Have grown to like Eugene/Springfield..
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2/29/2008
Although I technically live in Springfield, I feel qualified to talk about Eugene as well, since they are split cities or what have you. Springfield itself is good (over Eugene) in that the cost of renting/buying a house is slightly cheaper. Other than that, I much prefer Eugene. Springfield (esp. the downtown area) is a little run down, but it is what it is.
Eugene has a lot of decent bar/pubs, restaurants and shopping to offer (though nowhere the variety that I grew to love when I lived in Seattle for 9 years) and it is much cleaner and more quiet here (I'm comparing to living in Seattle) and people are friendly and have much less of a "hipper-than-thou" attitude. I would say that Eugene is pretty liberal in it's politics and every "green" (environmentally but also as far as the geography and look of the place)....A lot of people hike and bike, so it is good for people that love doing things outdoors. Even the rain doesn't keep most people from doing what they love. I find that it rains less here (unless it is my imagination) than it did up in Seattle and that the summers are drier and warmer. Coming from Seattle, I sometimes feel that there isn't a lot to do here (I got spoiled up there) but I've grown used to how mellow it is here and it is nice, actually. Would I want to live here forever? Probably not..I'd probably move to Portland eventually, but for now I'm content! There are countless homeless on the streets of Springfield and Eugene but I don't find that they cause many problems and I have sympathy for most of them anyway, so don't let people's talk about the homeless stear you away from here. Every place I know has people down on their luck.
One thing I really love about this area is that you can drive 70 miles west and you are at the Pacific Ocean and it is GORGEOUS (the Oregon coast line) or you can drive East and it doesn't take long (2 hours?) to reach high desert. There are so many beautiful natural forests for hiking, camping, etc. within easy driving distance...so much to explore!! Though it rains quite a bit, I just use a light therapy lamp to keep away those S.A.D blues and the summers are gorgeous here!
Tater | Springfield, OR