1. You experience 4 actual seasons.
California only has two seasons: 1) The dry and hot season and 2) the dry and less hot season. In contrast to that, Oregon experiences the whole gambit that the weather has to offer, having the beautiful colors of fall, followed by the potential for snow in winter, nature coming to life in spring, and the simply spectacular sunny days of summer.
2. The price you see is what you actually pay.
Three words: NO SALES TAX. In Oregon, gone are the pains of trying to calculate what your total will be at the register after taxes. What you see on the price tag is what you have to pay, simply as that.
3. You are legally not supposed to put in your own gas.
So, this is just flat out strange to me, and I still feel like it’s a pointless law. In Oregon, you are not allowed to put in your own gas. You remain in your car while a gas station employee comes and pumps the gas for you. While I appreciate the extra opportunity to be lazy and sit in my car while it rains, I could do without having to wait for the employee to come to my car when I could easily fill it up myself.
4. Strangers actually smile at you.
People are nice in Oregon – almost weirdly nice. Being used to the constant “you-better-not-bother-me” looks of California, it’s taken time for me to adjust to the numerous friendly faces of Oregonians. This, however, is something I more than look forward to getting used to.
5. Road rage isn't a daily occurrence.
Closely associated with people seeming nicer in Oregon is the fact that I’m not hearing people blaring on their horns every single day or seeing people flip each other off in traffic every time I’m on the road. Road rage is a Californian staple, and I certainly hope it stays there.
6. There are actually times during the day where there isn’t traffic.
In California, you never go anywhere without accounting for traffic. There’s too many people on the roads for you to not experience traffic. This makes it very refreshing to not have to worry about traffic every minute of every day in Oregon. Sure, some days it gets congested, but being from California, it’s nothing.
7. There’s a coffee shop on every corner that isn’t Starbucks.
There are coffee shops that aren’t Starbucks? Yes, apparently there are, and they are so much cozier and friendlier. Does the coffee taste better than Starbucks? I don’t know, I don't drink coffee, but they must be pretty good if they’re all over the place.
8. The plants you see aren’t fake.
With California having been in a drought for a few years, every plant you see is a desert plant (like a cactus), a fake plant or dead. Not so in Oregon. All the beautiful and vivacious colors of nature are absolutely breathtaking in Oregon, especially when experienced during the different seasons of the year. That makes me sound like a tree-hugging hippy, but I frankly don’t really care.
9. People drive slow/actually obey the speed limits.
I’m not sure how I feel about this actually. If you’re driving in California, it’s assumed that you’re driving at least 15 mph over the speed limit — literally, the slowest lane on the freeway when there isn’t terrible traffic is usually 70-75 mph in a 60 mph zone. THE SLOWEST. Not so in Oregon, where many times it feels as if drivers do the EXACT OPPOSITE and drive 15 mph under the speed limit. While I appreciate the safer driving speeds, I do like getting to where I’m going faster.
10. You can actually walk down the street at night and not assume you'll be mugged.
Crime happens everywhere; some places more than others. Such is the case for California and Oregon. The first time I heard friends were going to walk to the store at 1am for a drink, I expected to never see them again because that’s just what California is like. Yet, people go out at all times of the night in Oregon without a care in the world and, being a night owl, this sounds fantastic.