Roseburg, Oregon
SperlingViews

quality of life - 2/20/2014

While Roseburg is a safe town, it can be hard for new people to integrate into the community unless they have family here or are in a church group. Being somewhat ethnic may cause problems. Most here are people who have lived here all or most of their lives and have family. It is mostly conservative, religious fundamentalists. Very pretty location, rainy in the winter, mostly mild climate. Prices for dental and health care are higher than in larger cities, often insurance and discount card dental providers of quality are hard to impossible to find. Public transportation exists, needs a lot of improvement. Overall, unless you have family, church it is hard to find social connections.

[Comment on this Posting]

RE Avoid this Place - 1/11/2014

The burglary rate here is extremely high. I checked the stats on one site that said the chances were about one in twenty five that a person will eventually get burglarized. (about four times the state average) When people try to say exactly whats wrong here, sometimes they will have trouble defining it (not to be rude). The whole Conservative/Liberal paradigm doesn't apply very well to this area. Many people will ACT Conservative or Liberal according to who they are talking to at that moment. And you cannot evaluate ACTORS who have shifting personalities. People who think of themselves as Liberal may label the problems they have with people here as being a Conservative thing. But in reality its more complicated than that. The Roseburg area does have a history of white supremacy. And I think that does carry over to today. Also there is high drug use in the area. This links to the burglary problem. There are also underground groups involved with the occult. And this isn't all benign. Some of these people are very accomplished con artists and even crime bosses for their own little groups. That may be the reason for the odd occurrences people sometimes have in the area.

[Comment on this Posting]

Local Politics and Culture in Roseburg - 12/31/2013

I have lived here for a long time. Things have gotten worse, better and worse. I can not label the culture here using normal terms like Conservative or Liberal. I found it doesnt apply here. To me the culture is like a Union. Either you belong, or you dont. I consider myself Conservative, yet I dont fit in at all. Roseburg has a very wild side that some years ago I tried to fit into. But then things just got way too weird. There is crime here. Repeat..THERE IS CRIME HERE! If you get to know too many people on the wild side, it can carry over and stalk you! Forget the tobacco chewing! There are a lot of meth and heroin busts and recently a string of 4 murders in a few days (That was in Douglas County) For a largely rural area, creepy things seem to be brewing beneath. Have you seen the movie Home Grown with Billy Bob Thornton and Jamie Lee Curtis? Well, Its sorta like that. I have also had some pretty bad problems at different medical facilities here. Crude sexual jokes from receptionists and one clinic claimed my recent records had disappeared. I consider the medical profession here unreliable at best. And I think the Conservative perception here is largely to trick outsiders, so they wont suspect criminal activity. There are some real Conservatives, though. I think I met four.

[Comment on this Posting]

Avoid this crap hole like the plague - 2/9/2013

There are no jobs here and the few that people have they are paid very little. The city has huge problems with unemployment, high school drop outs, drug addiction, and crime. If you're a member of the KKK, a meth addict, and/or tea party member, you'll probably feel quite at home here. They recently shut down an elementary school and there's talk of having school only run for 4 days a week. With the large number of high school drop outs, not sure why the city officials think this is a great idea. People here are extremely backwards (think backwoods, gun-toting, tobacco chewing conservative). They seem to be about 60 years behind the times--this could be due to the fact that much of the population is comprised of senior citizens. Just read over the crime, education, salary, and unemployment statistics if you don't believe this review. This town is dying out quite literally.

[Comment on this Posting]

government officials as royalty, rightists only, i - 1/31/2011

This area is beautiful. However, If your rights are violated, or you pursue a legitimate complaint, you will get harassed. The police are only for the rich residents. Politics are far right, and majority of residents are conservative or fundamentalist Christians who avoid the problems by staying in their own world. Grudging customer service, very poor bus service, and the only recreation going to church. If you come here bring your own support system and have your own business already established, as they fight new business tooth and nail.

[Comment on this Posting]

Roseburg - 6/20/2010

Mild weather, a lot of cloudy, rainy days, nice people, somewhat set back in time regarding how things are done.

[Comment on this Posting]

Director, Patient Accounts - 3/26/2010

I found this website very informative. I plan to use it in my job search.

[Comment on this Posting]

Great place to retire... - 3/13/2010

Hi, I moved here to Roseburg, because my SS check was not enough to cover my basic bills on the east coast. Reasonably clean places to live can be had for $350 + depending on your needs. A house can be rented for $600-750. To buy a home can be as low as $5,000 for a MH in a park. A stick built house, on land, can be had as low as $70,000. A new and intersting lifestyle, RV living, is also reasonable. $300/mo for a nice site, you pay for electric. There are a growing number of these around. Food is cheap and plentiful. Due to the warm climate, you can buy fruit and veggies at the farm stand all year round. There are tons of second hand shops. They have most anything you need to furnish or clothe on a dime. Although the figures show the jobless rate to be high. There is a significant amount of homeless in the area. Due to the relatively mild climate, and the veterens hospital in town. Homeless vets can get healthcare etc. The homeless snowbird too. I will say that, since I don't work, I can only go by what I hear. Most jobs in the area hover near minimum wage. Lumber mill, Hospital... Are about the best you can do. Even a Chemical Engineer I know is fielding calls for Nintendo. Lack of Primary Care Physicians. But Eugene is 45-50 min away. I can live on what I get from SS, with the food stamps I receive.

