fix funding and I'm there
-
7/23/2006
Eugene, really all Oregon, is a study in contrasts. Most of the state is rural and leans way to the right. Eugene, along with Portland, leans far enough to the left to create either a balance or a stalemate, depending on your way of looking at it.
It doesn't really rain all the time, folks - that's something we made up to keep all the people who like mild climates from cramming in here and obstructing our views. Summers are warm, sometimes hot, gorgeous clear blue skies but with zippo humidity - nice. Fall, winter, spring, there IS rain, but 90% of the time it's not so bad that you can't be out in it - more mist than anything else. (People elsewhere imagine constant downpours with thunder and lightning - not here. Actually, I only heard thunder twice in the past three years.) Winter is mild - not much need for a heavy coat unless you're going up into the Cascade mountains to ski (sometimes you need a winter coat at the coast, too, an hour due west - breathtaking, unspoiled natural rocky coastline, where the wind can whip the hair off your head). And spring! Spring starts in February; that's when you start to see the daffodils, and the tulips aren't far behind. In this climate, it's hard NOT to have a green thumb - plant life is lush and abundant.
Now, because, I suspect, of the mild climate (and the liberal leaning), Eugene does have a high homeless/transient population. However, (back to the contrasts) it also has a very high percentage of community and charitable activity, along with high rates of volunteering. Interestingly, this contrasts Eugene's low religious observance and church attendance.
Lots of educated people here, and excellent university, but also increasing meth production and use. Friendly folks who let you do your own thing. Walkable city with great dining and entertainment; progressive zoning has kept the heart of the city a desirable place to be.
Another statewide contrast - Oregon, surprisingly, give its high hippie population, does have the death penalty. But it also is the only state with "death with dignity" physician-assisted suicide. Death on both counts - maybe that's not a contrast after all.
I chose to leave Oregon, however, because the government is failing its children. Due in part to Oregonians' pride in lack of sales tax ("we've voted 'no' on it six times in the past 80 years!") public funding is unstable and insufficient, resulting in woeful school settings. Some of the highest class sizes in th
kiki | West Hartford, CT