Get Real Estate Blog: Salem Oregon Home Trends and Relocation Information

As you head out of downtown on high street you will see some carpet warehouse buildings off to the left.  Head just a bit further and you will hit the Broadway revitalization area.  My swan feature this month is the Salem Cinema.

I’m a fan of movies and one of those people that likes to see movies that would be shown at Sundance.  As such, I was really excited to see a better venue for our independent movies here in Salem. The high street cinema is still there, but the new Salem Cinema is so nice!

Heading to Boon’s Treasury pre or post movie is such a nice treat, or just walk across the street and hit Christo’s for some pizza.  While there is still lots of work to be done is this area, this is a really nice addition that almost gives Salem an upscale feeling, even if it only lasts while you are in the theater.

So…for movie lovers looking to move to the Salem Oregon area, we have our regular theaters, and don’t forget to pay a visit to the new Salem Cinema.

Unless you have lived under a rock in Salem Oregon, you know something big happened in the Northgate Neighborhood of Salem Oregon:  the Kroc Center.

Salem is one of 8 cities across the nation that was awarded a Kroc center by the Kroc family…you know the founders of McDonald’s.  Upon her death in 2003, Joan Kroc established a trust and bequeathed to the Salvation Army 1.6 billion dollars to be used to establish community centers across the nation.  Salem’s opened in the fall of 2009.

It is an incredible building and truly a gracious donation to the city of Salem and it’s residents.  The building has an olympic size swimming pool, full basketball court, wave/splash pool, rock wall, fitness center, music lessons, dance lessons, drama, art…on and on.  The first time I walked into this building, I was stunned with the beauty of the building and the incredible generosity of the Krocs.  It is truly a wonderful gift and has turned just a portion of a really blighted area into a beautiful swan.  They do offer scholarships for lower income families. The goal of the facility and the grant is that this building has to be accessible to lower income families.  It is meant for the entire community, not just those that can pay the monthly fee.

For those of you considering relocation to Salem Oregon, this is a new gem that is a wonderful addition to our area.

Last month I talked about the recent renovation to the Union Street bridge that was converted into a pedestrian bridge in the first part of my series, but I have to say this this project was a real change for downtown Salem Oregon…the convention center and Phoenix Grand Hotel.

Taking a city block the Phoenix Grand Hotel and the Salem Convention Center are a mix of old style architecture and modern architecture.  I personally like that they made the Hotel have an “older style” feel to the exterior to blend with the existing downtown architecture.  With this improvement came Bentley’s Restaurant.  Now Salem had a few good restaurants prior to Bentley’s, but Bentley’s brought with it a trendier atmosphere that Salem sorely lacked.  A bit more hip, compared to other offerings, this restaurant set the stage for what downtown could become.  I have yet to be in the restaurant when it isn’t busy.

As one of the first buildings that you see as you enter the downtown corridor, then hotel and convention center set the stage for a rejuvination of the downtown area.   When this project was completed I know I thought, WOW…the downtown could look pretty awesome with projects like that…and projects like that continued to occur.

I love old architecture and am not a fan of tearing buildings down unless necessary.  Honestly I can’t even remember what was on the corner of before the hotel and convention center went in downtown.  I tried to scrounge online for some “pre” photos to link to but I didn’t find anything.  If you are considering a relocation to Salem Oregon, just know that rejuvination projects have been occurring all over the downtown and central areas, improving Salem Oregon in positive ways.

Ten years ago or so now, we decided to leave our beloved West Hills of Portland and head down to Salem for a great opportunity for my husband.  I was not thrilled, which is an under statement, about leaving Portland because everyone knew that Salem was ugly and that it sucked. Never mind that I had never lived in, or even visited Salem, but everyone knew that it was ugly.

It took me a while to adjust to the slower pace of Salem, and I have learned to love the fact that I don’t sit in traffic.  As a parent there are many things I appreciate about Salem and it’s slower paced lifestyle for my family.   I like to take photos and so I’m always looking at things that are interesting or beautiful.  10 years ago, Salem wasn’t winning any beauty awards with me.

In the last three years…that has changed.

I am on forums all of the time, and Salem Oregon constantly gets bashed by people who lived here a long time ago.  My first question is, have you been here in the past three years?  If not, then Salem is a differently city then you know.  I decided I would do an Ugly Duckling to Swan Series about Salem because I do think that Salem is becoming a swan.  Not there yet, but these things take time.

There are many great projects that have gone on since I have lived here,  rejuvinating this city.  Probably one of my recent favorites is the Union pedestrian bridge.

When I moved to Salem Oregon I was stunned at how poorly the city used the riverfront.  The Willmette River cuts through the city just like it does in Portland. The riverfront park was brand new when I moved here, the carousel yet to be open.  On the other side of the river was an undeveloped Wallace Marine Park.  Today both parks are developed and they took the old railroad bridge connecting the two and make it a pedestrian bridge.  It opened in September 2008 and connects the two parks.  It is a GREAT addition to making Salem more liveable, walkable, and our park system more enjoyable.

So if you are considering moving to the Salem Oregon area from another part of the country, I encourage you to be cautious about the opinions of former residents who haven’t been here recently.  Rest assured that the residents of Salem are very much interested in improving this city and this bridge is one of the many projects that is turning this “ugly ducking” of a city, into a swan.