Is this ugly to you?

I participate on an online forum and someone was asking about Portland, Salem and Corvallis.  He was really interested in Salem and wanted to know how walkable it was.  I felt like the lone ranger in talking about the core neighborhoods around town and felt the only real barrier was grocery shopping for those big items.  I was shot down by people that hadn’t lived in Salem in 15 years, but heck…they know what it is like here now.

Where is my rambling going?

Something nice happened.  As many negative posters as there were, the POSITIVE Salemites came out of the wood work and said they liked living here.  Yeah, Salemites.  This is a rare occurrence on a forum and I was so excited to have other people who enjoy the slow pace of Salem.   Now any of you that have read by ugly ducking to swan posts know that Salem isn’t this amazing cultural mecca or nightclub hotspot.  By that standard we are indeed dull.

Then I read this recent post about the 10 most dangerous cities.  I, of course, scrolled for our familiar Oregon cities and was nicely surprised because Salem had a lower crime rate than Eugene in 2009. QR Press created a list based on the FBI’s 2009 crime data.  I went to the raw data just to verify their data and this is how things stack up for Oregon cities with more than 50,000 residents.

Crimes committed per 100 residents for Oregon cities

• Eugene 12
• Portland 10.6
• Salem 8.8
• Medford 8.7
• Gresham 8.5
• Corvallis 6.9
• Bend 5.2
• Hillsboro 4.2
• Beaverton 3.8

When I looked at cities up and down the coast from Washington to California that were similar sized to Salem, they were generally between 6.0-6.5 crimes per 100 residents.  There is still work to be done in the city of Salem, but for the first time, to my knowledge, we had a lower crime rate than Eugene.  That, my friends, rocks.

If you are considering relocating to Salem Oregon get the real time scoop on crime stats at Crime Reports.

The confused look on my face must have given it away, as she continued on…

“Well, you all live in that gray, rainy and gloomy state all year.  I mean I hear that you guys are so used to the rain you don’t even carry umbrellas!  That’s just wrong.  No one likes their hair all frizzy, looking like a drowned rat and all.  Only cave people can survive the gloom of Oregon.”

“Ah yes…the never ending cloud of gloom that hangs over Oregon 24/7/365.  Forget the Bermuda triangle, we are the Rainy Square.  Disappearing forever in the warm waters has nothing on looking like a wholly mammoth during the winter” I replied.

Granted there is some truth in that we don’t carry umbrellas here.  Those are for the tourists.  A good coat with a hood is what Oregonians generally use or we just go without.  Drowned rat or wholly mammoth, pick your disheveled animal and we’ll look like it during the winter months.   Everyone looks that way so that is the new normal.  Perfect hair means you never leave your home and that is a sure fire way to go crazy during the winter.  So how do we survive our gray winters here?

1) Coffee shops. Really I think there is a huge correlation between our obsession with coffee and our gray days of the PNW.  There is nothing like getting out of the house, grabbing some hot tea or coffee, and chatting with friends at a local cafe.  Even if you are new to the area and don’t know anyone in town.  Get out of the house and just go read a book at one of the local places.

2) Go hiking.  Yep, really.  Get some good waterproof boots and gear and hike some of the local trails near the waterfalls.  Waterfalls need water (I know a genius observation on my part), and in the winter and spring, when Oregon is at its grayest, the waterfalls are spectacular to see gushing. Go hike the waterfalls and be in awe.

3) Take an overnight trip to the coast and watch the storms come in.  The coast is notorious for high winds and rain and there is nothing like watching the coast get blasted and then walking on pristine beach the next morning.

4) Go all Gene Kelly. Get a really good pair of rubber boots and jump in some puddles.  You’ll be less embarrassed if you have young kids and it appears that you are just playing with your kids, but there is something totally innocent about stomping in a few puddles.  If you break out in song, more power to you.  Remember to ditch the umbrella though: those are for tourists.

5) When buying a house, look at natural light.   When relocating home buyers move here from a hot state, I’m always suggesting that they consider the natural light of a house.   They seem to be the most susceptible to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and having natural light in the house can minimize that.

6) Light some candles and relax.  No I’m not a firebug, but there is something insanely soothing about candelight.  Light some candles, take a hot bath and just relax to the sound of the rain outside.

7) No soup for you!  Thankfully the soup Nazi isn’t a real person, but Wild Pear and Amadeus in town make great soups.  Get out of the house and grab a cup of soup at one of the local restaurants.  If you are so inclined make some at home and get some fresh bread at Great Harvest or Cascade Baking Co to serve with it.

I’d go on and on about the things you can do, but I’m leaving that for the comments section.  Dear Oregon readers, please write in the comment section at least one thing you do during the winter to deal with the gray days.  This would be a nice cheat sheet for relocating home buyers to the Salem area about what to do and to ease their fears.

