Stay Away
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10/20/2010
We've lived in Eugene since 2002 and will be leaving ASAP. There are good things about Eugene: The bike paths, the organic grocers, the mild climate, the proximity to the coast and mountains, and fewer racist individuals than other parts of Oregon. However, the crime, over-heated real estate (still), pollen, unfriendliness, and the habit of the college students to riot far out weigh the benefits.
Crime: I've been accosted by bums 3 times. There was a shooting in my front yard. Some one tried to break into my house to rape my wife during the middle of the day. An arsonist set my garage on fire. An arsonist tried to burn down REI. There is often needle and other drug paraphernalia in the parks, and the list goes on and on.
Housing: The good neighborhoods are South Hills, College Hill, Cal Young, and Fox Hollow. The okay neighborhoods are Friendly and Amazon. All these neighborhoods have bad areas, and you should never leave your doors unlocked anywhere in Eugene. Stay away from West Eugene, Santa Clara (very high cancer rates!), Train Song (lots of cancer), and most of Springfield. Expect to spend at least $225k for a smallish house in okay shape in one of the good neighborhoods.
I take allergy medicine 6 months a year. I've developed asthma, which I'm told is quite common in the Eugene area, and when they start burning the fields in the summer, you better hope you have AC.
We've lived in Eugene for 8+ years and I have no friends here. I use to go to community events and other gatherings, I even tried joining a simplicity group. No one has ever offered me there phone number or bothered to call me when I've given them mine. Sure the people in Eugene are accepting, you can run naked through the streets if you'd like, but that doesn't mean they'll talk to you. I have numerous friends in Salem, Oregon where I lived for less than a year and in Portland, Oregon where I've never lived.
The U of O speaks for itself. The U of O may not be the best place to get an education but it is a top party school. The joke in my office is the new prison expansion is to house U of O students.
If you really want to live in Oregon Ashland, Corvallis, or Portland are better choices.
adam | Eugene, OR