Reviews & Comments
Salem, OR
Institutions are scary -
10/15/2007I go to Willamette University - We are surrounded by institutions. There is a high-level psychiatric ward and a prison within a few miles of campus. There is another prison another 15 minutes away. On top of that, "half-way" housing is right next to campus, which means all the people who get out of these places move right next door. I'm not sure why there are so many prisons / institutions in Salem, near downtown, but it makes for a lot of homeless / sketchy folks walking around.
On top of this, Salem has a bad meth problem, which only adds to the sketchies. Unless you're looking for cheap housing + smallish city, or going to college (great college, btw), staying away from Salem for now is a good idea. I think in 10-20 years we'll see Salem get nice, but not for a while. Move to Olympia if you want the same-sized city feel with a safer / newer city.
Washington, WA
West vs. East -
6/22/2007If you're moving here, choosing which side of the mountains to live on is a huge decision. The weather is different, the people are different, the economies are different, and the whole general overall feeling is different. I don't think I could live on the East side of the mountains due to it's extreme weather (both hot and cold) and the lack of "city." West side is beautiful, rainy, and a faster-paced.
Olympia, WA
Hippie Central -
6/22/200798502 is where Evergreen State College is - and it's full of hippies. Nice hippies though, they're harmless. This zip code also, coincidentally, is full of rich, retired folks. They all live down the peninsula and hire students to do yard work for them, sometimes hippies. All in all, though, it's a really nice place to live. The "West Side" is really building up and there are lots of new buildings. There has been a lot of improvement in all areas over the last few years that make this area a great place to live.
Wahiawa, HI
Small town in Hawaii -
6/22/2007Wahiawa is a slow old-timey town in Hawaii, and is fairly close to the North Shore (where surfing is pretty great). Although crime has risen over the years in this small town, it's still a very nice place, and a good place to be if you don't want to be in the hustle and bustle of Honolulu.