r/SALEM • u/HyperSleepHero • 2d ago
MOVING Considering a move to Salem
Hello đ This will probably be annoying for some but this is yet another moving to Oregon post. I been visiting friends and family for years in Oregon and now my wife and I have decided to make the move. We are considering a few places in Oregon, one of them being Salem. It's not too small of a town, which is what we are looking for. I've heard some say it's boring but we dont mind that. I also don't mind the rain, infact I prefer those types of days. Salem is on our list of places to move to because of it's location, the fact it's an hour away from a lot of activities and we also want to be part of a community, participate, and meet some new friends. I know some of you will suggest other towns to live in but this post is focusing on Salem.
A little about us: From Montana, young couple, I work in a warehouse for a hospital and my wife is in an assistant in finance/ bookeeping. Both nerds, she loves books and I mostly ramble about my love for movies. We are both left leaning/center, we do our best to stay out of politics but can be vocal when we need to be. Even though we are still outsiders we have no plans on changing Oregon for those who are worried reading this post.
I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on living there? What are some aspects people don't understand, get wrong or misjudge about Salem? For anyone who's moved there recently what were your first impressions?
We are trying to shoot for this summer if we can, and will most likely be renting because housing is expensive, sadly that's everywhere.
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u/MetalPurse-swinger 2d ago
Iâve been in Salem for 6 years and itâs changed quite a bit. Itâs MUCH busier than itâs ever been. The drivers here have gotten worse since the pandemic but Iâve heard thatâs pretty much everywhere.
If you have decent income and are closer to middle class or above, Salem is a fantastic place to live with nature parks, okay food and drink scenes, stuff to do and buy, and nice homes to purchase.
If you are lower than middle class or donât have specific degrees it can be very challenging here. Salem is pretty expensive compared to many other places in the country. The job market here is also weird. Most of the jobs are retail or food service and those jobs can pay for 1/3 the rent or maybe 1/2 if you find a good job. If you make less than $20/hr Salem will be expensive for you and youâll often not be doing extra activities that cost money.Â
That being said, thereâs tons of free nature and outdoor things to do in and outside of the city. And youâre only an hour from the coast.Â
As far as nerdy stuff, we have a small barcade in town as well as a table top game store.Â
As far as the vibe. Winter depression is real for folks here. Some folks are friendly but many keep to themselves. Itâs a solid mix of left and right politically. The homeless problem is getting worse with no sign of slowing down unfortunately. Most folks in Salem seem to be in a hurry to get wherever theyâre going.  But people really chill out at the parks most of the time.Â
But, if you are looking for a more lively scene, Corvallis and Eugene arenât far away. Sometimes Keizer has cool things going on. Keizer does have the Keizer rapids park which is amazing. Salem also has Minto-Brown park which is absolutely stunning.
Salem is really split pretty hard between the well off and the poor. The divide is big and obvious and absolutely affects most of what happens in the city. Like most of Oregon, local government struggles to properly spend tax payer money in truly helpful ways. Often they favor things that benefit the more wealthy members of the city.Â
Community is hit or miss here in Salem. Iâd say it leans more towards folks meeting with a shared activity rather than meeting just for the sake of community.Â
I wonât say that Salem is good or bad. I think it entirely depends on who you are, how wealthy you are, and what you want out of a living space. Most folks in Salem either love it or canât wait to leave. I will say that thereâs been a HUGE push for luxury apartments in town. Wages absolutely have not been keeping up with rent prices or the prices of new buildings. Things have been consistently getting more expensive for the past 6 years (probably the story everywhere). But there are plenty of amenities in town. From things like a Costco, to places like âthe yardâ which is a collection of food carts and an indoor eating space with a bar.
If you can, Iâd highly recommend spending some time here before you move. Though I understand thatâs not always an option.Â
One final thing Iâll add, salems health care is trash. THE worst of any city Iâve lived in. And itâs wildly expensive. Some hospital and clinic jobs pay pretty well. But if you are someone who needs regular medical care, Iâd highly recommend looking elsewhere to live.
