Eugene is amazing!

[u/TheThirteenthCylon]

My husband and I, a gay couple, are downsizing and moving from ultra-conservative Colorado Springs to Eugene this Summer. We're under contract on a condo in the Cal Young area, and we came out week before last with some friends, who are also considering a move, to visit. We instantly fell in love. Here are some highlights/observations:

• Every single person was friendly, and not the fake kind of friendly.
• Everything is green. Yeah, literally everyone has warned us about the rain and has told us we'd hate it, but it's not a turnoff; it's the price for all that green. In our experience, pretty much every state has maybe six months of not-so-great weather, from humidity (Alabama), to wind (Colorado), to snow and ice and long winters (again, Colorado), to insane heat (Phoenix). You're gonna have to pick your poison.
• Compared to Colorado, the roads are amazing, and traffic flows nicely. We observed only one instance of an impatient, rude driver.
• One of our friends remarked that, compared to Phoenix, y'all are practically giving away your weed.
• We observed homelessness, but it's everywhere. Some ascribe it to liberalism gone to its extreme, but we even have the problem here in Colorado Springs -- by some estimates either the first or fourth most conservative city in the nation. Homelessness is more of a housing issue than a political issue.
• Hendricks Park was spectacular! I've never seen rhododendron blossoms so large in my life.
• We were surprised to stumble upon a few giant sequoias while exploring the city. We weren't expecting that.
• The Saturday Market was pretty cool.
• Eugene has some parts that feel almost urban, some parts that are definitely suburban, and some parts that feel kind of like a small town Main Street. It's a nice mix that has much to offer.
• The city is perfectly situated. It's less than two hours from Portland, just over an hour from the beach, and just over an hour from McKenzie Pass and the Pacific Crest Trail. I actually drove as far as I could to the pass, but of course it's currently gated off due to snow (and in fact it WAS snowing). Amazing that you could theoretically swim in the (cold) ocean and hike along the PCT all on the same day!

Clearly, we had a great time, and we're looking to explore more once we officially move. Thanks for your kindness and hospitality, Eugene!

[u/popjunky → u/[deleted]]

Yeah.

Also, it’s the Beltline, not 569 and not the memorial whatever. Likewise, no one calls any part of highways 99 or 126 anything other than their street names when they are in-city. It’s Main, South A, Franklin, Broadway, 6th, 7th, Garfield, and 11th.

And all the numbered streets in Eugene are Avenues and in Springfield, they’re Streets, and anything numbered that doesn’t conform is a sign that you should be looking for two occurrences of the number, such as 39th Avenue and 39th Place off Willamette in South Eugene.

[u/TheThirteenthCylon → u/popjunky]

That's a little more complicated than I expected. I have some learnin' to do!

[u/popjunky → u/TheThirteenthCylon]

Well, I was being comprehensive.

Just remember that it’s Beltline.

And that highways aren’t referred to as highways when other street names apply.

And the Eugene/Avenue Springfield/Street thing.

Eugene and Springfield, you may have heard, are the basis for Springfield and Shelbyville from Simpsons. (You can check out the statue as you enter Springfield from the West.) We have a nearing two-century history of defining ourselves by how we’re different from one another.

[u/TheThirteenthCylon → u/popjunky]

Thanks! We drove through Springfield a few times, and I since I was driving I didn't notice all the Simpsons references. It was only after we got home, and I was reading up, that I discovered this. Springfield DOES feel much different.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheThirteenthCylon]

Haha better not say that too loudly here on Reddit. There’s quite a contingent of people that see no difference at all between Springfield and Eugene. In fact, Springfield is inexplicably cheaper than Eugene. Hmmm…

As for Eugene, the Cal Young area tends to be conservative. Anything south of the river, and even more so, south of 18th Ave, is where the liberals be.

[u/TheThirteenthCylon → u/[deleted]]

Well, looks like we'll be bringing the gay to Cal Young!