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5 Best Places to Live in Oregon
By Susan Doktor MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
The west coast of the United States enjoys a certain mystique. California brings to mind wealth, celebrities, over-the-top mansions and glorious beaches. Alaska is known for its remote wilderness and the opportunity for adventure. Washington State is renowned for being the birthplace of Grunge and skinny mocha lattes. And then there’s Oregon. Population: 4.25 million. A gross domestic product (GDP) of $230 billion and growing. One of the most majestic and diverse landscapes nationwide, featuring a 363 mile coast line and 30 million acres of forest land. And a reputation for fine wines, especially Pinot Noirs — a varietal that has a mystique all its own.
Many Americans don’t know much about Oregon. So we’re here to give you the lowdown and direct you to the 5 best places to live in The Beaver State.
Our Top Picks for the Best Places to Live in Oregon
Portland
You’re probably not surprised by our first pick. Portland is Oregon’s largest city and offers all of the benefits you’d expect from the most populous town in the state. Unemployment in the city is currently below the national average. The city’s job market is healthier than in other cities of similar size, with high tech, manufacturing, healthcare and government services dominating. Portland is also regarded as the athletic and outdoor clothing epicenter of the state. Nike is located just west of the city. Another labor fact worth noting is that the minimum wage in Portland is $14.25 an hour — more than twice the minimum wage in the US.
Portland is known for its very vibrant culinary scene. The city boasts an exceptional food truck scene — it was a pioneer in this culinary genre — and its reputation is still rock solid. Portland is widely considered the best city in the US for food truck dining. Craft breweries abound in the city, as well. The city has earned the nickname “Beervana”.
Educational opportunities abound in Portland. The city is home to 25 degree-granting colleges, universities and community colleges, from large public schools like Portland State University to Reed College, one of the most prestigious schools in the state and a liberal bastion with rigorous standards. Portland also takes care of its youngest students. It’s the county seat of Multnomah County, which, in 2020, passed a free universal preschool law, which is funded by a tax on county residents earning more than $125,000.
One important quality Portland can’t lay claim to is racial diversity. According to the latest US Census, the city is over 75% white, while Black people make up a mere 5.8% of the population. In addition, Portland perpetually suffers from a lack of affordable housing. The average home price in the city is $502,000, which is considerably higher than the national average. On average, renters can expect to pay upwards of $2,000 for an apartment in neighborhoods like The Pearl, Multnomah Village and downtown Portland. Cool, funky neighborhoods that used to be affordable are quickly becoming more expensive, too.
Bend
Boom! That’s the best way to describe Bend, one of the fastest growing cities in the US. The term also readily applies to the tech industry in this town of about 103,000 residents. While it isn’t home to any household technology names, the city hosts about 25 up-and-coming businesses in the sector. It’s part of the region colloquially known as “The Silicon Forest.” Other dominant industries in the city include healthcare, medicine, tourism and recreation.
Bend also hosts a number of startup incubators and accelerators, including FoundersPad, BendOutdoor Worx and EDCO. So bring your best ideas to Bend and you might just give birth to the next big thing.
Like most of Oregon, Bend is a natural wonder. It’s high desert territory located just east of the Cascade Mountains. The Deschutes River runs through Bend. You may recognize Deschutes as the name of a beer: Bend is home to the highly-respected brewery. It’s becoming known as a mecca for delicious dining, featuring both international cuisine and awesome pub grub.
At nearly $50,000 the median per capita income in Bend is higher than in many Oregon towns. High housing prices do offset that advantage, though. According to Redfin, the average home in Bend goes for about $667,000. Still, the city offers a lot of amenities, including schools that rank in the top 20% statewide and a crime rate that’s well below state and national averages.
Salem
If you crave the big city life but can’t afford to pay as much as you’d need to pay in Portland to get it, Salem is a city worth exploring. The city has a population of 170,316 — big enough to provide plenty of employment and housing opportunities and many cultural advantages, but not so big as to overwhelm.
The median income in Salem is just over $55,000 — nearly $20,000 higher than in Portland. And the average cost of a home is considerably less than what you’d pay in Portland, too: about $425,00. In 2021, Livability ranked Salem #52 nationwide for quality of life. The US is a big country — so that’s a more than impressive rating.
