r/Eugene • u/TheThirteenthCylon • May 11 '22

Eugene is amazing! Moving

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!

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u/LyannaSerra May 12 '22

Eh I’ve lived in Oregon my entire life and we still say the beach 😜

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u/BillyBalowski May 12 '22

Do you live on the coast?

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u/LyannaSerra May 12 '22

Nope. I would also argue that context makes a difference in word choice too though. If I were talking about living there, I’d probably say I lived on the coast, or if I was talking about a specific town I might say it was on the coast. But if we’re going there to visit we generally say we’re going to the beach.

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u/pacific_grrrl May 13 '22

I also think it depends on where you are going. A lot of Eugenians head to Florence and go the beach by the jetty. I personally dislike that beach and prefer going to the Cape Perpetua and Yachats area and it's rocky, not very beachy. So I call it the coast.

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u/LyannaSerra May 13 '22

Also a good point! I like looking for interesting rocks so I like the beach 😂

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u/gravebandit May 17 '22

I've heard it as beach as well if you're talking about the actushore and not the towns along there in general.