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If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 6:02 pm
by PaulaO
after I retire, what are cities/towns to look at? I kinda like college towns. They offer the amenities of a big city without the big city. I would need access to decent boarding facilities. I don't like big cities, suburbs are kind of boring. I guess I want the perfect small town.

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 7:35 pm
by highoctane
I live about an hour north of Seattle. We're being priced out of our home/area, so keep that in mind (COL here is getting pretty bad, so take that into consideration).

The only college towns I know of that aren't a big city (Seattle/Bellevue) is Pullman in eastern WA (WSU), and Bellingham in northwestern WA (WWU). Bellingham is not that bad...kind of quirky, not that big. It's about 1/2 hour south of the Canadian border, another hour north from me. I'm not sure of boarding facilities in either location, as most of the horse-centric folk live closer to Seattle/Redmond, or they keep their horses at home. I could be wrong though!

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:45 pm
by Tuffytown
I agree with Bellingham, WWU, quite liberal in the town and surrounding university area but a lot of rural folks with a conservative bent surrounding it. Lynden, Ferndale and other smaller communities in the area too. There are certainly quite a few boarding facilities in the area depending on what you are looking for. Cain Lake is a Dressage Eventing barn a bit south of Bellingham that has a great reputation. The local hay grown in this area is fantastic.

Down south I would look at Olympia. The Evergreen State College is there. Similar demographics but Bellingham may be a bit more hippiesh. Beautiful area with, certainly, quite a few boarding stables. My stepsister owns one but it is mostly self care. She is a former eventer and does occasional hunts in the area so she would know much more about the options down there.

Both of those areas will be cheaper than seattle (where an in town bungalow goes for 700k) but still at the elevated puget sound core prices.

Hi yok.

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:13 pm
by Koolkat
I'm just outside of Seattle (work in downtown, though), and back when DH and I use to travel a bit, I always found Eugene, OR, a very cool town. The college is excellent, particularly in the health sciences. We've contemplated moving to that area to retire. Bellingham, WA is on the radar, too, if a little more low key.

In either case, there is heaven on earth outdoor recreational opportunities.

https://www.usdfregion6.org/
http://www.oregondressage.com/servicedirectory.html

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:29 pm
by Amado
I lived just north of Bellingham (Ferndale) for 10 years. Great group of dressage and event riders in that area. Housing prices up and down the entire I-5 corridor are pretty steep though. Zillow lists the house we sold in 2012 as being worth about 140K more than what we sold it for. :shock: But wow, the views from the outdoor arena where we boarded were wonderful.

Image

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:16 am
by highoctane
Tuffytown wrote:Hi yok.


Hi Tuffy!

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 1:28 am
by StraightForward
Corvallis is lovely if you like college towns. IIRC, it's about 50,000 people, plus it is spitting distance to Albany, which is another 50? Only an hour to Portland, and an hour to the coast. Mild climate, very pretty, growth seemed to be controlled, last time I went through there. The two places I boarded while in college were nothing special, but I'm sure there are better options. Inavale holds a big 3-day event, and is just in Philomath, which is almost connected to Corvallis.

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 2:29 am
by heddylamar
In addition to these suggestion, I'd add the WA towns of Ellensburg (cowboys, CWU), Yakima, and Redmond, Oregon. I don't think there's a college in Redmond, but it's close neighbor, Bend, is a growing small town.

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:19 pm
by Code3
There's always Eugene, Oregon. Several nice facilities, moderate climate, an hour from the coast for some beach riding. Active dressage community bringing in clinicians.

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 7:25 pm
by Artemis
Did anyone mention Ashland OR yet?
I lived there for 2 years. Stunningly beautiful. Housing is expensive within city limits.
Perhaps a road trip is in order to see which area resonates with you?

"Surrounded by breathtaking scenery, majestic mountains, rushing rivers, rolling foothills and dramatic landscapes, Ashland is a gorgeous little city with an arts scene as vibrant as its setting. Ashland hosts festivals for all seasons, with Christmas celebrations and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in winter, a film festival in the spring, classical music festival in summer and wine tasting celebrations in the autumn." https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g29 ... tions.html

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 5:29 am
by goneriding
Corvallis and Eugene OR are both college towns that fit your description.

I live in Clark County in SW Washington, just across the river from Portland. It's kind of a bedroom community, but it has a very separate identity. This county has the most horses per capita of any county in WA! The county population is about 400k, Vancouver (the main city) has maybe 150k people. Housing is much lower priced than Portland or Seattle, numerous boarding options, and very diverse horse interests going on. Some beautiful trails locally to ride on. I love the slow pace here, we hardly ever have traffic jams or other metro problems, but Portland is just across the river if we want a city experience. Downtown Vancouver is thriving in it's own right with lots of creatives coming in, followed by restaurants, brew pubs, etc.

Plus, no state income tax in Washington!

Re: If I were going to move to Oregon or Washington state

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:37 pm
by Josette
I'm really enjoying this topic as OR and WA are both on our future list. Wish we could move there now to enjoy the trails and areas described. We have done 4 trips to these areas over the years and keep returning for more. Although we are from NE moving south does not appeal to us but travel north to ME for short trips. Amado - the photo you posted is stunning! Now that is what I would love to view while riding outdoors.