So…what do you do to deal with the Oregon gray days?

Staples in my diet as a child.

I wasn’t allowed to eat at McDonald’s as a kid. I was convinced it was some bastion of great tasting food because all my friends ate there often and thought their food was great.   I’d whine and cry about not being able to go,  and somehow believed that my parents were torturing me for reasons unbeknownst to me.  Clearly the good parents took their kids to eat there but why did I get stuck with the bad parents?  I think I was around 10 when my dad caved and took me and my sisters there.

I thought it was some of the most vile food on the planet, right up there with mustard, Twinkies,  and Oscar Meyer hot dogs in my book.

What I know now, is that my parents were way ahead of the times.   They got as much organic produce as possible and limited our exposure to junk food.  I think I might have been in high school or college before I had Pringles.  I’ve eaten them once and on a side note, why do people like pop tarts?  Growing up in the mid-west in ag central (ie DeKalb Illinois) which has the research site for creating new seeds, the words organic and non-GMO weren’t exactly common.

Fast forward to our move to Oregon twenty years ago and fresh, local and organic/no spray were common place.  I have to say it is one of the things I love the most about Oregon is that I can get good, local produce constantly.  I know you are probably wondering what all my ramblings are about, but recently I was introduced to this insanely cool website and map that shows local organic farmers/ranchers that sell meat.  All grass fed with no antibiotics and steroids.  I thought it was the coolest thing and really wanted to share it with those of you out there that want to get good local organic meat.

For those of you considering a relocation to Salem Oregon, rest assured that local healthy food is abundant.  Bon Appetit!

View Oregon Farms & Ranches Listed on Eatwild.com C in a larger map

What list?

The best schools in Salem-Keizer defined strictly by the test data of the recent report card that came out.  One of the most difficult things about being a real estate agent is everyone wants to know what is THE BEST school, as if there really is one.  Best is a subjective concept and the fact is that you can have an exceptional school that has a difficult class one year that may pull test scores down.  It also seems like a bit of a slap in the face to the teachers who work in some of our schools without the economic advantages.  Exceptional as well as average teaching happens at every school.

I decided to go ahead and write a post because I think parents are capable of sorting this out.  When you are considering schools as part of your home buying experience, you generally want to pick an area that has a long history of strong schools.  This goes hand in hand with good resale and desirable neighborhoods, and yes, they tend to be more expensive.  I can tell you that this list flip flops year to year, but generally these schools are always up there.  For those of you on a budget, I also encourage parents to look at areas with improving schools.  If you have the time to get involved and be a parent volunteer you can help to contribute to making that school even better.

Anyway…without further ado…

The top 10 elementary schools in Salem-Keizer

1. Clear Lake (Keizer)
2. Rosedale (south Salem)
3. Schirle (south Salem)
4. Candalaria (south Salem)
5. Chapman Hill (west Salem)
6. Sumpter (south Salem)
7. Morningside (south Salem)
8. Optimum Learning Center (Charter school Keizer)
9. McKinley (south Salem)
10. Gubser (Keizer)

The top 5 middle schools in Salem-Keizer

1. Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School (Charter school)
2. Judson (south Salem)
3. Howard Street (Charter school)
4. Walker (west Salem)
5. Crossler (south Salem)

The top 3 high schools in Salem

1. Sprague (south Salem)
2. West Salem
3. McNary (Keizer)

If you are wanting to relocate to Salem Oregon and want to learn more about our local schools, you can read more about them at at the Salem-Keizer site.

“Gee hon, what do you really think?  It’s not that bad,” chided my husband jokingly, as he opened the door to go inside.

“Hmmpf,” was all the retort I could muster that day.  It was early in the morning and I really needed some coffee before my wit had a chance to wake up.

“Hey…we can always go next door over there and get some coffee when we are done here?”  he laughed.

I looked over to where he was pointing and saw the little barbecue joint there looking like it was about to topple over.  An asthmatic Big Bad Wolf could huff and wheeze that thing over.  Forget the old arsenic and old lace plan for killing me, I thought…he’s trying to get me with food poisoning.

11 years ago now, my husband and I walked into this dingy old building located on south Commercial street to sign mortgage documents for our home purchase here in Salem Oregon.  Totally out of place in a parking lot, it stood at the corner with an outdated looking strip mall behind it and a small barbecue joint called the Barbecue Pit across the parking lot.  Forget a good pressure washing, these buildings just looked liked they needed a good bulldozing.

A few years later, I noticed that the bank was no longer using the building and it just sat…and sat…and sat.  Vacant.  The Barbecue Pit South, which was one of Salem’s last remaining diners from the 1960′s eras closed (we still have Court St Dairy Lunch and Whites).  Despite making fun of the state of their building, I’m always melancholy when a long standing business closes.  In March of 2007, the buildings were demolished and  then the rumor mill started in Salem as construction began.