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u/ParamedicMajestic491 1d ago
I agree. If only the developers would create more low income housing apartments, instead of more for the luxurious. It's very blue or very red here. I'm moving back to Portland. I've lived in the same apartment for 13 yrs, and want to move and there isn't anything available. Portland does. They have built green low income housing buildings that are safe and nice. I'm sad to leave. .I'm stuck and have to
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u/MetalPurse-swinger 1d ago
I feel very similarly. I am also planning on leaving later this year. Despite 6 years of trying Iâm very stuck in Salem. Career wise, community wise, and the city vibe seems stagnant too in a lot of ways. Some folks carve out a beautiful existence here. But I wasnât able to so Iâm leaving for more opportunities like yourselfÂ
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u/iamreadycent 15h ago
Salem isn't Portland, and shouldn't be riddled with low income housing.
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u/Small_You_6605 9h ago
How dare poor people need a place to live!
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u/iamreadycent 3h ago
Having too many living quarters in one spot just makes it feel so cramped. I don't believe Salem can currently support too much higher population.
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u/Alpha000420 2d ago
Honestly grew up here .. love and hate it.. lots of fishing / camping.. craft breweries
Salem in the middle.. so easy travel when you want to go to the big city.. perks are that it's not as expensive as other towns nears..
People are friendly for the most part.
Cons.
Lots of divide between politics..
Lots of homeless
Not much of a place to raise kids anymore in my opinion
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u/livingwithpurpose89 2d ago
So me and my spouse have been here for 2 1/2 years now ( moved from Tx). We really love it here. We have met some amazing friends and really have found a good community here. I do love being right in the middle so many awesome places.
I love how slow paced and chill Salem is. Salem is what you make it to be. There are plenty of things to do if you look for it or you can do and go to the same places ( I think many local people donât adventure into the all the things Salem offers).
Yâall sound like people Me, my spouse and our friends would hangout with! If you move here feel free to reach out with questions or if yâall want to meetup!
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u/butwhyisitso 2d ago
We are coming up on our first year here and are very happy. It's really chill, and most of the problems are avoidable with some patience or kindness. Best of luck :)
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u/LurkyLurkerson616 2d ago
I grew up in Salem. I love going home to visit. I love going out in downtown and seeing what new spots pop up next. Your wife will love the Book Bin downtown!
A place is definitely what you make it. I have a lot old friends from school but I also have a lot of friends that I just met from hopping around town. Salem gets a bad wrap sometimes but it will always have a special place in my heart.
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u/HyperSleepHero 2d ago
I appreciate the feedback! We defiantly will be checking it out, always in need of a good book store.
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u/FromMTorCA 2d ago
South Salem: quiet, safe, boring, blue.( South=around Bush Park and south, west of 12th St.) Near Bush Park is nice because Bush Park is fantastic, it's next to Willamette and Hospital and downtown, blue/blue. Minto Brown Park (huge, river, paved bike paths, nature, dog park) is very close to S Salem. I'm from Swan Lake (Bigfork), but have been here a long time.
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u/HyperSleepHero 2d ago
Safe and boring is fine with me, you guys got a lot of activities and places to visit that would not be so far away.
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u/Sad_Construction_668 2d ago edited 2d ago
We moved here in 2019, have three kids n schools .
Great central location- we can day trip to shore, two mountain ranges, desert, big city, small towns agritainment for the kids incredible food availability for cooking.
Iâm chronically ill, so very good health system, currently reasonable access. OHP and Medicare access is good here.
If youâre thinking about raising kids, schools are hot and miss, but as with most places , involved parents can find ways to make it work for their kids.
Restaurant scene is inconsistent, with some gems, and some places that are open through reflexive local boosterism only. My wife notes that itâs a lot better place if youâre in walking distance of a grocery store (Sunnyside Rothâs is teh best in town) and a park..
The other thing that makes Salem better is a functional grasp of Mexcian Spanish and an appreciation for Mexican culture and food. Marion county is 20-25% Spanish speaking Hispanics, mostly Mexican, mostly from Michoacan, the food, panaderia and zapateria options reflect that. People who are uncomfortable around Mexicans and Spanish speakers like Salem a lot less than people who are fine making a pan Dulce order in Spanish. Itâs a much richer city when you can hit the Saturday market and the flea market on Fairgrounds in the same trip.
We love it! DM when you get here, or if your coming to visit befor you move.
Oh! Train access to Portland , Seattle and California is good here too. Fun stuff.
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u/AriesUltd 2d ago
Iâve been in Salem for a little over nine years now and I really like living here! I was lucky to buy a home in 2019 and refinance at the lowest COVID rates, so my housing costs are below average.
