Hey, who knows until you do it.
Life is fun, if you want it to be.
Bend is a very nice area, but not the place to start a business right now. Texas is the place to be.
Live in Vancouver, WA and shop in Portland.
I grew up in rural Oregon, and while I loved it, I’d try Idaho because Portland and Eugene have something close to a stranglehold on the state government.
Remember this beautiful state is run by marxists and fools, esp. in Portland, Jihad Central for the Leftcoast. Wouldn’t trust their police at all. The chief of police is an idiot. The governors usually have been left of Stalin, some of the colleges are thoroughly infiltrated by communists/marxists/socialists, esp. Reed College.
I would also check the crime statistics for whatever city you are interested in living in. Some might be really nice places to live and work, but make sure before you jump.
Remember, this is a Democratic outpost of the PC and leftism so if you have another opinion, you are screwed.
I highly recommend that if you are interested in Oregon, you spend a weekend in Portland or Salem. The city of Portland has the most influence on where the entire state is going. I have spent a lot of time in Oregon due to the fact that half of my biological family lives there. Both Portland and Salem are infested with Libs. The rest of the state is fairly conservative but they don’t have the votes to do much. I see Oregon being very similar to California in a few years.
It's semi-arrid, it can easily reach 100 in the summer, and it can get really cold in the winter.
Economically, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon have been hit hard by the Great Recession.
Seattle, and Portland to a lesser extent, have both shown considerable economic improvement, but we are still well off the boom years of 2005-2008.
I live in Portland and love it here...well except for when I get tired of the weather...but other than that it’s great. However, carefully check the job situation. Bend has better weather but I suspect the business situation there is worse than Portland.
Idaho might actually be better...red state and not so wet.
My brother in law is an electrician in Bend and he is barely getting enough work to pay the bills right now. Central Oregon is beautiful but the economy completely sucks.
Vancouver, WA is a great area as well and by living (and working) in SW Washington you can avoid an income tax while being able to shop tax free in Portland. We enjoyed living in Clark County.
If you have the choice, Texas is the place to be. We haven’t been here long but we absolutely love it down here!
THe Bend area had unemployment of around 20 percent last summer. But instead of Bend, check out Redmond, just 16 miles north there on 97. A nice central hub.
Much better area for survival than Phoenix. Water water ever where! Good Luck!
The state government of Idaho has done a terrific job of staying on budget and the north central area (Lewiston-Coeur d’Alene) is a very nice area. The job market is pretty bad there though and almost all of the construction work has stopped with the bad economy. I would recommend you look at the Coeur d’Alene area and I travel frequently through the entire region. It is a wonderful little city with all the amenities with a big dose of beautiful scenery.
Like someone else said, the leftists in Portland own the whole state of Oregon just like the Seattle/Olympia corridor owns the whole state of Washington.
Not to dissuade you, but given the option again, I would have moved to someplace with a more vibrant economy.
Other than the gun laws, which are always under siege by the marxtards, and the natural scenery, can’t really say I love this state. I’t be better here if I was confident in my ability to find work. Your mileage may vary.
On the other hand, there’s other states and places that are far, far worse.
I love Oregon. We live in the Southern part, Grants Pass.
DW and I are both retired and have a reasonable income. This means we don’t have to look for jobs, and life is good.
But, if you need to find work, there is almost none in the construction business.
Head for Texas if you are still of working age.
New Orleans has been on a tear with new public construction and reconstruction of existing facilities. Yet to come are two major hospitals along with private construction of new apartments and businesses around the new complex. The trick is getting hired by the companies putting up these buildings. Residing on the northshore puts you in one of the most conservative regions of the US.
http://www.mclno.org/mclno/menu/
http://www.neworleans.va.gov/Overall_Campus_View.asp
Avoid Portlandia
The architecture is sort of pre war small town, lot of homes look like doublewide trailers even though they are not. Townhouses remind me of old army barracks, nothing like Southern California, but weather is much milder than the desert. Green Mountains and Snow all around, beautiful views, small town atmosphere.
No sales tax, but a whopping 10% state income tax.
Oregon state income taxes are among the highest around. Low vehicle registration fees are an offset.
You live in Oregon
"Our family is considering a possible move and we're looking at Oregon and central-northern Idaho. A friend lives in Bend, Oregon, and we'll be checking out that area next month.
I'd love to hear about specific areas of Oregon and Idaho to avoid, what the current job and housing markets are like. Husband is an electrical contractor with 17+ years experience in commercial, residential, and light industrial."
"Thanks in advance."
For a real hopping state, try North Dakota. Something like 2% unemployment, and very well-paying jobs begging to be had. Super cheap housing and great politically. Problem is, it's North Dakota.