[Comment on this Posting]

Great weather... - 3/13/2010

The weather is great. Low Humidity. Sun for 6-7 months staight. Winter is intermittantly rainy... Not tlike most people say. The clouds break every day in the winter. It never freezes the ground. I can have a garden 12 months of the year. My first year, even with a fall freeze snap, I had green onions, Swiss chard, fresh parsley, tarragon, and brussel sprouts all winter. Grass grows in the winter, is brown, unless you water, in the summer. Trees lose their leaves in the fall, but there is alway a green pall to the landscape, due to the moss and lichen. I love the fact that the area closes down if it snows. I hate slippery, cold weather. I can deal with a little rain. If it is raining here, it is probably snowing elsewhere...

[Comment on this Posting]

Crime in Roseburg Oregon - 12/14/2009

As someone who has lived here for many years and has operated a business here for 5 years, I would wonder if the official crime statistics are adjusted quite a bit to reflect more favoribly on the community. For one thing this area ,for the most part, does not recognize prostitution as a punishable offence. I have heard from multiple sources that is most often relabeled as "disorderly conduct" or "tresspassing". This looks much better in the paper, but doesnt really hide the problem. With this little problem there are other associated problems as well, like the high theft,property crimes, and lots of meth and other drugs in the community. The area can seem slow and laid back on the surface, but after you have been here awhile, you start to see through the illusion, and it can be somewhat frightening.

[Comment on this Posting]

political/legal climate - 11/1/2009

Roseburg is quite conservative although it is a relatively poor town with a high cost of living.

[Comment on this Posting]

Better life - 5/11/2009

Cleaner air, fewer people.

[Comment on this Posting]

How's the air? - 11/21/2008

Why is it that most pictures that I have seen of Roseburg look smoky or hazy,,,what is that? I notice that on this website the air quality is not rated high.

[Comment on this Posting]

If I could choose one place to live for the rest o - 11/5/2008

Growing up on the outskirts of town, I never realized just how amazing Roseburg was. After I met the man that I Love, he joined the Air Force and I was forced to seperate with everything I ever knew about having a home. Once I started to realize how good I had it in Roseburg, it was like part of my heart was ripped out. Now that I have lived in multiple states, it's my realization that no place could even come close to comparing to Roseburg. The scene: Lush Verdant valleys, small bubbling creeks branching off the beautiful extreme waters of the Great Umpqua river. Hills and mountains that catch the sun on lazy afternoons, spanning colors across the trees and valleys below them. Fun ways to explore wildlife always down the street. Whether it be taking a trip to the fish ladder or visitng one of the many parks or rafting or hiking. Or you could even gather at one of the many points in which to diversify yourself into the Oregon culture... The exceptionally large Douglas County fair, Music at the bandshell, wine and micro-brewery tastings (Oregon has the most small beer/ale breweries than any other state). While your there, you can sample for yourself what the culture difference is. It was a tremendous shock to me. When I left I realized that Oregon was a rare place... away from home, strangers disn't nod or wave at other strangers, people see blinker signs and suddenly feel impulses to prevent your merging traffic, a random act of kindness rouses suspicion. It's like there is something so awe inspiring about the landscape, that people take thier time in Roseburg. You grow patience and respect for each other. I know that I want my daughter to grow up feeling safe to pass a smile on, without thinking that the store worker or teller etc.. thought that she was a nut. And if you are a nut... this is the place for you. Tell an Oregonian that he/she is wierd and chances are you'll hear "Thanks I think your pretty cool too." You see there, to be different is to be a unique individual, and so long as it harms none, it only means that your confident in yourself enough to show it. Pioneers knew that they found the best that this land has to offer when the trail ended in Oregon. My Great Grandparents were on that Oregon trail. All in all, this is about the best description I could give you without writing the novel. But in short, I have lived in towns and cities large and small. Heck right now I am in "Tourist town" on the Gulf coast of Florida. People spend thier lives trying to work enough to retire here... and there is no place that I would rather rest my head than Roseburg, Oregon.

[Comment on this Posting]

Peaceful culture - 3/7/2008

I have only been in Roseburg for about 2 months although my mom and brother have lived here for about 5 years. Personally, I have noticed that the culture here is one of above average respect for each other. Drivers tend to be very courteous and you rarely hear impatient horn honkers. Also several people have gone out of their way to hold doors open for me. Generally speaking I have noticed a culture of peaceful, respectful, co-existance. The only negative for me would be the cold winter months (Nov - Feb).

[Comment on this Posting]

considering Roseburg as home - 10/21/2005

My daughter and her family might have a transfer to Roseburg. To be near my grandson ( and his parents ) I might move too. I will need to find a position as a private duty caregiver. I am currently case manager for a 87 year old lady in Florida. I have 4 people who report to me and I report to the estate trustee. I am earning around 60,000 a year. Do you think I will be able to find a position equal to this? Thanks in advance for your comments, Sharon

[Comment on this Posting]