By Melissa Wagoner
“Oregon is the most ‘moved-to’ state in America, according to the moving companies,” said real estate agent Dixon Bledsoe, who opened, Bledsoe Santana Team Realty, LLC with partner Lisa Santana this summer. He has been selling property in the Silverton area for 13 years.
Both Bledsoe and Connie Hinsdale, principal broker of NW Oregon Realty Group, said “millennials” are moving to the Silverton and Mount Angel area.
Hinsdale defined “millennials” as “young people in their late twenties to their thirties who have not yet purchased a home.
“We have young couples wishing to raise their children in a small town with good schools which makes our town desirable,” she said. “We are once again seeing an influx in out-of-state buyers. Their markets have loosened up and they are able to sell and move to be closer to family or just relocate to a desirable area.”
Bledsoe agreed, “People are coming from in town to up-size or downsize, off the farms for a more relaxed lifestyle, and from California where lost equity in the ‘downturn’ has been regained. More cash buyers. More Northwesterners and Portlanders who have heard about this beautiful area we call home.”
Hilary and Val Dumitrescu along with their children, Ben, 7, and Lily, 9, moved from California to Silverton last August.
The Dumitrescus own Sikana Publishing, which they can operate from home, giving them the flexibility to live most anywhere. The family chose Silverton because it reminded Hilary of her childhood hometown.
“We chose Silverton because it is small, walk-friendly, beautiful, and not crowded with what we see as the elements of an unhappy community: cars, chain stores, pollution, and a huge disparity between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots,’” Dumitrescu said.
The same traits the Dumitrescus found so desirable are attracting another interesting demographic, returning alumni.
“It is interesting to note that many of our high school graduates who leave the area to explore the world many times return when they are wanting to start their own families. They seek employment nearby so they can return to the area,” Chuck White, a real estate broker at Silverton Realty said.
White said a lot of people move to Silverton because they want to get away from the hustle and bustle of traffic congestion and other challenges of living in highly populated areas.
“They like the feeling of a small town and are willing to make the commute to enjoy the slower pace and enjoy the closeness and opportunity to work together through volunteer activities and events that are always available in a smaller community,” White said.
Dumitrescu has already embraced her new community by becoming a member of the Silverton Sidewalk Shindig and the Community Roots Auction Committee.
“We absolutely love it. The difference in our quality of life is nothing short of astounding” she said. “We lived on a busy street and it was inconceivable that we could enjoy a leisurely stroll downtown. Because we never walked anywhere, we rarely got to meet our neighbors. Now we walk everywhere, our kids play in the street, we know all of our neighbors and love getting to know all of the business owners in town.”
All of this positive movement into the area has created a seller’s market in Silverton.
“Real estate sales are incredible right now, with inventory lagging behind demand but with interest rates still very favorable to buyers,” Bledsoe said. “Well-priced homes go quickly, and some with multiple bids. Sellers have recovered a lot of their lost equity from the downturn.”
This is good news for those who are looking to sell their homes and upgrade or up-size due to growing families, a common theme right now, White said, but many others wonder what the increase in population will do to Silverton’s well-known small town charm.
Dumitrescu has an answer. “This will take careful thinking and planning, and studying other small towns who have managed to stay unique, small, and thriving,” she said.
“But as long as we can walk everywhere and our children are safe and happy here, we’re staying.”
