Reviews & Comments
Sisters, OR
Drove through there last summer... -
4/6/2007This little town is nestled right in the Cascade Mountains. I can't describe how beautiful it is there. Ever since I saw it I've been trying to find a way to rationalize that it would be practical to move there. It has a quaint old-fashioned look to it. If you ever watched "Gunsmoke" as a kid this would be it's twin only very green with snow-capped mountains and towering pines surrounding you.
Even though I was trying to make some travel time that day, I was so intrigued that I stopped in town for about an hour, parked and walked around. The newspaper office looks like something out of a ghost town with an antique printing press on the front porch. I grabbed a local paper. Even the McDonald's fits into the scene with it's hardboard exterior and low, almost unnoticable yellow sign. The town is very small...sneeze when you're driving and you might miss it. The "Bad Ass Coffee shop" caught my attention. (donkey on the sign)I was hoping it would be like a Starbucks but it's more like a tiny store with a couple of tables. This town is definately worth seeing if you want to step back into the past for a few minutes.
Eugene, OR
Visited Eugen, Or recently -
4/1/2007I visited in Feb 2007 for 2 weeks. I found the cost of living to be slightly higher than the Austin, TX area, but Oregon has no sales tax. What you get for a dollar at McDonald's is usually $1.29 in Eugene. At first it seems the price for regular gas in Eugene is only a few cents more per gallon...until I noticed "regular gas was 85 octane whereas in Austin regular is 87 octane. Mid-grade fuel (Austin's 92 Octane rating is considered Premium gas in Eugene. So gas is definately higher.
Jobs: In my field, entry level positions offered $3.00 per hour more than Austin. From casual observation I determined that the cost of living is slightly higher, but the pay significantly higher.
Austin, TX
I've lived here 18 years -
3/31/2007Austin has a lot to offer. I'm a nature person so I can't speak to the night life here. However, if you're into exploring nature and enjoying the free things of life you'll love it here. There's Barton Springs, a huge natural swimming pool consisting of fresh, cold spring water bubbling up from the pool floor. also Hamilton Pool which is another natural pool surrounded by cliff walls where waterfalls trickle into the pool. Schools of large fish can easily be seen and if you stand real still in the pool, they will surround you and nudge against your legs. After a hard rain and overflowing riverbeds, I'll find dozens of shell fossils that have washed onto the land.
The down side is, I've been looking for work for nearly a year. So if you're looking for a job in Austin research the type of companies here before coming.
Phoenix, AZ
I grew up in Phoenix... -
3/30/2007I grew up in Phoenix and have been back dozens of times. My father had severe arthritis and was advised by his doctor to move to the valley (Phoenix).His arthritis improved significantly and is attributed to the dry heat. And, yes, it is extremely hot. I remember picnic trips to the mountains, mountain bike trails and squishing a scorpion as it crawled next to me as i rested on a mountian. I remember the desert in bloom every spring, the Palo Verde trees and the beautiful drive from Flagstqaff to Phoenix. As you near the city you will see the giant saguaros become more and more plentiful. This sight is even more spectacular if accompanied by an Arizona sunset.
The history of this place is fascinating. The nearby Superstition Mountains have a history of their own. As a child I was in awe as we passed this mountain knowing that rumor has it, once you go deep into the mountains you are never seen again.
I left Phoenix when it was just under half a million people and return every few years. It's not as beautiful as it used to be. When I moved away and experienced life in other states, I realized that the fear of crime and the reality of it is higher than in other places I've lived. I grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood. One of the public high schools (now shut down)was considered undesireable to attend because of violence. Police were stationed on campus when a change of classes took place due to shootings at the school. And that was in the 1960s.
Another HS, the one I planned to attend, is where I used to watch Dallas Long practice discus throwing. He later went on to the Olympics. That HS was serious about sports.
Phoenix has a great deal of beauty and is deeply rooted in the past, but I have chosen to not raise my child there. I grew up thinking everybody kept their doors locked day and night. The violence and crime I was exposed to 45 years ago would certainly have escaled by the 21st century. I feel it's not worth the risk to live there again.