.
Just looking for a nice area, with as few negatives as possible, within budget of course.
Is Salem and surrounding considered part of Willamette, wine country and such?
Yes. Salem is part of the mid-Willamette Valley. Salem itself has about 25 vineyards and then Dallas and Silverton have some as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
As I zoom out I notice a lot of what look like farm plots. Is the area largely agricultural?
Not sure what you mean by this. Oregon is largely agricultural. It is a huge part of our economy here. We have incredible local produce and local ranchers so local food is a large part of our culture here.
Our cities are super dense because of UGBs (Urban Growth Boundaries) so depending on where you come from you won't be used to seeing cities surrounded by farmland, but the point of UGBs is to protect ag and forestland.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Does the area ever flood? I notice the Willamette River runs through. Any areas to avoid because of that?
Yes, we have designated flood plains within the city. They city flooded in 1996 and again in 2012 in those flood plains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Is the area consider to be part of the "rain belt" the way folks speak of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest in general?
Yes, but we have better weather than Seattle or Portland. I used to live in Portland before Salem and we have much better weather here. Less gray and more sun. Our rain seems to come in larger bursts and we get less ice and snow than Portland.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
All that said, budget is roughly $400K at max. $350K probably more realistic. No working partner, just me. I'm older. basically looking for a nice place to have a single family home and enjoy life a little on my off hours. Not looking for excitement, etc. Just as generally easy of a life as possible on a day-to-day basis.
Salem is a slow-paced city for the size of it. No one has ever described Salem has a hipster, hot spot. Its nickname from Portlanders is So-Lame.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Prefer to avoid anything that could be labeled "urban". And at the other extreme would prefer to avoid "industrial agriculture", feed lots, etc.
We don't have feedlots like that in Oregon, generally speaking. You will get manure smell through Rickreall on the way to Dallas as there is a large pig farm there, but that is the only place that smells regularly. We do have a lot of grass seed farms in the Willamette Valley but that is about as industrial as it gets on the ag front, I think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Of course would prefer the usual things folks worry about like high crime, etc.
The high crime definition depends on where you are coming from. From a Chicago perspective, we have no high crime. If you come from a town of 10,000 people, we have high crime. We do have a growing homeless problem like all of the west coast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Just looking for a nice area, with as few negatives as possible, within budget of course.
That would not be a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Your thoughts on the area and region?
It's hard to say if you will like it or not because it seems your criteria is affordability and quiet. On that front, Salem would work for you.
Yes. Salem is part of the mid-Willamette Valley. Salem itself has about 25 vineyards and then Dallas and Silverton have some as well.
Not sure what you mean by this. Oregon is largely agricultural. It is a huge part of our economy here. We have incredible local produce and local ranchers so local food is a large part of our culture here.
Our cities are super dense because of UGBs (Urban Growth Boundaries) so depending on where you come from you won't be used to seeing cities surrounded by farmland, but the point of UGBs is to protect ag and forestland.
Let me see if I can shed some light on this one. I've lived in places where there are feed lots and big agriculture... meaning lots of dirt and fertilizer in the air, "cow smell" etc,... (Moooo! LOL!)... don't really want to live in that sort of airspace again.
Not sure what vineyards are like, and how much plowing, fertilizing, etc. they do?
Never been to a vineyard. Although vinting as a process is kind of interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
Yes, we have designated flood plains within the city. They city flooded in 1996 and again in 2012 in those flood plains.
Are there any maps of flood zones, etc.? Does a real estate agent or seller have to inform me if a home was flooded at some time? Have to admit, it's a new problem to consider for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
Yes, but we have better weather than Seattle or Portland. I used to live in Portland before Salem and we have much better weather here. Less gray and more sun. Our rain seems to come in larger bursts and we get less ice and snow than Portland.
That sounds good. Few days with more rain = more days without. But still things can be green. :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
Salem is a slow-paced city for the size of it. No one has ever described Salem has a hipster, hot spot. Its nickname from Portlanders is So-Lame.
LOL! Well, that's OK with me. I'm beyond my "hip years" I'm in my late 50's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
We don't have feedlots like that in Oregon, generally speaking. You will get manure smell through Rickreall on the way to Dallas as there is a large pig farm there, but that is the only place that smells regularly. We do have a lot of grass seed farms in the Willamette Valley but that is about as industrial as it gets on the ag front, I think.
Thanks that's good info to know, I'll have to look at the maps again.
Any idea where the landfills are. Some logic there. But Google maps didn't show me anything that looked like an actual fill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
The high crime definition depends on where you are coming from. From a Chicago perspective, we have no high crime. If you come from a town of 10,000 people, we have high crime. We do have a growing homeless problem like all of the west coast.
