I’ve been living in Eugene Oregon for one year now.
Here’s 8 things that I’ve noticed after moving to the Pacific Northwest from the San Francisco area.
Having four seasons is nice. Summers are much more enjoyable after going through winters. You might only see the sun for two hours some days but it’s worth it.
Nothing beats the San Francisco tech scene. The Silicon Valley is currently the mecca for technology. Didn’t realize how much of an effect that has until now.
The Shire is growing. The Silicon Shire is the budding term for the tech scene here in the Eugene area. Though Portland is booming things around here are rising also. To me it’s exciting because I feel like I’m on the ground floor for something big.
It’s important to have a third place. Home is the first, where you work is the second. You need one more. It could be a bar, a cafe, or even a gym. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. For me that’s been Tech Tuesday at The Barn Light.
Owning A house is a little overrated. Let me rephrase that. Having a mortgage on a house is a little overrated. My gut says owning the house outright feels fantastic.
It’s ok to be different. I thought I would have more issues with diversity in Eugene. But that hasn’t bothered me that much yet. I hope my daughter won’t have trouble as she grows up. It’s something I’m sure we’ll have to deal with later on.
The bar for a small business is low. Don’t get me wrong running a business takes a lot of work, I’m sure. Plus the pie is smaller here in Eugene. But after interacting with many business in the area I feel like there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Maybe there’s some selection bias here, but I’ve been struggle to give my money away.
You can be nice. The competition is so crazy in the Bay Area. Didn’t realize how much that driven lifestyle changed me. My first few interactions with Oregonians bothered me. I kept wondering why people were being so nice to me. I’ve come to realize that people are just nicer here. That’s awesome!
Eugene just has a different vibe, and I happy to be here.
What have you learned from where you live?