Considering moving to Eugene of Corvallis - advice please!

[kat7ap]

Hello fellow Oregon nurses,

I'm currently an LPN working in the Seattle area. Husband and I recently moved back here from Texas a few months ago. We love being near my family again and the job market is very strong here. We hate the rainy/cloudy/cold weather we have here most of the year and the fact that housing costs are getting ridiculously high.

So.... we are know entertaining the idea of where we would like to really "settle down" in the next few years. I'm currently looking at Corvallis and Eugene areas. I have extended family in the Portland/Salem area and my parents are going to retire to Bend in a few years.

Just curious to here from people who live around there, about what the weather, housing, job market is like. I do plan on having my RN by then and my husband is in IT.

Thanks for any input!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Hello fellow Oregon nurses,

I'm currently an LPN working in the Seattle area. Husband and I recently moved back here from Texas a few months ago. We love being near my family again and the job market is very strong here. We hate the rainy/cloudy/cold weather we have here most of the year and the fact that housing costs are getting ridiculously high.

So.... we are know entertaining the idea of where we would like to really "settle down" in the next few years. I'm currently looking at Corvallis and Eugene areas. I have extended family in the Portland/Salem area and my parents are going to retire to Bend in a few years.

Just curious to here from people who live around there, about what the weather, housing, job market is like. I do plan on having my RN by then and my husband is in IT.

Thanks for any input!

Welcome to the Oregon Nurses Forum!

I happen to live near, and work in Corvallis, so I'm a little biased in favor of this part of the state. Corvallis is a pretty expensive place to live, but many people who work there (Oregon State University and Hewlett-Packard are major employers) simply commute in from Philomath, Albany, Lebanon, and other nearby towns where housing is cheaper and more plentiful.

There is a booming market for nurses here. Samaritan Health Services is THE major employer of health professionals, with hospitals in three mid-valley cities as well as Newport and Lincoln City, and their pay and benefits are among the best in this area. The Mennonite Village of Albany, a continuing care retirement community, is another growing organization, and they too pay above-average wages.

Yes, there's a lot of rain, cold, and wind here, but not as much as in Seattle, and our summers are perfection itself. Best of all, we're within 1 or 2 hours of almost every great thing Oregon has to offer---skiing and snowboarding in the mountains, first-class entertainment in Portland and Eugene, wine and seafood festivals and kite-flying on the Coast. Trust me, you'll love it here!!