Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

 State:     Oregon

City:       Eugene

Eugene is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles (86 km) east of the Oregon Coast.

As of 2008, Eugene had a population of 154,620,  and the greater Eugene-Springfield metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 346,560. While Eugene has long been the second-largest city in Oregon, it was briefly surpassed by Salem between 2005 and 2007.  The Eugene-Springfield, Oregon MSA is the 145th-largest metropolitan statistical area of the U.S.

Eugene is home to the University of Oregon. The city is also noted for its natural beauty, activist political leanings, alternative lifestyles, recreational opportunities (especially bicycling, rafting, and kayaking), and focus on the arts. Eugene's motto is "The World's Greatest City of the Arts and Outdoors." It is also referred to as the "Emerald City", and "Track Town, USA." The Nike corporation had its beginnings in Eugene.

The combination of being in the downwind end of the Willamette Valley, the undisputed "grass-seed capital of the world"  and the confining shape of the hills has led to Eugene being the "the area of the highest grass pollen counts in the USA (> 1,500 pollen grains/m 3 of air)." These high pollen counts have led to difficulties for some of the track athletes who compete in Eugene. In the Olympic trials in 1972, "Jim Ryun won the 1,500 after being flown in by helicopter because he was allergic to Eugene's grass seed pollen."  Further, six-time Olympian Maria Mutola abandoned Eugene as a training area "in part to avoid allergies."

The largest employers are the University of Oregon, local government, and Sacred Heart Medical Center. Eugene's largest industries are wood products manufacturing and recreational vehicle manufacturing.

Corporate headquarters for the employee-owned Bi-Mart corporation and family-owned Market of Choice are located in Eugene. The Monaco Coach Corporation and Marathon Coach have their headquarters in nearby Coburg.

Annual Events

• The annual non-profit Oregon Country Fair, which takes place in nearby Veneta, is one of the largest volunteer events in the U.S.

• The annual Eugene Celebration is a three-day block party that takes place in the downtown area. The SLUG (Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod) Queen coronation happens the month prior to the celebration at the coronation contest and ceremony. The SLUG Queen is the reigning monarch of the celebration festivities and the unofficial ambassador of Eugene. The annual coronation process takes place in August and is a little like a formal pageant but with a campy spin. The new SLUG Queen presides over the parade at the Eugene Celebration in September.

• Art & the Vineyard festival held around the Fourth of July at Alton Baker Park attracts 25,000 annually, and is the principal fundraiser for the Maude Kerns Art Center

• The Lane County Fair and Asian Celebration are two annual events taking place at the Lane County Fairgrounds.

• Eugene's Saturday Market, founded in 1970 and open every Saturday from April through November,^[46] was the first "Saturday Market" in the United States.  All vendors must create or grow all of their own products.

• The Oregon Bach Festival is a major international festival.  It is hosted by the University of Oregon.

• The Oregon Festival of American Music, or OFAM is held annually in the early summer.

• Eugene's Mount Pisgah Arboretum, which resides at the base of Mount Pisgah, holds an annual Mushroom Festival and Plant Sale and an annual Wildflower Show.

• The KLCC Microbrew Festival is held annually at the Lane County Fairgrounds. It provides participants with an introduction to a large range of microbrewery and craft beers which play an important role in Pacific Northwest culture and the economy.

For nearly 40 years, Eugene has been the "Track Capital of the World." After the Mexico City Olympics, the benefits of high altitude training helped propel Boulder, CO (a very similar city to Eugene) to prominence in the track world. By 2005, however, Eugene was well on its way to reclaiming its former glory. Oregon's most famous track icon is the late world-class distance runner Steve Prefontaine, who was killed in a car crash in 1975. "Pre" has become a legendary figure among Eugene runners for his guts and lack of fear in races.

Cycling is popular in Eugene and many people commute via bicycle. Summertime events and festivals frequently have bike parking "corrals" that many times are filled to capacity by three hundred or more bikes. Many people commute to work by bicycle every month of the year. Numerous bike shops provide the finest rain gear products, running lights and everything a biker needs to ride and stay comfortable in heavy rain. Bike trails take commuting and recreational bikers along the Willamette River past a scenic rose garden, along Amazon Creek, through the downtown, and through the University of Oregon campus. In 2009, the League of American Bicyclists cited Eugene as 1 of 10 "Gold-level" cities because of its "remarkable commitments to bicycling."

Eugene is the home of Oregon's largest publicly owned water and power utility, the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). EWEB got its start in the first decade of the 20th century, after a typhoid epidemic was traced to the groundwater supply. The City of Eugene condemned Eugene's private water utility and began treating river water (first the Willamette; later the McKenzie) for domestic use. EWEB got into the electric business when power was needed for the water pumps. Excess electricity generated by the EWEB's hydropower plants was used for street lighting.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $40,456 (it was $35,850 in 2000)

Eugene:	$40,456
Oregon:	$50,169

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $24,288

 Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $260,200 (it was $145,000 in 2000)

Eugene:	$260,200
Oregon:	$273,300

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $282,146; Detached houses: $299,340; Townhouses or other attached units: $229,422; In 2-unit structures: $248,722; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $297,411; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $250,584; Mobile homes: $55,684

Median gross rent in 2008: $779.

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Eugene: 97.6 (near average, U.S. average is 100)

 In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·        Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·        Tornado Activity History

·        Hospitals & Medical

·        Airports

·        Colleges/Universities

·        High Schools

·        Locations of Interest

·        Shopping Centers

·        Churches

·        Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·        Tourist Attractions

·        Banks

·        Housing Costs Information

·        Crime Statistics

·        Radio Stations AM/FM

·        TV Broadcast Stations

·        Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Eugene-Oregon.html

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html#OREGON

Listing of Active Retirement Communities:

http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/185-oregon/1-active-lifestyles?city=97402-eugene

Visit our Senior Cruising Site at: http://seniorcruisers.org

Other sites of interest:

World of Collectibles

http://www.collectibleshg.info

DOGS

http://www.zcanines.com

CATS

http://www.zcats.com

BIRD WATCHING

http://www.zavians.com

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