Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon

Strawberry Fields

Melina Tomson — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 03:21:45 +0000

If you are relocating to Salem Oregon just know that June 1 means one thing…strawberry season. Typically Oregon strawberries start to ripen and are just waiting to be plucked and eaten. Every year we take the kids to a local u-pick and pick strawberries. We eat a lot of them over the winter so we pick a bunch and freeze them. There is nothing like waffles with Oregon strawberries and fresh whipped cream on Christmas morning.

Finding organic strawberries is hard because slugs love them. A local u-pick Fordyce Farms, is not organic but they spray minimally for the crop. If you have never been picking there, they are located off of Sunnyview Road to the east side of Salem. It’s close enough in that it’s easy to head to for a quick trip with the kids.

I suggest bringing some fresh water to clean off the strawberries because they will get eaten in the car on the way home. We’ve learned to bring some bowls and clean some for the kids who can barely wait to eat the fruits of their labor.

If you are relocating to the Salem Oregon area and want something to do with the kids, or you like to cook like me…considering heading over to Fordyce for strawberries. They also have a fruit stand there if you just want to buy them. When you get home consider making some fresh strawberry pie, or homemade jam.

Strawberry Fields originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on December 30, 2010.

Crime Rates in Salem Oregon

Melina Tomson — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:07:35 +0000

I read a recent post about the 10 most dangerous cities. I, of course, scrolled for our familiar Oregon cities and was nicely surprised because Salem had a lower crime rate than Eugene in 2009. QR Press created a list based on the FBI’s 2009 crime data. I went to the raw data just to verify their data and this is how things stack up for Oregon cities with more than 50,000 residents.

Crimes committed per 100 residents for Oregon cities

Eugene 12
Portland 10.6
Salem 8.8
Medford 8.7
Gresham 8.5
Corvallis 6.9
Bend 5.2
Hillsboro 4.2
Beaverton 3.8

When I looked at cities up and down the coast from Washington to California that were similar sized to Salem, they were generally between 6.0-6.5 crimes per 100 residents. There is still work to be done in the city of Salem, but for the first time, to my knowledge, we had a lower crime rate than Eugene. That, my friends, rocks.

If you are considering relocating to Salem Oregon get the real time scoop on crime stats at Crime Reports.

Crime Rates in Salem Oregon originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on December 26, 2010.

The Capitol Mall

Melina Tomson — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:02:38 +0000

Are you relocating to Salem Oregon for one of the state jobs?

One of the advantages of being the state capital is the mall. In the spring when the cherry trees are in full bloom, photographers flock down to the Capitol Mall to take their photos before the blossoms go away. While the Capitol itself is fairly minimalist in it’s architecture, they did a really nice job with the mall.

The Capitol Mall is a wonderfully designed area that is truly beautiful. Cherry trees line paved walkways that lead to small alcoves of benches. Perfect for a picnic lunch, the Capitol Mall is a soothing experience.

In the summer, you will often see young children cooling off in the fountain. There are also diamonds embedded in the walkways that share a little bit of the history of Oregon as well as some trivia. You can learn the state bird and other various things about the State of Oregon. I always find it fascinating to spend time here.

The mall is also home to the war memorials, which are all unique in their own way.

This beautiful area is one of many offered by the city of Salem.

And don’t be scared off by the rumors…it really doesn’t rain here every day of the year.

This blog and its pictures are copyrighted. Do not copy this without express permission by the author.

The Capitol Mall originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on November 19, 2010.

Historic Neighborhoods in Salem Oregon

Melina Tomson — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:15:39 +0000

There are old home buyers and there are new home buyers. New home buyers cringe at the thought of the old wooden windows rattling in the house, hold their shirts over their noses at the thought of lead paint in the house, and think “money pit” when they see an old house. Old home buyers see the incredible mill work and know that it would cost $50,000 to replicate that kind of craftsmanship today. They get lost in the arches, glass door knobs, and built-ins and think “they don’t build them like they used to.” If you are an old home buyer and want to look for a house in the Salem Oregon area, then there are a few neighborhoods where you would want to concentrate your effort.

Higher end historic neighborhoods in Salem Oregon

Fairmount Hills

Court-Chemeketa Historic District

and

Bush Park/Gaity Hill

For home buyers on a more moderate budget

McRae Park

Englewood

Grant

Highland and

Richmond Neighborhood

If you are relocating to Salem Oregon and are thinking that you are an old home buyer, these are some neighborhoods to consider.

Historic Neighborhoods in Salem Oregon originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on November 17, 2010.

Top Schools

Melina Tomson — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:58:47 +0000

Parents always asks me “What are the best schools in Salem?”

Best is a subjective concept and the fact is that you can have an exceptional school that has a difficult class one year that may pull test scores down. When you are considering schools as part of your home buying experience, you generally want to pick an area that has a long history of strong schools. This goes hand in hand with good resale and desirable neighborhoods, and yes, they tend to be more expensive. I can tell you that this list flip flops year to year, but generally these schools are always up there.

So based strictly on how these schools performed on the standard testing for 2009…

The top 10 elementary schools in Salem-Keizer

Clear Lake (Keizer)
Rosedale (south Salem)
Schirle (south Salem)
Candalaria (south Salem)
Chapman Hill (west Salem)
Sumpter (south Salem)
Morningside (south Salem)
Optimum Learning Center (Charter school Keizer)
McKinley (south Salem)
Gubser (Keizer)

The top 5 middle schools in Salem-Keizer

Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School (Charter school)
Judson (south Salem)
Howard Street (Charter school)
Walker (west Salem)
Crossler (south Salem)

The top 3 high schools in Salem

Sprague (south Salem)
West Salem
McNary (Keizer)

If you are wanting to relocate to Salem Oregon and want to learn more about our local schools, you can read more about them at at the Salem-Keizer site.

