Our Town
The city is a compact small town divided into various
neighborhoods. We are 'flat landers', living near the center
of town in a historic neighborhood. You can live in a newer
part of town - in the foothills. If you look at a map of
the city, you can draw an imaginary circle around downtown
that represents a twenty-five minute walking circle. If you
live within this walking circle, you can easily walk to shopping,
dining and in-town activities. We measure driving distance
in town in five minute increments, everything is five minutes
from everything else! If you want to bike, we have a city-wide
bike trail system and if you want to take the bus, Corvallis
Transit operates six days a week.
Buying a house is typically
done through a real estate agent. If you're looking for an
older home in one of the historic neighborhoods, these homes
sell privately and quickly - for full value. For the non-Oregonians
who are unaware of our land-use policies and regulations,
be sure to check with the City of Corvallis planning department
prior to purchasing any property. The real estate agents
can help you navigate these waters. A few Corvallis agents
can be found at Town
& Country,
Windermere,
& Coldwell
Banker.
The University is the crown jewel of the community. Between
PAC-10 sports and cultural events, OSU enhances our quality
of life.
Some statistics about our community. We have more natural
scientists per capita than anywhere else on earth. We also
have a high patents granted per capita because of Hewlett
Packard. Our unemployment rate is low and our poverty rate
is high (nineteen thousand students eating Ramen are part
of our 53,000 population.)
Resources
Life in America's Small Cities characterizes our community
well in their rating system. The book was published in 1990
but the metrics used to rate small cities have not changed
greatly. We still have high housing prices, the same weather
and location. In 2004, our community was ranked the tenth
best place to live in America in Sanders and Sperling's Cities
Ranked and Rated.
The Weather
People ask about the weather. It rains. In October,
the great faucet in the sky opens up and we have 'Oregon Mist'
from November until April. If you hate rain, try Arizona.
If you like a moderate winter, complete with flowers and
green grass, look us over. Click here to get current, local
weather.
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