That would not be a problem.
No doubt there is some relativism to the question, as you point out.
I'm looking to avoid drugs to be sure. Also anything that would lead to the things we are seeing in Minneapolis, et. al. Don't want to be in line for any riots and such.
Homelessness worries me from a hygenic standpoint as much as anything else. Would tend to avoid grocery stores and such that were in such areas and such. For all the reasons folks are worried about Covid-19 as of late. Disease transmission and such.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverfall
It's hard to say if you will like it or not because it seems your criteria is affordability and quiet. On that front, Salem would work for you.
Sounds like a great recommendation. :-)
But there is some truth to what you mean here. It's in the details. Detail one really wouldn't find out unless folks that live there tell you, or one goes there and looks.
Let me see if I can shed some light on this one. I've lived in places where there are feed lots and big agriculture... meaning lots of dirt and fertilizer in the air, "cow smell" etc,... (Moooo! LOL!)... don't really want to live in that sort of airspace again.
Not sure what vineyards are like, and how much plowing, fertilizing, etc. they do?
Got it. Other than the occasional manure smell through Rickreall and then sometimes there is the burning of the fields that is all I have noticed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Are there any maps of flood zones, etc.? Does a real estate agent or seller have to inform me if a home was flooded at some time? Have to admit, it's a new problem to consider for me.
If they are aware that it flooded, yes, the agent and/or the seller is required to disclose it. Yes, we have flood maps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
Any idea where the landfills are. Some logic there. But Google maps didn't show me anything that looked like an actual fill.
Marion County burns its trash. There is a construction debris landfill on Minto Brown Island. 2895 Faragate St S is the address. The Marion County dump and recycling center is off of Gaffin Rd between Salem and Aumsville.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaisonDeEtre
No doubt there is some relativism to the question, as you point out.
I'm looking to avoid drugs to be sure. Also anything that would lead to the things we are seeing in Minneapolis, et. al. Don't want to be in line for any riots and such.
We are the state capital so there are always protests and such going on. 99% of them are peaceful. They used tear gas last night for the protest and that was the first time that I can remember that happening. I've lived in Salem for 21 years.
Got it. Other than the occasional manure smell through Rickreall and then sometimes there is the burning of the fields that is all I have noticed.
If they are aware that it flooded, yes, the agent and/or the seller is required to disclose it. Yes, we have flood maps.
Marion County burns its trash. There is a construction debris landfill on Minto Brown Island. 2895 Faragate St S is the address. The Marion County dump and recycling center is off of Gaffin Rd between Salem and Aumsville.
We are the state capital so there are always protests and such going on. 99% of them are peaceful. They used tear gas last night for the protest and that was the first time that I can remember that happening. I've lived in Salem for 21 years.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
It's a shame that all these protests are turning bad. I'm a little young to remember the 60's protests, even though I was alive then... can't recall the country every being so divided since though.
What's the auto inspection rules look like?
I've got some notes on it (keeping a file of place comparisons)... for the life of me I can't figure out from my notes where it's required other than "DEQ Medford Boundaries". I suppose I'll have to track that down again on the state site.
Wish I could make the case for an electric car, but range is still a little short on those. But looking forward to the day where I can "fill up" at home and not worry about emissions inspections, etc. I'm given to believe a well made electric car should be more reliable too. (Batteries excepted of course. I'm hoping they aren't like phone batteries when those get old... it says 100%... but then dies in 10 minutes!)
Marion County burns its trash. ... The Marion County dump and recycling center is off of Gaffin Rd between Salem and Aumsville.
Wow... just had a look on Google maps at that location, or what I believe to be it...
It's right next to gov't and correctional facilities, a Home Depot Distribution center and an Amazon Distribution Center.
That's really bad civil planning to say the least.
All those people and goods moving in and out of a contaminated area. Can't understand why this is such a common thing out in the western states where folks are said to be environmentally concious.
So many cities seem to do this... or the other version... putting the fill next to the airport. (But same problem... everything that flies in and out gets dragged through the dump airspace.)
Can't figure out how things like that get past the local gov'ts and that people don't scream loudly about it?
Wow... just had a look on Google maps at that location, or what I believe to be it...
It's right next to gov't and correctional facilities, a Home Depot Distribution center and an Amazon Distribution Center.
That's really bad civil planning to say the least.
All those people and goods moving in and out of a contaminated area. Can't understand why this is such a common thing out in the western states where folks are said to be environmentally concious.
So many cities seem to do this... or the other version... putting the fill next to the airport. (But same problem... everything that flies in and out gets dragged through the dump airspace.)
Can't figure out how things like that get past the local gov'ts and that people don't scream loudly about it?
