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/BillyBalowski May 11 '22
Local tip: here we call it the coast. The beach is more of a California/SE term and shore is more of a NY/NJ thing.