What makes Salem so livable? It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s kind of town. Located in the heart of the Willlamette River valley, Salem residents can take their pick of recreational activities, from hiking and fishing to river rafting and cycling. Twenty miles east of the city, you’ll find Silver Falls State Park, with an area of 9,000 acres. But you needn’t leave town to enjoy the outdoors. Within the city limits, Minto-Brown Island Park beckons with its 1,200 acres of wetlands and forests.
If you love to dine out, Salem’s culinary culture won’t disappoint. The Willamette Valley is renowned for its farm-to-table restaurants. Locally-grown fruit and vegetable crops are plentiful in the city. Looking for something to wash down all that great food? Salem features a dozen or more wineries to complement its fine cuisine.
Finally, life in Salem gives you access to a wide range of cultural activities. The city features museums dedicated to children, history and visual arts. It offers several options for live theater and music, including the Elsinore Theater, which hosts more than 140 events a year. If you’d like to learn more about the arts in Salem, get in touch with Arts in Action, a non-profit organization that supports the artist community and offers monthly meetings where you can mingle with some of the city’s best-known painters, sculptors, photographers and other visual artists.
Hood River
Looking for a slower place than Oregon’s big cities offer? The town of Hood River, with its population of just over 8,200, may just fit the bill. Known as a great place to raise your kids — it has a well-rated school system and a lively children’s park — it’s a pretty popular place to retire, too.
Oregon is an outdoor recreation super-state and Hood River follows suit. It’s located in the Columbia River Gorge region. The town gives you easy access to miles and miles of hiking trails. It’s located about 25 miles from Mount Hood and on a clear day, numerous mountain ranges are within sight, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Broken Top, South Sister, North Sister, Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson. The city is also well-known for year-round windsurfing.
On average, residents of Hood River earn a pretty good income. According to the last US census, the median income in the town is over $69,000 — higher than every other city on this list. The dominant industries in Hood River are high tech, professional services and healthcare. Sports and recreation jobs are also abundant in the town. The unemployment rate in Hood River is generally quite low. In March 2023, it was reported to be just 2.9%.
On the downside, however, Hood River home values are quite high. Redfin reports that the average cost of a home in the town is $775,000 — well above the national average and higher than many other places on this list. And unlike the national real estate market, the market in Hood River is still hot. Home prices rose by about 24% over the past year.
Astoria
Astoria has the distinction of being the oldest permanently settled town not only in Oregon, but also west of the Rocky Mountains. And it’s undeniably charming.
Astoria is a port town of about 10,000 residents, located where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific ocean. The Astoria Column lighthouse attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Sunset Beach, about 18 miles from Astoria proper, is a fabulous place to soak in the sun for a good many months of the year. And the town has a great gastropub, dive bar and brewery scene — albeit one that rolls down its shades rather early at night.
Astoria caters to history buffs with museums like the Heritage House Museum and the Columbia River Maritime Museum. There are 17 buildings in the town that have been written into the National Historic Registry. And it’s a residential architecture gem; the downtown area is peppered with Victorian mansions and Edwardian style buildings.
Sounds fabulous, right? But can you afford to live there? Actually, Astorians earn about as much as other Oregon residents. The median income is just over $30,000. The average cost of a home is about $500,000 — no small sum. And yet people do live comfortably there. How? A surprising percentage of them rent — about half of them, in fact. Rents are manageable: a one-bedroom apartment costs about $1,200. Couples earning an average income and sharing a one-bedroom flat shouldn’t have to struggle to make ends meet.
In March 2023, the unemployment rate in Clatsop County, where Astoria is located, was about 4.3%, higher than today’s national average. Tourism and light manufacturing account for most of Astoria’s economy. Although it’s a relatively small town, residents can also choose to work in Washington State, which is connected to the city by 4-mile bridge. It’s the largest continuous truss bridge in North America and a sight to behold in and of itself.
How We Chose the Best Places to Live in Oregon
We evaluated many cities according to the same criteria to come up with our top 5 Oregon cities and towns. We reviewed population, income and housing statistics. We researched unemployment opportunities (including the types of work available and the unemployment rate) and real estate prices. We also considered quality of life considerations, such as family-friendliness, crime rates and school quality. Finally, we took into account recreation and entertainment options in each city.
