Are you considering moving to Oregon in the US but want to be sure if it’s a good decision? Hence your question, “is Oregon a good place to live?”
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There are a number of factors to consider before deciding if Oregon is a good place for you to live. These include security, cost of living, foreigners’ hospitality, etc.
Is Oregon a Good Place to Live?
Oregon is not a bad place to be. One thing I noted that strongly stands as a red flag for me about Oregon is the cost of living. If you are like me, just starting out life with little to no support, I might not give Oregon so much consideration.
But if we look at the job market, it might make it more enticing to give Oregon a chance, as the job market seems to be booming.
In the end, your prioritized factors will really determine if Oregon is a good place for you to be or not. We will discuss the factors, which will help you decide if Oregon is a good place for you to live.
What Makes Oregon a Good or Bad Place to Live?
Here are the factors we considered:
1. Cost of living
One of the most important things to consider when moving to any place is the cost of living there. You don’t want to live where you live from hand to mouth because the cost of living is crazy.
Oregon seems to have a really expensive cost of living, which can be a red flag for most if not all. Oregon is more expensive than the US as a whole on average.
Housing seems to be a huge bother as houses cost 50% more in Oregon than the US national average. The median house cost n Oregon is $468, 400, while the US average costs $338, 100. See the difference between the two, it ain’t small at all.
The only thing that seems a little cheaper than the US average is Oregon’s healthcare cost and utilities.
A 1-bedroom apartment in Oregon costs about $1, 270. A 2-bedroom apartment in Oregon costs about $ 1, 520. A 3-bedroom apartment in Oregon costs about $ 2, 140. A 4-bedroom apartment in Oregon costs about $ 2, 510.
Looking for a cheaper state or city in the US? You might want to consider a place like North Carolina or Arizona.
2. Security and crime rate
Nobody wants to live in the middle of a war zone, or in a place where one’s life is unsafe. Every other factor would not matter if safety is out of the window.
Oregon seems to be a little air, compare to the US average when it comes to violent and property crime rate.
The violent crime rate in Oregon is 17.7, lower than the US average which is about 22.7. The property crime rate in Oregon is 43.4, lower than the US average which is about 35.4.
3. Weather
The most pleasant months in Oregon fall in September and July. The hottest month is August, which goes up to about 81.9 degrees, which is really still cooler than most states’ hottest month.
December seems to be the snowiest, as there are usually about 3.7 inches of snow in December.
4. Amenities
This is another important factor to consider when considering moving to a new location. You don’t want to stay in a place where you and your family will not have access to basic amenities like education, health, good transportation, etc.
The healthcare in Oregon seems pretty cool. There are 231 physicians per 100,000 people. The US average is 21 physicians to 100,00 people.
5. Tax
Tax is also another strong factor to consider, as tax can be high in some states in the United States. You might think that it won’t hurt that you pay a few tens or hundreds of dollars every month.
This is not so for Oregon, as you have to pay income tax which can be up to 9.0%, beating the US average which is 4.6%. The tax seems high, so you need to put this into consideration, too.
The sales tax rate is 0.6%, while it is 7.3% for US national average.
6. Economy and employment opportunities
You definitely want to know how easy it can be to get good jobs in the place you are planning to move to, or how the economy of the place is.
The unemployment rate in Oregon is 6.5%, just a little above US national average at 6.0%.
The job market increased by 0.8% last year, and it is estimated to grow by 41.7% in the next 10 years. The average salary in Oregon is about $50,521.
So, if you are looking to move to Oregon, be assured there are jobs, but you need to consider the cost of living, and taxes. Weigh the options, and see if this is a good one for you.
Conclusion
I hope you have gotten all the necessary information you need to decide if living in Oregon is a good place for you.