Top Schools originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on November 15, 2010.

The taste of autumn

Melina Tomson — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:09:18 +0000

Warm soup, fresh bread, apples, pears and pumpkins. The leaves have started to turn and it is autumn.

I love fall because I think of warm potato soup with homemade french bread, apple muffins, and pear bread. Fall is that perfect time when you get some cool weather, have a steaming cup of hot cider, and feel your body warm to the touch. I have blogged about Bauman Farms which has the best family harvest festival in the area, in my opinion. But we have another local farm that has great cider and produce AND a good harvest festival.

EZ Orchards is located on the corner of Hazelgreen and Cordon Roads. It has great highway access (unlike Bauman Farms) and is my regular stop in the fall for my cider and produce fix. I find it really easy to get to and the cider is delicious.

The taste of autumn originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on October 13, 2010.

Salem Film Festival

Melina Tomson — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:59:19 +0000

Sundance.

The cream of the crop of Independent Film Festivals here in the US. Many films get debuted, critiqued, and start their journey into the mainstream from there.

Obviously Salem isn’t Park City, UT (where Sundance is held) BUT, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our own Film Festival. Salem Oregon has an independent film festival, currently in its 5th year. Movies are held in three venues around town, the original independent theater, High Street Cinema, the new independent theater, Salem Cinema, and the Grand Theater downtown.

Whether you are looking for a drama, documentary, comedy…or everything in-between, this is an excellent local event for lovers of the indie movies.

If you are considering moving to Salem Oregon and wonder what our arts scene looks like, check out some of our other posts about things to do.

Salem Film Festival originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on October 8, 2010.

Hallie Ford Museum

Melina Tomson — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:24:21 +0000

One of the hard parts about moving to a new city is finding out what activities there are to do. If you are into the art scene and are moving to a smaller city like Salem, Oregon that can be a bit harder sometimes.

One of the local options for people into the art scene is the Hallie Ford Museum of Art if actually a part of Willamette University. If you are looking to attend a lecture, exhibit, or generally be involved in the local art scene, Hallie Ford is one of the places you will want to consider.

For a list of current and upcoming exhibitions, click on the link.

Hallie Ford Museum originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on July 30, 2010.

Local Asian food

Melina Tomson — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:58:21 +0000

Trying to find out where to eat when you move to Salem Oregon can be fun. Trying new restaurants for the adventurous is part of the fun. When my clients ask me about good Asian food in town, I had to turn to Rebekah of the What’s Happening in Salem Blog. Rebekah loves Asian food and I think has been to every Asian restaurant in town many times. I knew if anyone could steer my clients in the right direction, it was her. Rebekah’s favorite Asian food choices in Salem Oregon are…

Super Pho on Lancaster has the best pho
Vietnam Restaurant on Center downtown has the best for other Vietnamese dishes.
Thai Beer is hands down all-around the best Thai in town.
Fuji Ricetime downtown is good sushi and
Sushi Kyo has good sushi on a sushi train.
Love Love Teriyaki is great!
Venti’s also has great teriyaki plus a lot of other good fusion dishes.

So if you are moving to Salem Oregon and wondering where to get your Asian food fix, give these places a try.

Local Asian food originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on July 8, 2010.

Elegant, Upscale, and Luxury

Melina Tomson — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:45:33 +0000

Hand-scraped hardwoods, granite slab, travertine, Sub Zero…if those are music to your ears you are probably and upscale home buyer. Elegance makes you feel right at home. If you are wanting real estate in Salem Oregon that is in an elegant or luxury neighborhood you will have several choices to consider.

Golf Club Neighborhoods-For those of you home buyers that want to take the golf cart out the front door, these neighborhoods might be the right ones for you.

Illahe Hills Homes in South Salem Oregon

Golf Club Estates at Creekside Homes in South Salem Oregon

Acreage Communities-If you are a home buyer that wants to have a rural community, Chinook Estates might be the right choice for you.

Chinook Estates Real Estate in Salem Oregon

New Construction Subdivisions-If you don’t relish the thought of a resale home, then consider new construction in one of these neighborhoods.

Bella Cresta New Construction Homes in South Salem Oregon

Bailey Ridge New Construction Homes in South Salem Oregon

Established Neighborhoods-If the stripped nature of new neighborhoods isn’t appealing to you and you want lush and mature landscaping, then these neighborhoods might be what you are looking for.

Laurel Springs Homes in Salem Oregon

Alderbrook Homes in Salem Oregon

Fairmount Hills Homes in Salem Oregon

Cambridge Heights Homes in Salem Oregon

Luxury Neighborhoods-These neighborhoods are beyond upscale and truly luxury neighborhoods.

Croisan Mountain Luxury Homes in Salem Oregon

Circuit Rider

If you aren’t sure which neighborhood might be right for you and want to talk about the details of these areas, just contact a Tomson Burnham agent, and we are happy to answer your questions.

Elegant, Upscale, and Luxury originally appeared on Relocation Guide|Moving to Salem Oregon on July 4, 2010.