I wouldn't call the dump contaminated. You take your stuff there and they haul it away in big containers. It doesn't stay there. There is a spot for recycling for wood, electronics, metal, glass, etc. Then we have a separate spot there for hazardous substances. Tires and appliances go in a separate area to be recycled. Those don't go into the dump part.
There is a big concrete pit that you back into and put your stuff into and then the large front loader picks it up and puts it in bins to be hauled off. It is actually kind of orderly, for a dump.
Edit: By contaminated if you mean a bad smell, it only smells when you are backed up to and dropping stuff off. Honestly, it has no smell while you are pulling in or by the recycling stations. I am an investor as well as real estate agent so I'm fixing homes all the time. I'm at the dump regularly.
I don't think there is any housing near the dump or correctional facility. I know you can't buy a house in a flood plain without buying flood insurance. All that has to be disclosed. The better areas to live are SE or NW.
The climate is changing. We used to get more rain. Expect smoke from forest fires every summer. If you have allergies you do not want to live in the valley. High pollen count. You also might want to consider smaller towns such as Albany, Corvallis, Dallas, Monmouth, Stayton, Sublimity. Some are only about 20 minutes away from Salem. Salem is about an hour from the coast.
Or..... Northern California. It's beautiful. Washington is nice, too.
I don't think there is any housing near the dump or correctional facility. I know you can't buy a house in a flood plain without buying flood insurance. All that has to be disclosed. The better areas to live are SE or NW.
The climate is changing. We used to get more rain. Expect smoke from forest fires every summer. If you have allergies you do not want to live in the valley. High pollen count. You also might want to consider smaller towns such as Albany, Corvallis, Dallas, Monmouth, Stayton, Sublimity. Some are only about 20 minutes away from Salem. Salem is about an hour from the coast.
Or..... Northern California. It's beautiful. Washington is nice, too.
No. I have lived in Salem 21 years and we do not get smoke from forest fires every summer. We've had that one inversion where it smelled bad, but we don't get forest fire smoke here. I think the Detroit Lake fire a couple of years ago wafted this way briefly, but that was it.
With all of the grass seed farms, allergies can be really bad so that part I agree with.
Also, generally, the desirable areas are NW, S and part of SE. SE addresses sit on both sides of I5. The SE address on the west side of I5 are generally more desirable than the SE address on the east side
Anything on the west side of the river gets a NW address. Homes west of Liberty and south of State get a S address and homes east of Liberty but south of State get a SE address. State is the 0 line in the city between north and south.
I wouldn't call the dump contaminated. You take your stuff there and they haul it away in big containers. It doesn't stay there. There is a spot for recycling for wood, electronics, metal, glass, etc. Then we have a separate spot there for hazardous substances. Tires and appliances go in a separate area to be recycled. Those don't go into the dump part.
There is a big concrete pit that you back into and put your stuff into and then the large front loader picks it up and puts it in bins to be hauled off. It is actually kind of orderly, for a dump.
Edit: By contaminated if you mean a bad smell, it only smells when you are backed up to and dropping stuff off. Honestly, it has no smell while you are pulling in or by the recycling stations. I am an investor as well as real estate agent so I'm fixing homes all the time. I'm at the dump regularly.
Hi Silverfall, thanks for the detailed answers.
It's personal issues I suppose... but to me... anything around such a facility *has* to be contaminated because of the air float of contaminants that are just more present, because of what the facility is...
If businesses or homes are adjacent... they are contaminated just as a matter of fact. (Whether it matters to people is, of course their own decision, if they even consider it. I find that apparently many don't and the engineers who locate things clearly don't think about it.)
So when there's something like an airport, or Fedex Shipping Center near something like that... it becomes a vector carrying that contamination far and wide. Airports seem to be commonly located next to fills... so everything that flies in and out flies through the cloud of contaminantes. Tucson, Denver, Austin, et. al. fall into this pattern.
That's before we talk about the folks that work in those facilities. As the Covid-19 thing shows... things propogate all over the place. So if the folks that work in said facilities use the same retail places you do... your getting "dosed" for lack of better word.
Having looked at many cities... that's a thing that's unavoidable in small towns, out int the middle of nowhere, with fills next to them. Bend, Redmond, Prineville all qaulify for that phenomenon.
So for me, those are places I tend to want to avoid living. Don't want to live in what is essentially a dumpster on some level.
Unfortunately, places that aren't like this are fairly rare, and usually rather expensive. There are homes I will never be able to afford next to landfills in say Orange County, Ca. Yet folks way richer than me don't seem to mind it. I can't figure that out. It truly baffles me that civil planners design this way... and that folks don't seem to scream about it. Seems like very poor engineering to me.
All that said, I do appreciate the help.
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