Portland may feel small, which is part of its charm, but it is not a "small American city". The metropolitan area population ranks 22nd in the USA at about 2.2 million people.
I visited Astoria on a fluke stop of a long trip down Highway 1. It's one of the coolest little places, even without all the film recognition. And the fish and chips from the guy on the drydocked boat are awesome!!
Yes, Eugene is DEFINITELY hippy-ish. I've lived here for about 18 years now. Also lots of extremist environmentalists (AKA tree-huggers) and beggars. Expect to be approached several times by panhandlers while anywhere near downtown. Eugene is nice and there's lots of various outdoor activities nearby as well as several small theater venues and the Hult Center for large-scale musical and theater performances.
Eugene rocks! I've lived here for over twenty years. Yes, there are beggers, but geez, where is the compassion people? Don't let a couple of bad apples ruin your appreciation for a wonderful town.
I've been in Eugene since 1994. And, yes, we have hippies, snobs, cliques, crazies, and the pseudo-rich, but it's like Jerry Garcia and John Waters had a love child and named it Eugene. The scenery is magnificent and there are a million amazing hiking trails and swimming spots. Yes, everything closes up early. Yes, you will be panhandled. And, yes, there are some really stinky people here. But it's the same wherever you go. I''m always happy to travel the world and see new things, but I'm always happy to come home to Eugene.
If you are planning on moving to Eugene as a musician or are planning to move your band here do yourself a big favor and bypass Eugene. You will get nowhere as everyone here plays for free. That is if you can even get anyone to let you play. Bypass Eugene and you will never regret it.
Eugene does have beautiful scenery and it definitely is easy living here, but let me tell you something: this town is sooo anti-business and anti-cange, not to mention very racist. People here do not know how to deal with people of different ethnicities. No matter how liberal people say they are here, it's all BS, there isnothing wrong with the hippies here but the aura of negativity in Eugene just sucks, and it will always be that way.
It is not that freaking hippy-ish!! Eugene is a great town. Go Ducks =)
Eugene's a nice town. Yes, it reeks of patchouli and wool socks in Birkenstocks but, without that olifactory stimulii, it wouldn't BE Eugene. If you don't like hippies, you're in the wrong town.
Thank you, Eugene, for being a somnolent, provincial, and boring place! I managed to get a degree in philosophy at University of Oregon, even though I have struggled with academics all my life. I don't know what I would do without the mind-enhancing experience of U of O. If Eugene had been a lively, interesting place, I never would have graduated. Eugene is the perfect college town, because the climate is oppressive, and most of the people are oblivious.
Eugene is a great city, filled with personality. The hippy-ness gets to me a little sometimes, but other than that, I have a wonderful time in Eugene.
I've lived in Eugene since '94 and have never seen the variety of cliques here (and I've lived on all borders up, down, and sideway with a few in-between). The hippy crap is old (I'm not just talking just the old hippies either) and if the extremists want to brag about the beauty everywhere (and it is beautiful once you're up in the trees). They need to clean-up the downtown and tell the loafers to go out east. It's a cool place, nevertheless, because of its laid-back style with people on the friendly-snobby side, but there is definitely worse out there.
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