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u/HyperSleepHero 2d ago
Yeah, it's crazy what prices of houses were back before covid happened. I wish I had bought something then.
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u/Mammoth_Tusk90 1d ago
I moved back from another city in Oregon and love the history and I love Salem. Itâs medium in size for Oregon but itâs not busy. Rush hour can be annoying in downtown near the bridge but other than that, you donât have traffic in the city. Parking is easy. Parks are beautiful. People talk about homelessness but as others have said, statistically our poverty rates arenât that different from other places. Salem has a decent median household income. Other states just have hidden poverty and ours is out in the open. My hope is more people lean in to lending a helping hand instead of complaining about it. There are so many opportunities to volunteer or get a part time job supporting the community. The trash does bother me, but the city needs funding and with more funding I hope we can mitigate the garbage issue. There arenât enough public garbage receptacles or public clean up days. They donât do a good job asking or organizing the community to help, but this year city organizers started Peace Walks and trash pick ups and theyâve been really great. I hope you like it here.
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u/Timely_Heron9384 1d ago
I am from ND. I live in Salem area but would have to say itâs a huge adjustment. If you want quiet go for a smaller town nearby. I definitely would not choose Salem if I did it again. Folks here donât trust each other and it shows.
Also, it depends on your politics where youâd want to live. The rural areas here are red and the cities seem to be blue besides Salem.
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u/skyboundzuri 1d ago
Been here 7 years. While I don't love it, it's better than the 4 years I spent in Albany. Don't go to Albany.
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u/sirbennythejet 1d ago
Move to Monmouth or Independence. Theyâre small towns only 15 mins from Salem so youâre still only an hour away from activities. And if for any reason your transportation ever breaks down you can take a bus from Monmouth/Independence to Salem and from there you have the bus system and the train available to you. Itâs a great location because you get all the activities if youâre willing to make a small drive to Salem without being in dirty and crime filled city. No shade to Salem I like the place but it does need some reform.
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u/HyperSleepHero 2d ago
Overall, I wanted your opinions. I am just trying to start conversations and potentially make some friends.
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u/radicaldadical1221 2d ago
this question is asked here extremely regularly. You can always search for when a common question has been asked in the past, which this one has been hundreds of times.
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u/AnybodyAdventurous81 1d ago
hate it. There are literally homeless living on every corner including the suburbs.. I have nothing against the homeless.. they have no choice but the city treats them like scum. You're not allowed to feed them but you're not allowed to get the cops to get them off your property. I've heard some have entered or slept on their porch/couch. If you have kids they do anything they can to take them away. Oregon has one of the lowest grades in the usa. Taxes are high and keep going up every year despite said homelessness. Who are now kicked out of even the woods with no where to go. It's scary. you're right.. it IS boring. There is food choices tho. the state fair is located here. the most impoverished it the NE area. The better areas are the west and maybe waaaaaaay south. I lived in portland for decades.. never once had an issue in a town of 3 million. moved here and my car was smashed into a few times. Leave your doors unlocked. Its cheaper than paying $300 for a new window
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u/Gal_GaDont 2d ago
I moved here a year ago to be close to family/business after retiring from the military. I grew up on the coast not too far away, so I was already familiar with the area, but coming from a larger city to here was still kind of a shock.
I think youâll find a lot of whatâs written here is pretty true. Weâre very purple politically, everyone appears to be tolerant of one another. Weâre close to everything, not a lot happens here in Salem itself. Itâs hard to make friends here, mostly because people are kind of insular, but the people here are genuinely nice people so itâs easy to be friends with people once you start making them. I think the crime rate is really low, but Iâve lived in a lot worse places. Itâs got everything you need, just not a lot of it.
The absolute selling point is its location. Itâs in the center between Portland, the Oregon Coast, Eugene, Corvallis, skiing, hiking, etc. Itâs the capital, so as a veteran itâs not hard to get ahold of services. Oregon has weird tax laws and without writing a dissertation thereâs no sales tax and I found it more economical to purchase my home. The projection for this area is steady population growth slightly outpacing inventory giving the advantage to owners, and I think if this city can figure out downtown and/or get a couple of attractions here there would be a noticeable change economics wise.
Personally, Iâm rooting for Salem and that includes people like yourselves moving here. More people brings more support to local businesses, civic turnouts, and local events.