I have a great many reasons to love the area where I make my home. Here are just 5 reasons that I will share with you:
Living near a beautiful state park. We live about 5 miles from Silver Falls State Park, with miles of hiking trails and several breathtaking waterfalls. Lots of open air, beautiful foliage and numerous varieties of wildlife. We are so lucky to have all this (almost) in our backyard.
Old Fashioned Silverton downtown. We have a well-maintained downtown, filled with vintage buildings and colorful murals. Silverton is known for its murals – located throughout town, honoring well-known Silvertonians and decorated with historic scenes from the area.
They also filmed the movie “Bandits” (with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) here, as well as many other movies.
Located an hour away from the big city, and two hours away from the high desert and the ocean. Drive two hours to the west and you are at the coast. Drive two hours to the east and you find yourself in the high desert of Central Oregon. Head north for just an hour and you are in Portland, with all the big city has to offer. And the college towns of Corvallis and Eugene are south on I5; an hour and hour and half, respectively.
Close-knit farming community. The area where I live has numerous family farms, many of which have been in the same family for generations. My own family’s farm has been here for seven generations. Farms in this area grow lots of crops, like grass seed (fescue), Christmas trees, strawberries, various row crops, etc. It’s a beautiful area, full of hardworking people who have an appreciation for all the blessings that we have been given.
I can’t think of a better place to live. The beautiful landscapes, hills, farms, etc. Temperate climate (most of the time) that makes it so easy to live here. Having room to breathe, space to move around and enjoy life. I have often said that I couldn’t live in a big city. The truth is that if I had to live in a big city, I could. But I wouldn’t want to live in a big city. I am a country girl at heart. I like living right where I am, right now.
What are 5 reasons you love living where you live? Share them in the comments section below; or better yet, write a post about where you live, then post the link in the comments so we can all find out about where you live!
Joan Merrell is a solo mom to two daughters, a widow, and a security technician at Oregon State Hospital. Oregon native, farm girl and 4H leader, maker of homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies, she balances (more or less) full-time work with caring for a home filled with a teenage daughter, 2 entitled cats, and a hyper German Shepherd. She enjoys gardening and hiking, reading Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti novels, and searches for a few spare minutes to communicate with her grown daughter and son-in-law on her Marco Polo app. Find out more about Joan here.