Springfield aka: Eugene-Springfield Metro Area

This is a lovely little town and full of very warm people. I’ve lived in Seattle, Las Vegas, near to Sacramento and Springfield is… very nice. What I love is that it is so close to trees and mountains, about 20 minutes or so… and so close to the ocean, about an hour. Within the town itself, which isn’t wholly picturesque, but does have a terrific downtown area replete with the one and only Rose’s, you have the Willamette River, some terrific walking and running areas, wonderful neighborhood people…

You gotta visit Rose’s though. It’s on A Street and Rose herself so fantastic. The food? Fattening, yummy, decently-priced and worth the visit. Bring cash though, no credit cards.

Outside of that accidental commercial… LOL. No, Springfield is not a major tourist destination, but it’s a decent place to lay your head while visiting other terrific sites around the southern Willamette Valley.

ugh! i lived in eugene and we would occasionally go over to springfield. i’m not impressed.

They’ve got a neat little park where they used to have a mill, and even moved a train station. The City Hall and Library were built one floor off the ground above some streets, leaving a parking lot below. Kinda nifty.

Nothing really there for visitors, unless you count the Gateway Mall. Very commercial, a lot of McDonalds, Subways, Burger Kings, as well as some residential neighborhoods. Nothing to see or do here, most people pass right through to Eugene.

After being here most recently for the better part of the past 7 years, I plan on making prepartions to leave by next fall (2006) due to the areas struggling economy, low standard of living, and the very visible high methamphetamine addiction problem. Eugene Oregon, right over the river, seems to be better but the entire area is not for me. Maybe the Oregon Coast?

I was born in here in Eugene, Raised in Fairbanks Alaska, and after traveling around the country from North to South, then back East to Jersey / NY-NY, back out West to Californy, I have returned for the past 7 years to my birthplace here and the place of my family of Origin – It’s often called the Emerald Valley or the Emerald Empire.

I now live in Springfield which is divided from Eugene by the bridge crossing over the Willamette River between the two towns. So, there is no real distinction geographically but the two areas are very, very different. Eugene is a College town (The University of Oregon is the apple of Eugene’s eye) driving east, suddenly you enter Springfield, historically a loggers, small farmers and blue-collar community with lumber mills and the like.

We “locals” call this area God’s Country because of the beautiful forests, rivers, mountains and the slower pace of living. A newcomer might think they’ve stepped off of a time machine when they see the long-hair local men at the “5th STreet Market and the Saturday Market, selling organically grown food, listening to any one of hundreds of local musicians and musical groups and enjoying the great outdoors as though it were 1969.

It is a hunter’s and fisherman’s dream and deer hunting and trout, salmon and catfishing are only a few of the sporting activities to be enjoyed.

There seems to be an inordinate amount of nightlife, probably due to the college town atmosphere but there are taverns, clubs, restaurants and bars everywhere you go so you’ll never go thirsty here in the Emerald Valley!

So, if you like woods-y outdoors and are more into that than a thriving economy and keeping up with the latest “must have” gadgets, although they are here, this is the place for you.

PS – for a prolonged stay here, one Must Love Rain (in the wintertime for sure!)