“It’s another Starbucks,” whispered one local.  ”Like we need another one of those!” was the retort.  A Quizno’s, Subway…on and on the locals took their guesses about what this small little building was going to be.  Then the signs went up to satisfy our curiosity and dispel the local rumor mill.

French Press.

“I hear they will have crepes,” said one local excitedly.

“And some fancy schmancy coffee,” mumbled another.  Coffee culture is powerful in the Pacific Northwest.  You just gotta live here to understand it.

French Press is located in the Candalaria neighborhood on the corner of Candalaria Boulevard and Commercial. Taking a decaying old restaurant building and turning it into a popular spot for coffee lovers, this place is typically busy.  French Press sits where the old BBQ Pit was and the bank building is gone and is part of the often full parking lot.  The biggest complaint by the locals is that they should have made it bigger. and during busy times, you probably won’t find a table.   If you haven’t tried French Press, I’ve talked about their Kona blend before…only for experienced coffee drinkers.  Their crepes are tasty, and I prefer the savory crepes as their sweet crepes tend to be a bit sweet for me.  Hubby though…hooked on the berry crepes as is my son.

French Press sits in the Candalaria Mall which also houses Bakery D’mour, Blackberries, and yes…a Quizno’s at this time. The whole building was done as part of this renovation project.  If you are considering moving here, this is just one more great example of Salem Oregon going through the rejuvenation process and turning those ugly duckings into swans.

P.S.  The first two of key bank were taken by Robert West. He allowed me to use them in this post.  You can see the originals of Salem Oregon and many more he took of that area on his webpage which is kind of cool and you should check it out!  The photo of the old BBQ Pit/La Perla was taken by Salem Man of the Eat Salem Blog.  Used with permission.

BUT, the point in me talking about local strawberries, well local produce in general, is because I am a firm believer in trying to have your food source be as close to you as possible.  I think it is important for kids to see that food doesn’t come out of a box, but rather can be made. Kids need to learn this in order to start good eating habits, in my opinion.  It appears that there are many other Oregonians that strongly believe in good eating habits for our kids.

Truth for America’s Health came out with the annual study of obesity.  Oregon ranked 51st in the nation for obesity…meaning that we have the fewest number of kids that are obese in Oregon.  9.6% of our Oregon kids are obese.  Compare that with the number 1 obese state of Mississippi where 21.9% of kids are already obese.  Remember this isn’t about being overweight, but the medical definition for obesity which is pretty serious.  I just wanted to say great job to all the Oregon parents out there that make your kids eat broccoli and force them away from the TV to enjoy what Oregon has to offer.

So get out there.  Go pick some fresh fruit with your kids.  Go visit one of the local swimming holes over the summer, and keep our kids healthy. Fewest obese kids?   Let’s keep it that way. This is one ranking chart where Oregon wants to stay dead last.

For those of you that haven’t been berry picking we have tons of local places to go that have amazing fruit.   My tip…just go early in the morning before it gets too hot.    Here is my strawberry pie recipe for those of you that asked for it.

Melina’s Fresh Strawberry Pie

Crust

I use Emeril Lagasse’s shortbread pie crust, which I think is amazing.  If you need gluten free, then you need to buy Gluten Free Baking Classics which has a great pie crust recipe.

Shortbread Pie Crust:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

In 1864, this photo was taken of the Cook Hotel located on the corner of High and State Streets…the SE corner of it, in fact.   The hotel changed owners a couple of times and was the Monroe Hotel before the Bligh’s purchased the building and land, razed it, and built Bligh’s Capital Theater.

Bligh’s Capital Theater became Warner Bros Capital Theater and most recently this corner of Salem has become a local gem…La Capitale Brasserie.  Owner David Rosales, opened La Cap (locals nickname for this place), just over a year ago.  Already it has a good reputation in town, and I personally agree with that reputation.

I think I have the only kid on the planet that hates french fries.  My son has NEVER liked them.  On a recent outing to La Cap, he couldn’t resist trying one, as we all raved about how good the pommes frites were.

Yep.  My 10 year old finally likes french fries. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but whether you are here for the pommes frites, the sandwiches, the tomato soup, or the warm chocolate cake…chances are you will enjoy your meal at this new local restaurant.

This is a great addition to the Salem restaurant scene, and for parents rest assured that their grilled cheese is kid tested and approved so feel free to head over there knowing you can get something for your kids, while you have a more adult meal.

Did I mention the lemonade is fresh squeezed?

If you are considering moving to Salem Oregon, this is one restaurant you will want to check out.

