Albany, Oregon
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My thoughts on Albany - 9/12/2012

I moved to Albany a year ago. Prior to that I lived in Corvallis for twenty years. Before Corvallis, I lived in Coos Bay for twenty five years. Of the three towns, I like Albany the best. The people are so friendly, I felt at home the first week. There is so much to do here for me seeing my college days have long been over. We have River Rythems in the summer, and beautiful parks by the river to hike, picnic, fish and play. We also have Lakeshore Lanes where you can bowl a dollar a lane on Tuesdays. Albany has many groups for different interests. The one I like is "Albany Meet Ups". We have a dance clubs, nice theater, new library, a fairgrounds with lots of different events, JPC church (love that church), and oh yes...old town has some really cool little shops to discover treasures and some of the most hidden away ones have the best food! I suggest parking your car in old town, and walking the streets to investigate the special secrets that the locals know. On top of all that we are a short day trip to the coast, Salem, Eugene, Lebanon, and Corvallis. And for a longer day trip, Portland is a 1 hour 15 minute drive. We get the personal small town feel where everybody knows everybody, and so close to the larger cities. Oh, I forgot to mention the great shopping. We have all the major shopping places like costco, home depot, wall mart super store, k mart, all the major supermarket chains, habitat for humanity,Heritage Mall and more. And if you like second hand stores and garage sales, you will be in paradise here. I am very happy with my choice to relocate here.[more...]

My thoughts on Albany - 9/12/2012

I moved to Albany a year ago. Prior to that I lived in Corvallis for twenty years. Before Corvallis, I lived in Coos Bay for twenty five years. Of the three towns, I like Albany the best. The people are so friendly, I felt at home the first week. There is so much to do here for me seeing my college days have long been over. We have River Rythems in the summer, and beautiful parks by the river to hike, picnic, fish and play. We also have Lakeshore Lanes where you can bowl a dollar a lane on Tuesdays. Albany has many groups for different interests. The one I like is "Albany Meet Ups". We have a dance clubs, nice theater, new library, a fairgrounds with lots of different events, JPC church (love that church), and oh yes...old town has some really cool little shops to discover treasures and some of the most hidden away ones have the best food! I suggest parking your car in old town, and walking the streets to investigate the special secrets that the locals know. On top of all that we are a short day trip to the coast, Salem, Eugene, Lebanon, and Corvallis. And for a longer day trip, Portland is a 1 hour 15 minute drive. We get the personal small town feel where everybody knows everybody, and so close to the larger cities. Oh, I forgot to mention the great shopping. We have all the major shopping places like costco, home depot, wall mart super store, k mart, all the major supermarket chains, habitat for humanity,Heritage Mall and more. And if you like second hand stores and garage sales, you will be in paradise here. I am very happy with my choice to relocate here.[more...]

My thoughts on Albany - 9/12/2012

I moved to Albany a year ago. Prior to that I lived in Corvallis for twenty years. Before Corvallis, I lived in Coos Bay for twenty five years. Of the three towns, I like Albany the best. The people are so friendly, I felt at home the first week. There is so much to do here for me seeing my college days have long been over. We have River Rythems in the summer, and beautiful parks by the river to hike, picnic, fish and play. We also have Lakeshore Lanes where you can bowl a dollar a lane on Tuesdays. Albany has many groups for different interests. The one I like is "Albany Meet Ups". We have a dance clubs, nice theater, new library, a fairgrounds with lots of different events, JPC church (love that church), and oh yes...old town has some really cool little shops to discover treasures and some of the most hidden away ones have the best food! I suggest parking your car in old town, and walking the streets to investigate the special secrets that the locals know. On top of all that we are a short day trip to the coast, Salem, Eugene, Lebanon, and Corvallis. And for a longer day trip, Portland is a 1 hour 15 minute drive. We get the personal small town feel where everybody knows everybody, and so close to the larger cities. Oh, I forgot to mention the great shopping. We have all the major shopping places like costco, home depot, wall mart super store, k mart, all the major supermarket chains, habitat for humanity,Heritage Mall and more. And if you like second hand stores and garage sales, you will be in paradise here. I am very happy with my choice to relocate here.[more...]

It just keeps getting better here! - 8/13/2011

We've been here in Albany for many years now and have travelled a very considerable amount in our lives! We've always been so happy to come home to beautiful Albany, with the friendliest and most down-to-earth people, reasonable prices on... EVERYTHING, low crime, great schools and history! Not to mention the beauty, tranquility and abundance of greenery, lakes, rivers, mountains and forests that only Oregon could be known for! Living in Albany takes the best of Pacific Northwest Living, leaving out the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities, but still keeping the amenities and/or easy access to those amenities that you would want from the biger cities. Mild temparatures year round, beautiful people, beautiful scenery and plenty to do here. It gets better every year, seriously! [more...]

