Salem is second or third depending on who is doing the counting! Almost the same size as Eugene. If you included students at UofO Eugene would probably be ahead by a bit more at least during the school year. 😂
If you like nice neighborhoods to live, work and play in without a car, forget Salem. If you like any entertainment, forget Salem. If you like being in a place with diversity, forget Salem. I was born and raised in Salem in the '50s. It has not gotten better, just bigger. This is a boring car city that may as well be a California suburb with depressing weather half the year, and nothing interesting to do. There is nothing here to live "for", but is a good place to enjoy a dying soul just before your body dies.
@LIVINGINSALEM My roots, my family, and the estate my parents built in the 40s are there, and I visit twice a week. I am intimately familiar with Salem. I have decided not to move back to help my recently widowed and stroke impaired older brother. Salem began losing its identity in the 60s. There are no fun neighborhoods to explore. Urban sprawl of tract homes have and continue to invade the countryside. The Chariots system is an embarrassment. You must drive a lot to do anything, and there is no entertainment district, no restaurant row.
@@akahina Family is my number one reason for being in Salem! I agree Salems public transit is ineffective. The downtown area has a lot of businesses and restaurants to visit. There are pockets of historical homes in Central Salem that are fun to walk by along with some interesting architecture in West Salem and the older parts of South Salem. I am glad you are able to visit your family so often!