La Capitale Brasserie is located at 508 State Street in the old Bligh Capital Theater building.  David even has the old sign up on the wall.

The old photos are from the Salem Public Libraries Historic Photos Collection.

When I was a kid, only extremists seemed to home school their children. In the Midwest where I grew up, it wasn’t mainstream from what I remember.   Upon moving to Oregon 20 years ago I realized there was an entire culture of home school educators that I knew nothing about.  Homeschooling is fairly common out here.  We have parents that home school for religious reasons, have children with special needs who do better at home, and those that just love teaching their children.  I think Oregon is a fairly home school friendly state where parents won’t get weird looks other than “don’t you need a break from your kids?” kind of look.

Homeschoolers have some specific rules they have to follow in Oregon and you can read the rules at the Oregon Department of Education site.  There is also excellent information at the Oregon Home Educators Network site as well.

Some of our supports for homeschoolers are:

Oregon Home is a Yahoo! Group.

SHINE This is the Salem Homeschool Independent Network of Educators

SASH is the Salem Area Support for Homeschoolers

ORSIG

ORChristianHS is a Christian homeschooling group

LDS-OHEA is for Latter Day Saints.

There is also a “online” home school that is technically a charter school.  It is a hybrid model that has teachers that are available by phone and via online conferences for help.  The core curriculum is given to parents, and this is a great option for parents that need a lot of structure or are nervous about home schooling.

Oregon Connections Academy-

If you are considering moving to Salem Oregon and want to home school your children, consider checking out some of the local resources.

Urban growth boundaries define Oregon cities. Anyone who has relocated here from another part of the country know that our cities are compact and sometimes people feel claustrophobic here. Having a neighbor “towering” over their house is a big deal to many home buyers and there is a lot of arborvitae here in Oregon yards as people try to create more privacy.

What is an urban growth boundary?
In 1973 the Oregon legislature passed legislation that all Oregon cities will have an urban growth boundary. The boundary is a line created locally that defines where the growth will occur in a city. Once the line is drawn, development needs to occur in the boundary and not out of it.

What is the point?
In short it is an effort to prevent sprawl. Anyone who has been to Chicago or LA knows what sprawl looks like. The point of the UGB is to control where the growth occurs. This helps to preserve farmland, watersheds, and makes city services more compact.

What are the consequences?
With anything there are positive and negative consequences for anything. Here, we have small lots. I am constantly telling people that a 1/2 acre lot with a new construction home is a long shot. For people moving to Salem Oregon, this can be a big surprise and often people feel constrained here. Developers put as many homes as possible on the smallest lot possible since development is limited. In the boom, this was a problem as land prices skyrocketed out here. Now…we have around a 25 year inventory of lots. Plenty of home lots to go around.

A positive aspect is that areas that are starting to get run down tend to get revitalized faster as investors go in and starting fixing those areas. Since they are limited about where development can occur, areas tend to get redeveloped faster…I think anyway. One of the things that was glaring to me when I came out to Oregon 20 years ago was that the cities had bad areas, but nothing like the cities I had seen in Illinois. It seemed like in Illinois that developers would just buy some new farmland and create new rather than recycling the older parts of cities.

So, for those of you considering moving to the Salem Oregon area, keep in mind that we have UGB’s here that impact the size of our lots.  So if you want 1/2 acre, 1/4 acre…just know that large lots are typically with older homes out here.  If it’s any consolation, I think you’ll find that you are spending too much time hanging out at Silverfalls State Park or heading to the coast to worry about who is going to mow that large lot.

What study you ask?  Well the folks at Gallup-Healthways created a Well-Being Index.  They interviewed a bazillion, okay not really a bazillion but 350,000+ Americans, during 2009.   You would think interviewing that many people would end the recession right there.  Talk about some serious work to get that done!  Anyway… back on track…In the survey they asked them about their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state and communities.

Now you’d think with our high unemployment rate here in Oregon that we would bomb this survey on well-being.  I fully expected us to be at the bottom of the pack…but I was surprised.  Salem, OR (this is the whole metro area by the way), was ranked 48.  162 metros were part of the survey.  Pretty cool.  Apparently people are feeling content living here.  Boulder, CO was #1 and the Huntington-Ashland metro was ranked the last in this survey.  As a state, Oregon ranked 36th, which isn’t a huge surprise with our large unemployment numbers.  It’s hard to have positive emotional health when you are worried about losing your job.

I recently was talking with someone about their relocation to Salem Oregon. “It’s a slow city” was what I said trying to explain Salem.  I think there is something to be said for not being in the rat race of larger cities on a daily basis.  So maybe slower equals a bit more content?  It is an interesting study so head over and check it out.

I know you really want to know what state ranked #1 for well-being…Hawaii snagged that honor.