Love Albany! - 6/19/2011

I moved her one year ago with my 2 young boys and my husband. We moved into a neighborhood in SW Albany very close to Good Samaritan hospital. We love our house and our neighbors and enjoy all that the city has to offer. There are several parks very close by that I walk to with my children. We often walk downtown to the downtown library, local coffee joints and shops. Downtown has been undergoing improvement and attracting many new restaurants and shops (even with the down economy)! I love the feeling of downtown and most people I come into contact with are very friendly and open. If you want to drive you have endless opportunities that all of Oregon has to offer.... We moved from Corvallis, and though some may prefer Corvallis life, I feel that Albany is more connected to it's neighbors, more down-to-earth, and accessible. Albany's vibe doesn't have the "snobbery" (?) that Corvallis does, and it was very easy to become a part of our new town. It is interesting that Albany has some of the most revered restaurants in the area (ie: Sybaris, Calapooia Brewing Company, BoMack's BBQ, etc.) that attract many people from Corvallis. Home prices are SOOOOO much more affordable here and there are many large (and small) beautiful homes with character to choose from. I prefer the feel of SW Albany with it's older homes and proximity to downtown. If you are looking for newer homes, check out North Albany. You will still be able to find great prices, and you'll have great schools and parks too. There is a large shopping center in North Albany with a Starbucks, Ray's grocery store, restaurants and amenities. We're all looking forward to the summer with River Rhythms, the Air Show, Movies by the Moonlight and block parties! Really, really love it here. [more...]

Great location - 11/13/2010

The city is well located for recreation ranging from the Pacific Coast to the Cascade Mountain range.[more...]

albany = apathy - 10/28/2009

I was born there, and so glad to escape it .. a cultural zero, with jobs that are either dying or will never be there at all for people without special skills and education ... if you have skills that can bring an income then you might be able to find work, but the last time I knew anything about it, the town was getting a giant black eye for having about 270 jobs with one of its really major employers - a paper mill, wow what a thrill to work there: not ! - destroyed by a corporate decision ... so much for long years of loyalty and hard work, gone in one afternoon's choice by someone who doesn't live there or really care ... the countryside around it is painfully pretty in many places, but if you cannot make a living above the minimum wage, then what good is pretty scenery? Hewlett Packard in Corvallis has its issues too, so even the tekkies can get the boot like a blue collar guy, when their slave-owners decide to toss them aside .... it all means that, like other places far away, the labor market there is in difficulty, partly thru forces it cannot control, partly because the jobs that people sorely need to live on either don't exist there, or pay at a level that a mosquito cannot live on ... when I finally accepted what had to be, and fled forever, it was a sad day, but where I am now, I have some fulfillment as an artist doing what I do, and wonderful friends around me sharing the effort together... I cannot imagine ever having something like that there, in that place ... on a minimum wage level job, someone I know worked diligently for years in a store there, and was kept at 38 hours, just below full time, so their employer could avoid the costs of paying them FT bennies ... a polite form of theft if I ever saw one ... thats the mentality level of too many of the employers there ... stingy, selfish, crass ... may the starving fleas of ten thousand underfed camels infest the underpants of these "employers" count me as an Albany refugee ...thanks, but no thanks, Albany, I suffered too much there already , and you lose out on the talents and skills that I do have, a native son, who got tired of being described as weird ... maybe it's true, but I'd rather be crazy that stupid ... crazy is a choice, stupid is a condition ... hahahaha [more...]

Things to do in Albany, Oregon - 2/5/2008

For the past 15 years of living here in this city, I've found numerous family things to do as well a adult themes also. We have several parks the outline the williamette river with free concerts in the summer and a logging theme carnival as well. As for the adults, we have several wineries all around the Albany area. The Williamette valley is the "gras seed" capital of the world! So therfore we are surrounded by grass seed fields all over. We have several restaurants downtown which is in the historic district![more...]

Albany, Oregon - 3/19/2007

Albany, Oregon is a little more affordable than Corvallis. Would love to see the main streets into the city (off the freeway exits) cleaned up with more (upscale) modern buildings for restaurants, shopping, and businesses (with the old junk demolished). The mall is little and plain. Could use a Macy's and some higher-end shops. North Albany is gorgeous, but housing is WAY overpriced. Downtown is cute, but needs more resoration. The river area is beautiful, but SHOULD be made GOOD use of (shops, restaurants, condos). This would give the downtown/riverfront area a progressive "cool" and inviting feel (which it is lacking). This town is a diamond in the rough. If city planners do it right, it could be BETTER than Corvallis.[more...]

Improving/expanding - 6/25/2006

There seems to be an expanding of the economy here. There's a rapid housing boom. Prices are going up,(housing and otherwise). Population is expected to grow to 50,000 in the next few years.[more...]

low crime - 6/13/2006

The crime statistics must be wrong, because I moved here from Merced, CA (listed lower in property crime)and the gangs and property crime there are outrageous. The Merced Sun Star newspaper routinely posts 150 police calls/ day and most of my friends had been robbed at least once, some 5 or 6 times, and they live in the good part of town. In downtown Albany I see kids bikes sitting in the yard. I know there is theft here- but ther eis no concievable way it is worse than Merced.[more...]

Best Victorian Homes in the State - 6/13/2006

Downtown Albany is on the Willamette River 10 miles closer to Portland than Corvallis (home of OSU). It hosts free summer long on the river and has the best variety and quailty of Historic homes in Oregon. If you like the idea of affordable historic victrian homes and fancy the Pacific Northwest it is worth a look.[more...]

Crime in Albany - 5/27/2006

There are frequently crimes in the news and yet Albany feels like a very safe place to live - drugs are probably the major contributor to all crimes.[more...]

Albany, OR - 4/2/2006

Albany is still fairly small, but growing fast. You still get the small town feel, but you aren't that far from anything you need.[more...]